We're in XKCD!

seamus · 06-10-2010 9:02am #1

So every so often, xkcd.com draws these terribly nerdy maps where every country on the map represents a website and the size of the country represents the traffic or popularity of the site.

Today the theme is social networks.

http://www.xkcd.net/

Click on the image to see it in full-size and then have a look at the forums.

To even appear on this thing is one thing - but look at the size of boards compared to other forums...

Tallon · 06-10-2010 9:10am

Where?

Delirium · 06-10-2010 9:18am

Easier to see it if you go here -> http://xkcd.com/802_large/

It's south of the 4chan island, sharing the island with Fok.NL

Wibbs · 06-10-2010 9:37am

The Dutch seem to love their forums. One beside us and another big one over to the east. I say invade.

Good to see us on there.

Especially given the size of Ireland. Then again we do love to talk as a nation. I wonder is there a breakdown of forums by country? When you remove the ones without a level playing field broadband access wise, do some cultures simply talk online more? Like the Dutch example. Relatively small country and pretty small amount of Dutch speakers, but a very big web presence by comparison.

ibarelycare · 06-10-2010 10:22am

Woo! We're nearly as big as DS and that's the UK's biggest forum.

Ponster · 06-10-2010 10:25am

Wow. That has just made my day !

It may be nerdy but appearing in a XKCD comic means I can check that off the list of 'Things to do before I die!'

Gordon · 06-10-2010 11:12am

Hah! Wow! This is like the Geek version of the Oscars

Earthhorse · 06-10-2010 11:43am

That's pretty cool but when are they gonna introduce street view?

pickarooney · 06-10-2010 11:57am

koth wrote: »

Easier to see it if you go here -> http://xkcd.com/802_large/

It's south of the 4chan island, sharing the island with Fok.NL

Just realised how that sounds when read out loud.

There are 25 million Dutch speakers, all of whom have high-speed broadband.

Gordon · 06-10-2010 12:06pm

Ross · 06-10-2010 12:13pm

Gordon wrote: »

I like.

Earthhorse · 06-10-2010 12:17pm

We kinda look like a fist.

Tallon · 06-10-2010 12:19pm

We look like kildare

Earthhorse · 06-10-2010 12:22pm

Kildare kinda looks like a fist.

Tallon · 06-10-2010 12:29pm

Daemos · 06-10-2010 1:23pm

That's tectonic plate movement for you :rolleyes:

AlmightyCushion · 06-10-2010 3:01pm

Wibbs wrote: »

The Dutch seem to love their forums. One beside us and another big one over to the east. I say invade.

Good to see us on there. Especially given the size of Ireland. Then again we do love to talk as a nation. I wonder is there a breakdown of forums by country? When you remove the ones without a level playing field broadband access wise, do some cultures simply talk online more? Like the Dutch example. Relatively small country and pretty small amount of Dutch speakers, but a very big web presence by comparison.

Well Ireland is mostly English speaking so that puts Irish forums at a disadvantage simply because the Irish can use sites in the UK, America etc whereas people in the Netherlands wouldn't use forums outside their country as much due to the language barrier.

Dav · 06-10-2010 3:09pm

It's been my experience that Dutch people seem to have excellent English though and that language might be less of a barrier than you might imagine. I get a feeling that maybe culturally though, they like the fact that they're the only ones speaking their language (for the most part) and so stick with it.

They also seem to have an excellent telecoms infrastructure - so much so that there's so much quality home internet services that there are almost zero internet cafés (I learned this the hard way being stuck in Tilburg when the Volcano errupted earlier this year - only place we could get free public wifi was the library).

All this talk of Holland has made me realise that I'll need to get moving on sorting out a trip next year's Roadburn festival...

As for us being on XKCD, I'm over the moon about it

We're probably gonna get a copy of the poster for the office!

seamus · 06-10-2010 3:11pm

AlmightyCushion wrote: »

Well Ireland is mostly English speaking so that puts Irish forums at a disadvantage simply because the Irish can use sites in the UK, America etc whereas people in the Netherlands wouldn't use forums outside their country as much due to the language barrier.

Fun fact for the day: Many of the Nordic/North Germanic languages are so closely related in terms of text and syntax that they can by-and-large read eachother's newpapers and articles. They can't however, speak to eachother because pronunciation and tone are all over the shop. Strictly speaking, Dutch isn't a Nordic language though it's closely related to them, so the Dutch forums likely get a good bit of traffic from Scandanavian (and Germanic) countries too.

It would be the equivalent of there being a forum written entirely in Shakesperean English - we could probably muddle our way through the text, and possible even engage, but if we had to speak to one of the guys, we'd not have a clue what he's saying.

Wibbs · 06-10-2010 3:54pm

Not dissimilar to Portugese and Spanish I gather. I know a pair who are pen pals and can like you said muddle through the reading of each others letters with the odd foray into the dictionary, but speaking to each other on the phone is a no no.

Beruthiel · 06-10-2010 4:14pm

Dav wrote: »

We're probably gonna get a copy of the poster for the office!

That's a must!

AlmightyCushion · 06-10-2010 4:52pm

seamus wrote: »

Fun fact for the day: Many of the Nordic/North Germanic languages are so closely related in terms of text and syntax that they can by-and-large read eachother's newpapers and articles. They can't however, speak to eachother because pronunciation and tone are all over the shop. Strictly speaking, Dutch isn't a Nordic language though it's closely related to them, so the Dutch forums likely get a good bit of traffic from Scandanavian (and Germanic) countries too.

It would be the equivalent of there being a forum written entirely in Shakesperean English - we could probably muddle our way through the text, and possible even engage, but if we had to speak to one of the guys, we'd not have a clue what he's saying.

Never knew that. Makes sense when you think about it. It's the same with the Polish. One of the Polish lads I work with told me that they can understand things written in other Slavic languages (can't remember which but I think Russian and Slovakian were ones he mentioned). He told me that they can usually speak to each other as the meaning and pronunciation of a lot of words are very similar.

pickarooney · 06-10-2010 5:18pm

seamus wrote: »

Fun fact for the day: Many of the Nordic/North Germanic languages are so closely related in terms of text and syntax that they can by-and-large read eachother's newpapers and articles. They can't however, speak to eachother because pronunciation and tone are all over the shop. Strictly speaking, Dutch isn't a Nordic language though it's closely related to them, so the Dutch forums likely get a good bit of traffic from Scandanavian (and Germanic) countries too.

That's really not true at all, I'm afraid. While a Norwegian could probably learn Dutch more quickly than an Italian it's a huge, illogical leap to say that he could, almost instinctively, understand written Dutch, or have any interest in Dutch culture. All (Germans, Dutch, Scandinavians) are infintely more likely to read an English-language forum than one whose main language is not their native one.

seamus · 06-10-2010 5:22pm

It's funny that you mention Norwegian, because I've been on training courses with Norwegians (and Finns) in Holland who all claimed to be able to mostly understand the newpapers, but not the spoken word.

I didn't say that they definitely read dutch forums, but they often *can*, therefore it's possible that they do...

DeVore · 06-10-2010 5:33pm

WOAH!

WTF? XKCD!!!

I can die now.... (I'm such a nerd).

DeV.

Plowman · 06-10-2010 6:15pm

This post has been deleted.

pickarooney · 06-10-2010 6:19pm

seamus wrote: »

It's funny that you mention Norwegian, because I've been on training courses with Norwegians (and Finns) in Holland who all claimed to be able to mostly understand the newpapers, but not the spoken word.

I didn't say that they definitely read dutch forums, but they often *can*, therefore it's possible that they do...

You said it was likely; I said it was unlikely. That's all really.

AckwelFoley · 06-10-2010 6:51pm

AlmightyCushion wrote: »

Well Ireland is mostly English speaking so that puts Irish forums at a disadvantage simply because the Irish can use sites in the UK, America etc whereas people in the Netherlands wouldn't use forums outside their country as much due to the language barrier.

The demographic of net / forum users are im sure pretty young, and in holland they speak very good english.. so perhaps you might be right but, i think there is more to it

AckwelFoley · 06-10-2010 6:53pm

seamus wrote: »

It's funny that you mention Norwegian, because I've been on training courses with Norwegians (and Finns) in Holland who all claimed to be able to mostly understand the newpapers, but not the spoken word.

I didn't say that they definitely read dutch forums, but they often *can*, therefore it's possible that they do...

The danes can speak swedish well (or norwegian) pretty well but cant read it, or vice versa, its one or the other but not both

AckwelFoley · 06-10-2010 7:10pm

Stats? Anyone?

[IMG]hthttp://www.big-boards.com/img/graphs/m108.pngtp://[/IMG]

And the best one.. PIE CHART MMMMMMMMNOM NOM NOM NOM..

Gordon · 06-10-2010 9:05pm

Dav wrote: »

As for us being on XKCD, I'm over the moon about it We're probably gonna get a copy of the poster for the office!

Buy a few of them and give them out as prizes.

We're in XKCD!

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