North American Expats Website – business environment and analysis of cognate and non-cognate websites By Lauren Sternberg University of Greenwich December 16, 2015

Twitter Website for North American expats in England, extension of FB social group. Resources for networking, imports, terminology, equivalents etc.

Value Proposition Market: American and Canadian Expatriates living in England Customer Experience: Easy access to important information for expats and networking events Offering: Access to categorized information assembled by fellow expats as well as a networking community of expats living England Benefit: Visitors to the site should be able to find a majority of the answers they are looking for within the site’s information pages as well as forums, therefore not looking all over the web for answers to different questions. Events also will be in one solid place with a calendar so advance planning is possible. Alternatives and Differentiation: Other expat websites, forums and pages on Facebook Proof: Google search, lack of activity on many current expat forums, types of activity on social media forums (Facebook)

An explanation of your unique selling proposition (USP) This kind of social-driven, but also informative website does not exist in the fashion I have envisioned it. I have had the success of creating an expat social group that began in February 2015 after noticing there was a lack of events for American expats in London as well as a man named Anthony Timmons (uses alias “Wilber Webb”) who is well-known in the expat community for events that are poorly attended or non-existent, throwing people out of his group that question his practices, and trying to make profit from events on Meetup.com. Many Americans who joined our group told us they had given up on the idea of meeting other expats after their experiences with Mr. Timmons. We added the Canadian component when we found that they wanted to take part and form a partnership and had also had negative run-ins with Mr. Timmons. I believe this is the reason we grew to over 930 members in just 10 months. Going on that success, we already have a somewhat captive audience to build website traffic and we’ve made a trusted name for ourselves, as well as one that appreciates the expat plight with humor. We believe that putting faces behind an informational and events website will create a new kind of community and bring something that the other expat sites on the web lack.

Business Environment Not seeking revenue generation immediately - web hosting will be main cost involved Start-up costs will be out of pocket and hopefully reimbursed Eventually hope to generate revenue via advertising (light) or corporate sponsorship (American/Canadian brands trying to break into UK market)

Cognate Websites (American) Three websites that currently exist for American expats in England are: this is a website that while it is nicely presented, one is immediately aware that this is a business. There are advertisements everywhere and nothing feels personal on it. The proof in the pudding is the lack of activity on its forums. : This website also covers a lot of ground for expats, but lacks a strong “social” section. When you click on the “feeling lonely” section, you are directed to forums which have some activity, but doesn’t advertise specific events. again, there is activity on this site, but its somewhat outdated design leads you to believe it isn’t the most current resource out there, regardless of whether it is or not. Again, not a strong social component. Site is text-heavy and with little purpose: most of the issues that expats are curious about are met with vague descriptions

Cognate Websites (Canadian) this website is actually a general expat website. One must register to access information. full of broken links, doesn’t seem to be used Is not specific to the UK, is just for any Canadian that is abroad. Hasn’t been updated recently, fails to even mention the popular Facebook Canadian group under social activities. comes up in search, but no longer is maintained. Was a paying, subscription-based site

Canuck Abroad

Internations

Non-Cognate Sites US Embassy: – Is more geared for Brits going to the US – Front page includes Twitter embed, a sidebar navigation, and a main nav. The “Communities” link brings you to the embassy’s Twitter. The “about” section tells you who’s who at the embassy. – Links that are crucial (like IRS) simply tell you that there is no more assistance for Americans filing taxes abroad. – Provided services are listed. – There is a section about traveling and living in the UK, but it is buried and hard to find in the navigation. Canadian Embassy: -small info section but it is on the bottom Canada/UK Relations: -full of broken links or dead pages -tells you more about what to do in Canada

US Embassy in London

US Embassy Site: Travel Warnings

US Embassy: IRS (you’re f*cked)

Embassy: About the USA

US Embassy: So helpful! ;)

Canadian Embassy Site

Canadian Embassy (?)

Conclusion: The need for a user-friendly, as well as emotionally- friendly North American expat site exists. Information can be difficult to find and outdated, even on embassy websites. Most cognate sites lack a proper social atmosphere. Success of expat groups on Facebook leads one to believe that people want a more interactive and social experience.