1) What and who is The Geneva Community?

  The Geneva Community is a non-profit English language service established specifically for the sharing and transmitting of information by paying members through a website and an electronic bulletin with the larger expatriate community in the Geneva region and nearby France.  It was created and is still run by a  dedicated group of volunteers all based in Geneva.

2) How does The Geneva Community work?

 The Geneva Community is just that, a community of members reaching out to the larger community.  It relies on the active participation of its  members and subscribers. The more members who post, change and refresh announcements frequently, the more information there is  for readers to see. The more readers and subscribers who sign up to receive eVoice, the larger the audience for our members’ announcements. Members and subscribers are encouraged to forward our eVoice on to friends, colleagues - anyone who might be  interested  in finding about these events products and services. We just offer the venue for all this to happen.

3) What does The Geneva Community have to offer?

      For Members: The Geneva Community offers:

• a) A website where members can post their own announcements as often as needed. 
• b) An on-line directory where members’ organisations or businesses will be listed including a short description of the organisation, website links and contact information, all written and controlled by the members themselves. 
• c) A weekly electronic bulletin that is sent to over 1,400 subscribers (and constantly growing). 
• d) An impressive network of contacts and information.
• e) Advertising possibilities (banner ads)--see Advertise page for more details.

For Subscribers: (A completely free service)

•  a) Real-time listings of events, products & services.
•  b) Quality, relevant up-to-date information, website links and contacts.

4) What is the difference between a Member and a Subscriber?

 A Member pays a yearly fee to post announcements on eVoice on line  and to be listed in our directory (see question 3).  A Subscriber is anyone who “signs up”  to  receive our weekly emailed eVoice bulletin.  This service is FREE to Subscribers, with no further obligation and can be unsubscribed at any time.

5) What is eVoice and how often is it sent out?

 EVoice is the electronic bulletin containing all the announcements that members post. EVoice is posted on the website and is also emailed to our subscriber list once a week, usually on Thursday morning.

6) Do I automatically receive eVoice if I become a member?

No, you still have to sign up to receive eVoice, but you don’t have to become a Member to sign up to receive eVoice.

7) To which areas does The Geneva Community cater?

Our site is on the worldwide web therefore, it is there for anyone worldwide to see, however our primary viewers and interested readers will  come from the Geneva region and neighbouring France.

8) Can anyone be a member of The Geneva Community?

If you represent an association, organisation or business with an event to announce or a product or service to announce or sell, this site is for  you. You can be a one-person entrepreneur or a large organisation. You can be a private club, a school, a professional, a non-profit group, publication, interest group...the list goes on. Just take a look the directory in the “Locate” section of our site to give you an idea of the members we attract.

9) How much does it cost to become a member and how long does membership last?

Membership costs CHF150 and lasts for one year from the time payment clears. When you join you will be asked to fill out information about your organisation or business,  and choose a password which allows you to access your account whenever you want.  You can even begin posting your announcments.  Once the payment is received by us, we will activate your account and your information will be seen on the site.

10) Are members automatically renewed after a year?

No, not automatically. We will send you an invoice. If we do not receive payment or hear from you within a reasonable amount of time, we will  deactivate your account. We will keep your information archived though if you inform us of your continued membership.

11) What are the benefits of becoming a Member of The Geneva Community?

With membership you can manage and control your announcements and directory listing,  post, edit and delete your announcements at any time of day. You can post multiple announcements, rework and submit older announcements which are archived until you permanently delete them. You can specify start and end dates so you can prepare all your announcements in advance and don’t even have to be around when they  appear the site.  Your announcements will begin on your chosen start date and will end at midnight on your chosen end date. Your own website link will also be live on the site and on eVoice.  Occasionally, we highlight our member’s announcements in our editor’s box.

12) How many words or characters am I allowed to post for any one announcement?

There is a limit of 600 characters per announcement.  Characters include letters, spaces and punctuation.

 13) Can I cut and paste from another document?

 No, this is not advised. Our formatting is different and cutting/pasting can result in the scrambling of information.

14) Will my announcement be edited?

It may be. On the whole we leave members the freedom to write their own announcements which should reflect the product, event or service of the organisation listed.  Our site is not to be used to express personal views and opinions. We have an on-line editor to correct any obvious errors and/or "tidy up" titles/announcements that are difficult to read, remove announcements that are outdated and to make sure postings are appropriate in language and content. The Geneva Community staff reserves the right to remove any announcement it deems inappropriate or offensive and repeated offenses will result in the cancellation of membership with no refund.

15) Can I buy advertising space on your site?

 Yes, you can buy advertising space at affordable rates.  You can find more information by  following the "advertising links" on the announcement page or by clicking on the "Become a Member" link and then clicking again on the advertising link at the bottom of that page.

16) Do I need to become a Member to advertise?

No, You are buying a space for your ad for a specific amount of time.  Just follow the links in the advertising slots.  Advertisements allow you to post a full colour logo with a live link. Occasionally, members also  buy advertising space.

17) How do I become a member of The Geneva Community?

 On our website www.thegenevacommunity.com, click the “Join The Geneva Community” link and follow the simple instructions.  At the bottom of the page you will find a box stating: “Click here to continue and register your details.”   Click on this box and enter your details. Your registration will be confirmed to us. Upon payment, we will activate your membership which is valid from the date payment clears and is good for one year.

18) How do I pay?

You can choose to pay online by credit card, using World Pay or you can pay by cheque, bulletin de versement or make a direct bank transfer to our account. (Details are provided on the form.) In all cases, your account will be activated when your payment clears.

19) What is the Geneva Times?

The Geneva Times is an independent print and online bimonthly (6 editions a year) publication owned by Swiss Times Media SARL. The Geneva Times provides general information, feature articles, news and events in English. The Geneva Times offers both printed and online subscription packages. 

20) What is the relationship between The Geneva Community and the Geneva Times?

Currently both organisations are working collaboratively to provide enhanced news and information services to the expatriate and the local English-speaking population of Geneva and its surrounding regions. Through this collaboration we can offer an expanded media platform to our subscribers as well as a variety of advertising and promotional opportunites to our members and advertisers. By December 31, 2010, The Geneva Community will become  a product of Swiss Times Media by merging with the Geneva Times.

21) Will my service as a Geneva Community member be affected?

No, all members' services will continue as before. The Geneva Community team will continue to offer the friendly, professional service members have been receiving.

22) What are the advantages of the merger between The Geneva Community and the Geneva Times?

There are many advantages for this merger. For current members: Your visibility will expand by up to 50% - You will receive a 15% discount on all web advertising and 25% on all print advertising - One-year free publishing of a 400-word advertorial article with photos in the "Services" section of the online GT (with a set-up fee of CHF 50) - You will receive discounts on both the print and online subscriptions of GT (CHF 20 for the print version and CHF10 for the online version) - Current members are also eligible for a free, one-year online subscription if you register before September 1, 2010 - The ability to post your events free of charge on the GT "events" calendar. For Subscribers:  Much more information at your fingertips - A one-year subscription to the GT at reduced rates: CHF 20 for the print version and CHF 10 for the onllne version. For Advertisers: Attractive advertising packages to appear on both sites (see Advertising page on this site)  - one-year free publishing of a 400-word advertorial article with photos in the "Services" section of the online GT (with set-up fee of CHF 50).

23) Can I contact The Geneva Community?

Absolutely. If you have a question regarding membership, eVoice subscription, advertising, the merger with the Geneva Times or any other query, just click on the “send us a message” link on the main menu and we will answer you as soon as we can.