A new social networking site just for Alans
I would like to announce the launch of a new social networking site, specifically catering to the needs of people called Alan*.
The idea came to me after a Friday night in my local pub, and being told by one of our colleagues at Canonical, that we are now simply known as “The Alans”. Funnily the chaps at Elonex usually call us that too…
If you are an Alan, or know one, then head on over to http://thealans.com where you will meet up with literally several like-named people. If you happen not to be called Alan then you can still register and take a look around, but we might just delete your profile after a few weeks. The site is based on the Elgg social networking platform. If you think your company could use facebook-like technology as an internal tool that you can control then give me a shout and we can help you get started with Elgg.
* Alternative spellings are of course acceptable as are gender alternatives such as Alana, Allana and Alanis.
Tags: Alan, Canonical, Elgg, The Alans, The Open Learning Centre
I heard an episode of From Our Own Correspondent on Radio4 last month about the history of Ossetia (the place in the war between Russia and Georgia)
“But the Ossetians, in their glory days of continental mastery, were not known by that name. They were sometimes Sarmatians, and sometimes Alans.
Every third Ossetian you meet now seems to be called Alan, and the north Ossetian republic, within Russia, is officially “Alania”,”
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/programmes/from_our_own_correspondent/7701614.stm
Also from another website it is referred to as the Alan Kindom:
Since before recorded history, North Ossetia-Alania has been the crossroads of main Caucasus routes and a bridge between Transcaucasus and Europe. Due to its strategic geographical position, North Ossetia-Alania has always been the subject of dispute for all the great empires. The Great Silk Route, which bound all civilized mankind from China to the Atlantic coast at the begining of our time, passed through the Alan kingdom, from which Ossetia inherited its ethnic and cultural traditions.
Finally you can read about the empire of Alan on wikipedia:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alans
LOLs all round I thought.
@BobCFC,
Thanks for the in-depth research. I too am a Radio 4 listener and heard the piece you refer to, but it just didn’t register with my new found love for all things Alan.
But thanks again, you have given me a good idea for my first page on The Alans.
Just FYI, in the first 12 hrs since announcing, we have increased our membership by 150% 😉
That Popey gets everywhere lol