Toytown Germany is the English-language community website for Germany. It is an information resource, a meeting point, and a communication platform for English-speaking foreigners throughout the country.
Toytown Germany, known as "TT" for short, collects information about local bars and restaurants, events and meetups, job offers, housing, cinemas, taxes, and pretty much anything to do with moving to Germany and living here. The heart of the site is the chat forum where English speakers can share news, ask questions, post answers, make advertisements, organise sports and social events, discuss current affairs, and engage in general lively banter about anything and everything.
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Who uses the site
TT is read primarily by American, British, Canadian, Irish, Australian, South African, and New Zealand citizens living in Germany (see nationality statistics). Anyone who can speak English to a native standard, regardless of nationality, is welcome to read and take part. As of April 2008 there are over 7,500 members active on the chat forum. See the list of currently active members. Many other people read the site without registering a membership. Although the grand total readership is impossible to measure exactly, we make an educated estimate at 25,000. This constitutes just over 10% of the total population of 230,000 native English-speakers living in Germany. See the map of member locations and the detailed population statistics for expats in Germany.
How to use the site
The basics:
- How to find information - and what kind of information is available, a sitemap of sorts
- How to meet people - meeting other English-speakers in Germany
- How to post a message - taking part in the discussions
- Moving to Germany - essential information for newcomers to the country
- FAQ - Frequently asked questions - about life in Germany, about its cities, and about this website
More advanced usage:
- Tips for effective classified adverts - how to sell furniture, rent a flat, etc.
- How to organise an event - tips on organising your own meetup
- Generic help pages for using the forum software
Good behaviour guidelines
- Forum usage guidelines - read these and follow them, or be mercilessly moderated
- No personal attacks - never insult another TT member, ever
- Freedom of speech - we're liberal here, but you don't have the right to say whatever you please
Who owns the site, and history of its creation
TT was dreamt up and created by Editor Bob in August 2002, together with help from co-administrator Malcolm Spudbury. Originally TT was a Munich-specific website. Due to popular demand the site expanded in April 2006 to cover the whole of Germany. Today TT is owned and run by Bob as a one-man business. The additional four moderators kindly donate their time on a volunteer basis. Funding comes via the advertising banners and supporter subscriptions. Further details:
- Moderation team - who edits the site
- Origin of the name "Toytown" - it's a curious name, but what does it mean?
- Funding and advertising - how the site is financed
- Webserver technical details - what computer hardware we use
- Impressum / imprint - contact details for the site administration
Read more
Click to see the complete list of "About TT" pages. Everything you ever wanted to know about Toytown Germany but were too afraid to ask. Or return to the front page.