[TYPO3] multiple frontend versions of a site

[David Lanier]

I'm not very sure how to phrase this need.  So I'll do my best to 
describe what my client needs.

Requirements:

- This is for an organization that has several physical locations.

- The site needs to be customized for each physical location.

- The user will select a location by clicking a link.

- 99% of the pages (navigation) will be the same.

- 50-75% of the content on those pages will be the same.


Initial Thoughts:

1) it would be way too cumbersome, long-term, to create separate 
branches of the tree for each location.  It's important that all 
versions of the site have the same navigation.

2) Use TYPO3's translation mechanism.  What we are looking for is 
essentially all the same functionality that is already present in the 
translation features native to typo3.  We just don't want multiple 
languages.  We want multiple locations.

Is that even a route worth pursuing?  Does typo3 support "ad-hoc" 
languages? made-up languages?  (I recognize that this would certainly 
add some issues if we ever decided to add alternate languages to the site.)

3) My only other thought at this point is to create a new extension 
which gives the ability to hide a page or content from a particular 
location.  even better would be the ability to add alternate versions 
for each content item... basically how translating content works.

4) Workspaces?  Can multiple workspaces be live at the same time?


Any thoughts on this?  Is there an obvious method I should use that I 
just haven't thought of?

--
David Lanier