I‘ve started a weekly roundup here on this blog of all of the useful and interesting links I share on Facebook and Twitter. As I explained last week, I have several Facebook Business Pages and have started using them a bit like how I’ve used Delicious in the past: to share useful links. The links for the different Facebook Business Pages are below if you want to follow them there.

Here are the international and cross-cultural links for this week.

Cross-Cultural Topics

• The art and science of cultural difference – An insightful read into cultural differences. Below is the “most wanted” picture in Holland. Read the article to see how this is different to the “most wanted” picture for Americans. A great illustration of cultural differences found via Christian Hoeferle.
• Irish American Culture: Pass the Colcannon – In case you missed reading up on St. Patrick’s day this week, here’s a good read on PocketCultures
• Cultural Competency – Where Do You Begin? - Amadou M. Sall reminds us that we don’t start by talking to “cultures”, we start by connecting with individual people.
• China Blogs by Western Women who Love Chinese Men – Here’s a great resource to get insights into different perspectives of Chinese culture.
• Dubai: The Identity Crisis Next Door – This is an interesting read by Arun Rajagopal. I expect several countries to go through identity crisis as our demographics sift over the next few decades. I wonder what it’ll take for these countries to come through these changes for the better. What do you think?
• Google partners with Italy for groundbreaking book scanning deal – Google has similar arrangements with Oxford University, Madrid’s Complutense University, the Bavarian state museum and others.

International Business

• Why MBAs are Going East – This trend in looking for better jobs in the east is definitely one to watch.
• The Biggest Roadblock to Upping Exports – Here’s a good read on the challenges of developing business abroad. “The biggest hurdle stopping most companies from doing business abroad is fear”. Do you agree with this?
• Mobile Phone Subscribers Earn Money In the Developing World - As usual, here’s an interesting read on international business by Laurel Delaney. What other international business stories do you have to share?
• Despite Digital Crackdown, Brands Still See Growth in China –  This is also a review of Google’s story, the mistakes they made in China and why other companies should still consider developing there.
• How can I use partners to internationalise when the supplier-buyer relationships are key? – Some great advice from Donagh Kiernan to Get International Clients

International Marketing

• A transparent world through face recognition and the great challenge for privacy – Christian Kreutz brings up some great points in the cultural differences in how people are using facial recognition. What do you think about this? Is it a good thing all round or not?
• 9 Killer Tips for Location-Based Marketing – As more location-based tools and platforms are coming out, how can you use these technologies for better marketing. Do you think these tools will help your International Marketing?
• The Future of Publishing - Great video on two different perspectives of the future of publishing.

International Sales

• gE Blog Series: Planes, Trains and Automobiles – Here’s an interesting series by globalEDGE on transportation and how this impacts International Business : Planes, Trains and Automobiles – Transportation
• European Union Looks at Vietnam – globalEDGE shares how the European Union Looks at Vietnam for free-trade negotiations. Are you aware of all the International Business opportunities available through trade agreements?
• Free Market Webinars Now Available! - Here’s yet another great resource on globalEDGE. This time it’s a list of free webinars to help you make more international sales and Get International Clients. It’s worth checking out.
• Keeping an Open Mind will Open New Markets - Here globalEDGE shares a link to an interview with the US Ambassador to Saudi Arabia and reminds us of the export opportunities to Get International Clients there. “China, India and Russia have recently earned over $19 billion in business that has traditionally gone to American firms.”

International Social Media

• Data Shows Articles with Digits May be Shared More on Facebook Than Those Without – Dan Zarrella always shares some interesting stats. This one shows why it’s good to include numbers in the articles you share on Facebook… Do you often write article titles with numbers? Do you think works across all cultures?
• Are You Taking Social Media Shortcuts? - In this article Jay Baer gets us thinking about the big picture of social media. Outside of the big 4 mentioned here I like the social bookmarking site BizSugar for it’s business community. Plus, for international audiences I also use the French Viadeo and the European XING. Are their any international social media platforms you like to use?
• Social Media In Philippine Tourism – It’s always interesting to have a look at ideas on using social media in different countries. Although there are not any new ideas here, it does show that opportunities are not exploited.
• Twitter’s Leadership Promises The Impossible – After following Google’s story in China, here’s the take on Twitter. Do you think we’ll have many social media platforms operating all over the globe? Or will there be more of a tendency towards specific platforms for different countries?
• ‘Enemies of the Internet’ Countries Include Iran, Saudi - It seems this is a list we’ll need to watch for a while as the web continues to develop. Are you surprised to see any of these countries listed here?
• Chavez: Twitter and websites may soon be blocked in Venezuela - And after the last link, here’s another interesting bit of news from Venezuela. How much do you think political restrictions in different countries will impact international social media across the globe?
• Bloggerati versus Literati - A good read by Yang-May Ooi on the rise in popularity of Malaysian blogging and bloggers. Are blogs changing the reading habits in your country?

Now It’s Your Turn

• What about you? Did you find any interesting links recently?
• What do these international and cross-cultural links inspire for you?
• Which international link is your favorite?

What do you think? Please share your thoughts and comments below.

Photos from Shutterstock.

  Filed under: International Business

Cindy King

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