Cindy King's International Business Blog » culture shock

18 Great Social Media Quotes With An International Perspective

Cindy King — Thu, 13 May 2010 23:00:56 +0000

Jay Baer recently shared the social media quotes he uses most. Be sure to check out the SlideShare presentation he’s put together. These are some great quotes and I use many of them myself. But I’m based in France and network constantly with a broad international audience for my business. So these quotes don’t always resonate the same with my international audience.

Here are Jay’s favorite social media quotes with some of my own thoughts on how these work within international social media.

Social Media Tips From An International Perspective

#1: “Focus on how to be social, not on how to do social.”

This is not always easy for people from different countries to understand because their ideas of “being social” are different. And this means people in different countries observing social media in North America can have a hard time picking up what “being social” means in social media.

For example in many countries “social” has to be in person. Here’s an example of how French people have integrated the French notion of being social in social media.

#2: “Social media doesn’t create negativity, it uncovers it.”

I personally have a hard time with this. One of the culture shocks I had, even after living in France for decades, was the negativity in the French blogosphere. Of course there are many great French bloggers, but every time I dive into this French environment I’m shocked by how negative it is and invariably close all my web browsers.

This makes me a bit wary of what negativity means to different cultures and how this can impact social media in different countries.

#3: “Social media is an ingredient, not an entree.”

Right now in European businesses social media often seems more like the unicorn mentioned below. It’s something you’ve heard about, but don’t really believe the business benefits exist. So it’s hard to create any sort of “social media meal” at all.

But progress is being made and it’ll be interesting to see the differences in how social media is used within different countries. Just like there are different cuisines throughout the world, there’s sure to be “culinary differences” in successful social media in other countries.

#4: “Everyone says social media is a unicorn, but maybe it’s just a horse?”

Or the Lochness Monster? That’s the response most appropriate to what I hear here in Europe.

As North American businesses use social media more in 2010 it’ll be easier for businesses in other countries to come up with a metaphor they can relate to and then learn how to adapt it to their own cultural specifications.

#5: “Social media is the ultimate canary in the coal mine.”

Speaking of metaphors, this is one that doesn’t translate well. Hopefully in years to come we’ll see the cultural differences in social media as a flock of different exotic birds.

#6: “The goal of social media is to turn customers into a volunteer marketing army.”

Of course, this is fascinating to observe through a cross-cultural lens to compare cultural differences.

For example, creating a “volunteer marketing army” is different in “highly independent” versus “highly collective” societies. And there will also be differences when comparing results in cultures with “high context communication” versus “low context communication”.

#7: “It’s not viral unless it is.”

I love this one. It’s not always easy for non-native English speakers to understand buzz words. They can often take on new meanings when adopted in different cultures. And this quote reminds everyone to not get carried away in selling social media.

#8: “Linkedin is for people you know. Facebook is for people you used to know. Twitter is for people you want to know.”

Outside of North America this appears to be different. There are cultural differences in how people like to connect with others and there are cultural differences in how different generations use social media.

The younger generations around me here in France definitely use Facebook for the people they know. In international circles LinkedIn is not necessarily for people you know. In fact, I often hear people in the UK say they didn’t feel the need to be on LinkedIn. And there are still too many questions about Twitter outside of North America and it may not be the best place to make specific international connections.

#9: “Facebook Fan Pages are email newsletters with smaller pictures.”

This is a great social media quote, but it doesn’t work in cultures where most businesses don’t use email newsletters.

But it can give forward thinking marketers in those countries a great idea to try out in their market. Many business successes originated from adapting and being an early adopter of what works well in one country to another country.

#10: “Social media isn’t inexpensive, it’s different expensive.”

For businesses in countries where social media is still an enigma, it can appear to be very expensive. This is because it takes so much time simply to understand the value and figure out how they can use this to their advantage.

#11: “Social media creates kinship between companies and customers, and kinship equals purchase intent.”

The cultural differences in how people connect with each other and do business impacts how social media can be used for business.

On the one hand social media should prove to be a great tool for some businesses in connecting with potential customers. And on the other hand, there are cultures where social media’s role in getting sales will not be obvious.

#12: “Social media changes the relationship between companies and customers from master and servant, to peer to peer.”

Although I agree 100% with this social media quote, in some cultures it’s very difficult to create “peer to peer” relationships without meeting people in person.

In some international markets, it may be possible to a certain extent and prove to be helpful, but it won’t be easy. And in these cultures social media localization is a necessity.

#13: “Activate your fans, don’t just collect them like baseball cards.”

As an international marketer this is one of my favorite social media quotes. Social media makes it easy to connect with an international audience, but are you doing anything with these connections?

I meet many business owners who say they want to develop their international business, but don’t know where to start. Social media can be a great starting point to learn more about your international markets. But it involves putting in the effort to take those social media connections further.

#14: “Social media is about people, not logos.”

This social media quote can help all businesses. In countries where social media is not used extensively for businesses it’s easy to miss this. And it’s also why social media can be valuable within an international communication campaign.

#15: “Every company is its own TV station, magazine, and newspaper.”

This is another of my favorite social media quotes because it represents opportunities for businesses interested in reaching international audiences. It’s not easy and there are limitations, but social media gives you platforms to connect with international markets and get feedback. It’s a great international market research tool when used strategically.

All businesses with North American clients or wanting to develop there must use social media… and it’s surprising to see how many of them still not using the fantastic communication tools social media gives them.

#16: “Social media allows big companies to act small again.”

I love international business development tools and this is what social media can be for many companies.

#17: “Passion is the gasoline of social media.”

This quote reminds me of how Clotaire Rapaille refers to the American culture as being adolescent in his book The Culture Code. The capacity of this nation to use passion as a driver is wonderful to watch in action. But it also makes me wonder if something else will fuel social media in other cultures.

#18: “You must fight social media fire with social media water.”

This is a great quote and leads to another one: “You must adapt social media to work well in different cultures.”

Now, It’s Your Turn

How do you adjust your social media for international audiences?
What cross-cultural challenges have you encountered using social media?
What’s your favorite social media quote for international markets?

Please leave your comments below.

More on Cross-Cultural Social Media

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18 Great Social Media Quotes With An International Perspective

Are You Afraid Of Flying?

Cindy King — Thu, 10 Sep 2009 10:00:23 +0000

Cross-Cultural Communication Challenges

One of the most important qualities in developing an international business is flexibility. There is no list of things to learn that will prepare you for everything you will encounter. Cultural differences effect every bit of business and you just do not know when and where a cross-cultural hurdle will pop up.

Today I am not going to give you a business example. Instead I am going to share a personal experience with you.

First Trip To My Home Country With My Daughters

I was recently separated from my French husband and through some miraculous set of circumstances I had 3 months vacation time in front of me… and extra money in the bank. My daughters had never been to my home. The Bahamas, the place I grew up.

It was an easy decision to take my 2 daughters on an island hopping trip to show them a bit of my home country and introduce them to my cousins, aunts and uncles. They were 8and 10 years old.

We lived in France back then too and my daughters had already flown across the Atlantic to visit my brother and my parents who were living in Canada at the time. France to Canada = big airplanes.

The island hopping expedition I planned had us flying:

From Paris to Miami
From Ft. Lauderdale to Marsh Harbour, Abaco, a small island in the Bahamas
From Marsh Harbour to Nassau, another small island in the Bahamas
From Nassau to Long Island, yet another small island in the Bahamas
From Long Island back to Nassau
From Nassau back to Florida

Missing The Differences

Well, I was prepared for dealing with children and :

The heat
The sun
Adequate clothes
Mosquitos
Sand flies
Even the cockroaches

But I never thought about the airplanes or the differences in airplanes.

I grew up in the Bahamas where it seemed that “everyone” either had a boat or a small airplane. So I grew up travelling on small airplanes of all different sizes to go see family on another island and to go to Florida once a year for shopping. You could not buy everything on the island when I grew up. Plane trips were almost a necessity.

Airplanes were just airplanes to me. They got you from point A to point B. The only difference in a small aircraft is that you could see the colors of the sea more.

I forgot that flying in a small aircraft could be a different experience when all you are used to are the big ones.

Fear Of Differences

The airplane we took leaving Florida to go to Abaco was much, much smaller than the transatlantic planes. They had one seat on either side of the central aisle. I cannot remember how many rows there were… we might have been 20 or 30 in the plane. I could not sit next to both of my daughters. One sat on the other side of the aisle an arm’s length away and one sat behind me.

The plane started moving on the runway. They started crying. The plane took off. Then one of my daughters started screaming. And she screamed at the top of her lungs throughout the whole flight.

It was the noise and the vibrations. They are different in small aircraft. Luckily:

The flight is 10 minutes up, 10 minutes across and 10 minutes down
You hear more of the sound of the airplane inside the small aircraft so it was not quite as embarrassing on the small aircraft as it would have been on the larger airplanes.

Of course we could not get up either. We just had to sit through it.

It seemed like a long flight… but our trip was not over. I was meeting up with a cousin who had rented a vacaction house on the beach on Hope Town a smaller island… where cars are not allowed. We had to go there by boat. A “little” speedboat my cousin had rented for our vacation. There were some waves. The speed boat bounced hard on the sea.

Becoming Accustomed To Something Different

Guess what happened?

Yes, that’s right. Screaming again for the next half hour.

The girls got a chance to get used to the boat. It took a few trips on calmer seas, but we went out on the boat every day for 2 weeks. I think my daughters really got over their fear of the boat when they saw the local boys, barely teenagers, driving their outboard boats around by themselves.

So the fear of boats was gone. But we had to leave the island and go on the next part of our trip. And the fear of small aircraft was still very much there.

Thankfully The Path Off The Island Was Clear To Everyone

Luckily my cousin was travelling with us… with 4 kids, a big computer and lots of childrens toys. We were 2 adults, 6 kids and lots of extra weight. It was cheaper for us to rent our own small(er) aircraft with a pilot.

Imagine my daughters looking at the size of this airplane before getting inside it. They did not like anything smaller than the transatlantic aircraft, and this one was even smaller than the one we flew in on.

There are two things I will never forget:

The pilot. He was Dutch. He was probably too young to have kids of his own. But as a small airplane pilot he must have flown quite a few “demanding” clients around before.
The weather. There were only a few clouds in the sky in the direction we were headed.

The deal we made with my daughters to get them back inside a small aircraft was that the pilot would avoid all the clouds. And the pilot made the detour around them. I am very thankful this pilot made the flight to Nassau an enjoyable experience for everyone. It was a decisive point for my daughters in battling their fear of small airplanes.

The Fear Was Broken

We did not fly on the next leg of the trip. Instead we had a wonderful opportunity to jump on a mailboat and travel overnight instead. That was a pleasant adventure.

The next airplane we took was coming back from Long Island to Nassau. This time the airplane was a little bit bigger, and by then my daughters had been able to reason with their fears and it was an easy flight.

The fear of was broken. They were more familiar with different airplane sizes, noises and vibrations.

This story is inspired by the competition:

Win a Flip Camera in Our Travel Inspiration Competition

Summer is over so you may have a good “heart-warming” story to share with Fiveamtraveller. If you want to share your stories to enter the competition for the Flip camera the deadline is October 14th.

I like the angle of the Fiveamtraveller blog – it is for people who have to travel… the people that get up at 5am to catch their flights.

Many people begin an international career seeing travel as fun. The reality is often very long days that start bat 5am. When you are over forty 18-hour work days take their toll. I remember how lucky I felt when my telephone negotiating skills got me out of trips during weeks when I did not want to shorten my sleep.

This is the reason why Fiveamtraveller caught my eye… and @fiveamtraveller has some interesting tweets too.

Solutions For Culture Shock Barriers

I also shared this story with you because I think it illustrates a few things:

We will not always be able to estimate or prevent the consequences differences can create.
Sometimes when cultural issues do come up, we cannot solve the problem head on – we need to modify our actions somehow to find a way out. We need flexibility.

Although it is easy to understand a child’s fear, we forget that adults can have negative “primal” reactions in foreign situations. It might not always be easy to label these negative reactions as “fear”, but they can be very similar. And solutions might be similar.

There is a parallel between this story and many cases of difficulties that arise from cross-cultural shock, when people react to what is foreign to them. This story illustrates that:

You need to give people time to become accustomed to something that is foreign to them
You can usually find a solution if there is a clear path everyone can see

Flexibility helps you to find the right solution because sometimes you really need to look for the path that will get you beyond the cross-cultural hurdle.

What stories can you share about being forced to find a solution to the fear of what is foreign?
What examples do you have of using flexibility in your approach to get beyond cross-cultural differences?
What heart-warming travel stories with cultural differences do you have to share?

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International Marketing Review #56

Cindy King — Sat, 20 Jun 2009 10:14:55 +0000

International Marketing Review – Culture Shock

Culture shock refers to the anxiety and feelings of surprise, disorientation, uncertainty and confusion people have when they move to, or have to deal with a different and unknown cultural, such as a foreign country. Culture shock come from the difficulties in assimilating the new culture, causing difficulty in knowing what is appropriate and what is not. This is often combined with a dislike for or even disgust with certain aspects of the new or different culture.

Reverse Culture Shock, also called Re-entry Shock, is the shock you get when you return to your home culture after growing accustomed to a new culture. Reverse culture shock can produce the same effects as culture shock. A person often finds reverse culture shock surprising and difficult to deal with than the original culture shock.

Christopher F. Lynch presents The Life of the Expat posted at Questions for International Business Blog saying “Recently, a former student of mine wrote from his first overseas position with an international company. He told me that though he appreciated my class, he felt that there was one area that I didn’t address — how tough it was to be the expatriate. He was excited by the position but felt lonely and isolated.”

Aimee Barnes @aimeenbarnes presents Go West, China! But, Find Someone To Meet You There First posted at Aimee Barnes saying “Stories about American companies entering the Chinese marketplace- and royally screwing up in the process- have provoked laughter across the globe while forcing Western executives to pack up what little dignity they have left and take the first flight home. In business, a simple cross-cultural foible may end up translating into a seven-figure mistake and, once you “lose face” in China, it’s difficult to get it back. But, what about Chinese companies that are planning to enter the US market? Can differences in language, technical knowledge, reputation, product safety standards, marketing, design, strategy, R&D, corporate behavior, networking and negotiation (am I forgetting anything?) sabotage Chinese-owned firms heading West?”

BetterWorld4YouAndMe presents a YouTube video, Communication Between Cultures saying “Culture is often at the root of communication challenges. Exploring historical experiences and the ways in which various cultural groups have related to each other is key to opening channels for cross-cultural communication. Becoming more aware of cultural differences, as well as exploring cultural similarities, can help you communicate with others more effectively. Next time you find yourself in a confusing situation, ask yourself how culture may be shaping your own reactions, and try to see the world from the other’s point of view.”
[display_podcast]

Joshua Reich @josh_reich presents Reverse Culture Shock posted at mostly slow saying “After 3 days of being back, I’m finally just starting to realize that I truly am here. And it’s a bit strange, particularly the little details. One of the first things that struck me when I got back, the first morning in fact was how luxurious everything here is. My parents’ house (where I’ll be living until I head out to Seattle on June 22nd – a story for another time) is a nice, but not ostentious place. But I easily had the best shower of the last 11 months there. There was so much hot water and it was so hot, as hot as I could possible want it. And consistently so, no points where the temperature fluctuated – in most of the places I’ve been, while the hot water lasted (which often wasn’t long) I’d spend half of the shower fiddling with the knobs as the water kept moving back and forth from too cold to scalding. There was just hot water, perfect temperature, and seemingly endless. Then I dried off and the towel was so soft. Softer by a good measure even then the towels at the resort in India where we stayed for a weekend so long ago. ”

John Gapper @gapperblog presents Corporate culture shock is a big deal posted at FT.com saying “It is tempting to think that some nations will never work together fruitfully in business because of cultural divides and historic enmities. The Germans are too stuffy, the French too insular, the Italians too excitable. The best-remembered British encounter with a Spanish fleet was when Sir Francis Drake fought the Spanish Armada in 1588. But there is reason for hope. Cross-border mergers are tough to execute but that can be nothing to do with national cultures or proclivities. And more enterprises, from developed and emerging economies, are learning to make them work.”

Ambrose Clancy presents Corps values: Giving peace a second chance posted at libn.com saying “Leaving Mineola and finding himself in a village 4,000 feet up in the mountains of Colombia was not the true culture shock for Paul Arfin. Nor was having a horse for transportation or washing his clothes by beating them on rocks. The real shock was when the Peace Corps volunteer came home. “I’d developed a world view which most volunteers came back with,” Arfin, 68, said in his home in Hauppauge, remembering his American re-entry in the mid-1960s. “Coming home we saw the United States as part of the world of nations and not as God’s answer on earth.”

André Paris presents We’re going to be spending our lives in several cultures posted at Mondialogo saying “The Dutch social scientist Geert Hofstede has been conducting research for many decades now into the issues surrounding ‘intercultural dialogue and communication’. In the Mondialogo interview he explains why cultural skills are important and what mistakes should be avoided.”

Tomoko A. Hosaka and William Foreman presents Chinese Muslims face culture shock in Palau posted at statesman saying “They came from a land of scorching deserts, snowcapped mountains, camels and mosques. Now after several miserable years imprisoned in Guantanamo Bay, 13 Muslims from China will try to resettle on the tiny Pacific nation of Palau — a land of lush beach resorts.”

Joe McKendrick @joemckendrick presents The end of management? Hold that thought posted at smartplanet saying “If a CEO or top corporate executive from 1960 were teleported through time to today’s organization, would he suffer culture shock? (And it would have been a “he.”) Maybe not, according to Gary Hamel, thought leader and author of The Future of Management. My FastForward colleague, Jim McGee, surfaced this passage from Hamel’s book, which makes one realize that the more things change, the more they stay the same”

Regina presents Reverse Culture Shock posted at Where The Hell Am I? saying “Let the reverse culture shock begin! And, it’s begun in earnest for me. It’s just the little things for the most part. I’ll just talk about a few because they’re the ones that are resonating the strongest with me right now.”

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Regina

Cross-Cultural Communication Challenge Tip 22

Cindy King — Sat, 21 Mar 2009 23:00:21 +0000

Cross-Cultural Communication Challenge – Expand Your Mindset

When you come across someone from a different culture, who is not used to international encounters, the first few minutes of conversation can be difficult. If you are not expecting a conversation with someone from a different culture, you often need a few minutes of adaptation.

Sometimes it is simply to hear the different accent and train your ears to understand what is being said.

Today’s Cross Cultural Communication Challenge Tip is about recognizing the difference:

Between communication that needs a little period of adaptation before moving to the next step
And communication where there are real barriers that need to be addressed

Cross-Cultural Communication Challenge Tip #22

Recognize the difference between culture shock and culture barriers

Your challenge to improve you cross-cultural mindset:

Read your daily tips every day during the challenge
Think about what this means to you
Reflect on how this could help you get more international clients

Suggested Reading:

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International Marketing Review #40

Cindy King — Sat, 21 Feb 2009 15:18:01 +0000

International Marketing Review – Intercultural Encounters

Click here for a list of previous International Marketing Reviews

Intercultural Encounters On The Web

This weeks International Marketing Review looks at some of the different Intercultural Encounters that are taking place or are available on the web. I hope you enjoy them.

Duncan Mason presents Culture Shock: A Fish Out Of Water posted at New Okanagan College saying “A reading exercise based on the work of Kalvero Oberg. There are several ways that you can use this interactive reading on culture shock. I suggest that you read the entire passage through completely before reading the notes in the box on the right. This will familiarize you with the “gist” of the text before you need to understand the details.”
Frances Dávila presents Group Offers New Perspective on Muslim Issues posted at The Hoya saying “On Feb. 18 in an Intercultural Center classroom, Georgetown students witnessed a coming-of-age story exploring an affirmation of identity and female freedom of expression in the film “Dunia,” presented by Project Nur.
The event included a belly-dance performance and a presentation by Hazami Barmada, president and executive director of the Progressive Muslim Network and active member of the Muslim Women in the Arts organization. The film’s protagonist is a victim of female genital mutilation; the experience restricts her studies in art and dance because she is unable to experience desire. Showing this film on campus raised the issues of FGM and women’s rights, but more importantly brought to light the diversity within the Muslim community at home and internationally.”

Global SchoolNet‘s mission is to support 21st century learning. We engage teachers and students in meaningful project learning exchanges with people around the world to develop literacy and communication skills, foster teamwork and collaboration, encourage workforce preparedness and create multi-cultural understanding. We prepare youth for full participation as productive and effective citizens in an increasing global economy.

Think of Multiculturalpedia as an encyclopedia where you can enjoy learning about other cultures. Here the wisdom of various cultures of the world is introduced. As you use this encyclopedia, without realising it, you will gain deep respect and reverence for different cultures and people. Even after closing this encyclopedia you will find that it lives on when reading newspaper headlines or when watching the news on television. You will have a new concern for peoples to whom you had previously never paid much attention.

Join Ophelia Owl & Parsifal Penguin on their culture quest world tour!
Culture is the customs, beliefs, arts and institutions of a group of people. Join Parsifal and Ophelia as they sample the delicious cuisines, play the games, see the museums full of arts, crafts and history, hear the folktales and learn about the holidays & festivals of many of the world’s cultures.

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