The international aspect of social media can lead to some interesting discussions. Jessica Faye Carter over at Technicultr recently brought up the question of whether social sites such as Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn should collect information about their user’s ethnicity and she asked me what my thoughts were. You can read more here.

The Big Roadblock To Ethnic Marketing In France

Now I’ve spent many years in international marketing, I live in France and have a French company.  So my first thought was that a French company would not be able to do this.

There is a law prohibiting anyone from keeping any information related to race.  This law is widely regarded as a measure to prevent discrimination, but it also severely limits any form of multicultural marketing in France.

Here’s what Wikipedia has to say about it:

“It is illegal for the French state to collect data on ethnicity and race, a law with its origins in the 1789 revolution and reaffirmed in the constitution of 1958. Some organisations, such as the Representative Council of Black Associations… have argued in favour of the introduction of data collection on minority groups but this has been resisted by other organisations and ruling politicians, often on the grounds that collecting such statistics goes against France’s secular principles and harks back to Vichy-era identity documents. During the 2007 presidential election, however, Nicolas Sarkozy was polled on the issue and stated that he favoured the collection of data on ethnicity. Part of a parliamentary bill which would have permitted the collection of data for the purpose of measuring discrimination was rejected by the Conseil Constitutionnel in November 2007.”

The French Environment Around Ethnicity

When you live in a country with a law like this that’s been around for a long time and regarded by the general public as being something to be proud of, it’s easy to assume that a significant portion of the French population would not react in the same way as people from other cultures to the collection of information on ethnicity.

This is simply because they aren’t used to being asked these types of questions.  Their first response would probably be influenced by this cultural layer.

The French Cultural Environment Is More Complex

But it’s not the only factor at play here.  In parallel to this is the national pride the French have of being the country that wrote the “Droits de l’homme”, the Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen, which was a precursor to other international human rights documents.

This heritage creates a very unique environment in how the general population perceives anything remotely related to ethnic information, including collecting it and sharing it.

Different Cultures React Differently

Of course many other countries are active in combating racism, but how they go about doing this largely depends on their own cultural environment.  And what about the cultures where “combating racism” isn’t really perceived in the same way as other countries?

Different cultures approach this difficult issue from a variety of different angles.  So there is a variety of different cultural environments to deal with.

American Political Correctness

This makes me think about the wave of being politically correct in North America and how this has meant that I’ve had to change the way I refer to black people several times.  I grew up in a country which was 75% black when I was born and this percentage is now higher.

When it first became “politically incorrect” to use the word “coloured” which was what was used when I was young, well OK, I changed my vocabulary.

But the debate about what was considered the right word to use continued over the years, and I had to change my vocabulary yet again.  The acceptable word to use when referring to black people has changed too many times in my life time for me to follow any more.

And this got me to think about the meaning people associate with words.

Personal Emotional Baggage

Even though I may be considered “white”, my skin quickly tans to a very respectable deep shade of brown. Yes, brown.  Not beige or tan.  Brown.  And my skin is never “white”.

After following all of the changes in what is considered the right word to refer to black people, I looked at the colour of my skin and wondered if I should get upset about being called “white” because it’s not a very accurate word to describe my skin colour.  Of course I didn’t.  It’s just a word used in communication.  It would only become an issue if I were to take on some emotional baggage and assume that “white” isn’t appropriate, or if someone added their emotional baggage to the word when they used it.

Collective Cultural Baggage

The topic of ethnicity stirs up all sorts of baggage.  In addition to the personal emotional baggage, there’s  the baggage we acquire through the cultural environment we live in.  This is why anything related to ethnicity gets complicated.

It’s very easy to lose control… because you can never control the baggage other people have.

And to complicate things, most people aren’t even aware of the baggage they are carrying around. They don’t realize that they have cultural baggage acquired through the cultural environment they live in. They just assume the world they live in is the “real world”, the one that’s “right” and the one that should exist everywhere else.

So, it takes great wisdom to limit the risk of things getting out of control due to cultural baggage.

Ethnicity In Social Media

Even if there have already been social media platforms where people share information on their ethnic origins, the online social environment is different today.  Social media platforms simply have greater international reach than before.

Facebook has over 500 million people today across the globe, even if it is not used in the same way across all of the different countries.

And as social media develops further, will everyone across the globe be present on the same social media platform with the same mindset?  It’s highly unlikely.

Should Social Sites Ask Their Users To Share Their Ethnic Origins?

As a cross-cultural marketer I would love to have the information. But on a more personal level I believe this is not easy to do on social media sites with such a wide international reach… assuming the social media sites want to continue growing their international markets.

Although I do think it’s possible to incorporate some ethnic information on certain platforms, the challenges are great when looking at this from an international perspective. You must not under-evaluate the risk of things getting out of hand or being used wrongfully at some point down the line.

Now it’s your turn…

• Do you know of any other problems when asking for ethnic information on social media sites?
• What is the top benefit of social media sites asking for information on ethnic origins?
• Do you think social media sites should ask for your ethnic origins?

Please leave your comments below.

Copyright Cindy King 2006-2010 - International Business Blog

Ethnic Origins On Social Media

International Links

Last week I found several interesting links on international social media and a few others for international business. I particularly enjoyed reading the first one in the list below: the Forbes article on the shift in trade routes. It’s a bit long but well worth reading.

International Business

• The Future Of Finance Shifts From West To East – Enjoyed reading this article by Michael Geoghegan of HSBC on how the CIVETS are joining the BRICs and why trade routes are changing. Are you seeing these changes?

Facebook Business Page on International Business:

International Marketing

• Why Did Paris Hilton Drop Her Guard In Brazil? – A look at how a beer company skilfully took culture into consideration to get the results they wanted. -

Facebook Business Page on International Marketing:

International Sales

• Negotiating With Chinese Companies. In Real Life – Here is a review of “When Chinese dreams meet the real world: Western negotiators in China need to keep their heads out of the clouds” by Andrew Hupert with great insights into negotiating in China.

Facebook Business Page on International Sales:

International Social Media

• StatCounter Global Stats – Have a look at this infograph comparing popularity of different social media platforms worldwide. You can also select world regions and see the differences there. It’s interesting to see how StumbleUpon does in North America compared to Europe. Like all social media stats, I wonder how accurate these are.
• Official Google Blog: Integrating virtual keyboards in Google search – Difficulty typing in foreign languages on your keyboards? Have a look at these virtual keyboards with different alphabets.
• 8 Social Media Strategies to Engage Multicultural Consumers – A great read by Jessica Carter from Technicultr. What other social media strategies would you use for multicultural audiences?
• Twitter analysis: Development organizations and their listening skills – Christian Kreutz has a look at social media strategies of a few development organizations. I’m interested in seeing how things evolve over the next few years. What about you?

Facebook Business Page on International Social Media:

Now It’s Your Turn

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

Copyright Cindy King 2006-2010 - International Business Blog

International Links: Week 17 2010

International Links

I shared a number of interesting international and cross-cultural links last week on Facebook and Twitter. Here’s a quick summary.

Cross-Cultural Topics

• Ten things we have learnt about Africa - Some interesting stats here on different African countries.
• Investing in Foreign Land – this article brought up things I hadn’t thought about.
• A Popular U.S. Export, the $100 Bill - ”A big part of the demand comes from the use of American currency in stores and at street vendors in many countries, including some in which citizens have little faith in their own currencies.” An interesting look into the new $100 bill.
• Reverse Japan’s insularity - Are there less Japanese students abroad now?
• Eufeeds – over 1000 newspapers, updated every 20 minutes - An incredibly handy online international newspaper rack found via Adam Vincenzini

Facebook Business Page on Cross-Cultural Communication:

International Business

• Who Are America’s Exporters? - ”While forming the bulk of U.S. exporting companies, SMBs ship only a fraction of the value of U.S. exports.”
• Understanding Cultural Differences in Offshore Outsourcing - Here’s a look at cross-cultural challenges when outsourcing.

Facebook Business Page on International Business:

International Marketing

• What Was Tiger Woods Thinking? - Great points made by Elliot Polak of Textappeal (@CultureShocks on Twitter). Different cultures don’t have the same response to “personal scandals” of celebrities. It’s interesting how Nike played this out.

Facebook Business Page on International Marketing:

International Sales

• Size no barrier to export success - A look at how Australian small businesses are now selling more to China than to the European Union.

Facebook Business Page on International Sales:

International Social Media

• Skype By the Numbers: It’s Really Big - I use Skype daily and when I first started I lost lots of time dealing with French speaking North Africans who use Skype as a “dating chat tool” and who culturally take a long time getting to the point. I also notice how some people use Skype exactly like a phone, they just call whenever they see want to. … While others realize this tool is more than a traditional telephone when used in a new environment and send a Skype chat message first. What’s your experience of Skype as an international networking tool?
• How Tech Start-ups Like Foursquare and Meetup Are Trying to Overthrow Old Media - Several things stood out in the article, including adapting social media to different cultures within the same country and the lack of women in social media start ups. This is a bit long, but a good read. What stands out for you?

Facebook Business Page on International Social Media:

Now It’s Your Turn

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

Copyright Cindy King 2006-2010 - International Business Blog

International Links: Week 16 2010

International Links

Here are the international and cross-cultural links found last week.

Cross-Cultural Topics

• Baidu Integrates Real-Time Translation into its Browser - Putting the Google/China story aside, this is proof the tools for International Marketing are getting much more interesting.
• Asia’s Expensive Restaurants - Part of the fun when travelling is trying the local food. I wonder what extra these restaurants have to offer.
• For Japanese Women, The Past Is The Latest Fad – Here’s an interesting read on Japanese culture today.
• Globish, Technology, and the Plight of the Japanese Language - A very interesting read on how Globish impacts other languages. Grab a coffee, there are lots of videos too.

Facebook Business Page on Cross-Cultural Communication:

International Business

• The India Way Of Doing Business - This is a fascinating read even if you are interested in doing business in a culture other than India. It highlights the cultural differences in doing business.

Facebook Business Page on International Business:

International Marketing

• Cross-cultural Communication Strategy – the 4 Building Blocks - Read Amadou M. Sall’s article on how to build a cross-cultural marketing strategy with a Global Mindset, Global Knowledge, Global Cross-Cultural Skills & Global Business Skills.
• One Piece Localization or Censorship? - Click through and watch this 4 minute video to see an example of a Japanese anime cartoon localized for the American market. What do you think of this?

Facebook Business Page on International Marketing:

International Sales

• A special report on America’s economy: Export or die - Do you think American businesses will need to rely less on selling to Americans and more on selling abroad?
• History of American Sales Culture - Here’s an interesting look at the American sales culture by Alen Majer. If you have insights about other sales cultures please let me know.
• SarahLacy.com: My Favorite Books about Emerging Markets - What are your favorite books on emergying marketing?

Facebook Business Page on International Sales:

International Social Media

• In Canada, .ca is replacing .com - Here in France most French websites use .fr What’s the trend in your country?
• Multilingual SEO: Things to Remember - This is a good read on Search Engine Journal to get you started with multilingual SEO. Do you have any other tips to add?
• Official Google Webmaster Central Blog: Working with multi-regional websites - Read this for guidelines on how to structure multilingual blogs and websites to reach different markets.
• How To Add Languages That You Speak To Google Chrome - Here’s a useful tip for multilingual Chrome users.
• What translation means for SEO – Blogs & Content - Here’s a look at the difference of translation for SEO and for advertising or marketing. What do you think of the translation solely for SEO purposes? We don’t usually do it in English. But it seems some websites need it to reach global audiences fast.
• Cause for concern – The Personal videos Campaign - Here’s a video case study of how an Israeli TV show used free social media as its only source of publicity. The results: 4.7% rating for the season debut and 1,800 mentions in blogs, social networks & newspapers in Israel.
  Do you have any other video social media case studies to share?

Facebook Business Page on International Social Media:

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?

Copyright Cindy King 2006-2010 - International Business Blog

International Links: Week 15 2010

International Links

Here’s another weekly roundup of all of the useful and interesting links I share on Facebook and Twitter.

Cross-Cultural Topics

• The rich cultural heritage that is Germany - Here’s the story behind the Gretschen Question and a look at German cultural heritage.
• 7 Habits of a Happy Expat - A good read to make a successful international move.
• A List of Free International Education Resources - David Comp over at the International Higher Education Consulting Blog shares his resources for information on international education. Do you have any others to add?
• How To Avoid Burnout Learning Japanese - Tempted to take up Japanese? Rainbowhill Language Lab advises to make a long term commitment.

Facebook Business Page on Cross-Cultural Communication:

International Business

• Taking Your Small Business International - Are you a small business and need some help in understanding the legal terms involved in doing international business? Here’s a short summary to help.
• Going Global: Is an Online Strategy Enough? - Here’s a good read on Bloggertone about remembering your whole marketing mix when using International Marketing online. I particularly like the warning about not jumpint into website localization too soon. How are you integrating your international web marketing with your offline marketing activities?
• Five myths about China’s economy - Here’s a look at some of the misperceptions about China and it’s impact on America and the rest of the world.
• Setting Up Your China Rep Office. What It Really Takes. - This is an easy read, good if you are just beginning to think of opening an office in China.

Facebook Business Page on International Business:

International Marketing

• DR4WARD: Wish I Thought of That (Ideas From Around The World Worth Sharing) - There is a good selection of videos here to get you thinking about international marketing. Which one is your favorite?

Facebook Business Page on International Marketing:

International Social Media

• Social Networking Habits Vary Considerably Across Asia-Pacific Markets - I just read something yesterday about how Malaysians need to empathasize with people and then I came across this press release by comScore. It’s really interesting to look at social networking stats with a deeper understanding of each culture. Are you surprised by any of this info?
• Have Indian IT companies missed the Social Media bus? - The author here notes the lack of use of social media by large IT companies in India. There are some interesting questions here and it highlights the cultural differences in being social.

Facebook Business Page on International Social Media:

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?

Copyright Cindy King 2006-2010 - International Business Blog

International Links: Week 14 2010

International Links

Here’s the weekly roundup of all of the useful and interesting links I share on Facebook and Twitter.

Cross-Cultural Topics

• The History Of White People By Nell Irvin Painter- I learned a few things in this book review.
• ‘Irresponsible’ Newspaper Experiment Issued With An Injunction Order By News Intl – Happy April 1st everyone! This was my first today, and will probably be the best one too. What other fun things have you read today?
• Astonishing Transatlantic Cultural Comparisons by Peter Baldwin - There are some interesting insights into the real picture behind cultural American & European stereotypes.
• 5 Ways to Beef Up Your International Resume - Going Global, Inc. gives some good advice on the ground work you need to do before looking for a job abroad. I like the last tip best of all which is building your international network. I’d add that you need to build a RELEVANT network. And don’t expect people to open you to their own network or recommend you unless t…hey actually know you. So you really need to work on developing relationships first.
• The Gender Wage Gap, Around the World – It definitely pays more to be a women in some countries compared to others. Women interested in International Business should read this.
• Who’s still biased? - It’s no surprise that American companies are not always happy with the diversity training they give their employees. Cross-cultural skills take enormous personal effort and commitment and you also need to be in a context where these skills are needed. So timing has to be right too. Do you think the next generations will be more cross-cultural savvy?
• Travel full-time for less than $14,000 per year - There is a long article with tons of information. Very useful if you want to take off and travel.

Facebook Business Page on Cross-Cultural Communication:

International Business

• Asian Consumers, Not U.S. Consumers, Now Lead the World - Here are examples of a change in business dynamics as emerging markets become the new kings of consumption. Have you noticed this impacting your lives?
• Dispatch from Africa by Steve Finikiotis - This is a great article on the cultural challenges when doing business in Africa and some insights into why we should care.
• A list of links about international business for small businesses on Small Business Trends – Some very good reads even if you’re a bigger business. Do you have any other links to share?
• The Corporate Stampede to Developing Nations by Joseph Quinlan – A good read with some interesting stats and comparisons on what’s happening withh American companies abroad.
• How SMBs Can Grow Their Business and Capitalize on the Rebounding Economy – a good read with tips for businesses via Laurel Delaney
• The Trick to Getting Meetings in India – Here’s a useful read if you are doing business in India. What other countries are you interested in?
• Three Ways to Fish in the Global Talent Pool – A great read on how international businesses need to build the right teams today. The situation has changed due to a variety of factors including our changing demographics.

Facebook Business Page on International Business:

International Marketing

• Showcase Of Web Design In China: From Imitation To Innovation – A good review of web design in China based on interviews of 6 local experts.
• Global Wellbeing Surveys Find Nations Worlds Apart - ”There is a clear wellbeing divide between the wealthier countries of
  northern, western, and central Europe and some poorer countries within eastern and southern Europe.”
• Too Few Diversity Dollars on Madison Avenue – There’s a list of US diversity milestones here to look at. I wonder how an evolution in international online marketing will impact American diversity marketing. More companies will have to integrate cross-cultural marketing to reach new online markets. What do you think?
• How’s the craic? 10 Tips for Cross Cultural Marketing – Some great cross-cultural marketing tips on Bloggertone. What other tips would you add?

Facebook Business Page on International Marketing:

International Sales

• The Secret to Exporting Part 1 – You Gotta Have a Plan (but not an extensive one) - This is the first part of a mini-series.
• How The Mighty Succeed Globally – Read this presentation by Laurel Delaney to find out the next level of countries you should be following beyond BRIC countries. What are you doing to improve your international sales?
• India delivers growth for Domino’s Pizza - Some insidghts into the international growth of Domino’s Pizza. There are several interesting links in here too.

Facebook Business Page on International Sales:

International Social Media

• Why Japan is the king of mobile: the stats and facts - This is well worth reading whether you are marketing to Japanese or interested in mobile markets for International Social Media. Are you using mobile marketing yet?
• Did You Know 4.0 – This is the first time I’ve come across this YouTube video. Some great stats here showing why mobile is so important today.
• Here’s Why The Next Year And A Half Is Critical In The Smartphone Wars – Here’s Why The Next Year And A Half Is Critical In The Smartphone Wars
• Web Globalization 2010: How Many Languages is Enough? – Read this if you are wondering about foreign language content for your website. How many languages does your website need today?
• Where is China’s fast-track IDN? – This article is a reminder of the changes to come, not only for Chinese URLs, but also for other countries.
• Why Internet connections are fastest in South Korea – “Countries with fast, cheap Internet connections tend to have more competition”. Are you happy with the speed of your internet connection?

Facebook Business Page on International Social Media:

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?

Copyright Cindy King 2006-2010 - International Business Blog

International Links: Week 13 2010

International Links

Here’s the weekly roundup of all of the useful and interesting links I share on Facebook and Twitter.

Cross-Cultural Topics

• Chinese Tigresses - It’s always interesting to look at how well women fare in business in different cultures. Here’s a look at women in China.
• Poetry to boobies wins the Dutch press ad “peoples choice” award - As @DR4WARD say on Twitter, winning awards in one country would earn fines in another. Outside of Europe, where do you think this campaign would be received as intended?
• The big red word, the little green man, and the international war over exit signs. - A very interesting read on the cultural differences in the perception of different types of “exit” signs. And a look at America’s skepticism toward pictograms and symbols, which have long been more popular in the rest of the world.
• Gestures Speak Louder Than Words – Gestures have different, very specific meanings in different places. This is an endless source of miscommunication, amusement and despair for the world traveller and in International Business. Do you have any amusing stories to share?
• Africa’s Cyber WMD - Here’s something to read if you like to follow International Social Media. Do you think this is a real threat?

Facebook Business Page on Cross-Cultural Communication:

International Business

• Middle Eastern Mirage - Dubai’s spectacular collapse has destroyed vast
  fortunes and exposed the dangers of doing business in the Golf. What
  have investors learned?
• The World’s Most Tech-Friendly Countries - The U.S. is slipping and Sweden is in first position on this list. Martin Lindeskog does this surprise you?
• Get a Great Start - Many French entrepreneurs decide to move to the United States to set up their company. Start ups simply have it easier there than in France. Here’s some useful information from globalEDGE if you’re thinking of starting a company in the US.
• Hands on or hands off? The social media balancing act - This is an interesting read on Interbrand with a few examples of what businesses have learned about giving more power to their audience. So, who has another example like the Vegemite story?
• Princeton Map Of The Month – A world map showing how Starbucks & McDonald’s are taking over the world.

Facebook Business Page on International Business:

International Marketing

• Getting Real About Creating Change – This article by Amber Naslund raises some great questions about the reasons why our customers want to connect with us on Twitter and read our company blogs. How has this impacted your international marketing today?
• Cultural impact on advertising - Here’s a slideshare presentation on the cultural impact of advertising. Does anyone have any others to share?
• Facebook’s global gaffe - John Yunker raises some great points: the new Facebook globe icon for notifications is potentially confusing to users. And it also prevents Facebook from creating
  a global gateway strategy that leverages the globe icon. What icon would you like to see Facebook use for notifications?
• Best Global Brands List In 2009 – There are not many surprises on this list, but it’s worth a look. Which of these brands has your vote?
• Digital across cultures: superglobal or hyperlocal? – A good read on how mobile impacts cross-cultural marketing in International Social Media. “Evidence shows that the better a brand understands its customers’ local cultural triggers, the more likely it will be able to profit from digital marketing’s unique cross-market potential.”

Facebook Business Page on International Marketing:

International Sales

• How to Shorten Your Sales Cycle - Using trigger events to your avantage gets more international sales too. This article by Jill Konrath is a must read for anyone in international sales.
• The U.S. Commercial Service International Sales Leads Gadget is Here! - globalEDGE shares information about a great resource to find international sales leads… and its an iGoogle Gadget! Is anyone using this? What’s you take on it?
• W.T.O. Sees Trade Rebounding in 2010 - China overtook Germany as the world’s top exporter of merchandise in 2009, accounting for almost 10 percent of global exports. Do you see changes in where your international sales are coming from?
• The China Price. Low, Lower, Lowest And Incredibly High. - Here’s a very interesting read on the cultural differences of how price is perceived in China. On the one hand China produces very low cost items, but on the other hand it’s a culture where high priced items are perceived as much better. Do find the contract interesting too?

Facebook Business Page on International Sales:

International Social Media

• Iceland wants to be your friend. Really. - Here’s an example of how another country is using social media.
• Social networking: Twittering classes - Here’s a graph to have a look at for an international perspective on how much time people spent on social media in 2009. The keenest social-network users, Australians, spent over seven hours a
  month on such sites, “poking” friends and “twittering” in late 2009, twice as much as users in Japan.
• Link Building and International SEO - Here are some tips on basic international SEO. Do you use any of these?
• The best global web sites of 2010 - Here’s John Yunker’s 2010 list of best global websites. Facebook is tie with Google. And the new baseline to be a global website is 20 or more languages, and climbing. Which one of these websites is your favorite?
• Blurred Out: 51 Things You Aren’t Allowed to See on Google Maps - There are a few things listed here located outside of the US which is interesting to note. Thanks to Blog Godown for sharing on Twitter!

Facebook Business Page on International Social Media:

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?

Copyright Cindy King 2006-2010 - International Business Blog

International Links: Week 12 2010

International Links

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.

Facebook Business Page on Cross-Cultural Communication:

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

Facebook Business Page on International Business:

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.

Facebook Business Page on International Marketing:

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.”

Facebook Business Page on International Sales:

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?

Facebook Business Page on International Social Media:

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?

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International Links: Week 11 2010