Friday, October 12, 2007

Wednesday's Reading: Shameless Promotion/Popularity

At the bottom of this page you'll find a number of news sites or blogs that address topics to the one I address on this page. I really tried to pick some that I think address my topic of international and intercultural business and learning differences to avoid problems or embarrassment.



I did this on purpose, because I've found in the past, that with the exemption of technology blogs most author's blogrolls have no thought behind "what do my readers probably want to be directed to" as much as, "I know the guy/girl that writes this other blog and I think they are cool/funny/smart." That's great, but it's more helpful on social networking sites such as Facebook and MySpace than on blogs where readers are more likely seeking information.



This repeated challenge I've found with blogrolls is one reason why I often ignore them. Of course, I do have the list of colleagues who blog, but seeing as how we all are studying the same topic, it's still on topic in my opinion.



Speaking of topics, I think today's AWESOME site endorsement, should go to a site recommended by my peer in response to a different post: www.sideroad.com/cross_cultural_communication/index.htm. This site is plethora of links to the many different aspects of cross cultural business, and it goes well beyond etiquette and customs. I think it is an excellent place to start building a foundation of understanding, and is reputable as well. Thanks for the recommendation!



This site on the other hand, http://www.intercultural-training.co.uk/ is a bit less reliable. It offers some advice, but the site is set up more as an advertising site than a place that offers information. It reminds me of sites that offer "weight loss" advice but are really only in the business of selling herbal supplements.

2 comments:

MattMacL said...

I agree with you, that www.intercultural-training.co.uk is a promotional site. It is designed as such, and is not intended to be an information source. To call it "shameless" is a bit much though. I disagree with the comparison to the weightloss sites that only want to sell their product. The website is not "become interculturally competent.co.uk", but "intercultural-training.co.uk" so we are very deliberate and open about what the site offers.

Farnham Castle (where I work) however does have a blog www.farnhamcastle.blogspot.com which is more informational, and has articles. I agree that it has a long way to go, but that is the nature of websites and blogs - they evolve.

Jessica said...

Thanks for your input Matt. I'll check out the blog you recommend. Your personal blog also seems very useful for my research topic (this blog is solely for a Master's class in which I'm enrolled. I do not claim to be an expert on any of this - see other blog entries).

I'd like to clarify that "shameless" was in reference to the blogrolling people do to promote their friends not information, and does not refer to either of the sites at the bottom of this post.

And yes the intercultural-training site is open about what it sells, but so are many weightloss sites. I think it's ok if we don't agree about everything.

Furthermore, I haven't used the product and make no claim about whether or not it's effective. I'm sure many people find the training incredibly useful.

Thanks for stopping by.