I was reading Joe Recomendes' site on social networking today, and he has a post discussing all these people that are giving up their Facebook sites because it is having an effect on their other relationships. I can definitely relate to the amount of time I don't mean to spend on these sites, but I definitely don't let it get out of hand. Plus, I found it addictive in the beginning and then later was glad Facebook told me when something happened so I could just go when I received an e-mail.
But on to the point! This post also reminded me of a statistic I read a long time ago about how a large majority of blogs that have been created are no longer active. And I think we can all agree that maintaining one can be a very daunting task. In fact, some people have made it their career, such as the woman I mentioned before at www.dooce.com. If it can be a career, you know it must be time consuming.
More recently, a friend of mine who was one of the original bloggers recently shut his site down and just started blogging on MySpace. It was easier and consolidated the sites he needed to maintain. I was disappointed, but understood the decision.
Many of my friends poke fun at me for being on Facebook and MySpace, because they have the old reputation of being a site where you send goofy messages to people you were in school with. I send my share fair of goofy messages, but I have also found it a very useful place to get in touch with people I once knew who are now great resources to me - many of whom are in influential positions for networking.
I would suggest that everyone give social networking sites a shot. It's just like television, or a good hobby - it only takes up as much time as you allow. Specifically Facebook, which I find more people abroad use, and which can also be set up to alert you when interesting things occur, so you're not always dying of curiosity!
Friday, October 12, 2007
Friday's Reading: Dora the Explorer Is a New Concept
Amanda Toler, one of the colleagues on the list to the right, works with study abroad programs. If you check out her blog, she talks about the importance to educate individuals at a young age about cultural differences. I agree. Dora the Explorer is the coolest kid around; independent, bilingual, and she has a pet monkey!
I was a nanny for a few years, and also a member of the National Spanish Honor Society in high school. I didn't know a word of Spanish until I was 13, and thought that was young at the time. My parent's friends were so impressed, I remember. But when I started caring for 3 young children it was both shocking and refreshing that they already knew so many words and phrases in Spanish, mainly thanks to Dora!
Ms. Toler makes a good point that I had not really thought about in depth before, however; my research topic is focused on teaching adults concepts that if they were born a few generations later they would find patronising.
But, because it can't be helped that if we do our jobs as good parents and educators that each generation will be more cunning, coy, and educated, we'll have to swallow the pride and continue trying to get ourselves up to speed with the world that is so constantly and rapidly changing.
My recommended site for more valuable reading on learning about cultures today is http://www.international-business-center.com/. It's a large focus on not just getting by as a tourist, but how to do business in a way that won't leave you not only embarrassed, but also potentially without a client!
Here's another site I find really interesting, but somewhat questionable as it does not give an author and is a bit opinionated about cultures without offering sources so I question it's reliability. Even as a not so stellar site, the read is still applicable: www.analytictech.com/mb021/cultural.htm
Enjoy.
I was a nanny for a few years, and also a member of the National Spanish Honor Society in high school. I didn't know a word of Spanish until I was 13, and thought that was young at the time. My parent's friends were so impressed, I remember. But when I started caring for 3 young children it was both shocking and refreshing that they already knew so many words and phrases in Spanish, mainly thanks to Dora!
Ms. Toler makes a good point that I had not really thought about in depth before, however; my research topic is focused on teaching adults concepts that if they were born a few generations later they would find patronising.
But, because it can't be helped that if we do our jobs as good parents and educators that each generation will be more cunning, coy, and educated, we'll have to swallow the pride and continue trying to get ourselves up to speed with the world that is so constantly and rapidly changing.
My recommended site for more valuable reading on learning about cultures today is http://www.international-business-center.com/. It's a large focus on not just getting by as a tourist, but how to do business in a way that won't leave you not only embarrassed, but also potentially without a client!
Here's another site I find really interesting, but somewhat questionable as it does not give an author and is a bit opinionated about cultures without offering sources so I question it's reliability. Even as a not so stellar site, the read is still applicable: www.analytictech.com/mb021/cultural.htm
Enjoy.
Thursday's Reading: I'm not purposefully a gatekeeper.
But it is inevitable that as a new member of the new media, that I will act as one. Why? Because I have to decide what I trust, what interests me, and what I think will be useful to this topic. It is impractical to expect me to speak about every Web site, book, resource I stumble upon that is relevant to the topic of intercultural and international business and communication.
Some people who love Polka music may be very upset that there aren't any Polka radio stations in most markets. But is this really because the media wants to keep Polka music from the public, or because they realise only a small segment of the population will want to hear this type of music?
The same thing happens with the Internet. While most topics can be discovered, some have a wealth of information and other topics have very little coverage. This is because more people are interested in certain topics than others. And those people, usually without even realising, are gatekeepers to the knowledge that can readily be found in cyberspace.
Although not everything can be found on this site, and it is highly supporting sales of the series of books known as "Kiss, Bow, or Shake Hands", www.getcustoms.com is a great resource that serves as a starting point to very specific differences of hand gestures, and simple things that we do without realising that may be offensive elsewhere. The book has been a best seller and is trusted by many, many people who conduct business in other cultures. It has served me well, so I think this site is a wonderful resource for my topic of choice. Even if only some of the information is available here, only some of the information is available anywhere.
Some people who love Polka music may be very upset that there aren't any Polka radio stations in most markets. But is this really because the media wants to keep Polka music from the public, or because they realise only a small segment of the population will want to hear this type of music?
The same thing happens with the Internet. While most topics can be discovered, some have a wealth of information and other topics have very little coverage. This is because more people are interested in certain topics than others. And those people, usually without even realising, are gatekeepers to the knowledge that can readily be found in cyberspace.
Although not everything can be found on this site, and it is highly supporting sales of the series of books known as "Kiss, Bow, or Shake Hands", www.getcustoms.com is a great resource that serves as a starting point to very specific differences of hand gestures, and simple things that we do without realising that may be offensive elsewhere. The book has been a best seller and is trusted by many, many people who conduct business in other cultures. It has served me well, so I think this site is a wonderful resource for my topic of choice. Even if only some of the information is available here, only some of the information is available anywhere.
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.
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.
Tuesday reading; Who am I, and who are you?
I think it's important to take into account that I am not an expert on cultural differences. I am, however, someone that does work with different cultures everyday and also have a large number of friends who are not American and continue to live in their home countries. Sometimes I feel like I still do not have a comprehensive understanding of what makes some cultures tick, but then I get a call from someone who needs me to interpret for someone who doesn't speak fluent english or who just needs to internationally dial. Specialisation is a wide spectrum.
When you start to explore the Internet, it's important to take into account who the author is.
First of all, everyone's individual background makes them have a certain bias even if they try to be objective. I was reading on International Public Relations research today and the researchers mentioned that halfway through some indepth interviews they realised their own cultural backgrounds were making some messages misunderstood, and also having some affect on the interpretation of the answers. This is important to understand. After all, who's the more experienced parenting expert: a new mother of 3 months or a mother of 5 all of whose children have gone to college? Not easily answered, but it does give you perspective on what that person's viewpoint is and what it is influenced by.
That leads me to today's source which I think is an excellent resource for my research topic of intercultural differences: www.edupass.org/culture. This site is for people who are from abroad that plan to study in the US. It's imperative to understand how you're perceived in order to fit in better with different cultures, and also to understand your own biases before doing research. It's free and designed for an educational study abroad program, so I think it's trustworthy as well!
When you start to explore the Internet, it's important to take into account who the author is.
First of all, everyone's individual background makes them have a certain bias even if they try to be objective. I was reading on International Public Relations research today and the researchers mentioned that halfway through some indepth interviews they realised their own cultural backgrounds were making some messages misunderstood, and also having some affect on the interpretation of the answers. This is important to understand. After all, who's the more experienced parenting expert: a new mother of 3 months or a mother of 5 all of whose children have gone to college? Not easily answered, but it does give you perspective on what that person's viewpoint is and what it is influenced by.
That leads me to today's source which I think is an excellent resource for my research topic of intercultural differences: www.edupass.org/culture. This site is for people who are from abroad that plan to study in the US. It's imperative to understand how you're perceived in order to fit in better with different cultures, and also to understand your own biases before doing research. It's free and designed for an educational study abroad program, so I think it's trustworthy as well!
Monday reading; differences in opinion.
Sometimes going on the Internet can be like walking into a library that has 1000's of floors, no card catalog and no distinguishing guidance between the "fiction" and "nonfiction" sections. While the Internet has allowed everyone to have access to information that the traditional mass media may have filtered in the past, it also causes problems with determining what is trustworthy. Especially when it comes to travel. I mean who do you trust? Who really KNOWS what the cultural differences are, and who is going on stereotypes and biases? For example, after a week with a friend in Paris, I felt that the hospitality and warmth the people had so graciously offered had bucked the stereotypes that they were rude. My friend, on the other hand, shockingly revealed on the last day that she didn't like the French and that theory was based on her husband's experience without her a year before and the advice he offered before the trip. So you have to take into account that many people are going to go to the tried and true mass media sites. Including me, but I'll compare what I find there to personalised opinions on a number of more personalised, if less factual sometimes, to what the mass media tells me.
Here's a great site I find helpful when traveling in Europe to understand both positive and negative aspects of different cultures. This guy has his own TV show, his own travel books, and most importantly to me - he spends half of every year there:
www.ricksteves.com
This site is a resource for people traveling to different cultures, but I don't find it overwhelmingly helpful because they often require payment. It seems more of a site that I might question sheerly because of the cost, and the gatekeeping of the info:
www.interculturalu.com
Here's a great site I find helpful when traveling in Europe to understand both positive and negative aspects of different cultures. This guy has his own TV show, his own travel books, and most importantly to me - he spends half of every year there:
www.ricksteves.com
This site is a resource for people traveling to different cultures, but I don't find it overwhelmingly helpful because they often require payment. It seems more of a site that I might question sheerly because of the cost, and the gatekeeping of the info:
www.interculturalu.com
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)