Where are my Blog Readers Coming From?
Several bloggers have asked themselves this question lately: Where are my readers coming from? This is a phrase that can be interpreted differently, depending on the context it is spoken or written in.
Pam Shoemaker wonders in her post where her blog readers are physically from and chose to add a clustermap to her Yes Teach blog.
Dean Shareski from Ideas and Thoughts blog explores a similar questions in his post “Thinking About Audience Matters“. He approaches the question from a different angle though. He is not necessarily concerned about the geographical location of his readers, but “where are they coming from” in the sense of which background do his readers have? or as he puts it, as readers
who may speak another language, either literally or professionally
I think it is wonderful that more and more bloggers from the United States are becoming aware that they are not alone in this world and that other people from different countries and cultures are reading and learning what they are producing. It is wonderful to read it when bloggers are adding a few extra sentences to their posts in case their description or explanation contained something country specific. Something that someone from another country would have a harder time understanding.
Example:
Not everyone outside the USA knows what the grades A, B, C, D and F mean. In Germany students earn a “1″ as the best mark, while you fail with a “5″ and a “6″. In Argentina, a “1″ would be the worst grade and a “10″ the best one you could get. Anything below a “7″ will send you to the dreaded exams in December or March (which by the way is the beginning and end of SUMMER break there).
Let’s all be a little more aware THAT WE ARE NOT ALONE when we write posts. I saw a wonderful poster ad from My Wonderful World.
Just a few seconds after I published this post and was about to twitter it, I see another examples of two bloggers who have already understood and are aware that not everyone is from their little part of the world.
Who knows “Who in the World is reading it?” If you are reading this post, let me know with a quick comment where you are from!
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November 21st, 2007 at 8:50 pm
You’re not alone…you’re just around the corner.
;->
Miguel
November 21st, 2007 at 8:57 pm
I know as a reader, I appreciate efforts to recognize a broader audience whether it’s to explain grading concepts or simply acknowledge outside perspectives.
As a Canadian, I realize the US/Canadian differences and that forces me to at least consider that but that’s only one slightly different perspective. The fact is the audiences is broader than that.
I know I don’t fully get all the nuances possible and most don’t expect you to consider every possible audience member but the efforts to acknowledge differences is appreciated.
Look forward to catching up with in at FETC.
December 29th, 2007 at 7:13 pm
[...] just maybe be more culturally aware. Yes audience DOES matter. Last month I wrote a post “Where are my blog readers coming from?” and gave a few examples Not everyone outside the USA knows what the grades A, B, C, D and F mean. [...]
January 4th, 2008 at 10:38 am
I am from Hawai’i and teach in a school for Native Hawaiian children. Our goal is to ground our children in their culture while preparing them to be global citizens, to know who they are as Hawaiians and embrace the diversity of our world.