As I reviewed the stats from my blog, it was no surprise that the vast majority of my traffic comes from the United States. However, I also get quite a bit from the United Kingdom, Canada, Russia, India, the Netherlands, Germany, and Australia. All places that don't share American holidays such as Thanksgiving, Memorial Day, Independence Day, etc. That got me thinking. Are those of us in the online space missing opportunities? I, for one, write for a worldwide audience. But, embarrassingly, I was thinking on a national level. Stuuuupid.
If you blog, tweet, manage a Facebook business page, or maintain any other social media presence, I offer up my ignorance as a lesson to the rest of you. Is the subject you discuss through your social media channels relevant to a global audience? And, if so, are you restricting your thinking to that of a citizen of your own country?
The internet makes the world a heck of a lot smaller and I'd venture to say that almost all of us have online connections in far away countries. Different holidays affecting people in different lands. Could a slow day in Canada be a good traffic day in China? When businesses are all closed in France are lots of people online in America?
I don't claim to know everything, so when I have an a-ha moment I try to put my ego aside and call myself out. Perhaps this is something the rest of you have already thought about, but if not, please feel free to learn from my oversight.
To those of you in my very small corner of the world, Happy Thanksgiving. To the rest of you on this very big planet, have a fantastic Thursday.
HI, on the other hand, I just tweeted with someone I have connected with in China, and she's from the US. SHe initiated a tweet today about celebrating with others there tomorrow, and I replied to her. I agree we need to keep global sensitivity, but I also communicate daily at work with many in Asia who actually wish me Merry Christmas! Interesting world, but I'm richer for it.
ReplyDeleteGreat post, Amber and an excellent reminder to all of us to think (and share) global. Have a very safe and wonderful Thanksgiving!
ReplyDeleteHi Stef, thanks for taking the time to comment.
ReplyDeletePlease don't misunderstand me. I am not talking about global sensitivity or anything remotely associated with political correctness. I'm just talking about people who ARE busy with holiday stuff and those who are NOT. A quiet day in America could be a busy day in Canada. I'm really just talking about online traffic patterns that may be disrupted in one part of the world and not the other.
Thanks for chiming in, Stef!
Hi Stef, thanks for taking the time to comment.
ReplyDeletePlease don't misunderstand me. I am not talking about global sensitivity or anything remotely associated with political correctness. I'm just talking about people who ARE busy with holiday stuff and those who are NOT. A quiet day in America could be a busy day in Canada. I'm really just talking about online traffic patterns that may be disrupted in one part of the world and not the other.
Thanks for chiming in, Stef!
Jean, thanks for commenting! It can sometimes be so easy to get caught up in your own little world and forget the big picture. Sandra gave me a good reminder of that!
ReplyDeleteHave a wonderful and thankful holiday, Jean!
Hi Amber,
ReplyDeleteI don't think it's stupid at all! As an expat Canadian living in Dubai it's fun to learn about other people's holidays and I find that others are very interested in learning about mine. It's a cross-cultural educational thing. Canadian Thanksgiving was last month but I was more than happy to eat turkey at my American friend's house last night. We just finished Eid here so many emails and greetings going around included "Eid Mubarak." I think it's awesome and an opportunity for your followers to learn a little more about you on a personal level through some Tweets that are more localized than others.
So, Happy Belated Diwali everyone!
Anne
Hi Anne, thanks for chiming in. I saw all the Diwali tweets this month and it was interesting to follow. Twitter can certainly expose us all to wonderful new information and be such a great learning tool.
ReplyDeleteI guess my point was that just because my neck of the woods may be quiet due to a holiday, doesn't mean the rest of the world is. Someone is always awake somewhere and a national holiday in one country is nothing more than an ordinary day in another one.
Very few holidays unite the world as a whole. Even New Year's falls on different days due to different time zones!
Thanks for adding to the discussion, Anne ;-)
Great post and something and I preach all the time. Global audience means global message. When I see global traffic to our website and global views from our YouTube channel, I wonder what those overseas visitors and viewers are thinking when they see our content and how to better engage them in their needs.
ReplyDeleteYes! Exactly! Khaliph, you're smart to be mindful of that.
ReplyDeleteAlthough I, too, have always remembered the worldwide audience out there, I guess the holiday thing was an extension of that that I had somehow forgotten.
Glad to hear that you're on the ball and thinking of how to better engage with your visitors. I'm sure that mindset will serve you well.
Thanks so much for adding to the dialogue, Khaliph!
Nothing really wrong with the minutiae of small-town thinking if its presented in an interesting way. However, if its small-town complaining ('Life sucks here! My neighbours are too nosy! etc...) then some bloggers should kindly spare the rest of the world.
ReplyDeleteEeLeen, thanks for taking the time to comment. Everything is more interesting when it's interesting, eh? ;-) Something for us all to keep top of mind when we're at the keyboard!
ReplyDeleteHi Amber....laughing out loud! I really like this post. Good points. By the way, I notice a fair amount of web traffic from United Kingdom, Canada, Russia, India, the Netherlands, Germany, and Australia also...interesting.
ReplyDeleteD'oh! Laughing out loud in a good way or a bad way??? :-)
ReplyDeleteI agree that it is very limiting to blog with the assumption that everyone is reading inhabits your sphere. I'd even go one step further and say it could be to your advantage to go 'against the grain' and post on Thanksgiving specifically BECAUSE most other US-based blogs won't be.
ReplyDeleteIn fact, one of the reasons I started my food blog is that they are so seasonal and that annoys me. I was sick to death of US-based content that assumed it was winter, or that I would want thanksgiving recipes etc.
Exactly. People from your area will identify with what you're talking about if you present it in a new and interesting way, and people from other places might appreciate a look in at how things work where you are. Just don't assume everyone reading lives on your block.
ReplyDeleteGood points! Winter in the US is summer in Australia! That approach is a great way to set yourself apart and grow a global audience. Good thinking!
ReplyDeleteAbsolutely!
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