Edublogger Etiquette - Thinking Globally

Flickr user Aldo has created an equirectangular projection of the surface of the Earth, effectively demonstrating that differing points of view bring different facets of perspective.

Of course we're used to look[ing] at the earth from the outside in, not the other way around. I made this image a couple of years ago as a better view of the earth surface, from the inside out. The water of the oceans is transparant, so you get to look in to space.

This differing point of view expresses an idea of Earth's landscape not frequently anticipated by many observers. Likewise, because blogs can be accessed by people from all around the world, a number of cultures, languages, and perspectives are potentially inherent in nearly any publicly-accessible blogging conversation.

A few thoughts regarding the global nature of blogging:
  • Cheryl Oakes has written a post describing several Signs of Spring in Education (2008) that she has noted. To begin her post, she calls attention to the fact that seasons, times, and dates are dependent upon geographic location.
  • Gary Stager has called edubloggers to task (2008) because they haven't written more about the fact that Reading First has "failed to improve the reading comprehension of American students." While he doesn't openly address his post to Americans specifically, a quarter of the people that have commented on his post (3/12) are not American edubloggers.
  • Jane Nicholls has proclaimed (2007) that "the most empowering factor of [podcasting] has to be the global audience." She continues with an important question (originally asked by Tim Tyson) that should be asked of every blogger, regardless of geography. "What do you have to say that the world needs to hear?"
  • Graham Wegner elaborated in his Olympics Effect Theory (2007), "Unless you live in a smaller country, you can’t see that many of the issues pushed as being important around the edublogosphere are actually focussed towards the biggest participating nation and its education system."
  • Julie Lindsay, in a comment here (2008), has described a few egocentric behaviors as she has observed them.
  • Gabriella Grosseck writes from Romania. Some of her posts, nevertheless, include pieces in languages other than Romanian. This post (2008), for example, contains sections of Spanish, English, and Romanian.
  • Silvia Tolisano has written an extensive post (2007) listing a number of recommendations for "being a globally friendly blogger." Included in her list are suggestions to take local measurements into consideration, be aware of national holidays, and stay away from global stereotypes.
Now for the questions:
  • If a blog is publicly and globally accessible, should its author consider the background and cultural diversity of its readers?
  • What steps can and should be taken in connection with addressing a diverse readership?
Image Source: Flickr user Aldo

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