Reaching a Global Online Audience

By Matthew McCool
May 2007
Pages: 53
Series: Short Cut
Format: PDF
ISBN 10: 0-596-51373-9 | ISBN 13: 9780596513733
(3) (Average of 2 Customer Reviews)

PDF description

Internationalizing web sites used to focus on adapting currency formats, time zones, and translation. Although these are important technical considerations, much more is required to adapt a web site for global users.

This guide explains several of the deepest dimensions of culture and then uses these intercultural human factors for adapting the interface, multimedia, architecture, and search system. Along the way, we'll look at the impact of uncertainty, communication context, social fabric, and concepts of time, and then use these dimensions to create better web sites for global users.

If you design, develop, or deploy web sites for a global audience, then this guide will get you started in the right direction.

Featured customer reviews

Very ethereal and esoteric, April 10 2009

Rating:

Submitted by BrooklynTrout [Respond | View]

I purchased this hoping for some concrete tips on producing a web site for international users. Instead it's just a very high-level acadamic paper stating that people from different places like different colors, fonts, and information architectures. There aren't any examples of real sites meeting those needs or any technologies recommended.

The writing is very much in the style of all academic papers, not very useful. A quote:
"High uncertainty avoidance cultures are not especially empirical."

And that means what to a web site producer?

I do not recommend this paper.

Excellent International Guide, August 29 2007

Rating:

Submitted by Anonymous Reader [Respond | View]

This is a very good introduction to international web design. It's short and to the point, and explains aspects of culture that have never brought to online development. Too bad this is not a full length book because some concepts need more information. A good buy if you're developing global media.

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