Global Gateway Notes
As you know, I’m an active proponent of the “global gateway.” The global gateway refers to the many visual and technical elements that collectively direct Web users to their country- …
John Yunker
Microsoft’s Global Blunders
CNET News features an entertaining article on some of the creative ways that Microsoft has offended people around the world through cultural and linguistic blunders. These anecdotes come from a …
Amazon: If You Can’t Beat ‘Em, Buy ‘Em
According to Bloomberg, Amazon is about to acquire China’s largest online bookseller, Joyo. Amazon is paying $75 million for the company. This is not the first time Amazon has bought …
PayPal Speaks French
The Wall Street Journal (subscription required) covers the recent launch of PayPal’s French Web site. Two things I found interesting: 1. PayPal is wisely following in eBay’s footsteps. As eBay …
Lowe’s Conducts Bilingual Marketing Research
Since relocating to San Diego, I’ve been a regular at Lowe’s. During my last visit I was asked to particpate in an online study. I went home, plugged in the …
Case Studies in Globalization
CNET features an in-depth Knowledge@Wharton article on the adventures of American-based Internet companies as they expand globally. Here’s an excerpt… As growth in the United States inevitably slows, companies like …
¿Habla español? A Directory of Spanish-language Web Sites for US Hispanics
The statistics are compelling. According to the US Census Bureau, there are nearly 40 million native Spanish speakers in the US. By 2010, this number will easily surpass 50 million. …
Oracle Selects Idiom (Again?)
The title of this latest Idiom press release makes it sound as if Idiom just won the Oracle account. However, if you read past the first paragraph you’ll find that …
GlobalSight Adds Content Management Partner
GlobalSight, a developer of globalization management software, announced today that it “has entered into agreement with enterprise content management software provider, Mediasurface, for integrating end-to-end Web content creation into GlobalSight’s …
A Closer Look at Google’s Global Trajectory
Google says that half of its Internet traffic emanates from outside the US. While this is significant, what really matters to Google is where the revenues emanate from. Now that …
Amazon’s Global Growth Spurt
Amazon recently released Q2 numbers, and, as we predicted, international sales are now solidly driving Amazon’s growth. Take a look at the sales breakdown between North America and International: If …
Web Globalization Back on the “Front Burner”
Two months ago I began interviewing executives at a number of large multinationals about their global Web sites. As you know, I’ve been following this industry for many years now, …
China: 80 Million Internet Users And Just Getting Started
According to a new report from the China Internet Network Information Center (CNNIC) — the country’s Internet regulatory body — China now has 31 million broadband Internet subscribers, an increase …
Language Map of the USA
Amy Campbell alerted us to The Modern Language Association Language Map. It’s an interactive tool for analyzing language speakers in the US by county and ZIP code, based on the …
New Microsoft Globalization Resources
Microsoft has greatly expanded its globalization resources Web site over the past few years. Although much of it is geared toward software developers, Web developers will also find useful nuggets …
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