Create a Global Identity

With more people traveling around the world for both business and pleasure, it makes sense to think about how you can maintain your professional or personal website regardless of your location. While reading The 4-Hour Workweek: Escape 9-5, Live Anywhere, and Join the New Rich it occurred to me that people want to experience more and, quite possibly, share those experiences with colleagues and friends. Establishing a website with a global perspective (and an internationalized name) is a good way to do that.

When you find new contacts in an overseas location, you have an opportunity to build a friendship and, if you are involved with business there, expand your visibility locally. People increasingly look to the internet to find reviews and news about products or services. Your website can offer a local “flavor” that makes it easier for new contacts to see your work as both trustworthy and legitimate. There are many programs that make it easier for you to localize your content (examples include WordPress, Joomla, and Drupal) but if your domain name is still in English, your potential clients or visitors, who don’t happen to speak or read English as a first language, might not find your website. Because of this, you might want to establish multiple “internationalized” web domains.

Domain names for local and international identity

You might be wondering how registering a domain name could help you or your organization establish itself on the Internet. More specifically, you might be considering if it is worth the time to go through the whole process.

The good news is that the “whole process” is actually quite simple. The better news is that having your own domain is rather like owning your own home versus renting - without all of the maintenance hassles! Domain names enable a person or an organization to establish a unique identity. This new identity can be a local one or a global identity. There can be a clever play on words or a simple statement that captures the essence of who you are or what you are doing on the internet and in the world.

If you are involved in international activities or have a portable career, establishing a more consistent global identity is more than desirable - it is essential. The people you interact with will want to know how to contact you or be involved with your organization. Establishing your presence on the internet makes it easier for people to get in touch and stay up to date on the latest news and events in your part of the world.

Being known internationally is a fact of life

Consider that the huge variety of expatriate internet sites all offer you a unique set of information about a given location (or a whole set of locations). Each site wants to provide you with specialized information and draw you to their site. As an individual or organization, this makes sense for you too.

The unique information you can offer might be a collection of professional achievements (e.g., professional articles, graphic designs, fiction and non-fiction literary works). Your global identity may be best characterized through a series of events spread across several years time and multiple locations. These types of information can be quickly and simply communicated through a online presence characterized by a descriptive domain name.

You may be affiliated with an organization or business that has partners in multiple locations. It is increasingly a business standard to have contacts throughout the world. In some cases, your organization might be targeting multiple, international locations in order to improve their market opportunities or reach a specific group of people. All of these cases underscore the importance of creating a global identity that you can develop into a platform for your operational needs.

Expat Internet Services is dedicated to making it easy for individuals and organizations to create and maintain websites from anywhere in the world.

The global reach of the Internet is often an important tool for expatriates living and working overseas. While away from home and interacting with friends and colleagues, a website is a lifeline for communication and collaboration. The variety of products available through Expat Internet Services simplify the process of setting up a new website, registering domain names, creating online media (such as blogs, podcasts and photo albums) and maintaining a global presence for an individual or an organization.