From Anywhere in the World

Ever hear the expression "Small world" if you happen to see a friend in a place by coincidence? In no time is this more pronounced than now because of the remarkable capabilities of the Internet. Thanks to Google Analytics, we know that people can access our seemingly inconspicuous blogs from all corners of the world - going out on a limb, it would seem reasonable to say that nobody is expecting to have a far reaching audience - at least for now. While I haven't had many plugs for this blog outside of class other than a memorable acknowledgment from a PR specialist I wrote about, I do have another blog - which is now defunct.

I actively promoted it for a while since it was about video game news, and Google Analytics (which I had only a cursory knowledge of prior to this class) showed me some startling hits: One from China, one from Saudi Arabia, one from Sweden, and one from the Philippines. Video games are certainly a worldwide topic, but I wasn't expecting people from the Philippines to read some self-important freelance blogger's ravings about Mass Effect 2!

Everything is available in a way we never experienced before due to the Internet. Whether it's Wikipedia, Google, or Dogpile (do people still use that?), we live in an era where information is so open and so available that it's everywhere at once. We've seen it on both ends of the political spectrum - tea party activists have discovered the Federalist papers and the Constitution online, while massive coalitions over Facebook, Twitter, and other parts of the Internet helped lead President Obama to the White House.