The most challenging aspect of working with international companies for the guide to social media analysis is language. My college French is good enough to get me in trouble, and I can generally figure out if a company fits within the scope of the guide if their web site is in a European language. Chinese, Japanese and Korean, on the other hand, are Greek to me.
For the first time in my life, I was addressed as "Nathan-san" this week, after Sam Flemming tipped me off to the Japanese memetracker Kizasi (translate). Most of the people I talk to slip comfortably into the Internet-standard first-name mode, regardless of their nationality, and it was a pleasant shock to be reminded of the more formal style.
Fortunately for me, English is a common second language. Still, I can't help wondering how many companies are doing social media analysis in their own countries, exclusively in their own languages. Blog growth in Asia, in particular, suggests that more companies should be offering these services there. I know about CIC Data and GALA (translate). Where are the others?
Tags: blog monitoring social media analysis Asia China Japan Korea
