Weblogs are conversations
Last Saturday I found out that Russel Beattie is reading my Italian weblog.
Somehow it came unexpected, it's true that I write differently on my English and my Italian weblogs and maybe I didn't expect any of my "not Italian" readers to read my Italian weblog. So I started thinking why and how I do it. Of course, the most logical answer is that I find easier writing in Italian than in English, but it goes further than that.
I almost never cross-post, before writing each post I decide if it's going to be in English or in Italian. When the post is part of an ongoing thread happening on other weblogs it's easy, I simply write using the language of the other participants to the discussion. When it's something new or unrelated I simply decide who I want to "talk to".
Also if probably some Italian readers read both my weblogs, I perceive my readers to be pretty much divided in two different and separated groups.
So while there are issues I prefer to keep off my English weblog, such as Italian politics (desperately hoping that the word about what's going on here does not get out from the country, it would be too embarrassing), I tend to write technical-oriented posts on my English weblog because it's more likely that I will get a reply or an opinion from the broader international audience.
The most interesting thing I noticed comparing the two weblogs is not so much related to what I write but to what I do not write on these pages. For example, while I would never dream to start explaining what RSS is on my English weblog I did it on my Italian one and when I write about Italian issues on my English weblog I often have to describe a context which I don't need to define on my Italian one.
Also if it is a one-to-many way of communicating, the very fact that I decide who I'm going to write to and expect some kind of feedback from this activity make all these true conversations. [Paolo Valdemarin: Paolo's Weblog]
Paolo brings up two fascinating points:
1) Paolo has to filter, put into context and more or less 'skirt the edge' between Italian and English blogs and in that process, becomes a true diplomat - making decisions that effect the nature and quality of the information he's communicating. Not only is this fascinating from an intellectual point of view, but also typifies the nature of the 'English'centric web. I often wonder what's being said in all those Swedish, French and Chinese blogs.
It's an almost certainty that any nerd writing for the web today - knows how to read English, if not write in English as well. That process of translation certainly also changes the nature of the information that that person groks and puts an interesting 'Internationalization' to it. For instance - I don't find it surprising that Joi Ito is able to bring his uniquely 'American' approach to Japanese politics. He's born and raised here - and is American me.
Paolo - though Italian - also is more like me than anybody else I know. He's a designer, architect, salesman, intellectual, manager, visionary nice guy - but yet our language barriers have kept us 'apart'.
But the web brings us together. Paolo created this blog for me (the faces along the top) and hosts this blog - in Italy.
2) Paolo is embarassed by Italian politics. I'm totally shamed by our current president. Joi needless to say isn't too pleased with what's going on in Japan. Gee do we see a trend here? Perhaps our languages, cultures and meatspace realities are falling to the way side and that 'this place - the web' (as Doc likes to call it) is bringing us together.
OK - here we are at 4:30 PM, Thursday, Jan. 30th. This is the first status report I am planting in cyberspace.
some text on myself by me.
My viewpoint: 
