From MarketingSherpa's UK Correspondent

Last week, we visited the inaugural International Network 2000 event staged in New York City by Rising Tide Studios (of ‘Silicon Alley’ and ‘Digital Coast’ fame), under the premise that we were interested in what’s being discussed Net-wise in other countries. What we really wanted was to make sure that the Americans aren’t planning total world domination via the Internet. But, from the number of panel discussions dedicated to overcoming cultural differences and opening offices in foreign countries; and, the abundance of American accents amongst both speakers and delegates, it would appear that they are.

No need to panic just yet, though. They weren’t talking groundbreaking stuff – it was mostly common sense. Like how your international customers might be different from your national ones, how their cultures might alter the way they conduct business, how it might be a good idea to employ someone with some local savvy, or perhaps to expand by acquiring an established local operation which offers similar services. This is all old hat to UK Net marketers like yourselves, isn’t it? You’re used to dealing with cultural differences everyday because you’re European, right? Well, since there was a very low turnout of Brits at the event, we presume that the answer to both these questions is ‘yes’...

(NB: We just had to tell you -- one so-called expert used the non-word ‘Anglifying’ whilst discussing the difficulties faced by a US company trying to adapt its Web site to a European market. Correct us if we’re wrong, but we think he meant Anglicising’. How ironic.)