Ten Reasons Why We Blog in English

There are at least top ten reasons on why an Indonesian blogger should blog in English. If you run a Bahasa Indonesia blog, like I do, you should have an English speaking blog as well. Here’s why:

1. My English writing skill is not good. I’d like to improve it by writing regularly in a medium where editorial barrier does not exist.

2. English is undoubtedly understood –though not necessarily spoken or written–by many, if not by most, influential people in the world. Hence larger audience, more visibility and influence of some sort.

3. Most internet-literate Indonesians understand English. Using English in my blog, therefore, does not hinder Indonesian readers to appreciate what I’d intend to convey to them, my primary audience.

4. Indonesian voices very much under-represented in the outside world simply because hardly any books, academic publication and conventional media are written in English. Indonesia — a country with more than 200 million population– has only one English newspaper, the Jakarta Post, and none of existing Indonesian magazines are in English. And hardly any best seller Indonesian books written by prominent intellectuals are written in or translated into English.

5. Among 10 percent of Indonesian internet users, only about 0.4 percent of them are blogging which means if you blog in Bahasa Indonesia you have to be satisfied with that of 0.4 percent readers who does not necessarily read your blog. Less potential readers will lead to less blogging courages.

6. It gives non-Indonesian a chance to know you and Indonesia: the mindset, culture, faith, etc. And it gives you more chance to interact with them. Hence, more understanding of multi-polar world and broaden your vista and horizon of thinking.

7. Depending on your blogging influence, but at the least it’ll give you more self-esteem by making more friends from various cultures accross the continents.

8. There are many people outthere with good intention to make an interfaith and intercultural dialogue; every now and then they need a person from particular country, say Indonesia, to talk to. Let them know that you are the person they want.

9. If your blog content is good, the possibility of being published and then reviewed by prominent international book reviewer is not far away.

10. Blogging in English, like blogging in any other languages including Bahasa Indonesia, is basically history in the making. The difference is by blogging in English you are making history in front of many faces and backgrounds from many countries and therefore it adds more to your credibility.

Tags: blogging, Culture

This entry was posted on August 19, 2007 at August 19, 2007 and is filed under Blogger Indonesia. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.

Kartun Lucu
March 5, 2010 at 10:18 am

Setuju! Nge-blog in English memang bagus buat ngelatih bhs inggris kita boss

miftah
March 6, 2010 at 1:24 pm

good…………..

elsoulpc
March 6, 2010 at 1:25 pm

jangan suka posting pake bahasa inggris mas….
nanti orang kayak saya pusing bacanya…..

wahjoe
March 6, 2010 at 1:25 pm

wuiiih keren , ,, blog nya bahasa inggris . ..

Calak
March 6, 2010 at 1:51 pm

Thanks infonya mas…

roy
March 8, 2010 at 3:24 pm

makasih infonya….
btw ada info rokok yang menyehatkan nih….aneh bin ajaib yaa… kunjungi rumah kami ya…

Program kasir
March 9, 2010 at 2:32 am

Nice wall post…

.
March 9, 2010 at 9:05 am

Email from Fatih Syuhud…

Everyone in the world of Indonesia’s blogosphere knows him. He is a very enthusiastic and diligent blogger, writing tens of tens blog posts per day in both English and Bahasa Indonesia. Yeah! Fatih Syuhud — finishing his PhD program on Islamic S…

Jacky
March 9, 2010 at 5:18 pm

English is the best language to communicate with foreign bloggers

CINTA RASUL
March 10, 2010 at 5:06 am

Actually I wanted to write the English language in the blog. But I am not sure if my English could be understood by strangers? Finally I decided to write in my own language because they are more confident as Japanese people are also more confident in his own language. ha .. ha .. ha ..

Lirik Lagu Terbaru
March 10, 2010 at 7:39 am

Sometime I want to do as you do, but my english not very well.
Maybe I must learn more and more from you
terimakasih

galih
March 14, 2010 at 2:47 am

I still love BAHASA INDONESIA . .
cintailah bahasa mu sendiri , kalo bukan kita siapa lagi ..

choirul huda
March 15, 2010 at 10:04 am

thank you for the article, I’m trying to create a blog speak english please in giving directions

blog-solusi
March 16, 2010 at 10:26 am

I have been trying to make blog in english but in the fact i stiil face the problem about that.

but im sure that i will be able to do that.

please pray me

Hiv-Aids and Young
March 16, 2010 at 8:10 pm

includes more $ $ $

Hiv-Aids and Young
March 16, 2010 at 8:12 pm

I’m also still learning.

Cool
March 17, 2010 at 6:36 am

yg jelas nge-blog in English lebih banyak duitnya, hehe

Zone Tonik
March 17, 2010 at 10:31 am

We have to prepare ourselves to face the global access throughout the world. We mostly use English language to communicate with people from other countries. Therefore, it is useful to learn English through blogging activities. Be successful for all of us.