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 240 million population– has a very few English newspapers / magazines / portals 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 across 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 a 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.
mohom pencerahan, apakah widget translator saya sdh cukup untuk go internasional, atau saya harus buat blog lagi?
#sebaiknya dibuat blog lagi yg khusus bahasa inggris. akan sangat menarik.
google translate sangat tidak mencukupi untuk artikel
Google translator is a machine while language is human. Karena Google translator sifatnya mekanis, maka hasil terjemahannya akan “aneh-aneh”, nama mantan presiden AS yang digantikan Obama dalam terjemahan bahasa kita menjadi “George Semak Belukan”. Emangnya tikus atau burung puyuh? Hahahaha.
I’m agree with you…
Let’s make Indonesia better
nice notes, tq prend
[...] The point why I share this news with you, our honorable readers, is that: this is one of many benefits if you’re blogging in English . [...]
good article.. where is your tweetthis button
#i integrate it with the feedburner feedflare. can’t you see it?
I love Indonesia language … but I blog in english , just to get google adsense
[...] dapat memulainya dengan rajin menulis setiap hari di blog masing-masing–bahasa Indonesia atau Inggris sama saja; bagi yang sudah sampai tahap ini, mulailah rajin mengirim tulisan ke media cetak atau [...]
[...] of article which written by Fatih Syuhud is very inspiring me. He write about “Ten reason why we blog in English”. For me, just only one reason why I really wanna writing blog in english, it’s because my English [...]
hmm.., very good. so inspiring
will prepare a new one in english and wish to fly abroad with free tickets ha-ha-ha 
I think, it’s very difficult to find good niche, and we can write it with our professionalsm …