Include International Postage Costs

Business, Communication.

Are you ready to go international? - although north americans were the dominant population on the internet, that has now changed, and the rest of the world has caught up rapidly. So are YOU ready to communicate in this international medium? And while English is still the most widely used Internet language, it' s not the language of choice for many, many Internet users.

Whether you' re building your own Web site, taking part in discussion groups, visiting a chat room, or just sending and receiving e - mail, you' ll meet more and more foreigners on the Internet - and vice versa, of course. - write in plain english. Let' s look at some tips for communicating effectively in this new global village. Write clearly, with small words and short sentences. Be very careful to write exactly what you mean. If you' re writing long messages or creating long Web pages, include a simple summary at the top. If you' re writing for a general audience, colloquialisms and other, avoid sarcasm things that rely on a certain tone of voice or cultural background.

Although English is the de facto international language of the Internet, say, differences abound between, English and American English. - watch out for phrases with two meanings. It' s easy enough to allow for differences in the way that we spell colour, but other, apologise and organisation - more subtle - differences can easily lead to misunderstandings. It' s different for Australians and Americans. For example, does bi - weekly mean twice a week or once every two weeks? Similarly, when Australians table an issue, they are raising it for discussion, tabling an issue, but for Americans means putting it aside. Any time you quote a telephone, fax or mobile( cell) phone number on the Internet, ask yourself whether your readers reside outside your local area.

Include area codes in phone numbers. - if you' re potentially addressing distant readers, include your international code and area code in these numbers. American zip codes and Australian postcodes use numbers only; U. Allow for variations in postcodes. K. postcodes contain letters and numbers. All have different lengths from each other.

Singaporean postcodes use numbers only, but appear in a different place in the address. - if your web site includes an order form or a demographic survey, allow for postcodes that fall outside your own local format. If you' re addressing an international audience, include your country in your postal address. Include your full postal address. Don' t expect people to just figure it out. Include international postage costs.

This seems obvious, but a surprising number of businesses on the Internet forget it. - if you' re selling anything through e - mail or your web site, cater for international orders, whether you expect them or not. This is a complex area because of the variety of options, depending on the source and destination countries, methods and speed of delivery, and more, customs and duties. Find out the cost of international postage and shipping, and publish the costs for your customers. Simplify this as much as possible for your customers. Explain your currency.

It' s better to start with something very simple( for example, one postage price for all international orders, regardless of destination) and adapt it with experience. - if you use a currency that' s common to other countries - such as dollars - make it clear which version you mean. Include a link to a currency converter on your Web site to make it easy for your international visitors. Some Web sites quote their prices in American dollars as a kind of universal currency, but most use local currency. Be aware of time zones. When writing for an international audience, include the time in GMT( Greenwich Mean Time) .

If you' re writing a time( for example, the time when you' re available in a chat room) for people in specific time zones, include their local times as well. - include a link to a time zone converter on your web site. Choose icons on your Web site carefully. Use icons carefully. For example, not everybody understands what a STOP sign means. In fact, its so easy to misunderstand icons - even within a culture - that you should always supplement them with clear descriptions. 1Tolerate mistakes.

And a thumbs up sign can offend people from some cultures. - the more you use the internet, the more you' ll communicate with people who don' t speak or write english as well as you do. Of course, this is just common courtesy, but again it' s surprising to see how many people attack others when they think they can hide behind the safety of their keyboard. Be tolerant of poor spelling, bad grammar and typing mistakes when you receive e - mail or take part in Internet discussion groups.