Building a Truly World Wide Web: A Review of the Essentials of International Communication

The World Wide Web is an important, and increasingly popular tool, used prima-rily by Americans for a number of purposes, from entertainment-based browsing and ca-sual shopping to scientific and technical research. Still, though the Web knows no bor-ders, linguistic, cultural, technological and legal barriers have confined most of the WebÕs growth to the United States. Only by addressing these challenges will Web authors reach a truly worldwide audience. In this review of contemporary literature, I will examine the current demographics of Web usage and the challenges these demographics reveal. Next, IÕll describe some of the prevailing maxims guiding Web authors, and other technical communicators involved in the creation of World Wide Web content with the intent of reaching international audi-ences, and explain how and why these approaches are effective. Finally, I will address contemporary thought on what can be achieved by making the World Wide Web a true in-ternational medium