I thought explaining why I decided to create this blog would be an appropriate first post. There were three reasons. The first is I bought the domain before I had a use for it. www.internationali.st – the brand consultant in me could not resist. The second reason is that it offers me an outlet to vent my grievances against corporate multinationals and their horrid customer service. And if this site proves interesting enough to gain a readership, perhaps my voice will be answered. Many of these Fortune 500 firms now actively monitor their reputation on the web, as discussed in the recent Forrester Research book Groundswell. The final and most universal reason is that it will become neccessary to maintain an online presence to ensure that one is not created by the public for you. I thought it a sensible idea to establish my own before any particular event had motivated me to do so. Look to Kanye West’s fine example, as discussed in a recent NYT Magazine piece. Personally I don’t network socially, twit about my activities, or flick snapshots of my daily life, which makes having a destination even more important. The About page lists interests that will be reflected in my posts, which I hope to make weekly or so. Upcoming posts that I am considering are “The Fragmentation of the World Wide Web”, “Dictator Style”, and “Apple NoCare”. But as I am a businessman and not a journalist, and this is a public forum, at times I must engage in silent diplomacy and refrain from sharing insights here.