Blogging in Lao or English?

On topic appears on many of the Barcamps and conferences I attended so far: In what language I should blog? The most common answer is: The language of your audience. If my readers are German nationals, I would blog in German. Since this blog here is read by mostly foreigners, it is in English. Would I blog about Laos (if I could write Lao)? No. The reason is simple: Google. No search engine right now understands Lao. So whenever people searching for any Lao related content, they search in English. If I want my content to be found I have to write in English. so if people in Lao write only in Lao, the audience is quite small. Only Lao people will read it. So, in case you are Lao and want to start a blog, consider having it at least bi-lingual. So you can not only increase your traffic, but also the content about Laos in the World Wide Web.

Watch your dogs!

Got this message from ARC in Phu My Hung: At ARC we have recently heard a number of frightening stories about families losing dogs while they have been out walking them. In some cases, it seems that the dogs were targeted, and maybe were taken for ransom. In other cases however, they have been taken or injured, or even killed, in seemingly opportunistic attacks, perhaps for food, perhaps just for fun! What is common to all losses that we have heard about is that the owners were walking their dogs off the lead/leash. Just that few seconds of distance from the owner has given attackers the time they need to catch or kill the dog. Right in front of the owner, who is powerless to do anything to protect their pet! The attacks that we have heard about have taken place in D2, Thao Dien. They may well be happening in other places (and we would like to know if that is the case). Without wanting to scare or panic, ARC asks that you please consider how you walk your dog. For the sake of your family and your pet, please don’t walk dogs off the leash. Make sure that you have your dog on the leash at all times, so that if there is a time when you feel that someone may want to harm the animal, you still have some control.