Here is a map showing the locations of the last eighty readers who checked into World Streets this morning. It is typical of what we see day after day in this collaborative international forum. Hmm. Where is Africa on this map? It would not be a big deal if either (a) the matters covered by W/S were only of interest and use to the countries that consult the site as you can see here, or if (b) the African continent were well covered by other and … Read More
via Africa Streets
World Streets (2010 format) 
Tham Chen Munn from Facebook writes:
maybe there’s lack of IT infrastructure in the African continent, or perhaps there are lots of barriers to entry in each african nation within the subcontinent.
Looking at the map, I would be more concerned with China and India instead.
Thanks Tham. Those are good points, though we are pretty much on top of the Africa IT situation, which, difficult though it certainly is, is in my view not the main barrier. But as to India, the map does not show it, but we have a fair number of regular readers and correspondents giving us at least fair coverage of the sub-continent.
China? ouch. That is the biggest thorn in our side and we are working hard on it. And as you can well imagine the present problems with the Great Wall are not making this any easier. But stay tuned, and if you wish get involved. We need you.
I do agree that Africa Streets is necessary and can potentially be an important source of information. Why then are Africans not accessing and or using the site? I have said this before and I will repeat it again. is that few Africans have access to cheap and reliable Internet services. To many, visiting a website is a luxury they cannot afford.
The other reason in form of a question is: “who are the users?” A few people search for information for the sake of it. The majority, however, do it out of necessity…the academics, researchers, consultants…and perhaps the map is a reflection of the representation of the different countries/ regions amongst transport researchers, consultants etc.
Another reason which does not necessarily pertain to Africans is a poor reading culture…many people simply do now want to read. So how do we make reading attractive? Keep it short and simple, amongst others. And that is my cue to stop.