You've heard the phrase "Think globally, act locally." In other words, think about what's good for the world, and do something about it where you live. In blogging, I can think of several reasons to turn the formula on its head: think locally, and blog globally.

A blog's reach is global.

Your blog is accessible all over the world. Even if you're blogging about what happened next door, you don't have to write in a way that only your next door neighbor would like to read.

That doesn't mean you should ignore what's going on locally. In fact, local goings on are perfect fodder for a blog with global appeal, because...

It's all about the stories.

Yesterday, the local paper ran a story about a rollover accident out by the freeway. The story incldued a picture of smashed up SUV laying on its side. Guess what caused the accident.

If you said texting while driving, give yourself 10 points. And stop texting while driving!

That's a local story. But the appeal is limited only by the spread of cell phones and motor vehicles.

I've written several times recently about the power of including stories in your blog posts. Where are you going to find engaging stories? Where are you going to find stories that everybody hasn't already heard? Where are you going to find stories that you know enough detail about to be able to use concrete details to illustrate your points?

Locally. From your neighbors. From your church friends. From the people who show up at PTA meetings. From the arguments you hear in city council meetings...

Take the stories you find locally, and use them to illustrate principles that are interesting to people globally.

Or is it the other way around?

On the other hand, you could take the approach of listening for the big global stories and blogging about how, specifically, they affect your local community. If you can show your community how they fit into the bigger world in a way no one else is doing, you could own local attention.