In October 2007, the US state of California experienced one of the worst wildfires in history. Amongst the 6,000 firefighters working to get the fire under control was Cabdiweli Heybe, a Somali-born firefighter working in San Diego. Shortly afterwards, the story was published on bbcsomali.com and Somali speakers all over the world could read about his heroism.

It was a news story with personal resonance. Told from a Somali's perspective, it also revealed a tale of life in the diaspora and so, arguably bridged the gap between Somalis all over the world while contributing to a sense of nationhood away from home.

Only 1-2% of users of bbcsomali.com are situated inside Somalia. Internet penetration is very low in the country and due to conflicts and civil wars in recent years the number of emigrants is ever increasing. The site connects Somali diasporas all over the world but also provides a lifeline back home. Every fourth user is based in the US, a large proportion are from the UK and the rest come to us from over 100 other countries worldwide.

"Before the internet," says Yusuf Garaad Omar, head of the BBC Somali service, "Somalis in the UK used to phone the BBC Somali service to ask what was going on in Somalia. Now people can read online about the country and, more importantly, listen to the BBC radio output online."

Nearly all who come to bbcsomali.com click and listen to the radio output of BBC Somali. It is the BBC World Service site with the most online listeners. Research shows that entire families gather around the computer listening to programmes and news bulletins from the BBC Somali service, the same programmes that can be heard on FM and shortwave in Somalia.

The story of a fire-fighting Somali hero in California is typical for the website. The interest among users in reading about other Somalis around the world - as well as in news from a Somali perspective - is huge. The language service is building on and providing for this interest with several initiatives on transnational communication, such as discussions about political Islam, diaspora aid to hospitals in Somalia and debates about Somali linguistics.