Jon Russell

Thai Internet Survey: 72% Online Are Women

Internet usage statistics from the National Electronics and Computer Technology Centre (Nectec) have appeared from earthtimes.org. The results are taken from Nectec's annual nationwide survey, conducted amongst nearly 12,000. 

Key findings include. 

*52.3% of all users access the internet between 8pm and midnight

*72.5% of all internet users in Thailand were female 

*The majority of internet users live in Bangkok, are colleague graduates and are employed 

Also included are figures from the United Nations' International Telecommunication Union, correct as of September 2009. 

Thailand had 16.1 million internet users, or 24.4 per cent of the population. 

There is more information from The National News Bureau.

42.2% of [internet users in Thailand are] aged 20-29 

[Many] wished that the government would put emphasis on the development of internet security and accessibility. 

Malicious software and slow internet were among the top problems that respondents complained of. 

Ms Chadamas (Deputy Director of NECTEC) stated that the internet usage rate will continue to grow due to its convenient use, along with a rapid increase in internet services and variety coupled with the upcoming introduction of the 3G network.

It is difficult to generate a truly reflective surveys in Thailand. The population and lifestyle varies hugely across the country, finding a audience composition which reflects this balance is difficult.

It is interesting to see that women are almost three-quarters of internet users in Thailand - this seems unlikely and may be down to the composition of those surveyed rather than a reflection on women as particularly interested in surfing the web. 

The fact that most users live in Bangkok, are graduates and employed comes is no surprise as is the preference for using the internet at home over work.

It says a lot that the most valuable stat is the UN's internet penetration data, and that is a few months old already.

Note: the information on earthtimes.org appears to have originated from The Nation but as it does not link to the website and a search on The Nation website also fails to provide the piece, it is not credited here.

Technology's Winners & Losers In Thailand

Op-ed from Isriya Paireepairit, Analyst at the Siam Intelligence Unit in the Bangkok Post evaluating technology, the internet and social media in Thailand over 2009.

Few points to make following some of the analysis.

[Filed under technology winners]

Social Media Marketing Thanks to Twitter and @PM - Abhisit and his cabinet, @Thaksinlive, @Suthichai and The Nation focus on hyping up social media, everyone is now aware and social media marketing events are popping up all the time. 2009 was the year of the social media gold rush for the marketing and PR industry. The marketers have just realised the power of social media and believe it to be a magic wand that will reverse the decline in the advertising industry. Next year, reality will hit when they will realise it is not all it was hyped up to be.

I don't see this rush for gold though Twitter and social is beginning to catch on. As it stands, there are too few business making use of Facebook, Twitter et al in Thailand - the hype is likely to occur once business start flocking to the medium next year.

[Filed under technology losers]

A year ago, Hi5 was the social network of Thailand. Then the girls learned of Facebook's quizzes and games. They switched, and the boys followed.

Whilst Hi5 has seen Facebook close the gap it is still important to stress (see here and here) that Hi5 remains Thailand's most popular social network for now.

[Filed under technology losers]

Citizen journalism It was the big thing of 2008 but ultimately it failed to live up to the hype. After a year of blogs and citizen journalism, the Thai media scene is still the same, dominated by only few big papers. I cannot see any local parallels of the Huffington Post or Perez Hilton in this country.

A First For Twitter – Advertising Appears On Thai Editor's Profile Page

He is editor-in-chief of The Nation and one of Thailand's most followed Twitter users with a shade over 22,500 followers at time of writing. It is a safe to say that with his large captive, Suthichai Yoon is one of the country's most influential Twitter users.

With such a large following it is logical to assume his profile page receives a sizeable amount of daily traffic. 

No need for assumption, Khun Suthichai’s page speaks for itself. 

The background of the page is space-to-rent, with an advertisement from Nok Air – "Thailand's domestic airline based in Don Mueang International Airport, Bangkok" – currently occupying the space. 

As a country, Thailand is fairly tolerant to advertising - just filling up a car with gas an advert is placed on the bonnet while seemingly any space, anywhere can carrying ads. 

That said selling out a Twitter page, a personal space online, takes advertising to a new level. 

Is it too idealistic to say that social media should be free from advertisements and endorsements? Does everything and everyone have a price?

I’d like to invite Khun Suthichai to provide more information about the Nok Air placement. 

• How much money does Nok pay for it? 
• How many hits does it register per day and how much custom does Nok receive from it? 
• Is it ethical for the editor-in-chief to carry an advert on a personal web page? 

One thing is for sure, this a first for Twitter – will it catch on?

Twitter & Facebook Offline - Thai Technology Books

There are an enormous number of books dedicated to technology and the internet in Thailand.