Jon Russell

There is no doubt that the political protests triggered substantial growth and awareness of Facebook in Thailand, particularly reflected during March, April and May, however new growth drivers have emerged as the political situation has returned to a cooler (but arguably still uneasy, with emergency laws still active) landscape.

Yet despite the loss of this trigger, Facebook numbers have continued to grow (as the below chart from Facebaker's indicates) which suggested other factors are responsible for the spread of Facebook adoption.

Note: the Facebook Thailand data from Facebakers is not always updated on a regular basis, hence what looks like periods of stagnation but are in fact lulls in measurement.

New growth factors

There are a number of drivers which are keeping Facebook numbers growing in Thailand, my three key picks are below:

Word of mouth: Undoubtedly the strongest factor and yet the most difficult influence to measure. With increasing numbers adopting Facebook in Thailand the spread, adoption and usage creates its own promotion dynamic. For example, non Facebook users may find friends posting photos on the service tempt them to sign up, or interest in the latest social game prompts them to give it a shot. The more people that use Facebook, the more 'buzz' is created and thus the stronger the word of mouth influence.

Gaming: We already know online gaming, social gaming and mobile gaming are huge across Asia. Facebook taps into all three making its entertainment and gaming offerings a big driver of new and returning traffic.

Mobile: With increasingly sophisticated technology becoming available in more affordable mobile phones, more users are enabled to access the internet through their mobile device. In a market where fixed-line internet is immature, unreliable and available to less than 25 percent of the population, mobile is the big internet enfranchiser and the future of wider option of internet. The upcoming 3G license auctions mark a critical moment in the nation's telecommunications industry and the future of mass market internet access.

From my post earlier today though a version is also available at CNN Go here.