Social media role continues to grow

The social media continue to grow in popularity in Thailand, not only because networks like Facebook and Twitter generate two-way communication among friends, but also because they have become innovative tools for business.

The creation of fan pages and followers has formed a basis for modern business channels. 

Kapook.com's managing director Poramate Minsiri said there was increasing use of the social media in Thailand because Facebook was able to create a community between page owners, or members, and followers of their fan pages. This not only created closer communication, but also personalised it.

Last year, Thailand had the highest growth rate in the world for Internet users participating in social media or social networks. There are now more than 39,000 active Twitter members and 2.3 million Facebook members in Thailand.

Poramate said Facebook was the most powerful social medium and was more popular than the others because it allowed developers to create new applications and offer new services to members, especially quizzes, games and the scheduled dispatch of gifts to friends.

Kapook.com has now set up www.thaifollow.com as a community and database of Thai Tweeters [active users of Twitter], and it plans to develop a Thai Facebook database. It says membership of San Francisco-based social network hi5 has slowed down. 

"Thailand now has around 17 million Internet users and this number will grow because the price of mobile devices is going down, and rich features such as high resolution and video functions will help to increase Internet users and encourage them to access knowledge via mobile devices," Poramate said.

Tarad.com's managing director Pawoot Pongvitayapanu said social media had become popular in Thailand because the "new generation" was able to easily communicate with friends via networks such as Facebook and Twitter. This, in turn, promotes and increases Internet access.

He said the social media were also indirect tools for business, which was able to invite close friends and customers to participate in business, creating a "personal touch". Companies have been able to expand their business because of the social media.

"I think the social media have an important role in creating inspiration or influence, so that Internet users make a decision to do something, such as purchasing a product or some goods. The social media stimulate and attract people to participate; changing customer behaviour to buy products or services because they allow friends and relatives into the act, making the personalisation closer. Media and marketing executives are therefore able to use the social media as tools, or a marketing arm, to enter a target group through influencers," Pawoot said.

He said the social media had grown beyond simple two-way communication between members and their friends or relatives. They had become an indirect marketing channel to promote products and services to specific target groups.

 The Nation is one of Thailand's newspapers to have entered the social media, allowing readers or audiences to interact with the newspaper through social media such Twitter and Facebook.

The Nation's editor Tulsathit Taptim said the newspaper entered the social media early this year. Nation Multimedia Group editor-in- chief Suthichai Yoon set the ball rolling by urging his followers on Twitter to tweet their childhood pictures for a composite front page to mark Children's Day, on January 9 this year. That allowed audience participation with the newspaper. Later, The Nation invited followers of its fan pages to send their pictures, with love to the public, for Valentine's Day, February 14.

Tulsathit said the social media also allowed reporters to communicate directly with their readers via Twitter or Facebook, and readers were able to comment on the news, or on issues like the newspaper's layout.

Moreover, Twitter and Facebook were also able to promote the newspaper's brand. More than 1,000 readers a day now access The Nation's daily news content in the social media. The newspaper is also developing a "social-media page", creating content from readers and audiences by transforming traditional-media content into that from the modern media.

"I believe that new media, such as the social media, will provide two-way communications between readers and [the traditional] media, which will be able to react accordingly. Social media encourage readers to participate [in happening events], enabling them to generate content from sources in order to contribute news and reaction in real time. Therefore, it is the most important channel between [the traditional] media and readers," Tulsathit said.

The social media also allow general participation in news and current affairs by providing a channel through which network members can become sources of real-time factual information, opinion, or reaction.

Tulsathit said the new media would "adopt" those traditional-media organisations that were ready to use modern technology to provide news and information and encourage two-way communication and multi-tasking.

Meanwhile, Nation Information Edutainment president Kesery Srifuengfung said her company was planning to create a section for cartoon lovers in the social media. As a first step, it is launching an e-book called "The REAL Comics on Mobile: 'Toonmobi'", which will allow smart-phone users to download four comics including Buzzer Beater, Joe The SeaCret, the Apaimanee Saga and Meet No 13, free of charge before May 24 at wap.toonmobi.com.

She said the company planned to introduce about 40 cartoon stories in packages or episodes in the second half of this year.

"We will offer around 40 comics to cartoon lovers with mobile devices via the website. They will be able to enjoy the cartoons anywhere, anytime and by the end of this year, will be able to pay for them over the Internet," Kesery said.