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| Version | User | Scope of changes |
|---|---|---|
| Nov 3 2009, 4:17 PM EST (current) | adamr.2007 | 270 words added, 98 words deleted |
| Nov 22 2008, 10:01 PM EST | Juliyanti |
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Key: Additions Deletions
Overview
Though Taiwan is seen as a technologically advanced country, it seems that the mobile usage there states otherwise. In 2006, it was recorded that there were approximately 3.7 billion text messaging sent out per day - this averaged out to only about one message per user per day, a very small number compared to other countries such as Japan.
Even the adoption of 3G was considered extremely slow when it was first introduced in 2005. After conducting a survey, a marketing research company named Taylor Nelson Sofres found that even though 3G capable handsets were readily available to the Taiwan consumers, only about 9% of Taiwanese mobile consumers had signed up for the service and also owned a headset.
1. Reasons for Unsuccessful Social Networking on Mobiles in Taiwan
According to the accounts director of Bates Taiwan, the main reason that social networking on mobile phones would not be successful in Taiwan is due to the many other options available to the consumers. Consumers are spoilt for choice with the range of options made possible by their laptops coupled with the Wi-Fi easily accessible on very street.
Another factor is the relatively shorter distances that the Taiwanese consumers travel compared to those in other countries. In Taiwan, the more convenient and commonly used transport is the car or bicycle. This situation is very different when it is compared to countries like Japan where a train ride can take longer than 40 minutes. Thus this duration of time taken to commute makes social networking on the go more appealing to the Japanese in comparison.
When Far EasTone launched a social networking service on Mobile phones, it failed miserably. The reason for this seems to be the very different mindset of the Taiwanese compared to those in other countries.
What steps could Mobile operators take to make social networking on mobile more appealing to the masses?
Overall, it seems that the two main obstacles that Mobile operators are facing are price and the convenience offered by the product.
When it comes to price, many believe that the transition fee of 3G is still too high to make it appealing to the masses. For example, Taiwan Mobile provides a plan where data transmission is charged at a flat rate allowing users to receive internet access regardless of where they are. However, to benefit from this plan, users have to not only pay a registration fee, but also a monthly fee of NT$699.
Where it concerns convenience, many users find it annoying to text long paragraphs on their mobile phone, thus making activities such as blogging very unattractive. Instead, they prefer sending a short and sweet SMS. Thus, to make social networking appealing, it would make more sense to advertise around micro-blogging websites, where the messages are generally shorter and more concise.
Therefore, to make social networking on mobiles more attractive to the general masses, Telecom companies need to revise their pricing as well as the way they market such services.
2. Trends in Taiwan
In 2005, mobile penetration was rated at 93.5% and SMS rates had grown to 2,796 million. Furthermore, mobile users were also subscribing to more mobile services such as WAP, GPRS and SMS.
A growing number of mobile users are also signing on to online sites such as EzMobo, EzDating and EzFriend. There, users can make friends through SMS, upload their pictures and stream videos clips.
2.1 EzFriend/ EzDating/ EzMobo
EzFriend was the first of the three sites to be launched in September 2002, becoming one of the first online mobile services. In 2006, EzMobo’s user base had grown to 400,000, making it the largest social mobile service provider within Taiwan.
Similar to web-based instant messaging, in EzFriend and EzDating, once users are logged into the portal, their online status will be updated. The only difference is that this mobile community is a public discussion forum without a separate conversation window for pair-based discussion, as in the web-based instant messaging. In terms of community interface, each user is generally presented with a nickname, mood status, the number of e-coins, the number of online users and online friends, the number of new messages, and their level (EzDating). The level, ranging from one to twenty, represents the overall evaluation of a user’s appeal index and force index. For example, if users receive a mail, they will gain ten points. If they use real-world money to purchase accessories for their avatar, their appeal index will increase by 300 to 1000 points.
According to EzMoBo, the display of a user’s level (in terms of their appeal and force indexes) is an incentive for users to be more actively involved in various mobile community activities, including sending and receiving messages, creating a message board, initiating a vote topic and sending a gift. For instance, every time a user’s picture is downloaded by others, he will get 10 e-coins. This mechanism encourages users to make efforts to strengthen their own currency stock as well as monitor other users’ level. As a result of such monitoring, there have been some instances where users complained to EzMoBo about other users’ abnormal level display and the number of virtual currency revealed (referenced from Understanding the Design of Mobile Social Networking: The Example of EzMoBo in Taiwan).
The user demographics are spread across the board, meaning that the Ez Empire is attractive to people of a wide range of age. Demographic details are as follows:
The statistics also suggested that males were more inclined to use the service compared to females with the ratio between the two being six males to every four females. Geographically, most users were found within Taipei and other developed parts within the northern area.
2.2 Comics on Mobile Phone
Being highly influenced by near-by Japan, Taiwanese mobile service providers now offer comic books on mobiles. Since this initiative was so successful in Japan, the Taiwanese went a step further and signed a deal with Cartoon Network for content like the Powerpuff Girls remade into comics for handset users to download and view, the first such venture by the Time Warner Inc.-owned network.
Apart from the commercial content from Cartoon Network, they are also offering comics based on classic Chinese stories of war and revenge.
What makes reading comics on mobile phones such an interesting activity? "For instance, a punch in the head would have a dramatic effect with a loud bang and vibration" said Christina Hsieh, a Taiwan Mobile official.
Given the difference between Japan and Taiwan over demographic (population) and the maturity of the mobile market, the Taiwanese are looking for a piece of pie, one tenth the size of that of Japan.
3. User2.3 demographicsLaunch of social networking sitesSmartphones
TheRecently, userFar demographicsEasTone are(FET), spreadTaiwan's acrossthird thelargest board,mobile meaningoperator, thathas announced its entry into the Ezsmart Empirephone isarena attractivewith tothe peoplelaunch of aseveral widemodels rangedeveloped in conjunction with Acer and Commtiva. These included the introduction of age.three Demographicsmart detailsphones are— asthe follows:EzFriendentry userslevel 38.8%:Acer 21-30beTouch yearsE100, oldwhich 12.8%:runs 31-40on yearsthe oldlatest EzDatingWindows Mobile 6.5 operating system; the Acer neoTouch, which was designed with business users 20.1%:in 21-30mind; yearsand oldCommtiva 6%Z1, :FET's 31-40first yearsAndroid-based oldsmart Thephone statisticswith alsoan suggestedaffordable thatprice. malesAll werethree moresmartphones inclinedare equipped with built-in features which possess multimedia and mobile connectivity features to usemeet the servicedemands comparedof Taiwanese consumers. These include interfaces which support access to femalespopular withsocial networking sites like Facebook, Wretch.cc and the ratiouse betweenof online applications like Google Maps.
Developements of the twosmartphone beingoptimizes sixthe malesperformance toof everyboth fourthe females.handset Geographically,and mostFET usersapplications wereand foundservices, withinwhich Taipeiprovides theTaiwanese market with a mobile device and othernetwork developedthat partscan withinmeet thetheir northernneeds area.for speed and real-time Internet accessibility to enhance mobile usage in Taiwan.
Sources: FET, partners launch smartphones, http://www.chinapost.com.tw/taiwan/t-business/2009/10/16/228894/p2/FET-partners.htm
4.3. Concluding ideas
The increased usage of mobile phones and computer gaming in the Taiwanese society has become more rampant in the past twenty years.
It seems that the gap between social networking and online gaming has decreased over the years. Sites such as EzFriends and EzDating now include avatars as well as well-known gaming mechanisms such as virtual currency, and role-playing.
In terms of mobile messaging, EzFriend and EzDating are a combination of matchmaking and mobile social networking that utilizes multimedia messaging. Users are able to express themselves through the forums available to them as well as through the ability to upload photographs and video clips. This personalization through mobile phones ties in nicely with the culture of individualism amongst young Taiwanese.
5.4. Feeds related to Taiwan: Social Mobile Applications
6. References
Though Taiwan is seen as a technologically advanced country, it seems that the mobile usage there states otherwise. In 2006, it was recorded that there were approximately 3.7 billion text messaging sent out per day - this averaged out to only about one message per user per day, a very small number compared to other countries such as Japan.
Even the adoption of 3G was considered extremely slow when it was first introduced in 2005. After conducting a survey, a marketing research company named Taylor Nelson Sofres found that even though 3G capable handsets were readily available to the Taiwan consumers, only about 9% of Taiwanese mobile consumers had signed up for the service and also owned a headset.
In this section:
|
1. Reasons for Unsuccessful Social Networking on Mobiles in Taiwan
According to the accounts director of Bates Taiwan, the main reason that social networking on mobile phones would not be successful in Taiwan is due to the many other options available to the consumers. Consumers are spoilt for choice with the range of options made possible by their laptops coupled with the Wi-Fi easily accessible on very street.
Another factor is the relatively shorter distances that the Taiwanese consumers travel compared to those in other countries. In Taiwan, the more convenient and commonly used transport is the car or bicycle. This situation is very different when it is compared to countries like Japan where a train ride can take longer than 40 minutes. Thus this duration of time taken to commute makes social networking on the go more appealing to the Japanese in comparison.
When Far EasTone launched a social networking service on Mobile phones, it failed miserably. The reason for this seems to be the very different mindset of the Taiwanese compared to those in other countries.
What steps could Mobile operators take to make social networking on mobile more appealing to the masses?
Overall, it seems that the two main obstacles that Mobile operators are facing are price and the convenience offered by the product.
When it comes to price, many believe that the transition fee of 3G is still too high to make it appealing to the masses. For example, Taiwan Mobile provides a plan where data transmission is charged at a flat rate allowing users to receive internet access regardless of where they are. However, to benefit from this plan, users have to not only pay a registration fee, but also a monthly fee of NT$699.
Where it concerns convenience, many users find it annoying to text long paragraphs on their mobile phone, thus making activities such as blogging very unattractive. Instead, they prefer sending a short and sweet SMS. Thus, to make social networking appealing, it would make more sense to advertise around micro-blogging websites, where the messages are generally shorter and more concise.
Therefore, to make social networking on mobiles more attractive to the general masses, Telecom companies need to revise their pricing as well as the way they market such services.
2. Trends in Taiwan
In 2005, mobile penetration was rated at 93.5% and SMS rates had grown to 2,796 million. Furthermore, mobile users were also subscribing to more mobile services such as WAP, GPRS and SMS.
A growing number of mobile users are also signing on to online sites such as EzMobo, EzDating and EzFriend. There, users can make friends through SMS, upload their pictures and stream videos clips.
2.1 EzFriend/ EzDating/ EzMobo
EzFriend was the first of the three sites to be launched in September 2002, becoming one of the first online mobile services. In 2006, EzMobo’s user base had grown to 400,000, making it the largest social mobile service provider within Taiwan.
Similar to web-based instant messaging, in EzFriend and EzDating, once users are logged into the portal, their online status will be updated. The only difference is that this mobile community is a public discussion forum without a separate conversation window for pair-based discussion, as in the web-based instant messaging. In terms of community interface, each user is generally presented with a nickname, mood status, the number of e-coins, the number of online users and online friends, the number of new messages, and their level (EzDating). The level, ranging from one to twenty, represents the overall evaluation of a user’s appeal index and force index. For example, if users receive a mail, they will gain ten points. If they use real-world money to purchase accessories for their avatar, their appeal index will increase by 300 to 1000 points.
According to EzMoBo, the display of a user’s level (in terms of their appeal and force indexes) is an incentive for users to be more actively involved in various mobile community activities, including sending and receiving messages, creating a message board, initiating a vote topic and sending a gift. For instance, every time a user’s picture is downloaded by others, he will get 10 e-coins. This mechanism encourages users to make efforts to strengthen their own currency stock as well as monitor other users’ level. As a result of such monitoring, there have been some instances where users complained to EzMoBo about other users’ abnormal level display and the number of virtual currency revealed (referenced from Understanding the Design of Mobile Social Networking: The Example of EzMoBo in Taiwan).
The user demographics are spread across the board, meaning that the Ez Empire is attractive to people of a wide range of age. Demographic details are as follows:
| EzFriend users 38.8%: 21-30 years old 12.8%: 31-40 years old | EzDating users 20.1%: 21-30 years old 6% : 31-40 years old |
The statistics also suggested that males were more inclined to use the service compared to females with the ratio between the two being six males to every four females. Geographically, most users were found within Taipei and other developed parts within the northern area.
2.2 Comics on Mobile Phone
Being highly influenced by near-by Japan, Taiwanese mobile service providers now offer comic books on mobiles. Since this initiative was so successful in Japan, the Taiwanese went a step further and signed a deal with Cartoon Network for content like the Powerpuff Girls remade into comics for handset users to download and view, the first such venture by the Time Warner Inc.-owned network.
Apart from the commercial content from Cartoon Network, they are also offering comics based on classic Chinese stories of war and revenge.
What makes reading comics on mobile phones such an interesting activity? "For instance, a punch in the head would have a dramatic effect with a loud bang and vibration" said Christina Hsieh, a Taiwan Mobile official.
Given the difference between Japan and Taiwan over demographic (population) and the maturity of the mobile market, the Taiwanese are looking for a piece of pie, one tenth the size of that of Japan.
3. User2.3 demographicsLaunch of social networking sitesSmartphones
TheRecently, userFar demographicsEasTone are(FET), spreadTaiwan's acrossthird thelargest board,mobile meaningoperator, thathas announced its entry into the Ezsmart Empirephone isarena attractivewith tothe peoplelaunch of aseveral widemodels rangedeveloped in conjunction with Acer and Commtiva. These included the introduction of age.three Demographicsmart detailsphones are— asthe follows:EzFriendentry userslevel 38.8%:Acer 21-30beTouch yearsE100, oldwhich 12.8%:runs 31-40on yearsthe oldlatest EzDatingWindows Mobile 6.5 operating system; the Acer neoTouch, which was designed with business users 20.1%:in 21-30mind; yearsand oldCommtiva 6%Z1, :FET's 31-40first yearsAndroid-based oldsmart Thephone statisticswith alsoan suggestedaffordable thatprice. malesAll werethree moresmartphones inclinedare equipped with built-in features which possess multimedia and mobile connectivity features to usemeet the servicedemands comparedof Taiwanese consumers. These include interfaces which support access to femalespopular withsocial networking sites like Facebook, Wretch.cc and the ratiouse betweenof online applications like Google Maps.
Developements of the twosmartphone beingoptimizes sixthe malesperformance toof everyboth fourthe females.handset Geographically,and mostFET usersapplications wereand foundservices, withinwhich Taipeiprovides theTaiwanese market with a mobile device and othernetwork developedthat partscan withinmeet thetheir northernneeds area.for speed and real-time Internet accessibility to enhance mobile usage in Taiwan.
Sources: FET, partners launch smartphones, http://www.chinapost.com.tw/taiwan/t-business/2009/10/16/228894/p2/FET-partners.htm
4.3. Concluding ideas
The increased usage of mobile phones and computer gaming in the Taiwanese society has become more rampant in the past twenty years.
It seems that the gap between social networking and online gaming has decreased over the years. Sites such as EzFriends and EzDating now include avatars as well as well-known gaming mechanisms such as virtual currency, and role-playing.
In terms of mobile messaging, EzFriend and EzDating are a combination of matchmaking and mobile social networking that utilizes multimedia messaging. Users are able to express themselves through the forums available to them as well as through the ability to upload photographs and video clips. This personalization through mobile phones ties in nicely with the culture of individualism amongst young Taiwanese.
5.4. Feeds related to Taiwan: Social Mobile Applications
6. References
- (Jan 6 2008) Voice Rules the Mobile World for Now. Taiwan Review.
- (May 5 2008) 10th MobileMonday Taipei, Web 2.0 Play
- Understanding the Design of Mobile Social Networking, MC Journal.
- Taiwan offers comics on mobile phones, YahooNews.
