Thaksin Shinawatra: master of social media
He is never far from the news in Thailand but social media is one of former Thai Prime Minsiter Thaksin Shinawatra's key communications mediums as he seeks to maintain a presence in Thailand despite being in exile.
Social media is an established form of mainstream communications for politicians in the West. Obama ground-breaking 2008 presidential campaign, in particularly, demonstrated just how effective new media communications could be when combined with more traditional methods.
Politicians use social media in exactly the same way a company does, to promote messages to specific audiences.
Thaksin is an interesting case to review because - like him or love him - he works his communications from entirely outside of Thailand, using a strategy which includes a range of social media services and tools.
The Bangkok Post has a recent article looking at Thaksin’s presence on Twitter.
Adding to the comments, political blogger Bangkok Pundit notes the importance of @Thaksinlive, Thaksin’s Twitter handle used by the exiled former Thai Prime Minister.
Since most media organizations in Thailand will not or are not allowed to interview [him]...Thaksin has used other forms of communication, such as video links to speak directly to supporters, and also twitter.
The Bangkok Post article heralds Thaksin as “arguably one of the most effective Twitterers - in a political sense - to use the microblogging service.”
From his first "tweet" on July 17, 2009, Thaksin has used the URL twitter.com/Thaksinlive to attack his political rivals, mobilise his supporters, console and encourage his three children, defend himself against any allegations and publicise his charitable activities.
However there is more to Thaksin’s online presence that his Twitter account alone.
For starters, he has a second Twitter account, @Thaksinbiz, dedicated to business. It serves as a business FAQ contact for anyone seeking advice from Thaksin. With less than 6,000 followers it is less prolific than his main account, however it promotes a specific message to Thais, that Thaksin – a successful entrepreneur in his own right – is available for Thais seeking business advice and help.
That said, the last @Thaksinbiz tweet is dated early February, so the account is far less active than his official Twitter handle.
Here’s a look at other social media sites Thaksin makes use of.
Website
www.thaksinlive.com is his official website.
It includes related news article (positive, of course), previous speeches and videos, official images, Thaksin’s biography and his official statements – content is in both English and Thai.
The website is well integrated with obvious links to other content on Twitter and Facebook as well as a video/radio feature which allow visitors to access content from his ustream account direct from the website.
Broadcast
Thaksin is a big advocate of broadcast media, a medium which remains effective in this web 2.0 area – video is responsible for a huge chunk of internet traffic, so much so that Cisco predicts video will form 90% of consumer web traffic by 2013.
Rather than using YouTube (this account is fake) he holds a video and radio broadcast accounts at ustream which can be used to broadcast live video/audio – this the account can be used to project his videos to his supporters during rallies and meetings.
It is rumoured that Thaksin is also a heavy Skype users, a tool which he uses to maintain ongoing contact with political allies in Thailand and across the world.
Facebook
Thaksin has significant presence on Facebook. He has a personal account which has close to 5,000 friends with little information available publically (to non-friends).
Thaksin also has his own Facebook group – Thaksinlivedotcom – which acts as new feed and message board allowing supporters to comment and interact with him. This page contains more publically available information, including pictures from time spent in Jordan, Lebanon and Uganda.
Though there is much information, the last comment from Thaksin is dated December 2009.
Conclusion
Thaksin’s strong social media presence on the web allows the public – including his supporters – to find information and opinions straight from him rather than reading through the media.
He, or his team, uses broadcast media heavily and his website and other social media presences are well connected allowing visitors to navigate his various accounts easily.
Social media gives Thaksin a free platform to air his opinions and views whilst allowing him to maintain contact with those who can longer see him in person. For his supporters, his social media presences allows them to stay close to his view and opinions which are accessible any time.
As well known advocate of PR, it is no big surprise to see that Thaksin’s team using new media. It is worth pointing out that these sites are maintained by his team and not Thaksin alone.
