Emergency
Postal
Utilities
Flights
Police
Singapore Law
Immigration
Airport
Customs
Accommodation
Business
Directory
Permits & Passes
Pets
Schools
Vehicles
Bank ATMs
Banks
24-hour
Outlets
Hospitals
Getting Around
Embassies
4D/Toto/Score
|
NetValue
Release: Instant Messaging Wars
|
(cont'd) |
Back
to FrontPage
of article
|
Profile
of Instant Messaging Users |
Whilst teens are still the predominant users of
IM in Asia, there has been notable increase in
the proportion of older age groups engaging in
this activity. For example, in Taiwan, close to
one-third (28.3 per cent) of IM users are between
the ages of 25-34 years. |
Within individual countries across Asia, close to
20 per cent of all IM users are above the age of
35. Mr.
Fitts continued, “Messaging is no longer the
exclusive domain of kids and teens – we’re
seeing continuous growth among older users who are
becoming more comfortable using the Internet for
activities other than surfing. This opens up a new
channel for marketers to reach the mainstream
population, which was previously limited to banner
ads and direct marketing efforts via email.”
|
|
Profile of instant messaging users (June)
|
|
Hong Kong
|
Korea
|
Singapore
|
Taiwan
|
Gender
|
|
|
|
|
Male
|
52.0%
|
48.5%
|
50.6%
|
55.1%
|
Female
|
48.0%
|
51.5%
|
49.4%
|
44.9%
|
Age
|
|
|
|
|
Under 15
|
5.6%
|
8.0%
|
5.2%
|
3.1%
|
15-24
|
47.8%
|
49.1%
|
50.5%
|
44.5%
|
25-34
|
27.5%
|
25.4%
|
24.9%
|
28.3%
|
35-49
|
14.8%
|
13.2%
|
17.9%
|
23.4%
|
50-64
|
4.2%
|
4.4%
|
1.5%
|
0.8%
|
Base: Instant messaging users in the respective
markets
|
Source: NetValue
|
|
ICQ
versus MSN Messenger |
The two main contenders in Asia are ICQ and MSN
Messenger, owned by AOL Time Warner and
Microsoft respectively. Usage of these
applications is highest in Hong Kong and
Singapore; in Taiwan and Korea, however, the reach
of ICQ and MSN Messenger is markedly lower.
Language support issues appear to be a key
factor influencing usage.
“Asia presents a challenge to ICQ and MSN
because of the numerous local languages – the
original platform was designed to support only
English,” commented Mr. Fitts. |
“Right now, ICQ dominates in most of the Asian
markets, with the exception of Korea.
The application that has the largest
following in Korea is a locally developed program
called BuddyBuddy, and there are others as
well.”
|
|
Terms
used in this release |
Instant
messaging (IM or IMing): Instant messaging
(sometimes called IM or IMing) is the ability to
easily see whether a chosen friend or co-worker is
connected to the Internet and, if they are, to
exchange messages with them. The service allows
users to have “real-time” online conversations
with virtually no delay. In order to communicate
via IM, both users must be subscribed to the same
service. Most exchanges are text only, however
some services offer attachments and video. |
|
The End
|
ABOUT
THIS WEBSITE | ADVERTISING WITH
US | LISTING WITH US
Contact us at help@getforme.com
Copyright
©1999 - 2001 All rights reserved
|
|
News
Flash



|
Find
companies, brands, products & services in Singapore |


|