Buzz Marketing with Blogs: Observations from Asia

Observations from Asia

photo from Kuala Lumpur I’m typing this while standing at a free Internet kiosk in the Singapore airport, while waiting for flight to Kuala Lumpur. Today marks the first of several blog-related days in Singapore and Kuala Lumpur. I’m here at the invitation of Maitre Allianz to do a two-day blogging conference on the 20th and 21st, and also to do some book promotion. It’s my first trip to Asia, and though very Westernized, both Kuala Lumpur and Singapore are different enough from home to be fascinating—right down to the condiments on offer in the airport cafeteria.

The blogging conference is a joint effort between myself and Paul Chaney, and my kind husband has agreed to live blog the event. Stay tuned for more on that.

While I get my bearings, I thought I’d give you some observations on Internet access, and its value. For a blogger, and a Web designer, I need Internet access in my hotel without question. But I’d actually like to have wireless Internet everywhere, especially airports. It’s valuable enough to me that I’ll pay a fee to get it in either location, but that’s certainly not true of every traveler. Here’s what interests me, though. In the Tokyo airport, there were actually little desks and you could sit down and work in comfort—but you had to pay a fee to connect to the Internet. At the hotel last night, there was a charge of what I think was about US$20 for a day’s access from my room. Here in the Singapore airport, they’ve gone so far as to actually provide the Internet connection AND THE COMPUTER—for free.

It all raises the question for me of whether Internet access should cost money, or whether it should be something that comes complimentary with a hotel stay or as an aiport service, sort of like plumbing and air conditioning. Is it a service, or is it a luxury?

I’ve only got two more minutes of free Internet service on this terminal (though I can see 10 more from here), so I’ll sign off. If this post is perhaps a litte scattered, you’ll have to chalk it up to jetlag. More from Kuala Lumpur.

Posted by Susannah Gardner on 09/15 at 07:31 PM •