How to be cyber social in Cambodia

December 31, 2011 · 14 comments

Social Media in Cambodia

Social media

Social media has recently really made its mark in Cambodia. I’ve seen more users on Twitter, more businesses on Facebook, more businesses using email marketing and more Facebook groups starting.

A lot of this is down to internet speeds improving and mobile data plans becoming way more affordable. On a recent journey from Kampot to Siem Reap I could stay connected to the internet pretty much throughout the entire 8 hour journey.

Twitter

Twitter use in Cambodia has definitely grown although I would still say it’s a small group of users that actively participate.

I used to be able to list my favourite twitter users but now there are quite a few so it would be hard. My list of  SEA Tweeps is a fairly comprehensive list of people tweeting in Cambodia, Thailand, Vietnam and Indonesia. @Peter_k440 wrote a blog post on Twitter in Cambodia earlier in the year which is well worth a read.

Facebook

Social Media in Cambodia

There are more and more Facebook groups starting now in Cambodia, many of which are great resources for the expat communities in different parts of the country.

Siem Reap seems to be the leader in this field with the community up there having the choice of quite a few.

The main group is Expats and Locals living in Siem Reap with over a 1000 members now. It is a forum for all things Siem Reap and seems to cover pretty much everything.

There is also What’s Up in Siem Reap detailing events and parties going on. Other groups include a parent board, for sale boards, an NGO & volunteer group, and other off shoots from the main Expat and Local group.

Sihanoukville has recently started a Facebook group also named Expats and Locals Living in Sihanoukville. It has over 100 members now.

Kampot and Kep also has a small but active Facebook community group called Kampot & Kep Noticeboard for Expats & Locals.

Khmer 440

Khmer 440

The biggest expat forum in Cambodia is Khmer440 with 23, 269 registered users. Like any large expat forum it has its supporters and its opponents. What can’t be denied is that it has lively debate on most conversations on all things concerning expat life in Cambodia.

Other forums & places to connect

You can also connect with Phnom Penh expats at

LinkedIn is also being used by some professionals here. There is a group called Cambodia Professionals on there although I haven’t explored this much myself yet.

Foursquare, the location based social networking site for mobile devices, is also rapidly growing in Cambodia with more and more people getting involved.

Moving to Cambodia?

If you are planning on leaving your life in the Western world and setting up in Cambodia I would suggest spending some time on some of the above forums and communities and see if you can see yourself living within these expat communities.

A two week holiday in Cambodia is quite different to living here permanently.

*NB This is not a definitive list but just the places that I am aware of.

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  • http://twitter.com/FarangTalk Farang Talk Forums

    We also have a Cambodia forum section at farangtalk.com It’s fairly new but we are committed to building content. You can also get to it by going to barangtalk.com!

  • http://twitter.com/FarangTalk Farang Talk Forums

    You can also follow us on Twitter 
    @FarangTalk for tweets on Thailand and Cambodia.

    • Anonymous

      That’s great – I’ll be sure to check it out.

  • http://twitter.com/peter_k440 Peter Hogan

    Nice post. Interestingly, I not that long ago read a post on a forum for overseas Khmers bemoaning the fact that ‘forums’ all over the internet – including their own – were withering on the vine and placing the blame on facebook. 

    This got me thinking as the forum I’m involved with has had a new lease of life recently and despite – and I’ll freely admit this – being a shouty village idiots convention at times, seems to be bucking the trend. I’m guessing this is down to the anonymity that we provide and that facebook doesn’t. In other words, folks can sound off and gossip on a forum without fear of repercussions.  

    With Twitter, personally speaking here, I’d really like to see more Khmers getting involved as it hasn’t really gone stellar yet in the way that facebook has. 

    • Anonymous

      I think forums that are *not* well maintained and moderated will suffer as Facebook groups gains in popularity. I think that’s just the way social media is going these days.

      However, I think the fact that posts in forums can be indexed and searched for way more easily than a Facebook group has a bearing on things.

      Also I agree that on an expat forum the fact that people can remain anonymous leads to more ‘colourful’ discussions.

      On a personal note I have been following your forum way more since you made it smartphone friendly, making it possible to be accessed from apps such as TapaTalk.

  • http://www.siemreap.net/ Chris

    We recently launched a new website about Siem Reap, including a forum aimed at both travelers and expats. We don’t a lot of information yet. But would like to invite every body to join our community. The forum can be found at http://www.siemreap.net/forum/.