11.06.09: BRUNEI TIMES COVERS RPS ON FACEBOOK

Rock Paper Scissors had a call early in the month by Brunei Times to talk about how Facebook helped businesses in Brunei.

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Brunei shops getting more friend requests on Facebook
Debbie Too
BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN

Wednesday, June 3, 2009

ROCK, PAPER, SCISSORS is a small clothing store located in The Mall in Gadong. It has received orders from as far as the United States courtesy of its Facebook page.

"It is instant," said co-owner Naqiyah Ishaak of how effective the social networking site as an advertising tool. "The moment we post up pictures of new arrivals, one second we would already start to see responses."

And it's free.

Quite a number of Brunei-based entrepreneurs have already taken advantage of the social networking platform to gain patrons or keep them updated of new products and services.

"Facebook is just more effective, it's just really good," said Priscilla Boyd, co-owner of the Amala Spa and Manjaro Restaurant in Kiulap. "I found that it was so easy to get your message across because everyone checks their Facebook." She regularly sends updates to her Facebook group members for both the spa and the restaurant.It's also the popularity of Facebook that made Naqiyah decide to use the site to promote the clothing store. It is the easiest way to penetrate the market and with her buyers being young adults, Facebook is the most logical advertising option.

"At the moment we have more than 1,800 members in our Facebook page and it isn't just made up of locals," said Naqiyah.

Another Bruneian entrepreneur, Rano Iskandar, owner of Ranoadidas, a local social website that boasts more than a few hundred thousand hits per day has Facebook page and its membership number has already maxed out the 5,000 limit. He says he is trying to put together a "Fan" page on Facebook to help market his website. "Facebook gets responses which makes it more personal (for the business owner and the consumer). People can leave notes for you or send you messages so you can get feedback very fast," said Rano.

He values the usefulness of Facebook in sending a message instantly to so many people.

"If I have an event, I can just send a message to everyone and with that one message the thread can go on from 30-50 replies long, and I can get feedback."

Jonathan Bong, owner of Breeze Mag, a social magazine based in Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia, but distributes to Brunei as well, said that using Facebook to market his magazine is not only cost-effective, but it helps to build the publication's fan base as well.

"I am doing a promotion with the movie Transformers that's coming out and I can send multiple messages to Breeze Mag members. We have to use this powerful tool and this is just one of the ways to do it," he said.

"Everyone is on Facebook, it is easy to use and you don't have to be a rocket scientist to use it, the application is there," Naqiyah said.

Asked whether Facebook would be the advertising tool for business owners to start using, Naqiyah said: "Definitely, it's free and (it's) the fastest way to get responses".

According to online statistics from Google spreadsheet, the total number of Facebook users as of February this year has grown to reach more than 148 million users.

The Brunei Times