KoratFart.com - Korat Forum / Isaan Forum for Art, News & Culture

On schedule our monthly comparative look again. It's the second month of the about three months long infamous summer hole, where even the biggest news sites have to survive on low access figures. Just a few regular readers do take their notebooks to the beach; many prefer taking a break from the web. Others who don't go to the beach do read the sites more in depth, so actually the number of page views isn't going down as the figure of reach is. In that light we just take the number of page views over the summer. Surprisingly figures have changed quite a lot already. The 1-month figures are now:

0.0006390 +46% for koratfart.com (#604 in Thailand)

0.0001570 +6% for korat-info.com (#1,657 in Thailand)

0.0001020 +23% for grumpyexpat.com (#2,006 in Thailand)

0.0000290 -17% for isaan.com (#4,887 in Thailand)

0.0000280 -47% for korat-farang.com (#2,220 in Thailand)

0.0000260 -57% for koratforum.com (#2,188 in Thailand) RSS feed lists only! Still fairly new!

0.0000024 (3 month average, no comparative value given) for koratfarang.com (no regional ranking given) still closed

0.0000020 (3 month average, no comparative value given) for korat-forum.com (no regional ranking given)

0.0000006 (3 month average, no comparative value given) for thekoratpost.com (no regional ranking given)

Time for our popular comparative look at general English lang. Korat sites's performance.

The summer hole should be over now and those that survived should be back to normal. There is the little change that Grumpyexpat's admin decided to close the forum for the moment and keep only the blog accessible. There seems to be an overall trend towards blogs rather than forums now.

As the figures for reach in my opinion better reflect the real interest in a website, i. e. can be less manipulated, we're back to those now. And of course we are also back to the 1-month figures to better see changes:

0.001500 +8% for koratfart.com (#503 in Thailand)

0.000810 -11.23% for koratforum.com (#1,860 in Thailand) RSS feed lists only!

0.000780 -21.34% for korat-info.com (#1,297 in Thailand) German lang. mainly

0.000530 +210% for korat.info (#2,393 in Thailand) Blog

0.000340 -39.75% for grumpyexpat.com (#4,039 in Thailand) now a blog only, forum is closed

0.000200  (3 month average, no comparative value given) for isaan.com (#17,843 in Thailand)

0.000120 -75.95% for korat-farang.com (no regional ranking given)

0.000050 (3 month average, no comparative value given) for thekoratpost.com (no regional ranking given)

0.000050 (3 month average, no comparative value given) for koratfarang.blogspot.com (no regional ranking given) Blog

0.000030 (3 month average, no comparative value given) for korat-weekends.blogspot.com (no regional ranking given) Blog

0.000027 (3 month average, no comparative value given) for mgnewman.com (no regional ranking given) Website, Webcam...

0.000026 (3 month average, no comparative value given) for korat-forum.com (no regional ranking given)

0.000026 (3 month average, no comparative value given) for koratfarang.com (no regional ranking given) still closed

0.000023 (3 month average, no comparative value given) for coolkorat.wordpress.com (no regional ranking given) Blog

0.000022 (3 month average, no comparative value given) for koratinfo.com (no regional ranking given) Th/En Website

0.000016 (3 month average, no comparative value given) for koratcity.blogspot.com.com (no regional ranking given) Blog

no data (We don't have enough data to rank this website.) gfw.ch Website in Swiss German lang

no data (We don't have enough data to rank this website.) joelandchoom.net Website, weatherstation, webcam, blog...

no data (We don't have enough data to rank this website.) isaanbusiness.com Business Directory

no data (We don't have enough data to rank this website.) for phimai.wordpress.com (Smile! You're at the best Wordpress.com site ever)

no data (Subdomain, not measured) korat.forum24.se Swedish Korat forum

Alfie, your own sites' performances are more and more disappointing. You seemed to be doing a lot better when posting at Grumpy before.

And as comment to the closure of the forums Koratfarang.com and Grumpyexpat.com/forum: I think already developed forums the admin isn't interested in keeping alive shouldn't be closed completely, they should remain open for reading, just the registration of new members, posting and maybe also the sending of PMs should be blocked; the forum itself should remain open for reading and research, as they contain some valuable content the members put effort in to compile and publish as a service to the fellow expats. At least that is what I would do, if I ran out of energy, or had limited opportunity left to take care of my forums: just keep them online with static content, maybe moving some of the controversial content to private areas, if I had not done this before. No reason to hide the whole forum for that and for long.

Interesting figures: I have always paid attention, but do a little more now my own blog features.

The stats seem to support the usage evidence: the well-followed forums are more active than the blogs. I started my blog on behalf of a very fluent English-speaking local to enable her to try her hand, but it is a very intimidating thing to do and no-one else has time to comment. I am not in Korat enough to make valid posts.

I would prefer for there to be one or two central, non-partisan forums which included a blog element. The most useful aspect of Lord Voldemort's forum is (or was) the review section regarding hotels, restaurants and nightlife. But the reviews are not from the perspective of an external user: they do not add anything of value. Agoda and Tripadviser are similarly weak on Korat.
 
I plan to close coolkorat shortly: it serves no purpose or benefit. If a new route opens to allow reviews etc. on expat-relevant life, I will be very happy to contribute.

I recently swapped emails with Stickman in Bangkok: he is changing his blog to be more photo-orientated (based on photo stories), and his last few posts have been in this vein. I think the Korat forums could benefit with more images, and more useful (positive) comment on day-to-day life in Korat.

Every year Korat sees an influx of US visitors: surely these people Google before they come? What, of any practical value, do they learn?

Time again for our comparative look at general English lang. Korat sites's performance.

The 1-month "reach" figures by Alexa.com today:

0.002200 +60% for koratfart.com (#414 in Thailand) This forum here

0.001400 +20% for korat-info.com (#649 in Thailand) Photogallery, Forum, German lang. mainly

0.001100 +30% for koratforum.com (#1,448 in Thailand) RSS feeds of Korat and Isaan sites

0.000630 +30% for korat.info (#2,250 in Thailand) Blog

0.000500 +70% for korat-farang.com (#4,094 in Thailand) Forum

0.000300 +1300% for grumpyexpat.com (#8,611 in Thailand) now a blog only, forum closed

0.000150  (3 month average, no comparative value given) for isaan.com (#8,549 in Thailand) Website, Forum

0.000130 (3 month average, no comparative value given) for khaoyaiguide.com (#17,748 in Thailand) Website

0.000120 (3 month average, no comparative value given) for korat-weekends.blogspot.com (#22,386 in Thailand) Blog with photos

0.000110 (3 month average, no comparative value given) for koratfarang.blogspot.com (#8,021 in Thailand) Blog

0.000090 (3 month average, no comparative value given) for thekoratpost.com (#11,352 in Thailand) Website, News

0.000070 (3 month average, no comparative value given) for coolkorat.wordpress.com (#12,318 in Thailand) Blog

0.000060 (3 month average, no comparative value given) joelandchoom.net (#9,911 in Thailand) Website, weatherstation, webcam, blog...

0.000060 (3 month average, no comparative value given) for koratguide.blogspot.com (#15,532 in Thailand) Blog

0.000058 (3 month average, no comparative value given) for korat-forum.com (no Thailand ranking given)

0.000050 (3 month average, no comparative value given) for koratcity.blogspot.com (#16,450 in Thailand) Blog

0.000040 (3 month average, no comparative value given) for koratfarang.com (no regional ranking given) still closed

0.000030 (3 month average, no comparative value given) for koratinfo.com (no regional ranking given) Th/En Website

0.000026 (3 month average, no comparative value given) for mgnewman.com (no regional ranking given) Website, Webcam...

0.000016 (3 month average, no comparative value given) for buadhai.blogspot.com (no regional ranking given) Blog

0.000013 (3 month average, no comparative value given) for phimai.wordpress.com (Smile! You're at the best Wordpress.com site ever)

0.000009 (3 month average, no comparative value given) for koratfarang.wordpress.com (no regional ranking given) Blog

no data (We don't have enough data to rank this website.) thisthailife.wordpress.com Photoblog - new!

no data (We don't have enough data to rank this website.) isaanbusiness.com Business Directory

no data (Subdomain, not measured) korat.forum24.se Swedish Korat forum

Apart from the seasonal overall up due to people preparing for their winter in Thailand we obviously had some blogs rediscovered or discovered anew. So there were quite some changes.

Any chance of an update? Thanks! CK

Apologies JF - just noticed you plan to do this on a quarterly basis for 2013!

Here we go: the newest "reach"-figures (3-moths average) by Alexa.com today:

0.002150 +30% for koratfart.com (#524 in Thailand) This forum here

0.001240 +13% for korat-info.com (#981 in Thailand) Photogallery, Forum, German lang. mainly

0.001090 +17% for koratforum.com (#1,667 in Thailand) RSS feeds of Korat and Isaan sites

0.000600 +100% for korat-farang.com (#2,406 in Thailand) Forum

0.000510 +2% for korat.info (#1,935 in Thailand) Blog

0.000400  +160% for isaan.com (#3,413 in Thailand) Website, Forum

0.000280 (no change figure given) for grumpyexpat.com (#8,079 in Thailand) now a blog only, forum closed

0.000250 (no change figure given) for koratfarang.blogspot.com (#7,688 in Thailand) Blog

0.000200 (no change figure given) for korat-weekends.blogspot.com (#8,127 in Thailand) Blog with photos

0.000160 (no change figure given) joelandchoom.net (#9,046 in Thailand) Website, weatherstation, webcam, blog...

0.000130 (no change figure given) for coolkorat.wordpress.com (#15,998 in Thailand) Blog

0.000120 (no change figure given) for koratfarang.com (#22,836 in Thailand) still closed

0.000110 (no change figure given) thisthailife.wordpress.com (#10,065 in Thailand) Photoblog - new!

0.000110 (no change figure given) for khaoyaiguide.com (no Thailand ranking given) Website

0.000090 (no change figure given) for thekoratpost.com (no Thailand ranking given) Website, News

0.000060 (no change figure given) for koratguide.blogspot.com (no Thailand ranking given) Blog

0.000060 (no change figure given) for koratcity.blogspot.com (no Thailand ranking given) Blog

0.000060 (no change figure given) for koratinfo.com (no Thailand ranking given) Th/En Website

0.000050 (no change figure given) for korat-forum.com (no Thailand ranking given)

0.000024 (no change figure given) for mgnewman.com (no regional ranking given) Website, Webcam...

0.000022 (no change figure given) for koratfarang.wordpress.com (no regional ranking given) Blog

0.000008 (no change figure given) for phimai.wordpress.com (Smile! You're at the best Wordpress.com site ever)

0.000007 (no change figure given) for thailandchatter.com/forum (no regional ranking given) Forum, still new

0.000004 (no change figure given) for buadhai.blogspot.com (no regional ranking given) Blog

no data (-) ontour-korat.blogspot.com Blog

no data (-) isaanbusiness.com Business Directory

no data (-) koratexchange.blogspot.com Foto blog - NEW!

no data (Subdomain, not measured) korat.forum24.se Swedish Korat forum

Significant changes upwards can be noticed by isaan.com, korat-farang.com, joelandchoom.net, thisthailife blog and the still closed koratfarang.com. I guess the Cobra Gold visitors were looking for that in vain, clicking on some old links to it.

And again the newest figures a day early, because tomorrow is Labour Day.

The sites that don't have enough traffic for a monthly figure at Alexa will only be listed every three months from now on. Those with a monthly figure every month.

0.001300 (-9.12%) for koratfart.com (#626 in Thailand) This forum here

0.000800 (-11.87%) for koratforum.com (#1,784 in Thailand) RSS feeds of Korat and Isaan sites

0.000750 (+5%) for korat-info.com (#1,713 in Thailand) Photogallery, Forum, German lang. mainly

0.000700 (+30%) for korat.info (#1,537 in Thailand) Blog

0.000520 (+10%) for koratfarang.blogspot.com (#4,363 in Thailand) Blog

0.000350 (-36.65%) for korat-farang.com (#10,158 in Thailand) Forum

0.000180 (+120%) for isaan.com (#17,824 in Thailand) Website, Forum


One thing I'm very surprised to have found is this


Now why does a forum admin either buys clicks or participates in that silly "Alexa Boostup"?

Boost your website's Alexa ranking

Good Alexa ranking is a key indicator of a successful website or blog. As a rule of thumb, the better the Alexa ranking, the more business you'll get. Boost up your Alexa ranking by surfing websites with thousands of other Alexa Boostup users.

Funniest is that just the Alexa ranking data tell you clearly that they have been manipulated and how, simply by the CLICKSTREAM data, because that "Alexaboostup.com" site has to be accessed by the "Autosurf Booster" again and again for reading on the rotator there which link to "click" next. So there is no other explanation than  that site having been used for manipulating the Alexa ranking and the forum's page views and visitor numbers. The indication of manipulation was boosted the same!

Free Alexa Auto Rank Booster - Boost alexa ranking

        Boost up your website Alexa ranking for free by using free Alexa Booster.

        Alexa Boostup is compatible with Firefox Browser only.


        Here is how it works:
        User with a Firefox browser and Alexa Toolbar/Plugin signs up and verifies account on Alexa Boostup.
        User logs into Alexa Boostup menu and enters website to boost its rank and enables the website for rotation.
        User can start autosurf by clicking the autosurf link.
        User gets 0.5 surf points after each 40-60 seconds. No need to do anything, just minimize the window and see your Alexa Rank rocketing up.

        Just signup at http://www.alexaboostup.com if you want to increase your Alexa Ranking for Free.

        If you do not want to surf to earn surfing points, then you may purchase surfing points at very cheap rates from the user menu via Paypal.

Source

Way to go, Alfie!   

I was asked by email why I don't update "this interesting Korat sites' performance report" anymore.

Well, I thought it was understood what I explained in that thread about manipulations of the Alexa ranks of Korat sites going on. That calls for a new way of considering. As most of these manipulation systems like alexaboostup.com or upmyrank.com etc. are operating outside of Thailand, but our sites are mostly used by people residing in Thailand, one way is to just taking the regional rank, as it is not likely manipulated as much. Another option is taking the Netcraft rank instead of the Alexa rank.


Let's start with the Alexa Thailand ranks:

koratfart.com #618 in Thailand

korat-info.com #1,026 in Thailand

korat-farang.com # 1,305 in Thailand

korat.info #1,645 in Thailand

koratforum.com # 2,080 in Thailand

isaan.com #11,770 in Thailand


The Netcraft ranks are:

koratfart.com #5,137

koratforum.com #10,821

korat-info.com #14,138

korat.info #30,320

isaan.com #260,710

korat-farang.com #340,323

Results are roughly the same as the not yet manipulated Alexa ranks before. So, why manipulate at all?