Posted By Alec on April 27, 2009

You may have noticed that recently the site has not been updated quite as often as used to be the case. Please accept our appologies. This is largely because our attention has been somewhat diverted to both producing the free printed map of Nong Khai and also to setting up our Nong Khai office. We have secured an office on Prajak rd, opposite the TOT building, but are in the process of renovating and decorating.

Our office will primarily be for advertisers on our site and also for customers of the website design and development services that we offer through our company ‘Nong Khai Web Design’. (We also have plans to expand our design services into areas other than the web, but I will give more details about that later.) However, we will also have maps and brochures available and will welcome tourists looking for information about Nong Khai.

I’ll post a map and address as soon as we are open, but it should be some time in mid May – feel free to call in!

Regular site updates will resume shortly.

Category: Nong Khai Office | No Comments »
Tags: Advertising, Map, Office, Site, Web Design

Posted By Alec on April 17, 2009

This post is really just to outline planned additions to site functionality, rather than content. Obviously, we are also always adding more Nong Khai hotels, restaurants, bars, attractions and general information on an ongoing basis.

Business Directory
The next major new addition to the site will be the Nong Khai business directory. Here you will be able to find listings of businesses of all types located within Nong Khai. As we offer free listings to all businesses in Nong Khai, we are sure you will find the directory to be a useful and comprehensive resource.

Integrated Mapping
At the moment the free accommodation, restaurant and bar listings simply include names addresses and contact numbers (though paid entries include more information). We also have our interactive map of Nong Khai that marks the position of these establishments. At the moment, there is no integration between the sections. However, we will soon be adding mapping links directly into the hotel/restaurant/bar/business directory entries, making locating a particular business all the more easy.

Reviews
With so many hotels, restaurants, bars and businesses to choose from, it can be hard to make an informed decision, so we will also be adding review functionality so that you can read or write reviews and grade Nong Khai businesses and attractions.

Forum
There will also be a forum where you can discuss all topics related to Nong Khai with others.

Classifieds
If you have something to sell or are looking for something to buy, you will be able to take advantage of our free classified ads.

Current position and next steps
Obviously, adding features takes time and the feeling so far has been that it is better to to spend the time filling the site with useful data before devoting time to these ‘extras’. We are currently in a rather busy period of validating all of our existing data and also compiling information for the business directory which will be the next major site update. The mapping and review links will follow that.

Category: Site Updates | 1 Comment »
Tags: Bars, Businesses, Classifieds, Forum, Hotels, Map, Restaurants, Reviews, Site

Posted By Alec on April 17, 2009

I had a request via the site feedback system for more currencies to be added to the currency widget. In time, I shall update this widget, but because of the way this information is brought into the site, it is not an easy task to add more currencies. It is basically an iFrame, which takes the currecy widget directly from Bangkok Bank’s website. In this way, I’m stuck with the data that they provide. As an intermediate solution, I’ve added a currency conversion page to the site here. You will also find a link to it from the currency widget. I think this will be a useful addition to the site, but I realise that it is not as convenient as the widget for quick reference. However, like I said, I will address this issue as soon as possible.

On a related point, I mentioned that this request had come through the site feedback system. This is a free service provided by www.Kampyle.com. They definitely deserve a mention here as I have been very happy with the service. It has generated more feedback than I was expecting and has enabled me to improve the site. I would recommend their service as it is free and simple to set up.

Another widget that I have changed is the Twitter widget that displays my latest twitter updates. Previously I was using a Flash widget, but I’ve changed it to a pure HTML widget in the interest of accessibility. (Flash does not work on iPhone / iPod touch at the moment.) I also now have more control over the way that posts are displayed.

I am looking for an alternative non-Flash weather widget for the same reason, but it needs to be customisable – so far, I have not been happy with the appearance of those available.Updated: I have now added a non-flash Weather widget to the site. It may not be quite as ‘pretty’ as the flash version, but is more accessible, which I think is more important.

Category: Site Updates | No Comments »
Tags: currency, Site, twitter, widgets

Posted By Alec on April 11, 2009

If you run a business in Nong Khai, now is the perfect time to be listed on our site completely free of charge.

Whilst our site is one of a kind for Nong Khai, similar sites serving other areas make the mistake of only listing companies who pay to be included. This ultimately leads to incomplete information that is subsequently a lot less useful to visitors to the site and we want to avoid that mistake. It is for this reason that we offer free listings to all businesses in Nong Khai – we want visitors to our site to be sure that they can find comprehensive information about Nong Khai businesses.

If you would like to increase the visibility of your business on our web site, we also offer a range of additional advertising packages in which you may be interested. See our advertising section to find the package that is right for you, be it a free entry on our site or our total web design service.

Category: Advertising | No Comments »
Tags: Advertising

Posted By Alec on April 11, 2009

We have placed advertising on a large number of the tuk-tuks serving Nong Khai. You will find them stationed in high visibility areas such as the Nong Khai train and bus stations, the Friendship Bridge, shopping areas and large hotels. Obviously, the advertising can also be seen throughout the town as the tuk-tuks move around. This is just the first step in a much larger campaign of marketing initiatives, some of which are outlined below.

As you may already be aware, we will soon be distributing thousands of free tourist maps. They will be available from hotels, guest houses, restaurants, bars, book shops and many other establishments throughout Nong Khai province. The maps will feature ‘Nong Khai Information’ branding and promotion of the web site. Production of the maps is to be ‘ad-supported’ by third part advertisers.

We are also producing directly distributed promotional material that will ensure a high awareness of the site among the businesses and residents of Nong Khai. To add to this, there will also be large billboards placed in strategic locations throughout the province.

In addition to local advertising, it is obviously also important that our site is found by major search engines and indeed it is. We already feature highly in search results for a number of essential key word terms. In fact, in many cases we feature multiple times within the top ten results. We have seen rapid growth in traffic to our site since it was launched a little over two months ago. As more information is added to the site and with our ongoing advertising and marketing, we expect visitor numbers to increase dramatically.

Category: Advertising | No Comments »
Tags: Advertising, Map, Marketing

Posted By Alec on April 7, 2009

There are a number of other ways you can get to our site rather than using our main address.

You can also find us at:
www.NongKhai-Accommodation.com
www.NongKhai-Hotels.com
www.NongKhai-Guesthouses.com
www.NongKhai-Restaurants.com
www.NongKhai-Bars.com
www.NongKhai-Visa.com
www.NongKhaiProperty.com
www.NongKhaiHub.com

Category: Site Updates | No Comments »
Tags: Domains, Site

Posted By Alec on April 7, 2009

I have added an interactive map of Nong Khai town to the Maps section of the site. At the moment, there is not a large number of points marked on it. However, over the next few days it will be populated with a lot more information.

The map will show general points of interest, accommodation, restaurants, bars as well as other useful information such as banks, markets, ATMs and such like.

The map uses the standard “Google Maps” functionality that is familiar to so many, so it should be fairly intuitive for most users. Use the navigation keys in the top left corner of the map to scroll around and zoom in and out. Switch between different view types using the buttons in the top right corner of the map. Click on a marker icon on the map to get more information about what is at that point, with photographs and links in some cases.

Category: Site Updates | No Comments »
Tags: Map, Site

Posted By Alec on April 4, 2009

I’ve had a number of enquiries about the site and it’s development. Thank you for all of the positive feedback! I have added my profile to the blog section of the site in order to give you an idea of my background and the reasons for setting up this website.

You can find it here. (Or, of course, by clicking any of the “posted by” links on the blog posts, themselves.)

Category: Site Updates | No Comments »
Tags: Site

Posted By Alec on April 1, 2009

In December 2008, the rules changed regarding arriving in Thailand WITHOUT A VISA, via a land border checkpoint, such as the Friendship Bridge at Nong Khai. People entering by land will now only be given 15 days of stay rather than 30 as was previously the case (This does not apply to nationals from Malaysia who continue to get 30 days). Passengers arriving via an international airport, however, will still get 30 days of stay.

NOTE: If you have obtained a visa prior to arrival (ie from the Thai embassy in Laos or another country), you need not worry as this will rule will not affect you.

Although this change took place several months ago, many people are still unaware of it and are subsequently getting caught out. It is also fair to say that it is causing bad feeling towards the Thai government with some visitors.

However, there is a very good reason for the new rule. It is first worth explaining that when you arrive in Thailand without a visa and you get a stamp in your passport for either 15 or 30 days, this stamp in itself is not a visa. You get this stamp under the ‘TOURIST EXEMPTION RULE‘. That is to say that whilst you have arrived in Thailand without a visa, the government will ‘kindly waiver’ your need for a visa as you are here for a short period for the purpose of tourism.

If you intend to stay for a longer period, for tourism, you should apply for a tourist visa with the Thai embassy/consulate in your home country (or another country) before you travel to Thailand. This tourist visa will grant you 90days of stay (though you will generally get a stamp of 60days on arrival and will have to extend it to the full 90days at a local immigration office while in Thailand). Obviously, if you are in Thailand for other reasons then there are other relevant types of visa that apply.

With that in mind, the change in the rule was made in an effort to reduce the number of foreigners simply abusing the ‘TOURIST EXEMPTION RULE’ time an time again, back to back, without ever obtaining a proper visa of any sort. Many people would do monthly ‘border runs’, leaving the country for a couple of hours and then coming straight back for a new stamp.

It is unfortunate that this change has been made, for those who were genuinely entering Thailand via a land route, while touring a number of countries in the Indochina region, for example.

For those who merely used ‘border runs’ as a way to extend their stay in Thailand, it should be noted that it is cheaper, and arguably less hassle, to just go to the Thai embassy in Laos or another neighbouring country and obtain a tourist visa. Whilst this may take more time (as an over night stay is usually required) it only has to be done once every 3 months.

It is easy to crirtisise or to feel cheated, in some way, when one is adversely affected by a new rule. This is natural. It is human nature. However it is worth remembering how lucky many of us are to have the freedom to move around the world with the relative ease that we do. Many are not so fortunate.

Although currently still in development, the Visa Section of the main site will soon have complete information on all types of visa available and which one is right for your trip you, whether you are a in Thailand for tourism, work or retirement.

To keep up to date with the latest site updates, Follow NongKhaiInfo on Twitter.

Category: Visa | No Comments »
Tags: Visas