Chien Chin-yu (簡勤佑), cofounder of Dcard — an online forum popular among young people — was on Saturday appointed the Chinese Nationalist Party’s (KMT) digital marketing technology chief.
He said he is confident he can lead the KMT in turning defeat into victory in the online world.
He would begin by improving the Web literacy of KMT legislators, many of whom are not very familiar with the online ecosystem, Chien said.
Photo courtesy of the KMT via CNA
Speaking to reporters before attending the final round of interviews for the position, Chien said that he had left Dcard some time ago and was searching for his next “big stage.”
As the KMT is clearly behind in terms of its support online, it can improve in all areas, such as shortening the videos it shares or improving the design of the images it posts, to better meet the needs of Internet users, he said.
Asked whether it would be difficult to turn the KMT’s online image around given young people’s aversion to the party, Chien said that if it was no challenge, he would not be competing for the position.
He said he was waiting to find out when he would have an in-depth discussion with KMT Chairman Johnny Chiang (江啟臣) about strategy and ideas.
The role of the digital marketing technology chief would mainly be to create an overall online strategy for the KMT, said a source within the party who is close to Chiang.
The person would have to understand the direction of online opinion and bring together online opinion leaders for the party, the source said, adding that the person would also have to be familiar with social networking platforms and online tools, and be able to use online marketing resources.
The KMT’s Culture and Communications Committee produces content for the KMT, while the new media division is mainly responsible for “technical execution,” the source said.
The digital marketing technology chief would work closely with the committee and new media division towards the same goal, they said, adding that the KMT believes Chien can help the party win the support of young people.
In a statement on Facebook, Dcard said that it hopes Chien, who left the company in 2017, will listen to the voices of young people and reflect their ideas truthfully.
Many people are concerned about whether Chien’s appointment would affect the Dcard platform, the company said, adding that Dcard would strongly maintain a position of fairness and allow different voices to be heard on the platform.
A magnitude 6.4 earthquake struck off the coast of Hualien County in eastern Taiwan at 7pm yesterday, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. The epicenter of the temblor was at sea, about 69.9km south of Hualien County Hall, at a depth of 30.9km, it said. There were no immediate reports of damage resulting from the quake. The earthquake’s intensity, which gauges the actual effect of a temblor, was highest in Taitung County’s Changbin Township (長濱), where it measured 5 on Taiwan’s seven-tier intensity scale. The quake also measured an intensity of 4 in Hualien, Nantou, Chiayi, Yunlin, Changhua and Miaoli counties, as well as
Credit departments of farmers’ and fishers’ associations blocked a total of more than NT$180 million (US$6.01 million) from being lost to scams last year, National Police Agency (NPA) data showed. The Agricultural Finance Agency (AFA) said last week that staff of farmers’ and fishers’ associations’ credit departments are required to implement fraud prevention measures when they serve clients at the counter. They would ask clients about personal financial management activities whenever they suspect there might be a fraud situation, and would immediately report the incident to local authorities, which would send police officers to the site to help, it said. NPA data showed
ENERGY RESILIENCE: Although Alaska is open for investments, Taiwan is sourcing its gas from the Middle East, and the sea routes carry risks, Ho Cheng-hui said US government officials’ high-profile reception of a Taiwanese representative at the Alaska Sustainable Energy Conference indicated the emergence of an Indo-Pacific energy resilience alliance, an academic said. Presidential Office Secretary-General Pan Men-an (潘孟安) attended the conference in Alaska on Thursday last week at the invitation of the US government. Pan visited oil and gas facilities with senior US officials, including US Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgum, US Secretary of Energy Chris Wright, Alaska Governor Mike Dunleavy and US Senator Daniel Sullivan. Pan attending the conference on behalf of President William Lai (賴清德) shows a significant elevation in diplomatic representation,
The Taipei MRT is to begin accepting mobile payment services in the fall, Taipei Rapid Transit Corp said on Saturday. When the company finishes the installation of new payment units at ticketing gates in October, MRT passengers can use credit cards, Apple Pay, Google Pay and Samsung Pay, the operator said. In addition, the MRT would also provide QR payment codes — which would be compatible with Line Pay, Jkopay, iPass Money, PXPay Plus, EasyWallet, iCash Pay, Taiwan Pay and Taishin Pay — to access the railway system. Currently, passengers can access the Taipei MRT by buying a single-journey token or using EasyCard,
RSS