1. Volunteers have reasonably good internet access at their sites, but report that internet connection speed is slow. (88% of respondents said internet connections is “slow” or “Eww…tried that once, too slow, never again”) This indicates that large documents are difficult to download over the internet. Large documents are best sent via CD-rom or in paper form. Documents containing hyper-links are useful, but there should be an accompanying description of the page it links to, as it is time consuming to wait for pages to load.
2. Volunteers are split, when asked “What is the best medium to receive electronic materials?” 33% report CD-rom, 33% report internet website, 33% report paper copy and 33% report email. This indicates that, while redundant, electronic communications are most likely to be read if sent through multiple channels.
3. Time is money. Many volunteers use internet cafes to access the internet and pay by the hour.
4. Printing documents is also costly to volunteers (5-10B per page.) If a document is intended to be used in paper form, it is best to send the document via PC mail-envelopes. Sadly, PC Thailand volunteers are not yet able to work “paperlessly.”
5. Because of slow internet speed, volunteers would benefit from simple and small documents. When designing newsletters and web pages, it is best to keep them “light.” Volunteers prefer newsletters in the paper form.
6. Only 22% of volunteers use the PC forum/PC Thailand GIG site. The ICT GIG is currently targeting other GIGs as first-adopters of this technology. They would love to hear any input on how to increase use/usability.
7. For a complete statistical report of findings, see below.

How would you describe your community?
Very Rural 44%
Rural 11%
Somewhat Rural 22%
Urban 22%

Where do you have access to the internet?
Home 33%
SAO 44%
Schools 33%
Friend’s house 0%
Internet Café 33%
Other 1 respondent – “40k to nearest internet”

What kind of internet is it?
Modem 44%
Cable 11%
Satellite 22%
Not sure 11%
Other 11%

What hours/how often can you access it?
During work hrs. 44%
Work hours only 33%
After work hrs. 22%
After work only 0%
Weekends 44%
Weekends only 22%
All the time 33%

What percentage of the time would you say the internet works?
Average – 70%
Median- 70%
Mode- 80%

How fast is your internet speed- uploading/downloading?
Fast 0%
Medium 11%
Slow 77%
Tried that, nvr again 11%

Do you have a PC or laptop at home? Yes 77% No 23%

What is the best medium for PC to give you electronic materials? (Some respondents checked more than one answer, which accounts for total not equaling 100%)
CD-Rom 33%
E-mail 33%
Internet website 33%
Paper copy 33%
Other 0%

Do you use the PC forum or the GIG website?
No 88% Yes 22%

What other communication devices are available to you at site? Cell phones, mail, land line, fax, word of mouth, yelling, talking, pointing, “there are none except my personal property-laptop” loud speakers on trucks, speaker towers

To follow up on this survey, the ICT GIG did a phone survey of 11 randomly selected volunteers, which showed the following:
91% report that internet searching is difficult because of slow speed and that a summary of what a link to site contains is helpful.
30B an hour is the average cost of internet access at a café outside Bkk
7B a page is the average cost of printing 1 b and w page
64% say that printing in their workplace is discouraged or unavailable
73% say that they prefer paper copies of newsletters
91% say they are more apt to read large documents if they are in paper form (like newsletters, etc)