#THREAD: I am at the #COMMA2017 content summit conference. I'll be discussing #ASEAN integration, the digital media landscape and the #millennial agenda.

What is the future of news and media in ASEAN?

Stay tuned!

#CeritalahASEAN started with Ceritalah 25 years ago in the early 90s - during the height of print media. In those days, The Economist, The Straits Times, The New York Times, were really flourishing. Much of the 80s and 90s, I met with and talked to editors across the world.

Those publications were really dynamic and powerful.

But we've seen those publications come down. WSJ stopped printing in Asia. Jakarta Globe stopped printing in 2015. KiniBiz, Volume in Thailand also stopped printing....

What has come up to replace those institutions?

There's a lot of garbage out there now. How do we decide what's news and what to believe?

When I speak to young people, accreditation is very important.

Authenticity matters #COMMA2017

That's the core of my #CeritalahASEAN columns.

I've had to figure out: How do you reach out to younger audiences?

It's about authenticty and individualized experiences.

Keep the very millennial concepts of #FOMO and #YOLO in mind

It's not just about the story for the readers. It's also about the journey. Readers want to follow me - if I'm traveling across Yangon or Hanoi - it's about the trip.
Ceritalah is a place where I want you to feel connected to stories that matter to you

My team has called me a "proto-millennial". it may be true. I am very obsessed with finding out who I am... What are my roots? That's the approach I've taken with #Ceritalah

It's always about looking for stories from the ground-up. #COMMA2017

Ceritalah is about being on the ground, meeting people... It's about connecting with the ordinary person. Meeting the fisherman in Kuala Kedah, the shopkeeper in Tawau... Unless I do that, there's not really a sense that I've really understood what I'm talking about #authenticity

#CeritalahASEAN is all over SEAsia and in 7 languages.

SCMP in my opinion has become the best source for SEAsia news - a position that The Straits Time used to hold.

ABS-CBN is the behemoth of Philippine media. They do everything - TV, radio, print.

I recently did an interview on ABS-CBN during the #ASEANSummit. I am of the opinion that while Southeast Asia is a very rich and fascinating region, ASEAN is very boring.

But being boring is a good thing! It means we are not going to war.

It means that #Trump and #Duterte's often undiplomatic comments don't lead to conflict.

Another good media friend of #CeritalahASEAN's is The Irrawaddy. With them and our friends at Indosat Ooredoo in Indonesia, we've produced a video series called Keberagaman Agama to showcase the religious harmony in Indonesia... A message that could be valuable over in Myanmar.

In Myanmar, Thailand, Vietnam and Philippines, #CeritalahASEAN is not in English. It was very important to me to be in the vernacular - the language of the masses. #COMMA2017

With the Mandarin language, we are exploring #WeChat, where they have forums about #ASEAN. We've started sharing the column on there to just see what happens!

Mandarin-speakers out there, feel free to share your feedback! We are in a learning process. #COMMA2017

My realm of expertise is very niche. The KRA Group is an ASEAN-focused public affairs consultancy. By no means do we provide solutions to all the comms problems out there! But #CeritalahASEAN is my experience with what works.

On the road, I've met with Hau, the millennial in Vietnam who's obsessed with travelling; the conservative Malay couple who are PAS supporters and place importance on dakwah over winning elections; and Cindy, a mother who's figuring out how to teach her sons about Islam

Meeting them was important to understand where they came from, how they think, feel and how other people like them think and feel. #COMMA2017

There is not one story or one type of story that necessarily appeals to ALL ASEAN audiences. But if you want to reach the masses, it IS important to speak their language - use the vernacular! #COMMA2017 #CeritalahASEAN

I have an emotional attachment to the ordinary people. Data can be retrieved from anywhere. But I find that you must listen to their stories for the emotional connection to tell their stories.

Really listening and caring is the ultimate value in communicating and creating content. #CeritalahASEAN #COMMA2017

And that concludes my time at #COMMA2017. Thank you @501Awani for having me! Thanks for all your questions.

Until next time!