10 must-follow Twitter accounts for understanding tech and startups across Asia

Within the uber-hip technology scene, Twitter is a way of life. For its most active users, voices emanating from the little blue bird icon can pepper an entire workday with articles worth reading and opinions worth sharing.

But getting acquainted with Twitter can be daunting for newbies. That’s why we’ve compiled a ‘starter list’ of the who’s-who of Twitter within the Asia tech world.

For this list, we’ve focused on accounts of “non-traditional journalists,” as writers at legacy publications ought to warrant a follow by default (not to imply that scrappy bloggers like us can’t go neck-and-neck with them). We’ve also tried to select figures that inject a bit of personality into their tweets – specifically, these are people that are active in what some might call the “Twitter-sphere,” rather than hot-shot Asia hands who use the service once in a blue moon.

1. Aulia Masna (@amasna; @aulia)

Aulia Masna, editor of The Daily Social, Indonesia’s leading tech blog, has two Twitter accounts – both of which are worth following. And since the English-language version of that publication has regretfully been scaled-down, Masna’s accounts are now the best source for lightning-fast insights and commentary on tech in Indonesia.

Hey Apple, if you maintain your price levels in Indonesia, people will just buy your stuff overseas. Way cheaper that way.

— Aulia Masna (@aulia) February 25, 2014

2. Ben Thompson (@monkbent)

Growth Engineer at WordPress by day, Ben Thompson came out of nowhere in 2013 to become one of the most well-respected writers on tech with his blog stratechery. Following the tone of Benedict Evans from the UK (now in California) and John Gruber in the US, Thompson draws from his stints working at Apple and Microsoft to provide some of the most thorough and thoughtful commentary on global tech news.

Though his eyes are on all-things internet, his feet are planted in the great city of Taipei, which lets him add some Asian context to his analysis when appropriate. On Twitter, Thompson is opinionated and aggressive – pick an issue and he’ll be guaranteed to have a thesis on it. A proponent of the little-used ‘return’ keyboard button on Twitter, Thompson will make you question your assessments on anything that’s making the rounds online.

My articles about MSFT’s reorg help explain Apple: http://t.co/na132czWwH http://t.co/99Vltb15Ra They can’t handle too many initiatives.

— Ben Thompson (@monkbent) February 25, 2014

3. Bill Bishop (@niubi)

4. Christine Lu (@christinelu)

5. Jon Russell (@jonrussell)

6. Remco Lupker (@remco)

7. Richard Lai (@richardlai) and Richard Swinburne (@bindibadgi)

8. Rui Ma (@ruima)

9. Saemin Ahn (@saemin4655)

10. The League of Asian Startup Ambassadors: James Hill (@jameshilltaiwan), Casey Lau (@casey_lau), Heeseung Lee (@hs10337), Nathan Millard (@Nathan_Mill), and Michael Michelini (@michelini)