Both well-established internet companies and small Internet startups recently launched microblogs or similar services in China, reported IDG News Services.

China has at least 340 million Internet users who are overwhelmingly young. Among them about 124 million people already use social-networking sites, and half of those write some type of microblog post daily, according to a government survey.

Earlier this year, portal company Sina launched what has become the best-known microblogging service. One reason Sina is doing well could be that it is an established provider with experience in catching and deleting sensitive information, said analysts.

But the main reason is probably Sina’s use of celebrities to draw users, said analysts. Chinese celebrities are among the most-followed users on Sina’s service, called Sina Microblog in Chinese. Some of the actors, singers and famous businessmen posting messages and pictures have hundreds of thousands of followers.

Sina promotes their accounts on the main page of its microblog service.

Microsoft recently launched a microblog-style site linked to its Windows Live Messenger program, which is widely used for instant messaging in China. Microsoft says the service is not a microblog, but it lets users post 140-character messages and displays them alongside messages from friends on a scrolling timeline. Top Chinese search engine Baidu has also launched a microblog-style service linked to its popular message board system, though the help page for the service does not call it a microblog.

Source : Konaxis