{"id":11239,"date":"2011-11-17T04:11:25","date_gmt":"2011-11-17T04:11:25","guid":{"rendered":""},"modified":"2011-11-17T04:11:25","modified_gmt":"2011-11-17T04:11:25","slug":"Sina-Weibo-Releases-U-S-User-Numbers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/asiancemagazine.com\/?p=11239","title":{"rendered":"Sina Weibo Releases U.S. User Numbers"},"content":{"rendered":"

When Twitter-like microblogging service Sina Weibo launched an English mobile interface in April then announced that it would also launch an English website, some questioned whether the company would have an audience among users outside China. Apparently, it does. According to a public relations representative, Sina Weibo now has 450,000 users in the U.S., or roughly .2% of the 227 million total user accounts the service claimed in September. It\u2019s not clear how many of those users are Chinese students or other Chinese citizens living temporarily in the U.S., but a number of the service\u2019s overseas users appear to use the service mostly as a form of outreach to Chinese audiences.<\/strong><\/p>\n

One of those users is San Francisco mayor Ed Lee, the first Chinese American to be elected mayor of the city. U.S.-born Mr. Lee posted on Weibo in English throughout election day, tracking the progress of the election and calling on supporters to vote, finally sending out a triumphant \u201cThank you San Francisco!\u201d His Weibo name: mayoredlee. Most Sina Weibo users are strangers to the American election process, but that didn\u2019t stop people from responding to Mr. Lee. One user writing under the handle Serenity\u2019s Horizon, questioned whether Mr. Lee\u2019s victory illustrates that ethnic minorities face less racism in the U.S. than in China. Another, The Golden Rock, wrote in English, \u201cI want to know, can you speak Chinese?\u201d In any case, Mr. Lee\u2019s reception on Weibo has been warmer than that extended to certain Chinese government officials.<\/p>\n

As of Wednesday evening, the mayor had more than 47,000 followers on the website. Mr. Lee isn\u2019t the only overseas public figure to sign up for an account on Sina Weibo. The service also counts Tom Cruise, Bill Gates, \u201cHarry Potter\u201d star Emma Watson, Radiohead and IMF director Christine Lagarde among its verified users. \u201cSina Weibo has not only built a platform for interaction between Chinese officials and the public, but Sina Weibo\u2019s influence has also extended abroad,\u201d Sina boasted in a statement, citing Mr. Lee and also European Council President Herman Van Rompuy, who used his account on the service to post messages about his trip to China in May. \u201cImportant international figures and leaders have used Weibo to publicize slogans and decisions, borrowing Weibo\u2019s \u2018popular base\u2019 to develop close, positive interactions with citizens.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n

SOURCE<\/a>
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