Social media has emerged as an influential force in China, where internet penetration is growing rapidly. Some key Chinese social media sites include Xiaonei, Wealink, and Tudou. Blogs and online forums known as BBSs are very popular, with over 40% of Chinese reporting reading blogs weekly. Blogs allow government officials and businesses to engage directly with consumers, but companies must navigate sensitivities and address issues that arise online carefully to avoid criticism spreading from the internet to mainstream media.

1. Social Media Its emergence in

2. To be discussed The Chinese internet market size Sample Chinese social media sites Blog and BBS Implications for companies

3. Chinese Internet Market Size 1.3 billion Total population The total of Chinese internet users V.S The total of the U.S 162 million V.S 212 million Penetration:12% V.S 70% Occupies 35% of the total of Asia internet users Use Growth ( 2000-2007 ) - 620.0 % 1.4 million new users/month 43 percent: BBS 76 million: video sharing sites 24 percent:blogs. 0.16 billion 12% of the whole population

4. Social Network Chinese : Xiaonei Chinese : Wealink Podcast Chinese : Tudou Microblogging Chinese : Fanfou Photo Sharing (Content Communities) Chinese : Yupoo Blog Chinese BSP: Sina Blog Sample Chinese social media sites

5. Blog and BBS Most important 2

6. Blog Report Four in ten Chinese claim to read blogs at least once a week, a higher frequency than was recorded for every Western nation. Chinese men are as likely as Chinese women to read blogs, but report reading blogs more frequently. Three in 10 people interviewed in China, are likely to be spurred to action after reading a blog, which is significantly higher than Japan (18%) and South Korea (19%).

7. Continued… Established Chinese business people, from real estate tycoons to IT entrepreneurs, write blogs. The Chinese government has also embraced blogging Allowing junior and senior officials, police officers, and other representatives of the government to maintain blogs, complete with comment sections and other mechanisms to obtain reader feedback. BLOG

8. First Corporate Blog in China? Shanghai based real estate company Frontier Investment Management Limited launched China Real Estate Market Views Blog in 2005 A company using a blog as an online tool to get to their clients.

9. Multinational companies? Google China Blog Blogs @ Intel China

10. CEO Blog Pan Shiyi （ Chairman of SOHO China ） Pan is not the richest man in China, nor is his company; however, SOHO China and himself definitely get lots of attention because of blogging.

11. the Chinese blogosphere so powerful Internet penetration and usage is high and growing among the emerging Chinese middle class Traditional media in China operates as a monopoly. Rigid agenda Lack of desired content Blogs and BBS give writers and journalists a platform to publish compelling materials. Because many people in China’s news and media industries write and read blogs, and follow leading BBS, information from the Internet can quickly find its way into the mainstream media

12. BBS Famous BBS internet forums Tianya & Xici Enormously popular and typically frequented more than blogs. The preference of anonymity of posting messages All major Internet portals and many state-owned media outlets, such as The People’s Daily, incorporate reader feedback and BBS sections on their Web sites.

13. Implications for Companies in China

14. Challenges Issues and crisis China’s state-owned media and national newspapers. Notable example: 2006 Dell Attacked online by outraged consumers who discovered the company falsely advertised its laptop processors. Issues exploded on the internet and quickily found its way into mainstream media Opportunities Understand consumer and stakeholder sentiment, listen to conversations about their brands, and directly engage consumers who comment on and write blogs. 4 million messages and comments are being tracked and monitored on BBS sites for automobile industry. Very rich and deep consumer insights Warnings Delicate medium and complete transparency Blogs and BBS