Thaindian News

Beijing, April 27 (IANS) Micro-blogging internet services have now become very popular among Chinese government officials, including policemen. However, the famous Twitter website has taken a beating and regional internet portals are becoming more prominent.

A total of 2,428 government officials have been posting messages online using domestic micro-blogging services similar to Twitter, says a report published by Fudan University.

The report titled “Research Report on Micro-blogs for Chinese Political Affairs” tracked and analysed micro-blog accounts on prominent regional internet services like Sina, Tencent and People.com.cn, China Daily reported.

Other regional internet portals like Shanghai-based Eastday.com and Xinmin.cn were also noted in the research.

“Of all the official micro blog accounts, police authorities write the most and their micro blogs are the most helpful,” said Zhang Zhi’an, the report’s main author.

Chinese police have opened 1,228 micro-blog accounts, which constitute about half the total number of official micro blogs in China.

For the police officials, micro-blogging has come as a convenient means of publishing information and a way to ask internet users to help them in probes, said Zhang.

The report found that southern China spent the most time writing micro blogs. Among Chinese provinces, east China’s Jiangsu province has the largest number of official micro-bloggers. By March, 279 government agencies in the province had set up micro-blog accounts.

East China’s Fujian and Zhejiang provinces and South China’s Guangdong province were also the places of origin for over 100 official micro-blog accounts.

The report also found that 19 officials at the provincial level, such as provincial governors, wrote micro blogs online.

It, however, called on officials to try to improve their writing.