China

Will China Twitter?

NOTE: Please also visit newer posting on Twitter in China.

Twitter featured heavily at the Chinese Blogger Con 2007 here in Beijing, with conference attendees running a lively commentary on the proceedings that could be seen on large screen just off the stage.

Twittered comments called the panelists into question, answered questions raised on stage and one person in the late morning - likely victim of a late night out Saturday - Twittered over to find out whether the conference had already started.

On the wings of the conference, however, there was interesting discussion about whether Chinese Internet habits would lead to heavy usage of Twitter among the general population.

There are reasons why China might Twitter
- high mobile phone penetration
- lack of access to computers at home for many Chinese (who thus resort to Internet cafes)
- a preference for chat/IM over email

but also a major reason why not.
- Chinese generally prefer semi-anonymous platforms like bulletin boards over blogs. This is due both to concerns about the government keeping tabs on who is saying what, but also due to a preference for staying a below the radar when making comments.

Any further thoughts?

Technorati Tags: Beijing, China, cnbloggercon, Twitter

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