(Ecns.cn)--Approximately 20,000 government offices had plugged into China's most popular microblog website Sina Weibo by the end of October 2011, a year-on-year growth of 200 percent, according to the Governmental Affairs Microblog Annual Report (Annual Report) released by Sina Weibo and the Public Sentiment Research Center on December 12.
Officials from government offices are able to chat directly with 250 million registered users of Sina Weibo (Chinese word for micro blog), explains editor-in-chief of Sina, Chen Tong. The Micro blog is micro by virtue of its 140-charater limit, but it's macro in terms of governmental affairs administration.
Akin to a hybrid of Twitter and Facebook, Sina Weibo's more than 50 percent share leads the Chinese microblogging market, casting a shadow over competitors Tencent Weibo and Sohu Weibo, according to statistics released by iResearch Consulting Group.
Grass-roots units, big fans of microblogs
More and more government officials are registering on Sina Weibo, viewing social network services as a fresh new avenue to administer government affairs. Government users are drawn from 34 provincial administrative regions across the nation. Beijing, the provinces of Guangdong, Jiangsu, Zhejiang, Fujian and Sichuan, and the seven regions have experienced the highest growth in governmental weibo users this last year; and each has seen registrations increase by over 1,000.
The ranking distribution reveals government users at the county level account for the majority. The higher the rank of the government office, the smaller the number of weibo users it has. While overall numbers are high, this is a sign that grass-roots offices are proportionately more active in utilizing the platform, and they are also in a better position to track conditions and respond by providing services in a timely manner.
Yinchuan, a model government user
The Yinchuan municipal government registered on Sina Weibo with the user name "Wenzheng Yinchuan" on July 14. Wenzheng, a Chinese phrase, literally means consulting and discussing government matters. Since its birth, Wenzheng Yinchuan has shaped a mandate to care for civil affairs, and it encourages netizens to speak up about problems.
China Youth Daily reported on the experience of a netizen living in Yinchuan City who was once in close touch with Wenzheng Yinchuan via microblogging. November 1 is the first day Yinchuan began to supply heating for the winter, however, by late that night the netizen's house was still cold. "I called the heating company, but nobody answered the phone," the netizen recalled. The temperature in Yinchuan dropped way down that day, and the resident's family members all caught cold, including a four-month-old infant.
"I posted a micro blog to consult Wenzheng Yinchuan about the late heating, using @Wenzheng Yinchuan format." says the netizen, "But I wasn't counting on getting any response. Just having a try." Unexpectedly, the post was forwarded by Wenzheng Yinchuan immediately to "Yinchuan Property Management". Yinchuan Property got in contact with the heating company, and the same night the heating problem was resolved.
Wanted poster, a nice touch
The microblog tool is penetrating into all sectors of government. And of all sectors, the top players are public security, tourism, communication and the judiciary, who all got on board earlier than other departments and set an example of releasing practical and relevant posts, and providing prompt feedback to public comments.
Public security organs issue the largest number of micro blogs of any divisions. According to the Annual Report, Sina Weibo records a year-on-year growth of nearly 4,000 users from policing agencies as of the end of October 2011, while individual users in the police system have increased by over 1,700.
In the eyes of the police, the microblog has become an efficient information platform to issue information, offer services, track down clues, conduct investigations and accept evidence. Yantai Municipal Police for example, released an interesting form of 'wanted poster' via microblog on November 8, reports Jiaodong Online.
It says "Hi dear criminals. Now it's getting cold outside, please give yourselves up. Surrender and we will offer a milder punishment. Send us a message via microblog; we are waiting for you." This friendly cajoling was meant to appeal to tired bad guys on the lam, and it certainly earned netizen acclaim.
Foreign office followed by one million fans
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (FA) was the first of all state ministries and commissions to get over one million fans on Sina Weibo. It was established on April 2011 with the nick name FA Messenger. The rich content features regular events and activities, and also posts emergency notices, diplomatic stories, overseas travel tips and more.
A Chinese girl's purse was stolen during her trip to Belgium in July and a microblog was posted saying "the Chinese embassy in Belgium turned down my cry for help". This post aroused hot discussions and lengthy threads of post and replies. The FA immediately contacted the embassy in Belgium to check on the truth of the matter. One day after the Chinese girl's accusation, FA Messenger clarified the situation and posted a detailed document as proof of the embassy did have offered assistance to her.
It also outlined similar emergencies the FA dealt with.
"It's a new era now, and everyone holds a 'microphone'," declared Lu Yufeng, the team leader of FA Messenger, adding, "We hope more government offices will give full play to the microblog, a sound communication platform."
