Microblogs gaining political weight
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Shan Guangnai, a researcher of public affairs at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, told People's Daily that government officials need to avoid using diplomatic terms on microblogs.
"Compared with the setup of hotlines for mayors and provincial governors in the 1980s, using microblogging is a major step forward for Chinese politicians," Shan said.
"However, a blog is for the entire public, not like one phone for one caller. It is an equal platform for everyone – sometimes a bit grassroots. Our government leaders need to adapt to new media quickly," he added.
Chen Changfeng, director of the Center for Journalism Studies at Tsinghua University, told People's Daily that government blogs have huge potential in terms of quantity and coverage.
"Compared with the number of government bodies, the current number of blogs is too small. Furthermore, most of our blogs are in Chinese and are for mainland users. This doesn't fit the new media's character of being boundless," Chen said.
Meanwhile, microblogging has become a good friend of politicians around the world.
Both US President Barack Obama and Russian President Dmitry Medvedev are active bloggers.
According to a report by the Pew Research Center's Internet & American Life Project released last month, more than half of American adults went online for political activism and to seek information during November's interim election campaign, AFP reported.
Obama out-dueled Republicans online during his White House campaign, using the Internet for organizing, fundraising and communicating, but Republicans have caught up – and may even have surpassed the Democrats online.
However, there are also complaints from Web users that some politicians treat Twitter as a "one-way medium" instead of engaging in a conversation with constituents.
"You have the ability to answer and respond to questions in real time. That's the way the smart people are using it," Patrick Ruffini, a Republican political strategist and a blogger, told AFP.
