Take a look at these stats from RenMedia:

China has about 400 million internet users, 92% of which use Social Media actively
Every social media user owns on average 2.78 social media accounts
With Twitter and Facebook both blocked by Chinese government, expats needs to be open to different platforms
50% of netizens blog – but popular blogging sites in North America are all blocked
Sure Facebook just hit its 1/2-billion mark, QQ.com hit 1-billion a while ago
233 million mobile internet users on the go
No one cares about Google Page Ranking, it’s all about Baidu ranking, and I am dead bottom of the pile right now on Baidu

If this does not scream social networking in China, it should. Us Americans are so stubborn with the Twitter and Facebooks ways, and almost see the two as interchangeable synonyms to “social media” itself. Having been here in China for a few weeks, I can see not only how popular – but how crucial – it is for individuals and businesses to connect with one another on other not-so-familiar platforms.

On the encouragement of DDB with its staff’s support, I am embarking on a mission to build up my online profile in 3 months, so to prove that an expat can too strike a difference in the online world on this side of the Great Firewall. More importantly, this is to raise awareness around the fact that social media is dynamic, and can take more up more forms than one, or those that stem from the western countries.

Below are my current registered accounts, please follow if you’re on them:

SINA – www.blog.sina.com.cn/loongstoryshort
RenRen – loongstoryshort
Kaixin – loongstoryshort
FanFou – loongstoryshort
Ushi – (under construction)

Like the abundance of people in this country, the number of SNS do not shy of scale either. I am going to start by building on those first! Let’s get social, PRC style.

Video for the curious: [A Look At China and Social Media]

Social Media in China