Microblogs reveal gov't agencies' gentle and humane side

Many media outlets regard 2011 as the first year of government microblogging in China. The total number of verified government-run microblog accounts on Sina Weibo, China’s leading microblogging service, had exceeded 25,000 as of June 2012, according to statistics from People’s Daily Online’s Public Opinion Monitoring Center.

By spreading positive information online, announcing authoritative news, refuting false information, and bringing government agencies closer to the masses, China’s government microblogging has passed its trial period, and is reaching maturity, making the Internet a warmer place.

The official microblog accounts of the Chengdu, Nanjing, Yinchuan, and Guangzhou municipal governments jointly launched a photo gathering campaign in May under the theme of happy families. Later, the official microblog accounts of the municipal governments of seven other cities such as Zhengzhou, Hefei, and Qingdao also joined the campaign, which attracted the participation of tens of thousands of netizens.

“Happiness is a subjective feeling. The campaign highlights the timeliness and convenience of microblogging. Using plain language as well as lively and interesting photos to express happiness can certainly attract public attention,” said Xie Wen, deputy director of the information office of the Chengdu municipal government.

As one of the earliest government-run microblog accounts, “Chengdu Release” has more than 4 million followers, an equivalent of one-third of the city’s total population, ranking first among all government-run microblog accounts in China.