According to Radio Netherlands Worldwide, China's Sina plans to release an English version of their micro-blogging service.

The site, called Sina Weibo, works similarly to Twitter, which is officially blocked in China. Weibo has been very successful considering the politically sensitive climate, in which information sharing is suspect. It commands 56% of the microblogging market, and even more of the time spent browsing on microblogging sites. The site, which Forbes has described as a "government-trusted sandbox for cynics, celebrities, influential bloggers and media elites," has been adopted by 140 million users.

The site is somewhat censored, as searching for politically sensitive posts elicits the message: due to "relevant laws, regulations and policies, the search results have not been shown." Before Sino Weibo, there were a few other Chinese microblogging sites, which were banned after the ethnic unrest in Xinjiang caused users to spread political messages. According to Sina.com, Sino Weibo took this as an opportunity to "fill the gap". Sino's owner, Charles Chao, has admitted to Forbes Asia that the site has over 100 staffers monitoring content nonstop. Self-censorship is one of the only ways to stay in business in China, as otherwise companies risk being shut down by the government.

As Weibo's online sales continue growing, the decision to ease censorship is probably not one Chao would willingly take. In this climate, the choice to launch an English version of Weibo is interesting. China's internet is relatively disconnected from the rest of the world, and its difficult to imagine English speakers willingly choosing a censored micro-blogging site over Twitter.

However, adopting an English format allows the site to be truly international. The Wall Street Journal reported that more than 10% of users are overseas, and the decision to add an English component to the site should allow more overseas Chinese and expats in China to be linked to the larger community. Regardless, the launch of English language Weibo will probably not be the beginning of a Weibo Revolution. But Charles Chao's business model was designed to leave no room for uprising.

Radio Netherlands Worldwide, Resonance China, Forbes, Sina.com, DigiCha, WSJ,