Social networking websites crucial to expat life

By Katherine Danks (China Daily)
Updated: 2009-11-06 11:34

The difficulty in accessing popular networking and blogging sites such as Facebook and Twitter is affecting more than just the social lives of foreigners - local businesses are also missing out on an effective marketing tool.

People have found Facebook and Twitter blocked since the July riot in Urumqi, Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region. It was rumored restrictions would be relaxed after the National Day holidays but access is still restricted.

Chinese sites like Kaixin, a faithful copy of Facebook, are operational. But many businesses, especially events promoters and those in creative industries, use international social networking sites as a targeted communication tool for customers who are often difficult to reach.

YouTube - which has been blocked even longer - offers aspiring filmmakers and artists the opportunity to share works. The site has been gradually replacing traditional methods of advertising.

Continued restrictions not only affect users and harm business, but also confidence in operating Internet-based business models in China.

As a foreigner living in Beijing, I rely on Facebook to keep in touch with friends and family on the other side of the world. I get around some of these restrictions using a proxy server, but I am finding that these sites are increasingly being blocked too. It makes going online expensive, slow and difficult.

Many companies also believe networking and blogging sites only waste time and money. It is not uncommon for firms in the West to block employees from accessing Facebook or restrict the amount of time they spend online.

A survey by Morse shows more than half of office workers waste an average of 40 minutes a week using Twitter and Facebook during working hours, costing British businesses almost 1.4 billion pounds ($2.3 billion) a year.