A Social-Media Presence in China

The University is stepping up its social-media efforts in China with an active presence on Weibo, a social-networking platform described by Princeton social-media strategist Ryan Maguire as “the equivalent of Facebook and Twitter in China.”

Weibo, which has reported more than 130 million active users, requires users to create a profile page, similar to a Twitter profile. It has some similarities to Facebook as well, including options to chat in popup windows, play online games, and comment on long threads. 

In mid-December the University assigned three student interns, who are regular Weibo users and Mandarin speakers, to post to the site in their native language.

Much of the content posted on Princeton’s Weibo account is similar to what goes up on its Facebook and Twitter pages, with an emphasis on research and student life, Maguire said. “We really want to give our Chinese audience an idea of what it’s like to be a student here,” he said. 

“This signifies the first step in our push to go international,” he said. “There are a lot more social networks all around the world that we would like to be a part of.”

Visit Princeton on Weibo at www.weibo.com/princetonuniv.