Weibo users quadruple in 1 year

Beijing (CNS) -- By the end of 2011, the number of China's weibo users grew to 250 million, up 296 percent year-on-year, according to the latest report released by the China Internet Network Information Center on Monday.

About 48.7 percent of China's 513 million netizens use the Twitter-like microblogging platform, indicated the report.

Facilitation of mobile weibo applications played a key role in the sharp expansion. 356 million mobile users surf online through the devices, and the number of mobile weibo users hiked by 23 percent in one year.

Meanwhile, despite the general slight decline of online news readers, weibo-style microblogging has been enjoying larger popularity for its expression and sharing of public opinions.