But microblogs, or weibo - short-message services similar to Twitter - have become hugely popular.
Hui said microblogs played a crucial role in dealing with the floods over the weekend.
FORBES: Beijing Faces Criticism After Flood Kills At Least 37
Social networks (Facebook) at 34% of buzz compared with Microblogs (Twitter) at 40% means Facebook comfortably shades Twitter.
More than 250m Chinese internet users have taken to microblogs for many purposes, plenty of them purely recreational.
Mr Li bought a laptop and digital camera in 2008, and started posting to websites and then to microblogs.
China says it plans to compel more users of internet microblogs - similar to Twitter - to register with their real names.
It is unclear whether companies like Sina will be required to stop unverified users from posting on their microblogs strictly by the deadline.
While the exact number of these activists is unknown, Mr Loi revealed that his organisation is running at least 400 online accounts and 20 microblogs.
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Microblogs like Twitter (or business versions like Yammer) are useful for quick customer support, a bit of marketing, listening to customers and link sharing, Byrne says.
"On the one hand, microblogs can reflect the social situation and public opinion, and broadcast a positive public voice, " Mr Wang was quoted as saying by Reuters news agency.
They have also responded to demands spread through microblogs.
They have an interesting blog post and info-graphic on How to Calculate the ROI of Enterprise 2.0 from an HR perspective, and an article in CIO magazine by Maarten de Vries, CIO of Dutch consumer and healthcare products giant Philips , on four key steps necessary to roll out microblogs on corporate networks.
FORBES: Corporate Microblogging Helps Employees Migrate Work Conversations Online
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