One-third of Chinese 'Net users read blogs daily

The popularity of blogs is growing quickly in China as Internet users look for ways to express themselves more openly, according to speakers at the Piper Jaffray China Internet & Technology Conference in Beijing.

Thirty-three percent of China's 111 million Internet users read at least one blog, or Web log, every day, according to Hu Yanping, a researcher at the Internet Society of China, who recently completed a study of Internet usage patterns in China.

Safa Raschty, a senior analyst at Piper Jaffray & Co., estimated that there are around 4 million blogs in China. "Blogs are becoming very popular," he said.

While many blogs deal with the mundane, such as the daily life of the author, many address subjects that cannot easily be raised in other mediums, said Ed Zhang, a business consultant for the official China Daily newspaper. "The reason we're seeing such a big boom of bloggers is because in the real world society is so heavily regulated," he said.

While blogs may give voice to Chinese Internet users, it's less clear how viable blogs are as a business, Zhang said. "Whether blogs can make money remains to be seen," he said.

The growing popularity of blogs in China reflects a shift towards increased user participation in developing online content, Hu said, noting that 29 percent of the blogs in China are updated daily. Looking ahead, Internet users will play a greater role in generating online content, he said.

"Internet users are more than viewers now," Hu said.