An apples-to-apples comparison may not be possible here, given that Twitter used to keep its stats private, time’s passed, and Twitter and a service called Baidu Talk operate in different markets. But Baidu Talk, Baidu’s Twitter-esque product, is doing quite well, apparently racking up a million users in a rather short period of time.
Michael Kan wrote today, "China’s largest search engine Baidu reports that its new microblogging service has grabbed more than 1 million users after being launched three months ago."
Then Kan continued, "[T]he service incorporates Twitter-like features, but is being built to become a fully fledged social networking platform. Baidu Talk was launched in mid-September as a closed beta, with new users being brought in through invitation only."
So this is a very impressive achievement that appears to outshine Twitter’s own arrival at the million-user mark. As a result, Baidu fans and shareholders may be able to look forward to the company hauling in revenue from a whole new field.
Then one other thing to consider is what this development might mean for Facebook in China, as one Baidu exec said earlier this week that he’d like to see Facebook enter the country. Now it looks like Baidu would be able to lend the company some expertise if both sides were agreeable.
Baidu Talk will definitely bear watching over the next few months.