Micro-blog is no longer simply a platform for self-expression, gossip and networking, as it is becoming an increasingly fierce battlefield for businesses wanting to promote their products and services. Over the last year, micro-blogging has become wildly popular in China, with some 65 million China based micro-blog accounts registered  by the end of 2010 and the number is growing by more than 10 million each month, according to Data Center of the China Internet (DCCI). At present, China's largest web portal Sina claims to have 5,000 company micro-blog users, including Starbucks, Channel, and IKEA. On the micro-blog pages of the companies, visitors can not only view advertisements, but also see consumer feedback   and even commentaries on hot social issues. E-commerce   expert Lu Bowang says micro-blogging has opened a whole new dimension of marketing. Through micro-blogs, companies can quickly grasp the attention of potential consumers and interact with them on a regular basis so to develop a friendly link with consumers, Lu said. An Internet surfer nicknamed Xiaoben posted on his micro-blog page that he enjoyed drinking Puer tea, and within 10 minutes, a micro-blogger who owned an online shop selling Puer tea recommended his shop to Xiaoben. "It is a little bit like magic. I just make a wish, and then I get a micro-blog response." However, with more and more people micro-blogging to make money, experts warn that marketing via micro-blog could be a double-edged sword. Huang Heshui, professor from Xiamen University says micro-blogging is highly personal and private, and that too many advertising messages can annoy micro-blog users leading them to dislike certain brands. Further, a brand can be as easily damaged as established through micro-blogging, as consumers' negative feedback about a certain product or company can be very quickly spread in the micro-blog community, Huang added. The micro-blog managers should set up some rules and regulation to supervise micro-blog marketing, and at the same time, business organizations need to strengthen self-discipline  and try to build up an honesty-based business culture, e-commerce expert Lu Bowang suggested. From what Professor Huang says, we can learn that  _  .
Advertising information will lead to micro-bloggers' great anger A brand's reputation can be easily damaged because it's founded through micro-blogging Consumers' reaction plays a vital role in a company's survival in the micro-blog community. Self-discipline requires enhancing if business is to succeed through micro-blogging.