Baidu's (BIDU) Twitter Clone Hits 1M Users in First 3 Months

Baidu Inc. (NASDAQ: BIDU), the largest search engine company in China, said Thursday that its new microblogging service that is similar to Twitter has amassed more than one million users despite launching just three months ago.

Baidu Talk is set up similarly to the popular social networking service Twitter, but the company said that it will evolve into a fully functional social networking platform.

"We don't walk around in life giving out aliases or wearing masks. We shouldn't do that in all spaces online. There should be a space where people can interact with their real name," said Baidu spokesman Kaiser Kuo.

When users sign up for the service the profile photos verified with the Chinese government, which Baidu says has led to a more civil interaction among users.

"I think of it as a nudist colony," Kuo added. "You know the rules when you come there. No one is compelling you to join this community."

Social networks have taken hold around the world, while China, the world's biggest Internet market, has yet to enter the fray due to regulatory restrictions.

Baidu will likely face numerous competitors in the space, but has the advantage of being fully entrenched as the dominant search engine service in China

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