In a fast-growing emerging market, before rules and norms are established, there will always be gray-area behaviors dancing on the edge. Interests, desires, and anger interweave rapidly and intricately. Microblogging is just such a frontier in the wild land-grab phase — after massive promotion and marketing, it has become well-known and frequently used by the mainstream public. You can encounter this new phenomenon in newspapers, airports, subways, and on television. Like the blogs, video sites, and SNS platforms that were once hyped before it, microblogging is the current trend.

Yet most people on Weibo still do little more than share random thoughts. Despite the widespread attention, the path to profitability remains unclear, and the open platform hasn’t delivered the rapid growth that was expected. Too many uncertainties make microblogging an elusive shadow, with people constantly weaving through it, chasing profits in the cracks between the rules.

Zombie Followers

“Zombie followers” is a term born from microblogging, referring to fake accounts that aren’t real users. These accounts are typically auto-generated by systems or registered by individuals with ulterior motives, usually to inflate someone’s follower count. These followers never produce genuine interaction. Although zombie followers have evolved multiple times, the mass production of fake users fundamentally damages the entire social graph and could have unpredictable effects on the future of microblogging.

In terms of purpose, zombie followers auto-generated by microblogging platforms serve two functions: First, to inflate overall user numbers — a classic case of self-deception, relying on fake accounts to produce more impressive statistics. Given the enormous user bases of today’s microblogging platforms, the number of zombie followers is not to be underestimated. Second, to boost follower counts for special user groups — typically verified celebrity accounts. Many users notice their follower counts multiply after getting verified, yet engagement doesn’t improve proportionally. Zombie followers are naturally behind this. The platforms do this to better retain celebrity users and satisfy some users’ vanity.

Beyond platform-generated zombie followers, there are also dedicated organizations and individuals running zombie follower businesses. These fake accounts may be used for follower trading, Weibo marketing (paid retweets), and other purposes, which we’ll cover in more detail below.

Follower Trading

Weibo has become a tool for many to flaunt status — verification status and follower counts have become important metrics of influence. If you’re not famous and have no way to get featured recommendations, paying for followers becomes an appealing option. Search related keywords on Taobao and you’ll find countless sellers.

These followers are typically bulk-registered by vendors who fill in basic profiles and occasionally post content, but they’re essentially no different from zombie followers — purely tools created for profit. There are also many mutual-follow tools online, but these too are riddled with deception. Some of your follow credits may have been quietly siphoned into the vendor’s own pockets, and ordinary users would never notice such details.

Follower trading has become the new emperor’s new clothes, no different from the vote-rigging and blog traffic manipulation of years past. Carefully examine your follower list and you’ll spot traces of fake accounts — their proportion has reached alarming levels.

Weibo Marketing

Weibo is becoming a new media channel. An increasing number of successful marketing cases demonstrate it as a blue ocean — the earlier you dive in, the lower the cost for better results. When it comes to marketing campaigns, beyond needing a creative strategy, having enough Weibo users participate plays a crucial role. The more users retweeting — and the bigger their influence — the higher the chances of marketing success.

This has created a dedicated group of people who aggregate Weibo user resources, maintaining detailed price lists for influencers across various industries and tiers. They make retweets a link in the marketing chain, connecting with PR and advertising agencies. Beyond paid retweets, many Weibo users are drawn in through social obligations — when a good friend sends you a message asking you to retweet something, it’s really hard to say no. Most of the time, they’ll assure you there’s no commercial interest involved, and many people end up unknowingly becoming part of a marketing campaign.

The danger of Weibo marketing lies in the fact that retweeting is an extremely lightweight action — most users do it without ever having experienced the product or service. Among them are large numbers of completely unreliable zombie followers. In this situation, the filtering mechanism of the microblogging ecosystem becomes infinitely weakened. This is a dangerous signal — with follower trading and paid marketing so rampant, the viral campaigns behind those trending reposts may harbor secrets unknown to the public. Ultimately, the entire microblogging industry suffers.

Marketing Accounts

Several months ago, Entrepreneur magazine reported on a company specializing in Weibo marketing that cultivated industry-specific Weibo accounts — over 100 accounts valued at 5 to 8 million yuan. While this was largely about generating buzz, it revealed a new industry ecosystem. Some companies specialize in nurturing specific Weibo accounts that are fundamentally different from low-level zombie followers: maintained by dedicated staff, verified, with good engagement and even decent reputations within niche communities.

But when the company needs them, these accounts will promote certain campaigns and events. Marketing accounts are a more advanced Weibo marketing tool, typically used in combination with zombie followers and paid retweets. In fact, the quantity and caliber of marketing accounts has become a key indicator of a Weibo marketing agency’s status. According to data disclosed by Entrepreneur magazine, well-known webmaster Cai Wensheng directly or indirectly controls Weibo accounts with a combined following exceeding 20 million.

Paid Verification

Recommended verification is a great way to boost Weibo visibility, but most microblogging platforms’ verification channels lack transparency — at least for ordinary people. This has spawned paid verification services, typically carried out through “insider” connections, with prices ranging from tens to hundreds of yuan. There were even rumors of Sina Weibo employees being fired for running paid verification schemes.

After getting verified, the platform’s recommended spots are naturally the best way to increase visibility — buying zombie followers is the crudest approach. But securing an official recommendation spot isn’t easy — unless you’re truly someone of consequence. This is where people claiming to be “insiders” offer recommendation services, naturally tied to money.

Paid verification and recommendation essentially use money to break through rule-imposed limits — while everyone else is looking up longingly, you smash through the window with cash. It reflects the mercenary nature of domestic microblogging operations, where verification and recommendations have devolved into purely operational tools. With the overall environment like this, it’s no wonder chaos reigns.

Microblogging is a new phenomenon, and growing pains are perhaps inevitable. The only hope is to exercise restraint — don’t play with fire so recklessly that it burns both yourself and others, turning microblogging into a fleeting meteor that arrives fast and vanishes just as quickly.

Reposted from Moonlight Blog. Author: XJP