微博帮助传递公众的意见

Microblog, or Weibo has definitely become a platform for many Chinese to voice their concerns. And this has gone all the way to the top, with 2011 named "The Year of Government Microblogging." CCTV reporter Hou Na tells us how Weibo has transformed the information channels between netizens and the government.
微博无疑成为许多中国人表达他们担忧的一个平台。随着2011年被称为“政府微博年”，这已经一路到达巅峰。央视记者Hou Na将告诉我们，微博如何改变网民与政府之间的信息渠道。

"Our train bumped into something. Our carriage has fallen onto its side. Children are screaming. Come help us please! Come fast!" This is the first message sent from a high-speed train that crashed on July 23rd last year in China’s Zhejiang province.
“我们的列车撞到东西。我们的车厢倒向一边。孩子们在尖叫。请过来帮帮我们！快点过来！”这是去年7月23日从中国浙江省一列失事的高速列车上发出来的第一条信息。

Not only a cry for help, it saved lives. It also triggered a wave of uNPRecedented "citizen journalism" on China’s micro-blogs. Within hours, the message had been reposted over one-hundred-thousand times.
这不仅是一个求救声，拯救了生命。它还在中国的微博上引发了一波前所未有的“公民新闻”浪潮。几个小时内，这条信息被报道了十万次以上。

As with traditional media, Weibo functions as a mirror on society, sparking debates and enlightening discussions.
与传统的媒体一样，微博作为社会的一面镜子，引起辩论，启发讨论。

But what’s different about the micro-blogging site is that anyone - not just journalists - can take a photo, record a video clip or write a quick note about what is happening around them.
但是微博网站不同的地方在于任何人——不仅仅是记者——都可以拍一张照片、拍一个视频片段或快速说明一下他们身边发生的事。“

"The first thing I do in the morning is to check my Weibo. I say "Hi" to my friends on Weibo."
“我每天早上做的第一件事就是查看我的微博。我在微博上跟我的朋友问好。”

 “I can fully accept this new Weibo lifestyle. Almost everyone has Weibo now."
“我完全接受这种新的微博生活方式。现在，几乎人人都有微博。”

Clearly, Weibo enables millions of Chinese to become "citizen journalists," opening them up to fresh news and views on their community, country and world.
显然，微博使成千上万的中国人成为“公民记者”，为他们展示他们社区、国家、世界的新鲜新闻和看法。

This has led to many micro-bloggers keeping a closer eye on the authorities. In response, the government is also using Weibo as a tool to respond to citizens’ queries.
这使得许多微博用户密切关注政府部门。作为回应，政府也使用微博作为回答市民疑问的一种工具。

A great part of Beijing district government bureaux have now opened Weibo accounts, attracting more than four million followers. And micro-bloggers have already left thousands of messages, urging the government to solve problems they consider urgent.
许多北京地方政府办公室现在开通了微博账号，吸引了400多万的关注者。微博用户已经留下了数千条信息，敦促政府解决他们认为紧迫的问题。

Wang Hui, general director of Beijing Information Office, said, "Weibo has created a platform for government officials to better understand what citizens are thinking and what they really need. This bottom-to-top information transmission channel is innovative and will become a new trend for government officials to provide better services to the public."
北京政府新闻办主任王惠表示：“微博为政府官员创造了一个更好了解市民想法和真实需要的平台。这个自下而上的信息传播渠道是一种创新，将成为政府官员为人民提供更好服务的一种新趋势。”

But that is easier said than done. This recent Weibo case has sparked much online interest. It is a complaint about the treatment a cancer patient received in hospital.
但是，说的容易做的难。眼下的这个微博事件在网上引发了许多关注。这是关于一个癌症病人在医院接受的治疗的投诉。

Though the Secretary of the CPC Shanghai Committee replied through Weibo to the son the of the cancer patient, Xiao Qin, many netizens remain concerned.
虽然中共上海市委书记通过微博回复了癌症病人的儿子Xiao Qin的提问，但是许多网民仍然很担忧。

So for internet communities, Government Weibo, as a bridge between the leadership and the public, means much more than just 140-character messages.
所以，作为领导阶层和公众之间的桥梁，网络社区，政府微博意味的不只是140个字的信息。