Still No YouTube in China

After uploading the "No YouTube in China" post I was sent some wonderful information from a follower of the blog, Susan Wyatt from the Texas A&M University (TAMU) Career Center. Susan sent me an article from TAMU's College of Liberal Arts on social networking sites, and the Chinese population.

Article: Internet culture in China thrives despite censorship

I recommend that you read it if you have the time. It comments on the fact that in China there are parallel services that are only open to those in China. There were three aspects that interested me the most:

1. Those in China have services available, and do not fret about not having access to the programs that many of us use daily. This of course could be because of not being accustomed to the social media that we have, but the inverse could also be true.
2. The Chinese Government does allow for some public discourse about the political events, despite the Chinese Media urging the government not to allow it.
3. The comparable service to Twitter in China has three times as many users as actual Twitter. In the United States and abroad, Twitter has close to 100 million users, and the Chines equivalent ("Sina Weibo") has an astronomical 300 million users.

The challenge of contacting students despite these barriers are still present, however it is wonderful to learn that these services are available to Chinese residents. Also, the fact that the Chinese equivalents of the services in the US that many grow accustomed have users on such a large scale, I can safely assume that this will increase the ability for new international students to integrate into the US culture. No, this is not a guarantee, nor a statement to lessen the focus on acculturation of international students. Rather it is to increase awareness to inform practice to best facilitate transitions, while also understanding ways to assist students through comparable experiences/processes.

Just another reason why I love Texas A&M University!
Thanks & Gig 'em