Friending Grandpa Wen

In "China Leader Makes Debut in Great Wall of Facebook," The New York Times describes how nationalistic Chinese are signing up as "supporters" on the Facebook page for the authoritarian regime's popular leader, Wen Jiabao or "Grandpa Wen," where they can post messages like "go China go!!!!" and "Support!!" Of course, in China, the real story isn't Facebook but Xiaonei.com and Zhanzuo.com, since many Chinese prefer social networking sites developed in their own country. Last year, rumors circulated that Facebook had offered Zhanzuo.com $85 million dollars in a takeover bid, and Xiaonei is heavily capitalized by owner Oak Pacific Interactive.