China's Internet search leader Baidu.com Inc. plans to launch a new service Baidu Space which Chinese media said would offer Web logs like those from Microsoft and Google.
"There's a product named Baidu Space" Cynthia He a spokeeswoman for Baidu said on Wednesday. "I can't describe the product or give a date (for the launch) except that it will be very soon and we are very excited. But we'd like to keep a little mystery for now."
Chinese media reported the service would offer Web logs often known as "blogs" making Baidu the latest player to jump on the domestic blogging bandwagon.
Global giants Microsoft Google and Yahoo Inc. already offer blogging services in China in a crowded sector also populated by a bevy of homegrown players with names such as Bokee.com Blogbus.com and BlogCN.com.
The number of bloggers in China is expected to hit million by the end of this year and million by according to a recent Xinhua article citing a media industry report done by prestigious Tsinghua University.
China is the world's second biggest Internet market by users with more than million netizens. Despite heavy investment in the blogging sector however none of the country's service providers are now profitable according to the Xinhua report.
