Baidu lets you Microblog from its Search Box

Chinese search engine Baidu reminds a lot of a girl that I used to date in high school (stay with me here). Baidu introduces you to all kinds of music you probably shouldn’t be listening too, and sneaks you all kinds of literature that you shouldn’t be reading.

But today Baidu decided to let me do more inside its search box, and sadly, this is where the comparisons to my high-school girlfriend end.

Users searching on Baidu will be given the option of ‘Tweeting’ (or microblogging) their search term, only if it resembles a Tweet.

If the search term includes certain adverbs like ‘very’ or ‘extremely,’ or if it ends with an exclamation point or a particle that makes it look like a spoken sentence, then you’re presented with the microblog buttons. Users can choose from Tencent, Sohu, or Netease microblog services. Note that there’s no Twitter there, of course. Still blocked.

This new function is a clever addition by Baidu, capitalizing on the growing popularity of microblogging in China, as well as the fact that the majority of users do their microblogging via the web. This gives the many Chinese netizens who regularly search on Baidu, yet another reason to stay right where they are.

The alternative common alternative, Google, which is having a little trouble these days anyhow.