8 of My Favourite Posts from 2011

Well, that happened. As 2011 draws to a close, it’s a good time to look back at some of my own personal highlights since I started writing for PO in April, and then came on full-time in July. It has been great fun for me, with superb new workmates, lots of intriguing stories, and engaging new challenges keeping me busy.

Here are eight of my own posts, in chronological order, chosen because they were fun for me, or significant in some other way. And because eight’s a lucky number here:

Chinese Web Users Love Social Media – and that’s Great News for Brands

I eased myself into my role at PO by starting with a subject close to my recent market research experience – but this time with a social twist. With 42 percent of Chinese netizens posting to microblogs – ie: Weibo – I explained how that’s a great outreach opportunity for brands.

Watch a Malicious Adobe Flash File Cause the China Gmail Hack [VIDEO]

Although I’d missed the Google China hacks that exploded in 2010, the faceless hackers reprised their mischief this summer, and I found an alarming video of the Flash-based exploit in action.

Jiepang CEO, David Liu, Talks Check-Ins and Strategy [INTERVIEW]

For my first interview at PO I managed to get Jiepang’s co-founder to take some time to explain why users love checking-in and how he’s bringing big-name brands on-board.

From Sex Toys to Handbags: 5 Specialist Chinese E-Commerce Sites to Watch

One of my favourite new subjects this year has been e-commerce in China, especially the array of specialist online malls like these.

Google+ Not Actually Blocked in China, Just Being Slowly Throttled

A few days after the launch of Google+ in June, some media outlets rushed to say that Google’s (NASDAQ:GOOG) new service was blocked in China. But I found that it wasn’t actually fully blocked, leading to an interesting debate on how Net Nanny operates. And though vindicated for a short period, there was a sad inevitability when the Great Firewall actually put the choke on G+ one week later.

India Leads Asia’s Early Adopters on Google+