Bill Gates says Ni hao to Wechat

Filephoto of Bill Gates. [Photo/VCG]

Unlike other big names such as former British PM David Cameron, Indian PM Narendra Modi and theoretical physicist Stephen Hawking, who chose Sina Weibo, China's equivalent of Twitter, Gates left many wondering why he give priority to Wechat.

Last year, the launch of Hawking's Weibo account became an instant hit online, garnering over a million followers within six hours. Women, youngsters and the well-educated account for the major followers. Ironically, in a gossip-feeding network like Weibo, the followers didn't seem to take Hawking seriously as a scientist. For them, it's just another trend to follow.

Compared with Weibo, public Wechat accounts have more control in attracting their most valuable audience by providing targeted content. With Gates himself in charge of the content producing process, the public account is expected to play an active role in maintaining his personal image and reshaping China's content market.