Whats a 50 centre? I have heard it the China section of yahoo answer?

"50 cent party" is an important arm for China's Internet Censorship effort and we take this very seriously. The members of "50 cent party" are popularly known as "50 center" because they were paid equivalent to 50 Chinese Cents for each post that they made.

These 50 centers are required to look out for postings that are critical of China and swamp the Internet Forums with pro-China, anti-western postings.

The job of 50 center is very challenging and rewarding one, but it requires a great deal of education and hard work to qualify for the job. China’s Culture Ministry regularly holds training sessions for Web commentators, who are required to pass an exam before being issued with job certification. In these training sessions they are taught about the language skills. The finer points about group psychology are brushed up and they are equipped with the necessary knowledge to operate on the Internet forums.

It is not uncommon for some 50 centers to develop multiple personality disorders because they are required to adopt a personality on the Internet forums that is quite apart from their real persona, sometimes several of them. The Cultural Ministry has appointed a supervisor over every 20 or so 50 centers to look after any signs of slip and take corrective measures.

I hope my answer gives you a general idea. All the details cannot be divulged openly. 50 centers are paid to deny that they are being paid.

Also read MY answers to the following questions to learn more

Friends with... - Nailed it. We at the dogs section are not rude we tell it how it is , a teacup is not a breed size and wouldn't people rather know the truth that they have been conned into buying a sickly runt or would you rather not know because you spent £/$2000. The dogs section is dealing with living animals so please excuse us for being a bit "rude at people who's dog is "bleeding so much after getting run over" and they are on the computer wanting to know what to do!. (just one of the idiotic questions) Rudest place is R&S , all MOST do is try to convert you into believing into a religion.

The term 50 cent, is colloquial and inaccurate translation, has evolved from the phase Wǔmáo Dǎng which was used by Chinese netziens as early as the late 1990's to describe a growing number of posters comments favourable towards the government policies to skew the public opinion on various Internet message boards.

Like the, Laowai question, "50 cent" is the term used by non-Chinese people to describe such ultra-nationalist pro-Chinese/anti-Western postings of an author.

The term "50 cents" has to meanings which are inter connected.

Term 1). Is a person who posts on forums with in a pro-Chinese manner, anti-USA manner with inflammatory, nonsense or outdated views.

Term 2). Is a person who posts on forums in such a way to swing the general feeling of the forum when something bad is said about China or to swing things to there point of view.

In both terms, due to the frequency of the posting the poster is said to get "50 cents a post".

In term 2, it is said that the post is paid 50 cents because they are working on behalf of the government.

Then people start posting inflammatory, nonsense or outdated views as shown in this question

http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=201004...

or this question

http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=201004...

Any one whos been outside of the major cities knows, there are no MacDonalds, kids are not driven to to school in brand new Buicks and drug crime does happen but is not talked about.

Likewise, I have personally been accused in this forum of being a Chinese official, master troll, 50 cent spy, British journalist, and others too nasty to mention. In reality, I am just a guy who has post-doctoral research work for China. They wish to silence my free speech, but they can't, so they call me names instead. I don't care because name calling doesn't.

Unfortunately, most of the above was done by the person who claims the same was done to him.

50 center is a Chinese person who hangs out in Internet Forums to spam these forums with pro China views. Oftentimes they adopt western names to fool gullible people into believing their half truths and plain lies.

Rather than ranting like the BS artist who happens to be one such person, I will give you two sources.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/7783640.stm

BS artist is great at lying and playing the victim card. One moment he is in Shanghai and another moment he will claim to be back in Toronto. One moment he will play US Special Forces Officer training the new recruits and another moment he will play a petty insurance agent. Sometimes his son is an Airlines Pilot and another moment his two kids are still going to school :)

US is a great country and everyone wants to claim that they are Americans, even if they have only lived or studied there for a while. There's another Chinese friend of this BS artist who would like to go to Mars on US space mission but she insists on using the racist term LAOWAI for foreigners.

http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=201004...

I could have posted a lot of links to show the true colors of this so called American, but unfortunately many of them have been deleted because of his posting racist comments on those links. I would like to show you some recent ones.

http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=200911...

http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=201002...

http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=201002...

http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=201002...

http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=201001...

Average American is one of the many proxy accounts that BS artist uses.

Some others that are still open:

Have you ever seen someone being arrested in China for possession of counterfeit goods? Please read the complete answer to see how he creates the opportunity to bash US, a trait typical of a 50 center

http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=201004...

Despite objection by several forum members he keeps on parroting lies about "one child policy". According to him "couples can have one child every 10 years"

http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=201004...

This question about Internet Censorship in China has gone for voting, but still you can easily identify the answer of a 50 center

http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=201004...

The truth about 50 centers is visible to everyone who cares to read his answers here.

My last account was reported and deleted by the troll. So much for free speech. Chinese 50 centers are exploiting free speech for their own gains. I haven't seen any free speech in China. Exercise this option and you will be spending rest of your lives behind some bamboo gulag.

quoting from BS artist yet again: "I have personally been accused in this forum of being a Chinese official, master troll, 50 cent spy, British journalist, and others too nasty to mention. In reality, I am just a guy who has done business in China since the mid 1990s and lived in Shanghai since 2005. I have formed some opinions regarding China and its people, but anti-Chinese jokers don't like what I have to say. They wish to silence my free speech, but they can't, so they call me names instead. I don't care because name calling doesn't matter. Only the truth matters."

First of all, you claimed you believe in free speech but why do you block my answer? http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index;_ylt=AnMEn...

Another time you also claimed free speech: http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=201004... -but then I found your loophole, because you said and i quote: "Even here on Yahoo there are attacks against the free speech of people who support China." -which means the only free speech in your brain is pro-china and nothing else. just as I thought, people like you never handle criticisms well...or should I say 'spineless'. And to top things off, it was irrelevant to the question.

Another guy backed me up with his question: http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index;_ylt=An_Nm... -I appreciate his concern, not because he was backing me up, but because he wanted to make sure. and I brought it out.

You know why people here hate you and want to silence you? because you tell half-truths and whole lies. just like your "free speech". Trying so hard to promote China will get people pissed off just like when you see people promoting their business or job ads here even putting their contact numbers. People contribute their answers here, by experience and to the best of their knowledge. Not everyone gets the best answer but at least they have contributed something worthy to be called free speech. A lot of people love China, and many have hated. These are the facts of life, that you simply can't please everyone. Learn to live with it, covering up the truth will only get you more violation notices and complains. I personally don't hate or promote China (as you can do this on your own blog, not here in YA), I answer with what I know, I ask out of curiosity, I read people's thoughts, ideas, and opinions. I believe in the real free speech.

EDIT:

another thing BS artist mentioned: "Most people posting pro-China comments in this forum are western ex-pats living in China or Chinese citizens. Most posting anti-Chinese comments have never visited China and known nothing of its society. Unfortunately, there are a great number of racist anti-Chinese comments regularly appearing here."

-There are actually western ex-pats here in China and are also posting here in YA. These negative comments does not mean anti-Chinese or racist so you better be careful with your claims. But you forgot that you are also one. Sometime before, you reposted another asker's question and made replacements on the details.

Remember this?: http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index;_ylt=AkAwV... -this is the original question and take note the asker said "balanced answer"

this is what you did just after the question was asked: http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index;_ylt=Agick... -note what one said to you:"This shows that you do not have good intentions with the asking of this question..."

You should know better if you do have good intentions.

i personally think it's a coined term coined by some people who have been brainwashed by their media the whole life and want to keep being brainwashed and brainwash other people or simply just paranoid, from drugs or whole life being brainwashed.

Laowai is not a racist term at all. Some non-Chinese insist on teaching us Chinese Chinese, i wonder if they are doing their job as an English teacher well first(remember i mentioned my always-high foreign teacher from English First? i won't mention his name because he's probably still in China).

don't believe in amish people, they don't even have electricity and don't believe in science but theisism, i wonder where he got the internet.

don't forget for a long era most people believe the earth is flat, only VERY FEW believe the earth is round. so you know those who get the most thumbs down are the ones who really know the truth and tell the truth!

regarding BSHerman: i think his last name is Sherman, not Herman, how can a chinese person's last name is Sherman, or even Herman. And his English is flawless. I feel my English has improved a lot after hanging out here for only a few weeks. thank you laoshi. Come on, you guys! Really that paranoid? (shaking head)

And what's wrong with wanting to visit Mars, look at this hellhole on earth! look at this china travel section! 99% of the question has nothing to do with TRAVEL.

Now bring on the thumbs down! LOL

Persons with anti-Chinese opinions frequently accuse anyone who disagrees with them of being a Chinese spy. People who praise China's people, culture, or achievements are quickly labeled by these hateful anti-Chinese jokers as "50 cent spies". Such nonsense is rampant in the YA China forum.

Most people posting pro-China comments in this forum are western ex-pats living in China or Chinese citizens. Most posting anti-Chinese comments have never visited China and known nothing of its society. Unfortunately, there are a great number of racist anti-Chinese comments regularly appearing here.

China is a convenient target of blame for the struggling economies and social structures of western countries. If someone loses their job in California, then China gets blamed. If a factory closes in France, then China gets blamed. If the American currency weakens, then China must have done something to cause it. People in America and Europe refuse to acknowledge that problems within their own nations are self-made. It is easier to blame China than look inward at their own mistakes.

The Chinese are far too busy becoming a successful economy and society to care who says what on Yahoo or any other forum. The notion that Chinese spies are busy here is just too silly to take seriously.

I have personally been accused in this forum of being a Chinese official, master troll, 50 cent spy, British journalist, and others too nasty to mention. In reality, I am just a guy who has done business in China since the mid 1990s and lived in Shanghai since 2005. I have formed some opinions regarding China and its people, but anti-Chinese jokers don't like what I have to say. They wish to silence my free speech, but they can't, so they call me names instead. I don't care because name calling doesn't matter. Only the truth matters.