To date Sina has played its cards closely. However, Mao made it clear that he believed that Sina would maintain its lead in the China market. Clubs are easier to monetize.
Monetization is the name of the game in the post-bubble Internet industry.
He did not go into detail but said that the company always considered the incremental cost per pageview, and ensuring that cost continued to fall even as pageviews increased. As for Sina's current leadership position, Mao said that even a less than top ranking in a poll or panel result would not affect the company's status. He said that Sina monitors its own numbers through independent auditing firm ABC Interactive, which he said also provides such services to America Online and Lycos. Sina currently claims approximately 25 million page views per month. Mao took a similar view towards the company's stock price, which has taken a hit as part of overall Nasdaq devaluation and growing disinterest in China's Internet market.