VOA reported that, according to the results of a survey that The Daily Telegraph published, the number of postings on microblogs dropped 70 percent from 2011 to 2013. VOA stated that the Information Technology Institute of East China Normal University conducted the research at the request of The Daily Telegraph. They analyzed the usage information of 1.6 million microblog users from 2011 to 2013. The information revealed that, before March 2012, these users posted 83 million blogs each day. However, after the real name registration system was adopted in that same month, the number of postings dropped by at least 50 percent. The number dropped further again after a few well known bloggers were arrested.
Source: Voice of America, January 31, 2014
http://www.voachinese.com/content/china-crack-down-cut-weibo-traffic-20140131/1842253.html