Social Networking Up 83% in a Year, Facebook Leads the Race

Nielsen Online released latest figures of the social networking industry, stating that the time spent on these sites jumped 83% from previous year in the U.S. While this may seem to be exciting news, the report also warns that the behavior of social networking users is erratic and can turn the tables for any popular social networking site.

Not surprisingly, Facebook led the race with about 700% increase in total time spent on the site by users. The mammoth year-on-year increase from 1.7 billion minutes in April 2008 to 13.9 billion in April 2009 made it the top performing social networking site in the category. Long term competitor MySpace slipped back 31%, while Twitter recorded a growth of over 3700%, as it can be seen from the table below.

Online Video Rules Other Social Media Platforms in the US

Traditional broadcasting in the US has some serious competition from online video, as per a recent data released by the Global Web Index. With more than 70% of US online users watching video clips on the Web, it is now the fastest growing media platform in history, ahead of other popular social media activities like blogging and social networking. The data, which is compiled by Lightspeed Research for social media research consultancy Trendstream, has been released from the Global Web Index ahead of the full report, which includes 16 countries in total.

The findings of the research are very interesting and provide useful insights as to how social media, and especially online video, is transforming the lives of US Web users.

Users Prefer Social Networks over E-mail

Until now, checking e-mails was one of the most regular activities on the Web. But the recent study conducted by Nielsen Online has revealed some startling results in favour of social networking and blogs. According to the research firm, ‘member communities’ are accessed by 67 percent of the online audience, becoming the fourth most popular Web category, behind search, portals and PC software, and ahead of personal e-mail.

John Burbank, CEO at Nielsen Online believes that social networking has become a fundamental part of the global online experience. The results, which are based on December 2008 data, suggest that social networking has become a more convenient way of keeping in touch than email.

India – Hot Market for Social Networking

It is really interesting to see how social networks have changed users’ perception and habits towards online communication. It all started with small communities, which slowly and steadily expanded over a period of years and ballooned into a full-fledged global interaction space for people to get connected to each other.

Just like American and European markets have shown a healthy response towards this growing trend, Asian markets have come out as a surprise package, generating one of the greatest demands for social networking industry.

Unbelievable! Social Networks Record 93% Growth Since 2006

When social networks first started their journey, who would have thought they will become a buzzword in every corner of the world today? In fact, many believed it to be a temporary phase which would die out soon once they become common and standard. But the destiny of social networking has a different story to tell. Social networks have not only popularized increasingly over the years, but also recorded a growth of an astounding 93% since 2006, according to data released by research firm Netpop.

The winner who grabbed a major share of the pie is Facebook, showing a jaw dropping growth of 500% in the same period, thanks to its open-invitation to all users from a previously school-focused network.