In Demand: Social Networking On The Move

You are at a party and wish to upload all the fun on Facebook for everyone to see it. What do you do? Wait for the party to get over, come back home and upload the pics on the computer, eventually uploading it on your profile? Nah! Who has so much time, especially in this fast-moving impatient world? This gave rise to mobile social networking that is fast catching up in developing economies like India and China.

Today, one of the biggest drivers for sales of mobile phones is social networking. Millions of units are sold across the world to users who are social networking addicts. Also, the number is only expected to rise in the coming years as the propensity to spend amongst the users increases. In fact, according to eMarketer, the number of mobile social networking users will grow to 607.5 million globally by 2013, representing 43% of mobile web users worldwide. It also estimates that 13.3% of global mobile users will access social media sites by 2014.

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E-mail and Social Networking Rule Mobile Internet

As per a recent poll conducted in the UK, it was found that 52% of wireless device users consider e-mail and social networking as the most popular activities on mobile Web. The mobile Internet usage research, which was carried out by Webcredible, included  1,132 online users between February and April this year. It was aimed at knowing what activities were performed the most, besides the traditional activities like messaging and calling.

The study revealed that 39% of the users used mobile Internet for email purposes, while 16% engaged in social networking. This means e-mailing is the most popular activity, followed by social networking.

MySpace Sees Tremendous Growth in Mobile Social Networking

The extent to which mobile phones are used today has increased enormously over the last few years. People have moved beyond the traditional communication uses of the mobile phone and now use it for various other reasons like playing games, messaging, banking, and social networking. Hence, it is not surprising that social networks are investing in mobile social networking and considering it to be the future.

Amongst the popular social networking sites, Facebook, Twitter, Bebo and MySpace are used heavily through wireless devices, especially in the United States and the European countries. Therefore, looking at the potential of mobile social networking, MySpace is creating a mobile presence since over two years and working towards fitting the site on smartphones and other small-screen mobile phones.

The site has been successful so far in providing mobile users similar look and feel of the site, as they experience on the desktop PCs. Moreover, the scope for mobile advertising has increased by introducing social networking features with the service, which is proving advantageous to MySpace in some manner or the other.

O2 Embraces Bebo Open Mobile

With Bebo announcing its plan to join the mobile social networking bandwagon just recently, O2 has pounced upon the opportunity to make the most of Bebo Open Mobile, an initiative that was launched by the social networking site just over a week ago. This move makes O2 the first ever UK mobile operator to embrace the Bebo Open Mobile technology.

Designed exclusively for mobile service providers, handset makers and mobile software developers, Bebo Open Mobile offers a set of tools to its partners for delivering Bebo social networking experience to mobile users. This means O2 can now enjoy access to the program’s mobile Web, messaging and media equipments to provide exclusive mobile content to its subscribers.

Mobile Internet Hugely Benefiting From Mobile Social Networking in Europe

According to comScore, a global Internet information provider, social networking is playing a vital role in attracting new users to the mobile Web. As the global audience gets more and more engrossed in the digital world, social networks are bringing about a great change in the way mobile service providers and businesses are functioning today.  In November last year, 34% of mobile device users in Western Europe who visited social networks accessed social media exclusive of all other mobile Internet content.

Message To Wireless Operators: Users Need Social Networking Desperately!

According to a recent study conducted by mobile instant messaging firm Colibria, mobile users demand social networking facility to be pushed straight to their devices to experience interactive services and communicate with their connects from a sole access point.

The research, which involved 2,000 UK-based online respondents, revealed that 39% of consumers in the age group 18-45 years believe their experience of mobile social networking would significantly enhance if the updates were provided directly to their mobile handsets.

How Mobile Phones are Shaping the Use of Social Networks

Social networking is an addiction. People who connect to the world through the Internet most often do two things without fail. First, checking out any popular search engine like Google, Yahoo or MSN Live Search, and secondly accessing social networks like Facebook, MySpace, Twitter, Orkut, etc.

By identifying the huge demand for mobile Internet, social networks are therefore keeping a close eye on how they can leverage the mobile phones to popularize their service even more. For example, MySpace has brought its video streaming to the wireless device, while Facebook now has its own mobile game arcade to entertain its users. Also, Twitter is used heavily by users to keep updating about what they are currently doing while being out.

Social Networks Gaining Popularity Via Mobile Phones

If you ask experts what the future holds for social networking industry, one sure answer would be ‘increased accessing through mobile phones’. This is particularly true considering that about 10 percent of the US mobile subscribers are engaged in using it compared to just over 3 percent a year ago, a study by The Kelsey Group and ConStat revealed.

Precisely, 9.6 percent of wireless subscribers accessed social networks as of October this year in comparison to 3.4 percent in September last year.