Social networking is… taking over?
March 17th, 2009 by Colleen Bogart
Online social networking is taking over. Literally. It has just overtaken email as the most popular Internet activity, according to a new study released by Nielsen. Here’s a snippet of the breakdown:
- 67% of those online participate in “member communities”
- 65% of those online use e-mail
- 10% of the time spent on the Internet is using social media
- 16% of those online visited Facebook in one day alone last week
Facebook is a phenomenon in its own right, which sees about five million new users each week. It is especially important for businesses to embrace this medium in particular; not just to reach the younger audience that is often associated with it, but also to connect with a more mature demographic (35-64). Facebook is seeing a larger growth percentage occurring with the older demos. The site’s fastest-growing demographic is women 55 and over—up 175% since September 2008.
Ultimately, these statistics point to the fact that online social networking has tremendously changed the media landscape—and will continue to do so. As with the advent of television and the Internet, communicators must adapt and change the ways in which we deliver our messages. That is, if we’re to continue being heard in an environment that embraces candor and often declines the “interruptive role.”
My take: Listen and respond. Participate and engage in conversations. Be authentic and transparent, but do not push. Be flexible and patient as you learn the rules of the game. Keep your eyes, ears and mind open, and you will uncover ways to add value to your customers and your business.
— Colleen Bogart
This entry was posted by Colleen Bogart on Tuesday, March 17th, 2009 and is filed under Brand Strategy, Email, Social Networking, Technology, Trend Spotting. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
March 18th, 2009 at 10:36 am
I believe it…I know people who only use Facebook and other social networking sites to communicate. When I email them, I rarely get a response. But if I send a message on Facebook, they reply almost immediately.
Speaking of, I was traveling the other day, and overheard a few strangers talking about it. When one asked if the other was on Facebook, it reminded me of the days when the question was, “do you have a cell phone number?”
Their conversation also highlights the power of WOM, as it made me think, “be there or be square” [if I didn't already have a FB profile]!
March 18th, 2009 at 4:08 pm
I think Facebook and other social networking sites will replace personal email accounts. It offers the same functions and privacy settings without all of the spam (yet).
It will be interesting to see if Facebook ever lets advertisers send unsolicited messages to users. Considering the outcry about the new layout, I think they would have a riot on their hands if they allowed this.
March 20th, 2009 at 12:57 pm
Although I do not fall into Facebook’s fastest growing demo (yet), I did sign up very recently at the urging of my oldest daughter. It’s been fun to find people from past lives, but sometimes I feel like a voyeur.
I was on a corporate communications conference call today and one of the main topics was social media. People appear to be interested in utilizing it for business reasons, but they are not exactly sure how to proceed. Additionally, current corporate policies with regard to the use of social media at work are strict, and they are aware that these policies will need to be adjusted if we are to move forward with this medium.