comScore: 2011 Global Social Report – Top 10 must-know insights about social networks

5. Local social networks should be strengthened

The United States is the leader in social networks. Homegrown Facebook, Twitter, and Linkedin are becoming global phenomena, with great influence in many regions outside the United States. The vast majority of users of these sites come from outside the United States.

At the same time, some local social networks around the world have also begun to expand overseas, attracting a considerable amount of overseas traffic. VKontakte is currently the seventh largest social network in the world. It used to be dominated by Russian users, but now 43% of its traffic comes from outside Russia, up 10 percentage points from 2010. Another social network Odnoklassniki also has 41% of its traffic from overseas.

6. Social networks are no longer just for young people. Everyone can have a share.

In the past we could say that social networking was for kids, but in the past 18-24 months this has changed dramatically. Social networking has started to make inroads into older people and is gaining widespread use across all age groups.

In fact, social network usage is growing fastest among users aged 55 and over.

In some countries and regions, the data is even more impressive. For example, in North America and Latin America, the penetration rate of social networks among Internet users aged 55 is as high as 93%. Another change is that the proportion of men using social networks is also rising rapidly. As social networks integrate more online applications such as video, the difference between men and women will be significantly reduced.

7. Digital Natives’ Communication Methods Are Social

The group aged 15-24 grew up in the Internet era, accompanied by digital media and the Internet. They are called digital natives and represent the new Internet power. By analyzing their behavior, we can find out the future direction of the Internet. From July 2010 to October 2011, the group aged 15-24 saw the largest decline in the use of IM instant messaging software and email, while the use of social networks by this group increased the fastest. As these groups gradually become the dominant force in socialization, social networks will become the mainstream of the era.

8. US social network advertising display leads, although revenue has not caught up

Social networks are leading in various indicators, accounting for a quarter of US ad impressions (28%) in October 2011, and another 5% of US ad impressions are social enhanced ads. As social networks continue to dominate in PV and duration, it is not surprising that advertisers are shifting their funds. However, despite the outstanding performance of social networks, their value has not been fully released. Although more than a quarter of ads are displayed on social networks, advertisers only spend 15% of their money on them.

When talking about social network advertising, we have to mention Facebook. In terms of ad impressions, Facebook occupies the largest share. In the third quarter of 2011, Facebook displayed 28% of ad impressions, exceeding the combined total of the other four portals. The main reason is that its advertising is positioned in the long tail, that is, small and medium advertisers. In the past few years, it has also actively attracted investment from large advertisers.

Original compilation by 199IT. Please indicate the source as 199IT when reprinting: //www.199it.com

9. The future is still unclear

When Facebook started in 2004, it faced competition from Myspace and other leading social networking sites. Less than five years later, it surpassed these sites and became the global leader in social networking sites, and the industry leader in many countries and regions. Users are willing to abandon other sites and join Facebook because of its network effect, because their friends are all on it. Just as Facebook has achieved its current glory, new social networks may also replace it. For example, Google's Google+ is growing at a rapid rate, and Twitter is also its potential competitor.

Others like Twitter, Linkedin, Sina Weibo, etc. are growing very rapidly and are reshaping the landscape of social networks.

In terms of usage time and immersion, Facebook, ODNOKLASSNIKI, Tagged, tumblr, PINTEREST and Sina Weibo are all growing rapidly.

10. Social networks catalyzed by mobile

Thanks to its mobility, mobile will catalyze the development of social networks. In October 2011, nearly one-third of mobile phone users aged 13 and above in the United States used social networking sites at least once a month. Mobile social networks have a high penetration rate in the United States and the United Kingdom.

Smartphones are the key driver of social network usage, with users using social networks via apps more than browsers.

However, the power of mobile has not yet become mainstream, and the number of people using social networks through mobile apps and mobile browsers is still far lower than that of traditional Internet.

People use mobile social networks for various purposes, and posting status and reading friends' content are more common.

Mobile and other connected devices are igniting a new wave of applications. Is this the future of mobile social networking?

Original compilation by 199IT. Please indicate the source as 199IT when reprinting: //www.199it.com