Posted on 03/17/2010 10:35:19 AM PDT by max americana
Social networking website Facebook has capped a year of phenomenal growth by overtaking Googles popularity among US internet users, with industry data showing it has scored more visits on its home page than the search engine.
In a sign that the web is becoming more sociable than searchable, research firm Hitwise said that the two sites accounted for 14 per cent of all US internet visits last week. Facebooks home page recorded 7.07 per cent of traffic and Googles 7.03 per cent.
It is the first time that Facebook.com has enjoyed a weekly lead over Google.com. The lead may be slim, but it has become inevitable as Facebooks popularity has grown rapidly from just over 2 per cent of visits a year ago. Heather Dougherty of Hitwise said that Facebook had reached an important milestone with the weekly figures.
Facebooks membership has more than doubled in the past year, passing the 200m mark last April and 400m in February.
The true value of Facebook and social networks is just becoming clear to marketers, said Augie Ray, analyst at Forrester Research.
Although Facebook is enjoying rapid growth, it is only beginning to cash in on its success. Revenues at the social media company are estimated to be in the range of $1bn to $1.5bn this year, while Google took in $23.7bn last year.
While facebook itself might be a fad social networking sites are not. You keep mentioning how facebook supplanted myspace as proof that facebook will go away, but you’re missing that they’re both social networking sites. The site that supplants facebook will also be a social networking site.
Call me crazy, but when I find someone, I like to talk directly to them through me email account, and not through some intermediary. What happens is Facebook ever goes belly up? All of your messages will go poof!
If they can. I keep my facebook closed to anyone who is not a friend and some things are closed to professional colleagues. (yes, you can close items off by groups or people. like that feature_ Mostly because everyone else is someone I have either met or have potential to meet.
RE: “IMO, Facebook is a fad and will probably not exist in its current form in 10 to 20 years.
A few years back, Myspace was the place where everyone went (well, not me). Now, it is facebook and twitter.
I do not understand the fascination with any of these.”
*************
Agree — many people are finding Facebook to be a fun way to meet new (and old) friends without much real effort. My high school chums are all over it, reminiscing about the sixties and such. We’ve got our elementary school class photos on there as well. It has been fun, but people are dropping off, myself included.
This stuff has a definite time limit unless a poster is one of the few who have made it their whole life and can’t stop reading and posting. We’ve got a few like that on the friend list and the competitiveness and need to comment on every single thing is gag-worthy now. I’ve stopped posting altogether and doubt I will go back.
FR is MUCH, much better and always has been.
I admit I was prodded into setting up a FB acount by a friend and I did, but I never use the thing. I have tried it, but most of the comments are so inane and it seems like a total waste of time to me.
Shhh! I won’t mention that a group of freepers set up a hike in my area via FB. ;) But, seriously, to each his own. My Grand Aunt never could get comfortable with emailing.
only refuseniks
I don't. Nor myspace or twitter or linkedin or any of those, either. I like keeping a low profile on the net. I don't want people to find me that easily. I figure if I wanted to be in contact with them, I would be already.
Not now...I’m farming.
Sheep
(Raises right talon slowly ...)
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