What is Facebook, Twitter, Myspace and LinkedIn.com?
Still not sure what Facebook,Twitter,Myspace and LinkedIn.com are? Discover how these social networks work and get an overview the people that use them.
The Web 2.0 era is powered by social networking Web sites MySpace.com, Twitter.com, Facebook.com and LinkedIn.com. Here is a look at the statistics for each social networking site provided by Quantcast.com, a Web site that tracks and posts viewership information for hundreds of sites.
Facebook
What it is: Facebook.com has become one of the world’s most frequently visited Web sites. Users create a profile, complete with photos, personal information and their personal tastes. They create a network of friends by asking members to become their friend. Users can also add “fan pages” for businesses. Facebook has experienced 198 percent growth from 2008 to 2009.
Approximate number of visitors per day: 56.1 million
Percentage of visitors who are female: 54 percent
Percentage of visitors who are male: 46 percent
Ages of Facebook visitors
3-12: 1 percent
13-17: 20 percent
18-34: 46 percent
35-49: 20 percent
50 or older: 13 percent
College education of Facebook visitors
No college: 44 percent
College graduate: 42 percent
Graduate school: 14 percent
MySpace
What it is: MySpace.com used to be one of the most popular social networking sites on the Internet. With Facebook.com on the upswing, MySpace.com has been forced to find a different niche. Now, MySpace is used by musicians to post new music and update fans on tour dates and CD releases. MySpace gets about half the visitors that it did in October 2008.
Approximate number of visitors per day: 30.4 million
Percentage of visitors who are female: 57 percent
Percentage of visitors who are male: 43 percent
Ages of MySpace visitors
3-12: 2 percent
13-17: 26 percent
18-34: 46 percent
35-49: 17 percent
50 or older: 9 percent
College education of MySpace visitors
No college: 56 percent
College graduate: 35 percent
Graduate school: 9 percent
Twitter
What it is: Twitter.com is growing at a rapid pace. The site allows viewers to post messages of 140 characters or less. The messages are read by viewers who choose to follow along. It is used by everyone from school districts to celebrities. The number of Twitter.com visitors peaked at about 29.2 million in July and has been on a slight decline since.
Approximate number of visitors per day: 27 million
Percentage of visitors who are female: 57 percent
Percentage of visitors who are male: 43 percent
Ages of Twitter visitors
3-12: 1 percent
13-17: 9 percent
18-34: 44 percent
35-49: 28 percent
50 or older: 17 percent
Education of Twitter visitors
No college: 44 percent
College graduate: 42 percent
Graduate school: 13 percent
LinkedIn
What it is: LinkedIn.com allows individuals to create business profiles, which tend to show up in Google searches. Professionals can connect at the site. Visitors post their resumes and other facts relevant to their business experiences. LinkedIn.com is used most during the week, with Web traffic declining during the weekends.
Approximate number of visitors per day: 1.7 million
Percentage of visitors who are female: 54 percent
Percentage of visitors who are male: 46 percent
Ages of LinkedIn visitors
3-12: 0 percent
13-17: 0 percent
18-34: 21 percent
35-49: 47 percent
50 or older: 32 percent
College education of LinkedIn visitors
No college: 19 percent
College graduate: 50 percent
Graduate school: 30 percent