SmallBusinessNewz

It seems Internet users are more likely to send you a poke than an email these days as Nielsen reveals that social networking has overtaken email in popularity.

Nielsen’s latest survey, "Global Faces and Networked Places" (.pdf), found that over two-thirds (66.8%) of the global online population spend time at Member Communities, a category that lumps together social networks and blogs.

Now, for the first time ever on a global basis, email lags behind Member Communities, accounting for only 65% of the global online population. And although Member Communities remain the fourth most popular category behind search, portals and software manufacturer sites, they are growing at twice the rate.

According to Nielsen Online’s Chief Executive Officer, John Burbank, the adoption of Member Communities and the time spent on them show no sign of abatement. “Social networking will continue to alter not just the global online landscape, but the consumer experience at large,” he said in a recent announcement.

Other key findings from Nielsen’s research include:

- Member Communities account for one in every 11 minutes online globally.

- The biggest increase in visitors to Member Communities during 2008 came from the 35-49 year old age group.

- Social networking via mobile devices is becoming increasingly popular, especially in the U.K. where 23% of the population do so (2 million), compared with 19% in the U.S. (10.6 million). Both figures show a massive increase over last year – 249% in the U.K. and 156% in the U.S.

Yet, despite accounting for around 10% of all online time globally, Member Communities remain a largely un-monetized form of media. Nielsen’s report concludes that once this “magic formula” is found “the benefits could be truly incredible, having the potential to transform the potency of advertising across all forms of media to connect with target audiences and overcome the current distrust consumers have with advertising”.