The latest consumer research from The Nielsen Company shows that social networks have overtaken email as the 4th most popular online sector after search, portals and PC software applications. This is not just the case in America, where [[FaceBook]] promises ever-faster growing participation, but is a world-wide phenomenon. Member communities is the name of the category in this report, but it's just not about consumer popularity, but about the time consumers spend on these sites.
The phenomenon has huge implications for businesses and how they connect with their audiences.
The 'prevailing wisdom is that the current level of advertising activity on social networks isn't consummate with the size – and highly engaged levels – of the audience.' Presumably, should these sites figure out how to efficiently deliver ads to the right audience a la search engines, it would be spectacular in terms of the advertising revenue to be made.
{shadowboxwtw2}Note to self, if the brightest folks out there haven't figured it out after five years, it is possible that it won't get any more efficient than it is. {/shadowboxwtw2}
