Social networks and blogs blossom

• Two-thirds of online population use social networks and blogs
• Time spent on sites growing exponentially
• Biggest increase from 35-49 yr olds

Global - According to a report released today by The Nielsen Company, ‘Member Communities' such as social networks and blogs are now visited by over two-thirds of the global online population, leapfrogging personal emails to become the fourth most popular category online.

Findings from the "Global Faces and Networked Places" report also show that the category is growing twice as fast as any of the other four largest sectors (search, portals, PC software and email). Facebook, the world's most popular social network site, is visited monthly by three in every 10 people online across the nine markets in which Nielsen tracks social networking use.

"Social networking has become a fundamental part of the global online experience,"  John Burbank, CEO of Nielsen Online, said. 

"While two-thirds of the global online population already accesses member community sites, their vigorous adoption and the migration of time show no signs of slowing. Social networking will continue to alter not just the global online landscape, but the consumer experience at large."

The report also analyses how the major players are doing and what advertisers and publishers can do to take advantage of the social network phenomenon.

Some of the key findings include that one in every 11 global online minutes are accounted for by social network and blogging sites and the biggest increase in global visitors during 2008 to "Member Community" websites came from the 35-49 year old age group (+11.3 million).

"Social networking isn't just growing rapidly, it's evolving - both in terms of a broader audience and compelling new functionality," Alex Burmaster, author of the study and communications director across EMEA for Nielsen Online, said.