MySpace users will no longer be confined to their own little corner of the cyber-world, now that the social networking site has embarked on an initiative to let users port their data to other popular sites. Yahoo, eBay, Photobucket and Twitter are the first to join hands in the new Data Availability initiative.
MySpace Latest News about MySpace has forged agreements with other popular Internet Over 800,000 High Quality Domains Available For Your Business. Yahoo,ebay.to permit MySpace users to migrate their data. Profiles, videos and friend networks are among the content that can be ported. They can then access the partner sites using their MySpace user names and passwords.
For example, MySpace users who share content and data with Yahoo Instant Messenger could incorporate their MySpace photo, interests and favorite music in the IM Messenger client. Upcoming releases will give users even more choices about where and how their content can be displayed on partner sites. For example, they may include the option of sharing content within Yahoo's universal profile or leveraging it in Yahoo Mail's smarter in-box.
The initiative employs the open standard OAuth and RESTful application programming interfaces to support integration among the sites.
Three largest social networks in the U.K.
According to one article in the Guardian, the three largest social networks in the U.K., MySpace, Facebook, and Bebo, all experienced large drops in membership between December, 2007 and January, 2008. Is this one month of falling numbers a fluke or have the networks reached a plateau? Says, Alex Burmaster, Nielsen Online analyst, "One month of falling audiences doesn't spell the decline of Facebook or social networking. However, most of the leading social networks are less popular in the U.K. than they were a year ago."
Losses By the Numbers
According to the article, Facebook saw a 5% drop between December, 2007 and January, 2008, but still had 8.5 million users in January. This keeps Facebook in the number one position as the most popular social network in the U.K. However, after 17 straight months of growth, this drop of 400,000 users, is the first on record for Facebook in the U.K.
MySpace also lost 5% drop in traffic between December and January. They are still the number two social network in the U.K. with 5 million unique users.
Bebo only saw a 2% drop, and ranked third with a total of 4.1 million users.
Growth Rates at an End?
These drops in growth, if anything, point to the fact that the massive growth rates the networks were experiencing could not be maintained indefinitely. For example, Facebook's audience is 712% bigger than it was in January of 2007 and Bebo saw a 53% increase in the same period. I would argue that these numbers point to the networks being more popular, not less, than they were a year ago, so I'm not sure what Burmaster meant in that earlier statement unless he was solely referring to growth rates.
However, Facebook and Bebo's growth may have come from MySpace's loss. The News Corp. giant actually saw its number of unique users fall by 9% since January, 2007. Says Burmaster, "Growth among the big players looks to be more about getting people from their competitors, not attracting new people to social networking."
Does these findings foretell a saturation point for social networks? Or are the networks just not that cool anymore now that everyone uses them? In a BBC News article on the subject, Nic Howell, deputy editor of industry magazine New Media Age claimed, "Social networking is as much about who isn't on the site as who is - when Tory MPs and major corporations start profiles on Facebook, its brand is devalued, driving its core user base into the arms of newer and more credible alternatives."
Interestingly enough, the exodus from the larger networks may have had an impact on some of the smaller networking sites that grew during the month of January. Less trafficked social networking sites like Windows Live Spaces, which just launched a refreshed version with some Facebook-like features, saw a rise in number of users at this same time. Other U.K.-oriented sites like BBC Communities and Friends Reunited also saw growth in January.
Explosive growth of social networking:
Virtual communities and online social networking sites are providing a new, powerful and extremely popular medium for human connection. In a new report independent market analyst Datamonitor expects global active memberships in social networking sites to reach 230 million at the end of 2007.
Notwithstanding the fact that many users have multiple memberships, this represents an extraordinary cultural trend. The report, “The Future of Social Networking: understanding market strategic and technological developments”, says infrastructure providers, social network providers and wireless players stand to profit largely in the near term.
“For social networking services, barriers to entry are virtually non-existent, and both competition and innovation are ferocious,” says Ri Pierce-Grove Technology Analyst at Datamonitor and author of this report. “Users have a vast array of options, from Titanic generalists like MySpace and Facebook to tiny individual networks on DIY platforms like Ning. This year revenues from social networking services should reach USD$965 million growing to USD$2.4 billion by 2012.”
Explosive growth in social networking will plateau by 2012; earlier for the United States
Social networking is growing around the world, everywhere people have Internet connections. Most large social networking services, especially those which allow the distribution of content like video, have a very long tail of geographic distribution.
According to Datamonitor, by year end 2007 Asia Pacific will account for 35% of the world’s social networking memberships. Europe, the Middle East and Africa (EMEA) will hold 28%, North America 25% whilst the Caribbean and Latin America (CALA) will account for 12%. Adoption curves vary dramatically by region, but Datamonitor expects membership growth in all regions to have peaked by 2009 and to have leveled out by 2012.
Currently, there are two strains of thought about this market, both strongly influenced by memories of the e-commerce boom at the beginning of the century. At the moment, prevailing sentiment is excitement combined with anxiety. Players fear missing the next Google, the next Yahoo. But mixed with this exuberance is a thread of cynicism. Investors remember how few Internet startups survived the market downturn, and are repelled by what they see as overconfidence. The bulk of social networking sites are wise to postpone any consideration of an IPO.
“A sane approach to this market requires balancing the two perspectives,” says Ms. Pierce-Grove. “The extraordinary proliferation of online social networks is fueled by real innovation and is substantially changing the way we communicate. However, the hothouse atmosphere of easy capital, media attention, and user curiosity which stimulates creativity will not be sustained indefinitely. All players therefore must develop a two-pronged strategy in order to survive the extremes of heat and eventual chill which this market will undergo.”
A value chain is emerging
The business of creating a social network and providing the infrastructure on which it runs are beginning to separate. Firms are bringing not just social networks, but social networking platforms to the market. Specialists are becoming involved creating the “look and feel” of social networking sites for a broad range of clientele. Datamonitor expects this trend to continue, and advises technology providers to look for ways to support social networking services in the key areas of scalability and availability.
Consolidation is inevitable
Media properties, search firms, and other commercial entities will look to lock down the new constellations of audiences brought together by social networking services. Market experimentation will continue as operators seek the optimal combination of features and functions as well as more sustainable operational models. However, the sites themselves will not necessarily consolidate; special interest social networking services will continue to play a valuable role.
“As the market becomes more crowded, it will become harder for social networking sites to remain independent. Acquisition can solve scalability issues, improve content and search capabilities, and extend visibility and reach,” concludes Ms. Pierce-Grove.
MySpace Latest News about MySpace has forged agreements with other popular Internet Over 800,000 High Quality Domains Available For Your Business. Yahoo,ebay.to permit MySpace users to migrate their data. Profiles, videos and friend networks are among the content that can be ported. They can then access the partner sites using their MySpace user names and passwords.
For example, MySpace users who share content and data with Yahoo Instant Messenger could incorporate their MySpace photo, interests and favorite music in the IM Messenger client. Upcoming releases will give users even more choices about where and how their content can be displayed on partner sites. For example, they may include the option of sharing content within Yahoo's universal profile or leveraging it in Yahoo Mail's smarter in-box.
The initiative employs the open standard OAuth and RESTful application programming interfaces to support integration among the sites.
Three largest social networks in the U.K.
According to one article in the Guardian, the three largest social networks in the U.K., MySpace, Facebook, and Bebo, all experienced large drops in membership between December, 2007 and January, 2008. Is this one month of falling numbers a fluke or have the networks reached a plateau? Says, Alex Burmaster, Nielsen Online analyst, "One month of falling audiences doesn't spell the decline of Facebook or social networking. However, most of the leading social networks are less popular in the U.K. than they were a year ago."
Losses By the Numbers
According to the article, Facebook saw a 5% drop between December, 2007 and January, 2008, but still had 8.5 million users in January. This keeps Facebook in the number one position as the most popular social network in the U.K. However, after 17 straight months of growth, this drop of 400,000 users, is the first on record for Facebook in the U.K.
MySpace also lost 5% drop in traffic between December and January. They are still the number two social network in the U.K. with 5 million unique users.
Bebo only saw a 2% drop, and ranked third with a total of 4.1 million users.
Growth Rates at an End?
These drops in growth, if anything, point to the fact that the massive growth rates the networks were experiencing could not be maintained indefinitely. For example, Facebook's audience is 712% bigger than it was in January of 2007 and Bebo saw a 53% increase in the same period. I would argue that these numbers point to the networks being more popular, not less, than they were a year ago, so I'm not sure what Burmaster meant in that earlier statement unless he was solely referring to growth rates.
However, Facebook and Bebo's growth may have come from MySpace's loss. The News Corp. giant actually saw its number of unique users fall by 9% since January, 2007. Says Burmaster, "Growth among the big players looks to be more about getting people from their competitors, not attracting new people to social networking."
Does these findings foretell a saturation point for social networks? Or are the networks just not that cool anymore now that everyone uses them? In a BBC News article on the subject, Nic Howell, deputy editor of industry magazine New Media Age claimed, "Social networking is as much about who isn't on the site as who is - when Tory MPs and major corporations start profiles on Facebook, its brand is devalued, driving its core user base into the arms of newer and more credible alternatives."
Interestingly enough, the exodus from the larger networks may have had an impact on some of the smaller networking sites that grew during the month of January. Less trafficked social networking sites like Windows Live Spaces, which just launched a refreshed version with some Facebook-like features, saw a rise in number of users at this same time. Other U.K.-oriented sites like BBC Communities and Friends Reunited also saw growth in January.
Explosive growth of social networking:
Virtual communities and online social networking sites are providing a new, powerful and extremely popular medium for human connection. In a new report independent market analyst Datamonitor expects global active memberships in social networking sites to reach 230 million at the end of 2007.
Notwithstanding the fact that many users have multiple memberships, this represents an extraordinary cultural trend. The report, “The Future of Social Networking: understanding market strategic and technological developments”, says infrastructure providers, social network providers and wireless players stand to profit largely in the near term.
“For social networking services, barriers to entry are virtually non-existent, and both competition and innovation are ferocious,” says Ri Pierce-Grove Technology Analyst at Datamonitor and author of this report. “Users have a vast array of options, from Titanic generalists like MySpace and Facebook to tiny individual networks on DIY platforms like Ning. This year revenues from social networking services should reach USD$965 million growing to USD$2.4 billion by 2012.”
Explosive growth in social networking will plateau by 2012; earlier for the United States
Social networking is growing around the world, everywhere people have Internet connections. Most large social networking services, especially those which allow the distribution of content like video, have a very long tail of geographic distribution.
According to Datamonitor, by year end 2007 Asia Pacific will account for 35% of the world’s social networking memberships. Europe, the Middle East and Africa (EMEA) will hold 28%, North America 25% whilst the Caribbean and Latin America (CALA) will account for 12%. Adoption curves vary dramatically by region, but Datamonitor expects membership growth in all regions to have peaked by 2009 and to have leveled out by 2012.
Currently, there are two strains of thought about this market, both strongly influenced by memories of the e-commerce boom at the beginning of the century. At the moment, prevailing sentiment is excitement combined with anxiety. Players fear missing the next Google, the next Yahoo. But mixed with this exuberance is a thread of cynicism. Investors remember how few Internet startups survived the market downturn, and are repelled by what they see as overconfidence. The bulk of social networking sites are wise to postpone any consideration of an IPO.
“A sane approach to this market requires balancing the two perspectives,” says Ms. Pierce-Grove. “The extraordinary proliferation of online social networks is fueled by real innovation and is substantially changing the way we communicate. However, the hothouse atmosphere of easy capital, media attention, and user curiosity which stimulates creativity will not be sustained indefinitely. All players therefore must develop a two-pronged strategy in order to survive the extremes of heat and eventual chill which this market will undergo.”
A value chain is emerging
The business of creating a social network and providing the infrastructure on which it runs are beginning to separate. Firms are bringing not just social networks, but social networking platforms to the market. Specialists are becoming involved creating the “look and feel” of social networking sites for a broad range of clientele. Datamonitor expects this trend to continue, and advises technology providers to look for ways to support social networking services in the key areas of scalability and availability.
Consolidation is inevitable
Media properties, search firms, and other commercial entities will look to lock down the new constellations of audiences brought together by social networking services. Market experimentation will continue as operators seek the optimal combination of features and functions as well as more sustainable operational models. However, the sites themselves will not necessarily consolidate; special interest social networking services will continue to play a valuable role.
“As the market becomes more crowded, it will become harder for social networking sites to remain independent. Acquisition can solve scalability issues, improve content and search capabilities, and extend visibility and reach,” concludes Ms. Pierce-Grove.
1 comment:
The importance of social networking sites in today's world is immense. Indeed, the above mentioned websites are best, however there is also a latest Social Networking site MyworldGo , where you can connect with others. We are also available on iOS and android.
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