Social Networks, Blogs Surpass Email in Usage

Businesses have another compelling reason to develop a social media marketing plan to help grow target markets. In a new study just released by The Nielsen Company, "Global Faces and Network Places," social networks and blogs have become the fourth most popular online category, ahead of personal email. Nielsen reports that two-thirds (67 percent) of the world's global online population use these "member communities."

Nielsen calculates the social media and blog category is growing twice as fast as any of the other four largest online sectors (search, portals, PC software and email). Companies who take the time to understand what niche communities their clients are using and incorporate those communities into their strategic communications plans will be tapping into the nearly 10 percent of Internet time people spend on social networks and blogs. To view the complete report, visit www.nielsen.com.