Adotas

Where media buyers start online





News

Is MySpace the Next Friendster?

Written on
Aug 12, 2008 
Author
Kathleen  |
Share
Is MySpace the Next Friendster?

myspace103.jpgADOTAS – The social networking explosion may be subsiding a bit in North America (though audiences are still growing at a 9% clip), it’s continuing unabated elsewhere. Facebook and Hi5 are reaping most of the rewards, more than doubling their global visitor bases in the past year, according to a new report from comScore.

Facebook’s visitor growth mushroomed by 153%, compared to a paltry 3% annual growth for what was once acknowledged as its top competitor, MySpace. The disparity prompts the question: Is MySpace the next Friendster? If the site doesn’t move quickly to stave up its eroding base, its chances of (at least Stateside) success will wither dramatically.

Hi5 grew 100% globally, Friendster (still popular outside the U.S.!) grew 50%, Orkut grew 41% and Bebo grew 32%.

Facebook’s recent ascension to become the top global social networking site has been spurred in part by its substantial growth across worldwide regions.

Though its largest visitor base is still in North America (49 million), Facebook’s growth in the region is a relatively modest 38%. In every other worldwide region, Facebook’s audience has more than quadrupled. Europe is quickly catching up with North America as Facebook’s largest visitor base with 35 million visitors in June, a 303% increase and a net addition of nearly 27 million monthly visitors versus year ago. Other worldwide regions have seen even more dramatic growth on a percentage basis.

“While the social networking trend first took off in North America, it is beginning to reach a point of maturity in the region,” said Jack Flanagan, comScore executive vice president. “However, the phenomenon is still growing rapidly in other regions around the world – especially as the established American brands turn their focus to developing markets.”
The fastest-growing markets are in the Middle East-Africa region (up 66%), Europe (up 35%) and Latin America (up 33%).





Reader Comments.

MySpace and FB are very different sites. MySpace is built on extensive weak ties and FB is built on smaller strong ties. As a promotional tool, MySpace is still effective for bands and celebrities who aren’t much more than spammers, but the days of random friend adds as a personal ego boost are gone for most young people with an education. MySpace should focus on what it does best, band promotion and celebrity profiles.

Posted by Brian | 1:09 pm on August 12, 2008.

Leave a Comment

Add a comment

No Tags
Article Sponsor

More News


  • Right now, at the beginning of 2012, what are you watching the most closely for its ad and marketing opportunities?

    View Results

    Loading ... Loading ...

Latest News

News Archive

Spotlight

Sponsormob Leads the Way Into RTB for MobileADOTAS – For more than half a decade, Berlin-based tech firm Sponsormob has remained relevant in an industry characterized by [...] more...


Adotas Partnership