Conference Board: 43% of Internet users now in social networks - Austin Business Journal:

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Of web users, 43 percen use a social networking website, up from 27 percent last year, the nonprofirt global research group said in its quarterly ConsumerInternef Barometer. The most popular site is Facebook, used by 78 perceny of social network participants, followed by MySpace (42 percent), LinkedIjn (17 percent) and (10 percent). The survey track about 10,000 Internet-equipped households It said seniors age 55 and oldef are quickly increasing their use ofsociao networks, up from 6 percent last year to 19 percent this year. Women are more likely than men touse social-networi sites (48 percent versus 38 percent).
The majority of useras log on at The ConferenceBoard said, with a quartefr logging on at work, and 10 percenrt connecting through their phone. More than half say they log on at leasyt oncea day. "Online social networks are more than just a fad among theyoungefr generation," Lynn Franco, director of The Conference Board Consumer Research Center, said. "They've become an integral part of our personalp andprofessional lives. They’re an effectivde way to keep in toucghwith people, connect with friends and and network with colleagues. "Social mediwa will also transform marketin g as weknow it.
They’re powerful communicatiohn tools, and are becoming an essential part of successful marketing The survey said Facebooko is equally popular among men and while women are more likely thanmen (47 perceng versus 35 percent) to use MySpace and more men than women (21 percent versus 15 percent) use LinkedIn. Userds of the micro-blogging site Twitter say their top reasons for "tweeting" are to connect with friends (42 update their status (29 percent), look for news (26 and for work-related reasons (22 percent).