Online competitive intelligence service Hitwise on Wednesday announced that in September one in 20 U.S. Internet visits went to one of the top 20 social-networking websites - nearly double the share of visits compared with a year ago.
As you might expect, MySpace lead the pack. In September, MySpace drew 82% of visits among the top 20 social networking sites, increasing its dominance of the Web's fastest-growing category. Overall, traffic to social networking sites during the month is nearly double the proportion of traffic a year ago.
Other social networking sites with above-average growth in market share
of visits were Bolt (www.bolt.com), up 271 percent; Bebo
(www.bebo.com), up 95 percent; Orkut (www.orkut.com), up 63 percent;
and Gaia Online (www.gaia.com), up 41 percent.
The trend we expect to really take off in the coming few years is the rise of vertical social networks. As communities mature, many are demanding more relevant communities and focused platforms.
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