A sad day for googlaholics.Since September 2007, Google has been the number one most visited site in the US. Last week, Facebook received more traffic than Google for the first time in about three years. Facebook accounted for 7.07% of U.S. Web traffic, while Google received 7.03%. What does this indicate about the way Americans are beginning to search for content?
Reference: Pepitone, Julianne. "Facebook Traffic Tops Google for the Week." CNNMoney.com. Cable News Network, 16 Mar. 2010. Web. 17 Mar. 2010. http://money.cnn.com/2010/03/16/technology/facebook_most_visited/>
11 comments:
I remember reading about this in the paper. The way I see it, it seems that nowadays people have more trust in individuals rather than a company as a whole.
MelissaBA, I think you're onto something. Marketers need to transform their approach into a more personal experience. We want to talk to people like us, not big faceless corporations right?!
To me, this means people have come even more self absorbed. They would rather post pictures of themselves and contact old friends than stay aware of current events that impact our world.
I get the thrill of connecting with your past but don't see the attraction of spending hours reading the mundane things people are doing. Another great way to waste time. Maybe I'm too old
I don't think facebook and other social netowkring sites are only about wasting time and ignoring the current state of affairs. I believe millions of people are seeking connections in their busy lives and whether it is reuniting with old friends or staying connected with people in their lives now, these sites provide a new outlet for doing so. Some people do post ridiculously unnecessary information but most people just want to be a part of something bigger than themselves.
Thanks ymw for the different point of view on why people spend so much time on facebook. I still believe people can connect better in person or on the phone, but I see your point. I think the effect of technology is that people are lonelier than ever and that's why they seek these connections.
This is truly a tricky topic. Some people have hundreds, even thousands of friends on Facebook, and are nevertheless very lonely people. One can turn to a social networking site and accumulate a large number of "friends." Only a few of these people who you publicly articulate a connection with are true, supportive friends. Which makes me think, Facebook's purpose is not to create relationships with others, as in the case of some "virtual communities." Something completely different is driving people to spend hours on end on Facebook. I do believe it may be something along the lines of accessing information, which is interesting to you because you only connect with people in your network, conveniently and quickly.
The current obsession with twittering and facebooking isn't likely to last forever, in my opinion. Some of us want to communicate with more carefully targeted audiences, not the entire universe. Just as network TV has lost ground to cable, we're likely to see cyberspace media gradually move away from the buckshot approach to marketing.
Ted Baron
Facebook is an incredible tool. I have reconnected with so many old friends that in the past I would never have thought I would ever hear from again. Also Facebook is a great marketing tool. I have in the past, worked for a few smaller rock and roll bands, and I did some marketing for them, and let me tell you, Facebook, Myspace, etc, were huge in helping me, and even the bands get the word out to hundreds if not thousands of people easily, and with NO cost. This is why Facebook is so popular, and why it surpasses google in visits. Eventually there will be something better though, and facebook will lose out to whatever it is, like google is to facebook.
Friends...funny word to give to people that you only type with or stalk photos of. I think a friend should be more than this. I do see how the viral approach allows you to reach the masses, but as far as personal relationships are concerned, nothing beats face to face or voice to voice contact. I know from a business prospective viral marketing can generate awarenesss which is a first step. Marketing is much more complex than just awareness, and pardon the 2nd grade term, but a bad product is still a bad product. In other words, make sure you take care of all aspects of marketing, and do not get carried away by the latest and greatest tools unless you can figure out how it is going to profit your business.
I just heard that Facebook has added a whole new security section to its page that will make it easier to identify and get rid of sexual predators and the like. Sounds like their proactive approach is helping their business, unlike myspace who denied any obligation to make their service safer.
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