“The report states that ‘video clips, blogs, podcasts, social networks and RSS are all essential components of the online media diet.’ Here are some of the key findings:

• 83% watch video clips, up from 62% in the last study in June 2007
• 78% read blogs, up from 66%
• 57% of internet users are now members of a social network
• RSS consumption is growing rapidly up from 15% to 39%
• Podcasts are now mainstream digital content, listened to by 48%

Social networks have been ‘a key driver for the growth of social media’:

• 22% of social network users have installed a widget or applications
• 55% have shared photos
• 22% have shared their videos
• 31% have started a blog
• The world’s biggest social network is MySpace with 32% weekly reach followed by Facebook on 23%

The report also states that social media is a global phenomenon:

• Top markets for blogging – China 70% of internet users write a blog, Philippines 66% and Mexico 60%
• Top markets for social networking – Philippines 83%, Hungary 76% and Poland 76%
• China is the world’s largest blogging market with 42m bloggers versus 26m in the US”

Why Marketers Love Small Social Networks

“Marketers who think bigger is better may want to reconsider, at least when it comes to social media. Ad spending on those sites is predicted to top $1.6 billion this year, according to eMarketer. However, much of it will be plunked into smaller, emerging social networks.

While My Space and Facebook get all the attention, social media focused on topics as remote as knitting or bird watching can be a strong branding target these days, said Anthony Acquisti, strategy supervisor with emerging media at OMD, New York. His running tally of emerging social networks, now up-wards of 7,000, is evidence of an explosive market.

These more focused audiences should be popular with brands because “relevance,” he said, “trumps size.”

By 2011, eMarketer estimates, half of all adults in the U.S., and 84% of online teens will use social networks. That’s both a golden opportunity and a colossal headache for brands trying to nail down the best new network for their campaigns.”