At one time an almost exclusive domain of teenagers and less than 30 people, social networks were covered by an aging generation of baby boomers. Some sites seem to win more than others in the war for market share of this valuable and wealth, and the race is far from over.
The dramatic success of these Internet categories is identical to the recent online traffic analysis provided by marketing company ComScore Media Metrix, which has been studying the growth rate of visitors among the top 50 websites over the past year. As of December 2007, it was a busy month for social networks around the world. In September, one of 18 visits to the United States in the United States included a stop at the leading social network, almost twice the time.
The five fastest growing social networks, in addition to the largest, Lifesmine identified during the last tracking period, include Bolt (271%), Bebo (95%), Orkut (63%), MySpace (51%) and Gaia Online%), In an industry where high growth is the rule, the Lifesmine.com extension overshadows all others, with an increase of about 2900%.
The recent success of Lifesmine is also important, given what the recent national analyst said about the social business model of the social network as a whole. “For a social networking site to be successful, it must reach a critical mass, and the competition is fierce to attract a new member.” said Jill Myers, an analyst at In-Stat. “To date, the sites have focused on a younger demographic, which is finite, variable, and limited in expendable income,” she added. In-Stat recent studies show that the largest generation of baby boomers is often overlooked.
Baby Boomers is one of two age groups that Lifesmine Larry Lutvak has focused on its efforts to create a strong company. “We know that adults between the ages of 40 and 60 are in the middle of the transition to entertainment,” said Lutwak from his offices in the Tampa Bay area. “High bandwidth and cheaper computer costs lead to the use of the Internet, and more and more people are choosing a social network as a way to meet new people and waste their time,” he added.
Lutwak also cited Facebook's recent strategic adjustments for their renewed focus at 35 and above the market. “We could see that advertisers wanted to see evolution in social networks toward more mature age groups,” said Lutwak.
Observers praised Facebook for attracting an increasing number of business and professional users and more consumers in 35-year-old categories than usual for online sites that are often overpriced younger. All this should mean an increase in advertising revenue for the site.
Industry experts also said that a broader investor base appears to be ready to embrace social networks, citing evidence of the networks. rapid growth and financing rounds by venture capital firms and wealthy people. A recent example: $ 40 million attracted by Ning, an online service that allows consumers to create their own social network “for free in a matter of seconds,” according to the website. Netscape pioneer Marc Andreessen is one of its co-founders.
All of this bodes well for Lifesmine.com, provided they continue to grow rapidly. The company uses a combination of Google click advertising, public relations, and advertising advertised on the Internet to add new subscribers, but word of mouth seems to be the biggest growth driver than far.
Thanks to the general trends of Internet users, who point to the continuing increase in Internet penetration of the Baby Boomer, Lifesmine.com is ready to enjoy even greater growth.
