Friday, April 6, 2012

F is for Facebook


I have many posts about Facebook. Try hitting that label over there that says Facebook to see what information I have to share with you. One of those posts I am recycling for you here, because I think it best answers: Why Facebook?

For those of you who are not so fond of Facebook, I just wanted to share some statistics with you gathered from www.pewinternet.org.  Take a look at this graph:


That graph is telling you that 83% of people ages 18-29 who use the internet are on a social network. 70% of users ages 30-49. And most of those social network accounts are on Facebook:

Of adult Social Network users:

  • 73% have a Facebook account
  • 48% have a MySpace profile
  • 14% have an account on LinkedIn
  • 1% each on Yahoo, YouTube, Tagged, Flickr and Classmates.com
  • 10-12% are on “other” sites like Bebo, Last.FM, Digg, Blackplanet, Orkut, Hi5 and Match.com
Teens are on Facebook too:
  • 54% of teens ages 12-14 are on Facebook
  • Teens between the ages of 15-17 are on Facebook nearly 19.9 hours a week
Comparatively, only 19% of internet users are on Twitter. Take a look at this graph:

Your readers are on Facebook. If you are trying to reach them through Twitter, through blogs, they're somewhere else. Just sayin'.

Do these stats surprise you? Do they change your mind about social networking? I'm interested in your thoughts.

37 comments:

Rebecca Bradley said...

An interesting post. When I get todays post up it will be about Facebook. I do think it is in the lead somewhat now, but times do change and I think Twitter is coming up hard behind it. You only have to watch the television nowadays and if they want you to interact they put a hashtag on the screen. I think doing what your comfortable with is important. I'm happier on Twitter but I do use Facebook as well as blogging. I wonder when I get the time to write!

Jamie Gibbs said...

Facebook is where it's at for social networking these days Twitter is good on a one to one basis, but for mass communication, Facebook is where to go. I don't really do anything on my Facebook page though; there are links to it from my blog but there isn't anything I feel I can add to Facebook just yet.


Jamie
Fellow A-Z bloggy buddy
Mithril Wisdom

AlexJCavanaugh said...

I could reach more, but still don't plan to join Facebook. I'm stretched thin enough as it is.

Theresa Milstein said...

I think Facebook is a great. It's such a good way to connect day-to-day when I don't have a lot of time for blogging. And you can know about people in their everyday lives instead of through posts.

Sherrygloag said...

I'm as fascinated by the responses you've had as your post. I have FB, twitter, Linked in and others and have a hard time with all of them! :-) LOL
FB is particularly irritating now with all the visual that slows it down to a crawl most times, so I am less enthused with it now than was.

Daisy Carter said...

Great information. I don't Facebook (yet). When I signed with my agent, I had NO online presence but decided to work on a blog/website first. When I learn how to manage my time better - my writing time keeps becoming blogger time! - I might branch out.

I'd be interested to know if it's possible to link all online presence together. For example, write a blog post that automatically goes to Facebook or gets a twitter link. Or is that all manual?

Carrie said...

I think Twitter only being 19% is surprising. But I know that more people are on Facebook. One of my friends has found her linked in account very useful in finding freelance work. I also like using Pintrest.

Laura Barnes said...

I love you. ;)

Laura Barnes said...

Yes, this is a recycled post and when I first wrote it less than a year ago I was not using Twitter at all. Now I do tend to go to it first to connect with people. The reach on Twitter tends to only be with people you are connected to, though. And the message is so short. Facebook allows a bit of a further reach because you can see what your friends have commented on. And the link preview can attract a lot of people. Also, if you are a young adult writer, you should have an FB presence because few kids use Twitter. Really, they both have their advantages and I do expect those numbers will fluctuate.

Laura Barnes said...

So true. Though I am becoming fond of Twitter. ;)

Laura Barnes said...

You read 1000 blogs a day, how can you possibly be stretched thin?

Laura Barnes said...

You use FB well too. I often am drawn to things in your feed, Theresa.

Laura Barnes said...

I wouldn't say I'm irritated with FB, but it's less entertaining then it was. I use both FB and Twitter. I'm on Linked in, but I do nothing on it.

Laura Barnes said...

Writing comes first! You'll get there.

Yes, you can link all of them. My blog posts auto-post to Twitter and Facebook. There are several ways to do it. I can't even quite remember how I've set mine up - it might be through Hootsuite for Twitter. Yes it is. For more info on using Hootsuite, read this: http://laurabwriter.blogspot.com/2011/07/facebook-friday-hootsuite.html
I have a post on how to do it for Facebook: http://laurabwriter.blogspot.com/2011/07/facebook-friday-rss-grafitti.html
You can also set up your tweets on Facebook through a Twitter app called Twitterfeed. Just search for it on Facebook and follow the instructions to put it in place.

That sounds like a lot, but once you set them up, it all happens automatically and you never have to worry about it again. Good luck!

Laura Barnes said...

Many experts say Pinterest is going to be the future. Twitter is too fast for some people. I think it's going to take a more connect with famous people route with all the use of it in tv shows these days. So if you end up being a published author, it may be where people go to connect with you. If you aren't afraid to have opinion and personality then people will also follow you on Twitter. You have to be more "on" though to get followed then you do on Facebook.

Stephanie Scott said...

It doesn't surprise me, and it's the reason why I spend more time on twitter and blogs!

BUT when I have a product to sell, I will make an author page of Facebook. That's the majority of my FB time now is supporting people's causes, bands, books etc. I'm pretty much over all the inane FB updates. Newsflash: most people's lives aren't all that interesting. ;)

LOL said...

Great reminder with the stats to back the information! At this time, I'm faithful to using my FB pages. I'm learning to include Google+ just because I have it. I was invited this week to join WAE Network (Writers, Agents, Editors) - something else to learn. So, far I've avoided Pinterest, Twitter, and Linked-in (my husband uses LI for job searches). Oh, the joys of marketing to promote and build internet presence!!

Merrie Hansen ~ Livin' Out Loud 4 Jesus

Andrew Leon said...

I can't diss FB; my first book sale was from someone I didn't know on FB. I posted that my book had become available on Amazon and got an immediate "I just went and bought it!" I'm not sure what kind of ongoing impact it's had, but that first sale was a big deal for me.

Beth Christopher said...

Interesting statistics! I knew there was some reason I've procrastinated joining Twitter... ;-) I definitely plan to start a FB page in the near future. Thanks for the informative post.

Claire Hennessy said...

I love FB. I use it mainly to stay in touch with family/friends back home but also to post all my blogs and other writing. And, of course, will post my book when I finally finish it. Great stats though - interesting FB trumps Twitter too. I am still getting used to Twitter as it works in a different way to FB, but also good.

Stephen Henry said...

Thanks for the tip. I'll have to set a Facebook page!

Stacy S. Jensen said...

I'm a fan of social networking. I love Twitter more, but have found FB — due to group dynamics — absorbing more time than Twitter.

Carol Riggs said...

Very true! We aren't really reaching READERS with our blogs--we're reaching other writers. Although that's the focus of mine on purpose. I agree that FB is a good place to meet readers. As well as Twitter. :)

Sarah Pearson said...

The stats don't surprise me, but I just couldn't get on with FB the short time I was on there. It's a great tool for those who are comfortable with it, I just don't like it.

Laura Barnes said...

That is how Facebook seems to work best - for causes and such. It's sort of a boring newsfeed though.

Laura Barnes said...

I've avoided Google+ so far. And I like Twitter. Really, making use of what you already use is the best.

Laura Barnes said...

Wow, great story! See - it works!

Laura Barnes said...

Sometimes I think it's silly to have an FB page too soon, but if you are getting pub'd, do it for sure.

Laura Barnes said...

I have a feeling these stats will be different in just a year with the new social media tools out there. Glad to share the info, though!

Laura Barnes said...

Enjoy the time sucker!

Laura Barnes said...

So true about the time absorption. I am part of a group that totally sucks my time.

Laura Barnes said...

Yes, yes. You've nailed it.

Laura Barnes said...

I'm so glad that you don't force yourself to do something that isn't in your comfort zone. It will never be a good tool for you unless you like it.

Tomara Armstrong said...

I'm not really surprised. This falls in line with how I spend my online time marketing different things. I hardly use online classified (or forums) as often as I'd like.
Cool Post. Thanks for the details
~2

Brooke R. Busse said...

I definitely believe they will fluctuate, especially with Twitter versus Facebook. In the last month of so, Twitter's popularity has definitely risen in my school. I heard it talked about quite often anymore.

Laura Barnes said...

That is such valuable info to know. Twitter will catch on among more I'm sure.

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