What is Facebook, Twitter, Myspace and LinkedIn.com?

Still not sure what Facebook,­Twitter,­Myspace and LinkedIn.com are? Discover how these social networks work and get an overview the people that use them.

The Web 2.0 era is powered by social networking Web sites MySpace.com, Twitter.com, Facebook.com and LinkedIn.com. Here is a look at the statistics for each social networking site provided by Quantcast.com, a Web site that tracks and posts viewership information for hundreds of sites.

Facebook

What it is: Facebook.com has become one of the world’s most frequently visited Web sites. Users create a profile, complete with photos, personal information and their personal tastes. They create a network of friends by asking members to become their friend. Users can also add “fan pages” for businesses. Facebook has experienced 198 percent growth from 2008 to 2009.

Approximate number of visitors per day: 56.1 million

Percentage of visitors who are female: 54 percent

Percentage of visitors who are male: 46 percent

Ages of Facebook visitors

3-12: 1 percent

13-17: 20 percent

18-34: 46 percent

35-49: 20 percent

50 or older: 13 percent

College education of Facebook visitors

No college: 44 percent

College graduate: 42 percent

Graduate school: 14 percent

MySpace

What it is: MySpace.com used to be one of the most popular social networking sites on the Internet. With Facebook.com on the upswing, MySpace.com has been forced to find a different niche. Now, MySpace is used by musicians to post new music and update fans on tour dates and CD releases. MySpace gets about half the visitors that it did in October 2008.

Approximate number of visitors per day: 30.4 million

Percentage of visitors who are female: 57 percent

Percentage of visitors who are male: 43 percent

Ages of MySpace visitors

3-12: 2 percent

13-17: 26 percent

18-34: 46 percent

35-49: 17 percent

50 or older: 9 percent

College education of MySpace visitors

No college: 56 percent

College graduate: 35 percent

Graduate school: 9 percent

Twitter

What it is: Twitter.com is growing at a rapid pace. The site allows viewers to post messages of 140 characters or less. The messages are read by viewers who choose to follow along. It is used by everyone from school districts to celebrities. The number of Twitter.com visitors peaked at about 29.2 million in July and has been on a slight decline since.

Approximate number of visitors per day: 27 million

Percentage of visitors who are female: 57 percent

Percentage of visitors who are male: 43 percent

Ages of Twitter visitors

3-12: 1 percent

13-17: 9 percent

18-34: 44 percent

35-49: 28 percent

50 or older: 17 percent

Education of Twitter visitors

No college: 44 percent

College graduate: 42 percent

Graduate school: 13 percent

LinkedIn

What it is: LinkedIn.com allows individuals to create business profiles, which tend to show up in Google searches. Professionals can connect at the site. Visitors post their resumes and other facts relevant to their business experiences. LinkedIn.com is used most during the week, with Web traffic declining during the weekends.

Approximate number of visitors per day: 1.7 million

Percentage of visitors who are female: 54 percent

Percentage of visitors who are male: 46 percent

Ages of LinkedIn visitors

3-12: 0 percent

13-17: 0 percent

18-34: 21 percent

35-49: 47 percent

50 or older: 32 percent

College education of LinkedIn visitors

No college: 19 percent

College graduate: 50 percent

Graduate school: 30 percent

Posted in Blog on