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Snapshot of Top Social Networking Sites, March 2009
The following provides an overview of the top social networking sites, including a brief description, major markets served, number of reported registered users, screenshot of the profile page, and global Alexa Page Ranking for the top ten sites. Alexa rankings are made based on Web traffic data from Alexa’s browser toolbars and integrated sidebars.
Markets Served: Global
Year Founded: 2004
Active Users: Nearly 200M
Global Alexa Page Ranking: 5
Facebook is the largest and fastest-growing online social networking site in the world. In addition to its large audience, Facebook also has some of the most sophisticated advertising tools at the time of this book’s publication. Advertisers can take advantage of features like hypertargeting to focus campaigns on very specific audience segments and feeds to promote word-of-mouth marketing.
Figure A.1 Facebook, the biggest online social network.
MySpace
Markets Served: Global, especially United States, Canada, Europe
Year Founded: 2003
Active Users: 110M
Global Alexa Page Ranking: 7
MySpace, owned by Fox Interactive Media, is a popular social networking site among teens and adults around the world. MySpace is well known as a media and entertainment destination. Many musicians, comedians, filmmakers, and other celebrities have profiles on MySpace to promote their work and connect with fans. Similar to Facebook, MySpace has sophisticated advertiser tools that offer hypertargeting capabilities.
Figure A.2 MySpace, the leading online social network for media and entertainment.
Hi5
Markets Served: Global, especially non-U.S. countries like Portugal, Cyprus, Romania, and many Latin American markets
Year Founded: 2003
Active Users: 60M
Global Alexa Page Ranking: 17
Hi5 is a popular and fast-growing social networking site with a strong following outside of the United States. Early on, Hi5 aggressively pursued audiences in Latin America, Europe, and Asia by translating its site into 23 languages. Internationalization continues to be a core part of Hi5’s strategy.1
1. Image could not be included at the time of publication.
Friendster
Markets Served: Global, especially Asia
Year Founded: 2002
Active Users: 60M
Global Alexa Page Ranking: 42
Friendster was a pioneer in online social networking, establishing a strong foothold in the United States and other major markets as early as 2003. It has since been overtaken by Facebook and MySpace in many English-speaking countries but remains very strong in Asia. For example, it is the #1 social network in Singapore, Malaysia, and Indonesia. According to Friendster, in Asia, it is more than double the size of any other social network.
Figure A.3 Friendster, an early pioneer in online social networking. Today, it is the most popular social network in Asia.
Tagged
Markets Served: Mostly teenagers
Year Founded: 2004
Registered Users: 70M (no data available on number of active users)
Global Alexa Page Ranking: 99
Tagged is a newer social networking site that was designed with special consideration for teenagers. For example, profiles of anyone under 16 are blocked from view by members over 18. Tagged encourages brand advertising through contests and sweepstakes, as well as polls, home page ads, and sponsored profiles. Most Tagged members are in the United States, although it is also generating a strong following in international markets, including Qatar, Kuwait, and Kenya.
Figure A.4 Tagged, a newer social networking site meant for teens.
Orkut
Markets Served: Primarily Brazil, Paraguay, and India
Year Founded: 2004
Active Users: 25M
Global Alexa Page Ranking: 76
Orkut, owned by Google, started out as an invitation-only social network that gained early traction among the technology community. Orkut was open to the public in October 2006. It has become the most popular social networking site in Brazil, Paraguay, and India. In fact, in 2008 Google decided to relocate Orkut management and operations to Brazil to better concentrate on these markets.
Figure A.5 Orkut is the most popular social network in Brazil, Paraguay, and India.
Bebo
Markets Served: Primarily United Kingdom, Ireland, New Zealand, and Pacific Islands
Year Founded: 2005
Active Users: 22M
Global Alexa Page Ranking: 97
Bebo, owned by AOL, is a popular social networking site in select international markets including Ireland and New Zealand. It has followed MySpace’s strategy of creating a platform to promote media and entertainment. For example, the Bebo Open Media Platform allows content providers to distribute media to the Bebo community.
Figure A.6 Bebo is a popular social networking site in Ireland, New Zealand, Pacific Islands, and the United Kingdom. Bebo and the Bebo logo are trademarks of Bebo, Inc. AOL and the AOL Triangle Logo are registered trademarks of AOL LLC. Used with permission.
Markets Served: Professional
Year Founded: 2003
Active Users: 23M
Global Alexa Page Ranking: 190
LinkedIn is the biggest business social networking site. Over two-thirds of its 30 million registered users are active on the site. In addition to its free social networking service, LinkedIn offers premium paid corporate solutions for recruiters to access profiles of potential job candidates.
Figure A.7 LinkedIn is the leading professional social network.
Xanga
Markets Served: Mostly teenagers, especially popular in Asian markets like Hong Kong
Year Founded: 1998
Registered Users: 40M (active user numbers not available)
Global Alexa Page Ranking: 319
Xanga is one of the oldest social networking sites and still one of the most popular social networks in Asia. Blogs, including weblogs, photoblogs, audioblogs, and videoblogs, are at the center of Xanga profiles. Recently, Xanga growth seems to have flatlined due to competition from newer social networking sites as well as blog hosting sites like TypePad and Blogger.2
2. Image could not be included at the time of publication.
Xiaonei 
Markets Served: China
Year Founded: 2005
Active Users: 9M
Global Alexa Page Ranking: 165
Xiaonei, which has a very similar look and feel to Facebook, is the biggest social network in China. Xiaonei is officially sanctioned by the Chinese government, which in contrast has frowned upon citizens submitting personal information to American social networking sites like Facebook. Following the strict Internet policies of the Chinese government, Xiaonei members are required to register with their actual names and identities, and are liable for any content they post.3
In addition to these more detailed overviews of the top ten social networks, the following table provides quick stats on the remaining top twenty social networking sites.
Table A.1 OTHER POPULAR SOCIAL NETWORKING SITES, IN ALPHABETICAL ORDER
3. Image could not be included at the time of publication.