UK Social Networking Participation Was Highest In Europe In August

UK participation in social networking usage was the highest in Europe in August, with 24.9 million unique visitors – 78% of the total UK online population – now belonging to the country’s social networking community.

The European social networking community stood at 127.3 million unique visitors in August – reaching 56% of the European online population.

comScore said that usage of social networking sites in the UK proved heavier than the European average in terms of hours spent, pages viewed, and the number of visits per month.

The average visitor to social networking sites in the UK spent 5.8 hours per month on those sites in August and made 23.3 visits.

Heavy users of social networking sites in the UK (defined as being the most active 20% of the social networking community by time spent social networking), spent a substantial amount of time viewing social networking content in August, devoting 22 hours per person to their favourite social networking sites and making 71 visits.

Bob Ivins, EVP of international Markets at comScore, said: “This study reveals the importance of looking beyond averages if one is to clearly understand the characteristics of the key segments that make up the users of social networking sites. Averages provide a valuable summary of the behaviour of visitors to European social networking sites, but as the segmentation of this audience shows, there is a lot more that smart media planners need to know.

“As an example, about eighty percent of all online activity at Social Networking sites can be attributed to only 20% of visitors. Using comScore Segment Metrix, marketers can define consumers behaviourally across the full range of 110 categories reported in the comScore World Metrix service and identify the best sites for reaching the desired segment across the web – making media and promotion plans more targeted, efficient and effective.”

comScore: www.comscore.com