So the Nielsen report is out and people are spending more time than ever on Facebook. In fact, 87 million visitors in the month of June spent an average of 4 hours and 39 minutes on the site. Out of the top 10 web brands, Facebook now ranks #1 in time spent beating out Yahoo!, AOL, and Google. So what is it that people are doing on Facebook?
Communicating like they never have before. I think more than ever people are beginning to use Facebook as a viable , interchangeable communication tool similar to email, text messages or instant messaging. Everyone is there. All in one place and just a couple of clicks away. Why go back and forth sending several emails when Facebook can easily be used to share thoughts, pictures, links and other information within seconds? I am also starting to see many of my business contacts use Facebook as a place to connect not only for personal use, but also for business related use. And like it or not, the new Facebook layout has made this easier. Comments are all over the place, often times leading to further conversation. Think about it – you see that your best client just got back from a vacation in Alaska and posted pictures on Facebook. You have a meeting next week and already you have a great conversation starter. Maybe you have already commented on some of the photos and exchanged wall posts.
The bottom line is this: Facebook is doing more than just drawing a huge number of users that spend a ton of time each month on the site. It’s changing the way we communicate. Possibly forever. What do you think? Do you agree?
I agree! I have been amazed by the interaction with people and business opportunity that facebook has created for me. I thought it was just for the younger generation when I was invited to join. I was very wrong. Interesting changes in the way we all communicate. Thank you, it is a pleasure to keep with the lastest through your insights and blog.
[...] derekmcclain wrote an interesting post today on<b>Facebook</b> is Changing Online Communication Forever, Right? « D <b>…</b>Here’s a quick excerpt [...]