Social Media at Work » women

Women Spend 1.5 Hours More Time on Social Networking Sites Than Men

Tonia Ries — Thu, 29 Jul 2010 21:59:32 +0000

comScore, Inc. has released a global report on women’s online usage titled “Women on the Web: How Women are Shaping the Internet,” which provides an analysis of the female Internet user, highlighting key trends by Internet activity, worldwide region and digital channel.

The report found that social networking sites reach a higher percentage of women than men globally, with 75.8% of all women online visiting a social networking site in May 2010, versus 69.7% of men.

Additional findings:

Women demonstrate higher levels of engagement with social networking sites than men: they account for 47.9% of total unique visitors to the social networking category, but they spend significantly more time on social networking sites than men, with women averaging 5.5 hours per month compared to men’s 4 hours, demonstrating the strong engagement that women across the globe share with social sites.
Social networking’s reach among women is highest in Latin America, where it reached 94.1% of females online, and in North America where it reached 91% of females. Europe saw 85.6% of its female online population visit a social networking site in May 2010, while Asia Pacific reported a 54.9% reach.

Click here to download a copy of the report. (Registration required)

39% of Women Reported to be Facebook Addicts

Tonia Ries — Tue, 13 Jul 2010 22:12:51 +0000

Lightspeed Research, on behalf of the Oxygen Media Insights Group, surveyed a nationally representative sample of 1,605 U.S. adults who use social media. According to reports on the survey–we have not been able to find the actual report itself–39% of women 18-34 are now self-proclaimed “Facebook addicts.”

We’re not sure how the researchers defined “Facebook addicts,” but, according to the media reports, 57% of women social network users report talking to people online more than face-to-face, while 34% say checking Facebook is the first thing they do in the morning.

48% of all respondents now claim to get more news through Facebook than from traditional news outlets. 57% said they ‘talk’ more on Facebook than they do in person.

More in these stories from Media Post and Computerworld.

50% of U.S. Women are Fans or Followers of Grocery, Health/Beauty, Household Product Brands or Stores

Tonia Ries — Tue, 18 May 2010 13:38:50 +0000

iVillage and SheSpeaks have released a joint an report, “Women and the Digital Path to Purchase, based on an online survey of random sample of women from the SheSpeaks panel, fielded in March 31-April 2, 2010, in which 1,581 U.S. women participated. The research studied the impact of different digital marketing tactics on women’s in-store purchase behavior.

Facebook was the most-visited web site among respondents, with 81% saying that they had visited Facebook in the past month.

The researchers found that 50% of women are fans or followers of grocery, health/beauty or household product brands and the stores that carry them. They are more likely to follow brands than retailers: 36% follow a food/beverage brand, 32% follow a health/beauty brand and 25% follow a household product brand, compared with 19% who follow a superstore via social media.

When asked about top purchase influences, 19% cited posts from friends on Facebook or Twitter, and 11% cited posts from brands are. Blogs, by comparison, are a top influence for 33% of respondents. Consumer reviews on shopping sites are a top influence for 61% of respondents. Facebook and Twitter posts from friends were most influential among women in their 20’s, with 26% citing them as being “most influential.”

Women are 77% more likely to look for products and 67% more likely to purchase them in a store after reading online reviews on a community forum or message board.

Read the full report (PDF).

How Women Engage With Brands on Social Games

Tonia Ries — Fri, 26 Feb 2010 00:36:24 +0000

A study from Q Interactive and Social Media World Forum of more than 2,000 women in November of 2009 found them actively engaging with brands while social media gaming.

97% of women prefer to earn virtual currency through either winning more or accepting a branded offer – versus paying for it with “real” money
Only one in ten women have actually used “real” money to purchase virtual currency; of that, 85% have spent under $100 in their gaming and aping activities – ever
Of women who have signed up for branded offers to get more virtual currency, 67% found the offer useful
3% of those women chose the branded offers based on “content”; 17% went for offers with free products or services

The press release for the study is here.

A follow up study in February, 2010 from Q Interactive and Engage! Expo reveals insight into the psychology of social media gaming women, the largest demographic of social media users. That study of over 700 women, about 54% of which play daily and 30% weekly, investigates a range of viewpoints around salient social media gaming topics.

See details from both studies, which look at the psychology, attitudes and behaviors associated with social gaming among women, at MediaPost.

One-third of Americans Update Status at Least Weekly

Tonia Ries — Thu, 21 Jan 2010 02:29:59 +0000

The latest Forrester Research Social Technographics report shows that one in every three online Americans is a “Conversationalist,” someone who updates their status on a social networking site such as Facebook or posts updates on Twitter at least once weekly. Conversationalists are younger than the average adult consumer — 56% female, with household incomes slightly above average and more likely than other social classifications to hold a college degree.

Only about 17% of U.S. adults don’t participate in online social media, and 59% of online consumers participate in social networks about once monthly.

Older adults have begun to adopt social networks at a much more rapid pace. Age had historically been the best predictor for whether people participate in social activities, but this is not the case any longer.

More details at Forrester Groundswell.

Social networks drive brand participation among women

Tonia Ries — Mon, 04 Jan 2010 15:11:56 +0000

According to a new edition of the SheSpeaks “Annual Social Media Study,” social networking profile penetration climbed from 58% of Internet users in 2008 to 86% in 2009. 80% of female Internet users said they had become a fan of a product or brand on a social network. In addition, 72% had learned about a new product or brand, or joined a group around one. Respondents to the study were less likely to participate in product- and brand-related activities via Twitter. One-half of female Internet users had brought a product because of a social network, a dramatic increase over 2008, and 40% had used a coupon code found on Twitter or Facebook. More details at eMarketer.

Women age 25 to 54 more prone to 'Cyberdisinhibition'

Tonia Ries — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 23:57:36 +0000

Exhibiting what is now known as “cyberdisinhibition,” Web users are more likely to feel able to meet new people or be empowered to do something they wanted to. New research from Euro RSCG Worldwide finds that more than any other demographic, females ages 25 to 54 are the most likely to let loose online. They are also more likely to “lash out” on the Web when they have something to say about a company or brand. One-fifth of Internet users — including almost one-quarter of men — had done so, according to Euro RSCG Worldwide. Article at MediaPost.

Women dominate the more social social networks

Tonia Ries — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 01:46:40 +0000

Research by Royal Pingdom confirms the trend. It shows that most of the networks that could be considered to be ’social’ in the real sense of the word – Facebook, Twitter, MySpace and Bebo have a user base that’s 50%+ female. Networks that are arguably much more functional in the sense that you save or tag articles – Reddit and Digg by comparison have more of a male bias.

The chart below shows more detail. All in all, 53% of users across the 19 sites were female and 47% were male.

Research by Royal Pingdom confirms that most of the networks that could be considered to be ’social’ in the real sense of the word – Facebook, Twitter, MySpace and Bebo – have a user base that’s 50%+ female. Networks that are arguably much more functional in the sense that you save or tag articles – Reddit and Digg by comparison have more of a male bias. All in all, 53% of users across the 19 sites were female and 47% were male. Details and chart at socialmediatoday.

Women more active on social networks; Facebook dominates

Tonia Ries — Tue, 08 Sep 2009 13:51:09 +0000

Q Interactive and ad:tech Chicago surveyed 1000 women and found that 54% of the women visit social networking sites at least once daily, and 75% of those women admit they are more active on networks now than they were one year ago. About 66.4% say they use Facebook, followed by MySpace at 16.3%, Twitter at 3.1%, and LinkedIn at 1.4%. 52% have friended at least one brand, but the results on advertising influence are mixed. Details at MediaPost.

What women want from social sites

Tonia Ries — Tue, 18 Aug 2009 19:02:01 +0000

Women who are core social network users were surveyed in “The Power of Social Networking For Women Research Study” from female-oriented social networking site ShesConnected. Respondents were heavy users of social networks: 59% reported visiting such sites multiple times per day, with a further 14% logging on daily. 83% are on Facebook, 73% on LinkedIn and 55% on Twitter. More details about their attitudes toward social networking at eMarketer.