Americans Have Tripled The Amount Of Time On Social Networks

If you still aren't convinced that social media is here to stay consider the following figures from a recent Nielsen study:

"Americans have nearly tripled the amount of time they spend at social networking and blog sites such as Facebook and MySpace from a year ago, according to a new report from The Nielsen Company.  In August 2009, 17 percent of all time spent on the Internet was at social networking sites, up from 6 percent in August 2008.

"This growth suggests a wholesale change in the way the Internet is used," said Jon Gibs, vice president, media and agency insights, Nielsen's online division. "While video and text content remain central to the Web experience - the desire of online consumers to connect, communicate and share is increasingly driving the medium's growth."

It makes me think about the impact that email had on the way we communicated. When email first arrived it was the killer app that fundamentally changed the way we communicate with our friends and business associates. The same thing has happened with social media as more and more people are abandoning their email inbox for social network messages, instant messages and text messages.

Not only are your potential clients hanging out online but they've also changed the way they communicate.