Mobilizing Social Networking Sites

JANUARY 26, 2007
'Gotta run, but we can stay connected.'
US and UK mobile phone users are starting to put their phones to work creating and uploading content to a variety of Web sites, and social networking sites are leading the way.

It may be far from a mainstream activity as yet, but according to Telephia, 4% of UK mobile users have already uploaded content created on their mobile phones to social networking sites, video- and picture-sharing sites, blogs and personal Web pages.

In fact, users are even finding ways to send content to sites that do not yet offer facilities to upload directly from mobiles, which suggests a strong latent demand for mobile to be integrated into the social networking world.

"Social networking sites have taken the Web by storm. Eighty-five percent of UK consumers are using text messaging to stay connected to their peers and more than 80 percent of new phones sold are camera phones," said Reza Chady of Telephia.

More to the point, Mr. Chady added, "Social networking in the UK will spread from the PC to the street in 2007."

Telephia's research in the UK suggests that MySpace is the site receiving content from the largest number of mobile consumers, with 21% of mobile uploaders saying that they have sent content there.

In the US, where a mobile version of MySpace is available on certain carriers, 6% of mobile users are uploading content to sites from their phones. But social networking sites dominate, with 32% of mobile uploaders putting content onto MySpace.

In both the US and UK, uploading content from the phone is most popular with younger consumers, with 15-to-24-year-olds leading the way.

For more information on developments in social networking, read eMarketer's Social Network Marketing: Ad Spending Update report.