Nielsen has come out with a study showing the solidification of the use of online social media sites for internet users.  It’s fully become part of the online culture.  No surprise.  Some interesting stats nevetheless…

Two thirds on the WORLD’S online population regularly visit social networking sites, taking up 10% of time online

This shows me that concepts such as information research and retrieval are now socialized.  People’s first point of reference may be the communities that they are a part of.  Search, in many cases, will come second.  We could end up becoming each other’s search engines.  

Virtual companies will proliferate, especially with this economic downturn.  In many cases, companies that lay off workers will soon find that they will be in competition with those same workers.  And it won’t be that former employees will be doing this as a last resort.  They may find transitions easier that before.

Understanding customers will become more contextual, but not necessarily less demographic.  The latter will depend on the products and services.  That’s because many times communities will be based upon demographics.  Ergo, often context and demographics will be for all intents and purporses, the same thing.

80% of online Brazilians take part in online communities

Portuguese, as a language, is the new Spanish/Chinese/Hindi.  Remember that.

Time spent on social network and blogging sites is growing at over 3x the rate of overall Internet growth

Personal online video use will become all the more important over the next three years as people will want to go beyond tweets and blog comments.

People will get most of their news and opinion anayles via online communities - not necessarily a good thing.  Little diversity of opinion.

Time spent on site/per page will in many cases take precedence over amount of page views.

Usage of social media sites are growing faster for those over 40.

With usage up amongst those over 40, marketing companies will need to understand the many segments that makeup these people.  And there are a lot of segments.  Many agencies, both traditional and new media, don’t get this.