MySpace Claims 80% Share of Growing Social Networking Web

By Loren Baker, Editor | March 16, 2007

MySpace enjoys an overwhelming 80.74% share of the ever-expanding social web (in the US) according to a report released by Hitwise this week.

The share of total Internet visits to the Top 20 Social Networking sites grew 11.5% from January to February 2007, leaving social networking with a total Internet marketshare of 6.5%.

MySpace and Facebook usage grew at around 10% for each property and according to the study, other niche social networks are also packing on the new users;

“While MySpace is still by far the dominant social networking website, sites like Buzznet and iMeem are succeeding in building communities around music and other media” said LeeAnn Prescott, director of research at Hitwise. “The social networking category will continue to grow as new sites emerge with unique offerings.”

Yahoo! is listed under Yahoo! 360, which enjoys a .72% share of the Social Networking space according to Hitwise, but with Yahoo! Answers now becoming a social network, with its 18 million US based users, I wonder how that will influence the new study.

Here are the Top 20 US Social Networking sites and their respected US market shares:

Top 20 Social Networking Sites