It’s amazing to think just a few short years ago the “interweb” was abuzz with the dominance of FriendsterFriendster reviews[img src="http://static1.blippr.com/images/inline-face_03.png?1237798206" caption="" credit="" alt="Friendster reviews"], YouTubeYouTube reviews[img src="http://static1.blippr.com/images/inline-face_05.png?1237798206" caption="" credit="" alt="YouTube reviews"] was a simple beta test of cat videos, and the word tweet was only used to describe the sound of a bird. Changes to the social web continue to accelerate, with new generations joining the party and new platforms changing the way we communicate. Few have grown to capture as much mindshare as Facebook.
What started as a place for students to socialize is now a cross-generational, location-agnostic meeting place that at once keeps us in touch with our second grade buddies, distant relatives and closest friends. But just how prominent is FacebookFacebook reviews[img src="http://static1.blippr.com/images/inline-face_05.png?1237798206" caption="" credit="" alt="Facebook reviews"] in our culture? We've gathered together a number of metrics that illustrate the growth and cultural saturation Facebook currently enjoys.
This post is part of Mashable’s Facebook Week. To discuss everything Facebook, join our authors and community at Mashable's Facebook Page.
Facebook's Growth
There are now nearly one billion search results for "Facebook" on GoogleGoogle reviews[img src="http://static1.blippr.com/images/inline-face_07.png?1237798206" caption="" credit="" alt="Google reviews"]. To put that into perspective: there are almost three search results for every man, woman, and child in America.
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While all metrics firms vary slightly on just how many visitors and visits Facebook gets, one thing is consistent; it is gaining traffic and users in dramatic fashion. According to Quantcast, Facebook added over 23,000,000 users in less than 6 months.
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It stands to reason that this growth would be reflected across outlets other than the site itself. For instance, on average there are nearly 7,000 new blog posts per day containing a mention of Facebook and 47,000 new posts per week according to IceRocket; and that doesn’t count the proliferation of share buttons steadily infiltrating sites across the world.
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To put the blog buzz into perspective, Facebook and Obama are often neck and neck in frequency and velocity of blog mentions.
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Mentions of Facebook on Twitter
On Twitter, Facebook is mentioned in nearly 27,000 Tweets a day. That’s more than 1,200 tweets per hour, 20 per minute, or a tweet every 3 seconds.
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To use Obama as a contrast to Facebook buzz on TwitterTwitter reviews[img src="http://static1.blippr.com/images/inline-face_07.png?1237798206" caption="" credit="" alt="Twitter reviews"], there are often more daily tweets about the social platform than the new president.
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As a Twitter user, Facebook has managed to gain nearly 36,000 followers, which is amazing considering they follow five, and tweet an average of twice a day.
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Facebook in the News
Facebook and Twitter have been darlings in the media as of late, with no shortage of news coverage coming their way. As you can see below, if you combine the coverage of each, the two have been receiving more coverage than Iraq in recent weeks.
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Popular Facebook Apps
Despite Facebook recently de-emphasizing the app platform, the application function still features Facebook games and add-ons with hundreds of thousands of users. Here is a mashup of some popular applications, showing that it's still possible to have an active user count ending in "million". (Public users only)
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More Facebook resources from Mashable:
- HOW TO: Build Your Personal Brand on Facebook
- The Anatomy of a Facebook Meme
- 5 Tips for Optimizing Your Brand's Facebook Presence