(3 October 2009 4:45 pm)

MUMBAI: Time spent on social networking and blogging sites accounted for 17 per cent of all time spent on the internet in August this year, reveals the latest Nielsen report.

This is, according to the report, nearly triple the percentage of time spent on the sector a year ago.

Nielsen’s online division VP media and agency insights Jon Gibs says, “This growth suggests a wholesale change in the way the internet is used. 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.”

Online display ad spending on top social network sites more than doubles in August 2009: Year-over-year, estimated online advertising spend on the top social network and blogging sites increased 119 per cent, from approximately $49 million in August 2008 to approximately $108 million in August 2009. The share of estimated spend on these sites has also grown, increasing from a seven per cent share of total online ad spend in August 2008 to a 15 per cent share in August 2009.

While several industries decreased their overall online ad spend year-over-year in August, spending on the top social network sites increased across the board. The entertainment industry led in growing its online ad dollars, increasing ad spending on the top social network sites by 812 per cent in August. Travel advertisers followed suit, increasing their ad spend on these sites by 364 per cent.

Gibs adds, "In the past, advertisers had significant concerns with social media advertising. The considerable increases we’ve seen in ad spending over the past year suggest that many of these concerns have subsided or been addressed. In particular, advertisers that want to connect with core fan bases, such as movie studios, are allocating more and more dollars to online communities like Facebook and MySpace, where they can engage in an ongoing dialog with their target market."

Facebook.com Draws Advertisers in Most Industries : The growth of social networking sites has been fueled in part by the explosive growth of Facebook, and it is to this site that many industries head when planning their online ad dollars. In August 2009, Facebook was the number one `social networking site advertised on by 10 of the 13 industries when ranked by display ad impressions, while Myspace.com led in the other three industries.