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Twitter Now Growing at a Staggering 1,382 Percent
by 448 
Maybe it’s Jimmy Fallon’s integration of it into his new TV show, Shaq’s use of it to interact in real-life with fans, or blog’s ability to write about it non-stop, but one way or another, Twitter’s growth just continues to explode.
The latest numbers from Nielsen Online indicate that Twitter grew 1,382% year-over-year in February, registering a total of just more than 7 million unique visitors in the US for the month. Not only is that huge growth in one year, but in one month as well, as in January, Twitter.com clocked in with 4.5 million unique visitors in the US, meaning the service grew by more than 50 percent month-over-month.
Elsewhere in the social networking space, Facebook continued to widen its lead on MySpace, with a total of 65.7 million unique visitors versus 54.1 million for its increasingly distant competitor. Meanwhile, the recently re-launched Bebo, which now plays in the social networking aggregation game, is showing some promise, growing 40 percent from last year to register a total of nearly 3.2 million US visitors in February.
The competition that most are now focused on, however, is that between Facebook and Twitter. While Facebook remains several orders of magnitude bigger, its recent move to a real-time homepage and its overhaul of Facebook Pages is seen by many as a move to thwart Twitter’s continued growth. It will be a few months until this shows up in the numbers and gives us some sort of indication as to whether or not that strategy is working, but for now, both networking sites are enjoying tremendous growth. The full report is embedded below:
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Facebook will still outlast surely – but twitter will always have its dedicated group of followers… and with celebrities endorsing it, it’s getting more mainstream as well. I know by taking a look at the tweets from http://www.tweetizen.com/ how hundreds of new twitter users are joining and tweeting about how much they are enjoying this 140 characters or less idea.
What will give twitter the push will be when blogs and websites can embed tweets (not just theirs, but tweets from a topic/group) – and we’re working on releasing that this week.
I agree Pallian.
My tweets are are already outposted from my blog to twitter, so I have no real reason to go on Twitter to much. But, even though my tweets are autoposted to Facebook from Twitter, I still go on Facebook to tend to groups, add videos etc.
I love them both.
Does that include traffic not made directly through the site? Say, through Twitter apps? I know my Analytics doesn't voluntarily track inbound links if they're made through an app and not Twitter.com.
P.S. Facebook is so 2008 ;)
I said SXSW ’08 put it on the map for me & convinced it was gonna be HUGE. I agree with the Jimmy Fallon notoriety, etc…that growth is crazy. I think the numbers are going to continue exploding especially after SXSW. just look at some of the big names that got active this past week like @jonahhill @realsethrogen @311_nick. Let’s call it the SXSW Effect.
Adam, I think you got it right about Twitter’s growth being a result of the “main stream” celebrities embracing Twitter. That coupled with the fact that local news anchors are talking about how they are now “twittering” and even Entertainment Tonight is running commercials about how people can connect with them on Twitter.
What will be interesting to see is how this all shakes out after the novelty of this Twitter explosion wears off. There is a large number of registered users now but no one knows how these new users are actually using the service and what value they add to the community. If a million people register so they can see what Barack Obama and Ashton Kutcher have to say, does that do anything to increase the power of Twitter? Does that increase the value of Twitter and make it more worthwhile than when it was just the geeks trying to connect with Leo Laporte?
A lot of people get hung up on numbers and get hung up on quantities. I however, try to focus on the quality of a network and the quality of the users in that network. Sure the fact that you can pad your stats and get tons of followers looks good, or the fact that Twitter can pad the number of registered users looks good, but what value does that add to the community?
In addition, the increase in Twitter users has brought about the huge increase in the number of people who solely use the service to broadcast their agenda as a “guru”, “consulting genius”, and the like. That is already frustrating me and I’m sure it is frustrating a lot of other people.
Bigger doesn’t necessarily mean better and I don’t want to see Twitter become so saturated with junk from the big Twitter boom of 2009 that we have to start looking to another service as a safe haven to escape the spam marketers and the people who only care about what Britney Spears had for breakfast.
I know this is a bit of a rant but I like Twitter and I don’t want to see it go down the wrong path.
Jason – thewebmix.com
I think all the celebs will make it a bit like an RSS reader for lots of people. As opposed to subscribing to blogs or news sites, they’re “following” their favorite celebrities and brands, and might just be somewhat passive users in terms of actually tweeting stuff.
I think you totally nailed it right there. Twitter = celebrity rss reader. I think I’m now feeling a bit nauseous.
Testify! Yesterday, got my friend @Granny_Gina to sign up. Today, started a Google search for ACN to investigate for scam and quickly realized I should just do a Twitter Search! Found the info and live bodies to ask within seconds! Also bought advertising at http://featuredusers.com API site. No wonder the growth is so amazing! I'm in love with Twitter! <3 <3 <3
Bands on MySpace are starting to open Twitter accounts and embedding their feeds on their homepages. For examples, Ryan Tedder’s One Republic, one of MySpace’s biggest success stories: http://www.myspace.com/onerepublic
Stunning growth, but the Facebook response calls for a sound strategy and business model for their sake. Twitter Connect?
To me it is not just the sheer amount of growth Twitter is experiencing but how it has penetrated so many facets of our culture. Of course Internet marketing and social media professionals are into it, but we have various famous people including entertainers and athletes (Shaq) actors (Rainn Wilson from The Office, Wil Wheaton) and comedians (Jimmy Fallon) twittering along with the media outlets reaching people with news and people staying connected with and keeping tabs on friends. Twitter is a whole new mode of communication, not just a social media site.
massive growth but they are still not making big bucks, i just posted a possible business model for twitter here http://techdisruption.wordpress.com/
wow insane growth…still isn’t mainstream yet either…i’d buy that stock if they went public!
Once people “get” Twitter, they understand that it’s not about tweeting what you had for lunch, but about sharing incredible news, networks and resources with lightening speed. (Inexplicably, while much is made of mundane tweets, little is said about the ample amount of silliness that also takes place on facebook….)
The staggering growth of both social networks is well deserved due to the positive role each is playing in connecting people and communities. Both are making brands, as well as people, far more transparent, connected and social than ever before.
Each network, however, is distinct in the character of its communication. Despite facebook’s attempt to mimic Twitter with real-time messaging, it still doesn’t match Twitter’s unique way of messaging to a global community without filters. I’m a fan of both networks, but still find Twitter to be the better resource for trend tracking, news watching, and getting information instantly on a wide range of topics.
Every time a major news story is broken first on Twitter and another flock of new twitterers appears, we are reminded of a major difference between the two networks. I hope they both continue to grow and learn to connect better together.
http://Twitter.com/TrendTracker
TrendTracker on Facebook: http://bit.ly/T1dH0
Facebook’s overhauling of their pages is really a reaction to the growing Twitter phenomenon. Here’s my hypothesis why Twitter is growing so fast…
It’s the closest thing to human thought in the world–I mean, we don’t think in huge chunks of info, we think in quick random thoughts, in snippets. 140 characters, anyone?
Hence the appeal, the hypnotic quality of sometime that mimics the workings of the human brain. Twitter is as close to telepathy as we can get. And the world are craving for anonymous mind-readers to get intimate. We live in a cold, cold world.
It should be “What Are You Thinking?”, not “What Are You Doing?”
you might be onto something … Facebook seems to be thinking along the same lines and now asks “what’s on your mind?”
I wrote a bit about the psychological underpinnings of Twitter in a blog post at http://budurl.com/7sxn , long before Techcrunch talked about mining the “Thought Stream”. I hypothesize that Twitter can become a mind control tool and persuasion tool. It was pure speculation then, but there seems to be some credibility now.
Will really appreciate a look at it. Curious to know your (and your reader’s) thoughts. :) Thanks!
I have noticed much more activity on Twitter since the last few months, especially in the amount of real celebrity accounts – the actual celebrities Tweeting.
An excellent tool for “listening” and for establishing relationships with their customers….companies and brands that are utilyzing this new form of connection are ahead of the pack (and probably their competitors too).
Its great to see Twitter growing and I enjoy using it but I don't know if this rate of increase is resulting in twitter not being able to keep system stable. 2nd time in 6 weeks for me that I have lost tweets.
that's the only thing twitter does is short 140 messages and if they are losing them off users sites then it can only damage twitter in the long run!!!
Twitter is rocking and rolling. Go Twitter!!
oh~ Twitter is hot~ many friends are using Twitter and the age is wide, not only for youth! but when so many websites are providing same function, who will win? or will they integrate those together? It’s a interesting thing to observe.
This is staggering growth. Hope they can handle it
The next big social networking concept will be subject based social networks. It will allow companies to market to a targeted audience and allow people to join specific social groups.
Twitter, Facebook, & Myspace are paving the way for this new concept.
actually it is ONE order of magnitude (base 10).
I use both Twitter and facebook and love them both. They both have their purpose. I like the ability to cross post status updates. Until Twitter has the ability to manage groups, I don't think it will pass Facebook.
I’m going to putting together a post on my own blog about this, but I think that Twitter represents a seminal moment in the new “social networking bubble”. As with all bubbles, it started out slow, started gaining momentum with Myspace and YouTube, really picked up speed with Facebook, is starting to gain more speed with Linkedin, and is simply exploding on Twitter. I think that Twitter will be the thing that bursts the bubble. We already see Second Life deteriorating, and from my personal observation, Linkedin is far more quantity than quality (exactly the opposite of its charter) and will likely be the first major SN to be shunned by people. The only thing that will likely keep it alive is that people think they can use it to get a job.
A novice Twitter user myself, it seems more like unfiltered stream of consciousness to me. There is only so much of that I can take. And if people use it to follow brands and celebs, we’re talking hundreds of tweets per day to get through. And then you have to respond. And then check your e-mail. And then texts on your phone. Don’t forget to read your blogs too. There is just complete oversaturation of information. It reminds me of anytime you see a movie where someone acquires the power to read minds. Once he/she learns to control it, its okay, but the initial influx of thoughts nearly drives them crazy. Well, we really can’t turn it off so expect some more crazy people out there I guess.
Put up a longer post on my blog about this: http://bitterbetterideas.blogspot.com/2009/03/twitter-bitter-and-social-network.html
You really should go back to “order of magnitude” school. Not only is Facebook not “several orders of magnitude” larger than Twitter, technically it isn’t quite one order or magnitude larger. That would require 70 million unique visitors in February. Makes me wonder where else you took liberties with accuracy and truth.
I don’t think this is a great surprise to those who are on Twitter, it simply serves as a wake up and somewhat of a validation that twittering is not dithering …. there a genuine high-value connections and interactions being made throughout social media, but this one especially. Since joining the twitter conversation my facebook visitation has dropped off significantly.. I think what Twitter is offering is what I was looking for elsewhere.. now that I have found it, I will see where it leads me.
Wait till the tour de France this year when Lance Armstrong tweets his updates…. it will be super mainstream then.
@MatthewLoop on Twitter
Of course most social media, whether it’s dealing directing with social networking or user generated content, will compete with the next best idea or concept (Twitter). Such a small idea has taken off and attached itself on almost everyone’s phones, computer, laptops, etc. What everyone must keep in mind however, is what will keep generating and retaining the strongest user/member base? I recently found the social network, http://www.HopOnThis.com. They integrate a rewards program to keep members online and utilizing social networking functions. A prize closet is in place for members to exchange their points for cash, gift cards, and prizes. HoponThis, possibly the next best thing?
Wait till the tour de France this year when Lance Armstrong tweets his updates…. it will be super mainstream then.
@MatthewLoop on Twitter
Twitter is simply easier to use, and easier go gain friends/followers with in comparison to Facebook. Especially with all their recent changes, at least Twitter stays with their basic functionality, and not changing it up so often that you almost have to re-learn the service every couple of months.
I have just recently started using twitter and instantly I loved using it on my site to show visitors what I am working on for that day. It is a great way to share some information.
A 1,382% growth rate in one year is an amazing statistic. I’m also intrigued with the way Twitter is growing compared to Facebook. From my perspective Twitter is a much more engaging experience because the community is developing and using a variety of creative tools from the bottom up. Facebook (for me) is a more passive experience that is being developed from the top down.
I like Face book and Twitter for different reasons. On twitter, you can have a conversation with a stranger and become friends. You must be already friends to converse with someone on Face Book.
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The problem with most people is that they fallow hundreds of people on twitter and get lost in the stream on tweets. Here’s what i do.
Fallow people your interested in. Read there older tweets and see if its something you want to be reading.
For close friends and people you don’t want to miss there tweets. Put them on for device updates so you get there tweets to your phone. Its that simple.
Facebook is just a fad going on right now nothing will last forever and who knows maybe twitter is the new fad. You have to look at how americans think and that is we have A.D.D. we don’t love anything for too long.
Very very interesting post..I like this one. gotta bookmark this one.
Cheers,
Blog Review
Facebook really rocks… I love using it..
I also like twitter,my space and multiply..
Great post..
Internet marketing and social media professionals are into it, but we have various famous people including entertainers and athletes actorsand comedianstwittering along with the media outlets reaching people with news and people staying connected with and keeping tabs on friends.
It’s funny, my initial reaction was Twitter would be a flash in the pan. Yet it still grows at an astonishing rate.
Nope, it doesn’t, which is why I spelled out “Twitter.com” at one point in the article (I usually spell it out and got tired of doing so this month :-). So, these stats probably under-report a bit. Though, probably not that much … I use TweetDeck primarily, but still usually end up visiting Twitter’s website at least daily for one reason or another. Since it’s just measuring “unique visitors,” probably not that huge of an underrepresentation.
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Your e-mail is important to me and I will review it once I get back to the office. If you need to reach me immediately, please feel free to call me at (913) 712-9313 (if I don’t answer, please leave a message).
In the event I do not reply to request promptly, please nudge me. Sometime e-mails get sent to spam or lost.
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