More crowded last year

Share of US visits to social-networking sites increased 7 percent in June 2008 from May but decreased 19 percent year-over-year. The social-network category averages about 6 percent of all US site visits this summer — or 11 percent more than other months in 2008, reports MarketingCharts.

MySpace.com received 71.92 percent of the market share of US visits in June 2008 among Hitwise's custom category of 57 of the leading social-networking websites. Facebook ranked second with 16.91 percent, followed by MyYearbook, which received 1.54 percent.

MyYearbook recorded the largest gain in market share in June 2008 among the top five visited websites, increasing 318 percent compared with June 2007. Tagged and Facebook followed, increasing 45 percent and 40 percent, respectively.

Below, other findings issued by Hitwise.

Seasonality of Social Networks

Social networking websites see an increase in visits during the summer months (as reported in June).

So far this summer, the social networking category is averaging about 6 percent of US visits, which is up 11 percent compared with the other months in 2008. The trend was the same in 2007, up 16 percent in summer - and up 10 percent in 2006.

MySpace Top in Average Time Spent

In June 2008, the average time spent among all social networking websites was 27 minutes and 34 seconds, or an increase of 9 percent compared with June 2007.

Among the top 5 most-visited websites, MySpace led, with its users spending an average of 31 minutes and 12 seconds on the website.

Facebook recorded the largest growth in average time spent, increasing 41 percent in June 2008, to 21 minutes and 6 seconds, from 14 minutes and 56 seconds in June 2007.

UK Figures

In the UK, Facebook.com accounted for 45.29 percent of UK Internet visits to social networking sites during June - a 188 percent increase compared with a year ago.

Bebo.com, which was the market leader last year, was second with a market share of 25.04 percent. MySpace.com ranked third with a market share of 14.75 percent.

Combined, the "big 3" social networks accounted for over 85 percent of UK internet visits to the category in June 2008.