Facebook now a major source of traffic to media sites

 

Facebook is becoming a very important distributor of news content on the web. According to new data from online research company Hitwise it has now risen to become the fourth most popular sources of news behind Google, Yahoo! and MSN.

The social networking site overtook Google news last year (which is responsible for 1.38 % of visits to news and media sites last month) and now accounts for 3.5% of new traffic as opposed to just 1% a year ago.

Malorie Lucich, a spokeswoman for Facebook, blogged: "As news quickly travels, your friends are often the best filters you have for surfacing meaningful news. Whether it's a minor event like the small earthquake in the Bay Area or something as life-altering as the recent tragedy in Haiti, you can turn to Facebook to share news, connect with news outlets and discuss current events with others. The news you read on Facebook can be as diverse as the friends and news media you connect with."

Heather Hopkins, senior online analyst, Hitwise, predicts that the site could become even more influential as time goes by: "Facebook could be a major disruptor to the news and media category. And with the Wall Street Journal already publishing content to Facebook, perhaps the social network can avoid the run-ins that Google has suffered recently with Rupert Murdoch."

According to Brand Republic Facebook is also reported to be looking to offer publishers a variety of analytics that are not available to search engines. One of the new key metrics could be engagement which would show time spent on the site and level of interaction with other users. Advertising agencies increasingly see engagement as a more pertinent measurement of a site's popularity than page views or unique users.

Name
Email
Website
Enter above code

Comment