Upcoming social network Pinterest just entered the US Top 50 list of web properties compiled by ComScore. If you break down the list into social networks operated by the owners, an interesting Top 10 list of social networks emerges. Google is the king of the web and unsurprisingly comes out on top. When will Yahoo! unfold the potential of Flickr? And for how long will Amazon, AOL, Apple and Microsoft (albeit an early Facebook investor) be absent from the social media landscape?
Facebook, Twitter and Google+ are the podium of social media. But this is how it looks like when you list the social networks based on traffic numbers of their mother companies:
- Google+ (Google Sites)
- Flickr (Yahoo!)
- Facebook
- YouTube (VEVO)
- LinkedIn
- Twitter
- Tumblr
- Instagram
- MySpace
- Pinterest
What this list illuminates, of course, is the potential of Google+ and Flickr. The absence of some very big players in the game. And the strength of LinkedIn, Twitter, Tumblr, etc. as “stand alone” destinations. Several of them attractive properties (like Instagram, who have already been eaten). Will the future consist of a plethora of segmented networks or a concentrated handful of preferred services?
And – the big question is – when will the Asian social media go global with English language versions?
To complete the Top 10 list I have added YouTube based on the VEVO traffic for “illustration purposes”. Properly, it should of course been a part of the Google Sites. I have omitted Last.fm operated by CBS Interactive. Eventually, Facebook and Instagram should be merged.
[Blog post inspired by Noel Bellen using Google Reader on Google+]
