For the first time, people spent more time on social-networking sites in February than they did e-mailing, according to a recent report from The Nielsen Co.

Whereas people's interests during the past six years were with such portal sites as shopping directories, guides, Internet tools and Web services, now people prefer more specialized content, the report found. That means more video and social-networking sites.

Some report highlights:

• There are 87 percent more social-media users now than there were in 2003 -- with people spending 883 percent more time on those sites.


• In the last year, time spent on social-networking sites grew by 73 percent.


• Marketers are being forced to adopt social networking. "In the age of Twitter, feedback barriers have all but disappeared, creating a near friction-free environment for playing back brand experience, campaign reactions or brand events," the report said. "Recent public cases involving Motrin, Amazon and Domino's show that marketers must be quick and savvy to react to these unprecedented channels of instant feedback."


• 30 percent of U.S. mobile subscribers recalled seeing some form of advertising on their mobile devices, up from 18 percent the year before.

Check out this video of Nielsen Online CEO John Burbank talking about the report:

Thoughts?

Andréa Maria Cecil is Managing Editor at the Central Penn Business Journal. She is a 30-year-old native New Orleanian who is obsessed with how gadgets and technology can make you more efficient.

Yes, I'm implying that "search" -- while the most effective web marketing platform available -- still isn't all that effective in a pure ROI sense. It's almost heretical to say, but search marketing isn't stand-alone. Big media branding buys are still required to shore up the search. People still need to be influenced on what, exactly, to search for. And that means there is hope for online display (and news sites profitability).