Apparently Facebook has now topped Google as the most visited site in the US. This is a telling shift in how we view online content in today’s technological economy.
I think this sentiment probably sums it up best:
“It shows content sharing has become a huge driving force online,” said Matt Tatham, director of media relations at Hitwise. “People want information from friends they trust, versus the the anonymity of a search engine.”
Agreed. I can speak to this personally as I’ll open links from trusted sources 99 out of 100 times before I open a link from someone I don’t know.
Opportunity
But how does this apply to us in terms of online ministry? I think it’s simply another reminder that we have an unbelievable opportunity to speak into other people’s lives as we earn their trust.
Haven’t we been doing this already anyways? It’s a far better method to build a relationship and then earn the right and platform to speak into their lives than beat them over the head with a bible from the street corner.
Now we get to do this in the context of an online medium. Our opportunity couldn’t be greater.
PhillipGibb says
Well that’s what happens when there is so much to do in the Facebook website without having to leave.
Next thing for Google to do is to have portal browsing – viewing websites on the same page as the search results without leaving google.
dannyjbixby says
Word
Bill says
Comparing apples and oranges. Facebook and Google are side-by-side essential technologies. They can’t be measured in the same way, so the statistic is meaningless.
John Saddington says
um, i don’t agree completely. the point is first TRAFFIC. This is the currency of our online time.
second is “search.” people are using facebook to search for content. that enters google’s territory.
Stuart says
People are using facebook to search for content! Really?
Well I won’t becauseit is way too slow, the results are likely to be erroneous and why should I trust them just because…?
Picking another point yu made in the post that you are more likely to trust a link from a facebook user (implied read) then in my book that’s just a security nightmare.
dannyjbixby says
By “search for content” I didn’t read John as saying people used the facebook search function. I interpreted that as being they asked their friends.
It’s becoming more and more common to crowdsource searching in that fashion as opposed to using a search engine.
Stuart says
I considered that angle as well but the emphasis I saw was the other way.
It’s funny as I work for a high tech company with highly intelligent individuals all around me yet they’ll happily ask me or another colleague some random question when google would have been quicker, easier and probably more accurate.
danielcberman says
Traffic is a start, but in this attention starved economy the dynamic you also have to watch is time spent on site. Though the flip side of that, is that we still have not measured what people’s first inclination is when they want to find something. Do they do a market survey via Google and then use Facebook to check out what their friends think of it, or do they simply jump to Facebook right away?
Kyle Reed says
I just hate facebook so much, but it goes to show that is where people are at. Don’t know why they are there, but they are.
Nick Shoemaker says
Kyle- read through my notes on Jesse Rice’s closing remarks from MISE2010 (again). ๐
The reason people are there is because they, for the most part, simply must be there. It comes down to our deep desire to be wanted and needed and known. Facebook (and Twitter, et al) allow us to do this, but from the safety of our avatars.
Stuart says
Actually I find this aspect a little saddenning.
Sure FB might open up ministry avenues but to realise that FB had the majority of traffic, whilst good for FB, is in my book a telling stat that folks are wasting way too much time farmvilling or zombie fighting or … and from the 300 odd freinds / family I follow through FB I note that there is little sharing or ministry going on but it is very much about “look at me”.
Just my 2p.
Josh Miles says
One thing I’ve enjoyed with Facebook has been the events feature. I’ve been a part of several ministry opportunities, house concerts that were missional, and have had opportunities to play my music to raise awareness for human trafficking through word of mouth on FB. There have been things going on right outside where I live that I wouldn’t have known about had someone not created an event for it and invited me.
This excites me about FB, and I see opportunity there for sure.
Greg Simmons says
I’m thinking this statistic is up b/c of unemployment. With high unemployment, why not catch up with friends. ๐ Gas is too expensive to go anywhere and you run out of random things to look for…so go play in Farmville (ugh..can’t stand FB apps). I don’t see this is a true comparison since FB has really just become the digital equivalent of hanging out at the mall or coffee shop. Google, on the other hand, to me is a real tool you use for more than boredom attenuation.
As for FB, most adults had imaginary friends as kids….some still do, they’re just on FB.
๐
Graham says
haha… so my facebook have ceased to exist in real life and are not mere extensions of the interwebs?!?! I should call them and make sure they’re alright! ๐
dannyjbixby says
“I think itโs simply another reminder that we have an unbelievable opportunity to speak into other peopleโs lives as we earn their trust.”
It’s also an chance to take some data (as the basic premise here) and undermine it however we can to make it more palatable to us. The digital equivalent of us digging in heels and not adjusting our strategy appropriately.
For those who dislike Facebook, or other social media outlets in general, I’d imagine that’s the gut reaction.
But this is an incredible missed opportunity.
It’s a chance for us to reexamine our focus and attention; to actually go to “where the people ARE,” not “where we’d WANT them to be.”
Graham says
Yes it’s all about building the relationship. Good take on this stat. This is the challenge with marketing. At some point you have to do a little yelling on the street corner in order to push further. That said… you better have the community to back you up. If random dude yells on the street corner, people will think he’s a little weird, but they’ll be talking about him. Then, in their conversations, if somebody knows random dude and his message, there’s the relationship. Then maybe random dude isn’t weird anymore.
This idea isn’t exactly polished, and I’m sure I’m explaining it wrong.
brett barner says
If I didn’t have a church that I go to already, and some stranger asked me to go to theirs, I’d probably have to think about it.
However, if it was from a friend or someone I trust, the chances of me attending that church would increase dramatically.
Good catch on that stat connection, John.
Steven Rossi says
What I want to know is if relationships and sharing bring a higher ROI than Adsense. ๐
Nick Shoemaker says
What about ads on Facebook? That’s where Facebook makes it money, and 90% of google’s income is from ads as well.
dannyjbixby says
Our targeted Facebook ads have a great ROI. For realz
David Knapp says
I wish people would share relevant links on Facebook more so than invite me to their Mafia or vampire club ๐
Nick Shoemaker says
I think they would, if more sites made the adaption easy, ie- Facebook connect or Share buttons.
Copy and paste takes too long these days. Get a that feature on your site, or encourage it to be on the sites that you frequent, and you’ll see more of the content you want.
Stuart says
Here’s a link that, I think, puts all this in perspective:
http://royal.pingdom.com/2010/03/19/facebook-may-have-surpassed-google-in-the-us-but-what-about-other-countries/
In short, the article states that the only google traffic considered was search and didn’t include mail, voice, wave, buzz, flickr, etc … it further goes on to state that this narrowed result was only in the USA and in the other top 19 internet usage countries google is top in 14 of them …. with FB only coming 2nd in one. They also, for sake of completeness include twitter placings.
Interesting article.