Facebook me sweetie

OK, more survey stuff, but it's interesting! This time it's a survey about couples publicly dumping each other online. The survey is by a company called Swizzels Matlow, that makes sweets/candy/lollies (UK/US/AUS) so I'm not too sure of the actual link...... "We're sweeter than your sweetheart"??

That aside, the findings are interesting. a whopping 48 per cent of under 18's have publicly dumped their significant/not-so-significant other via social networks like MySpace and Facebook. Add to that that 18 per cent of 22-30 year-olds are guilty of the same crime and you've got some juicy figures.

Now, having dug-up a bit more info online, I've actually found the reason for the survey (see, proper blog this) and it's actually quite cleaver. Swizzels Matlow is the producer of a certain rather popular and retro type of sweet/candy/lollies called Love Hearts - you know, "Hug me" "Flirt" and guess what? They are in negotiating with Facebook to include "Facebook me" and.... they've timed the whole lot with Valentine's day - big pat on the back guys and gals.

MyTake - brilliant piece of PR using a tried and tested tactic. The findings themselves are really interesting if not that astounding. It's proof that more and more of our everyday life is being conducted through Facebook. I remember when the stories about "text dumping" started to come out years ago and guess what - that was way after the tipping point for texting. So guess what, Facebook has tipped.

Impatient, we're not impatient!

We're all getting a bit more selfish on the web these days, at least that's what the annual report into web habits by web expert Jakob Nielsen says. Apparently, instead of spending time surfing pages, we are getting more strict about our time on the web and want to get straight to what we want.

The report shows that about 75 per cent of people on the web achieve what they set out to do, compared to 60 per cent in 1999. Neilsen says there are two reasons for this, the first is that designs have gotten better and that we are more used to the interactive environment online and can better navigate it.

He also says that we are consumers are becoming less patient with web sites that don't immediately get to the point, and designers need to sit up and take notice. Perhaps an even more interesting observation (and an indication that the web really is mainstream) is that people are becoming suspicious of promotions that try to keep them on a page.

MyTake - We are all busy, busy people and when you have a resource like the Internet that offers you the world on a plate, it's up to you to decide where you go and how fast you get there. In addition, I wonder if the use of the word surfing will change, after all it has fairly leisurely connotations that perhaps don't really describe what users are doing online. What I am saying is that there are times we surf, take our time and meander around, but other times we're straight-in and straight out. What would you call that?

If I were a Myspacer, i'd be....

A new report commissioned by MySpace called “MySpace 08: People. Content. Culture.” has identified some emerging trends and groups using the network. The most interesting part of the report is the different types of people that they say are using the network - which one are you ;-)


Netrepreneurs:People who accessed the sites for the sole purpose of making money (4%)

Connectors:People who revel in passing on information and links whenever they come across something they find interesting (10%)

Transumers:People who follow the lead of others and join groups connected to their hobbies (28%)

Collaborators:People who use social networking sites to create events (5%)

Essentialists:People who use social networking sites to stay in touch with friends and family (38%)

Scene Breaking:People who hunt down new bands and talent online and share that through the site (5%)