The #RLTM Scoreboard: Social Networking Stats for the Week
| Facebook: | 1.23 billion monthly active users | via Facebook | ||
| YouTube | over 1 billion monthly unique users | via YouTube | ||
| Twitter: | 241 million monthly active users | via re/code |
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| Qzone: | 599 million monthly active users | via TechCrunch | ||
| Sina Weibo: | over 500 million users | via The Next Web | ||
| Renren: | over 170 million users | via iResearch iUser Tracker | ||
| VK: | over 230 million registered accounts | via VK | ||
| LinkedIn: | 259 million active users | via LinkedIn | ||
| Google Plus: | 343 million monthly active users | via GlobalWebIndex | ||
| Tumblr: | 172 million blogs | via Tumblr | ||
| Instagram: | 150 million users | via Instagram | ||
| Vine: | 40 million registered users | via Vine | ||
| Tagged: | 20 million unique monthly users | via Tagged | ||
| Foursquare: | 40 million users | via CNET | ||
| Pinterest: | 70 million users | via The Next Web | ||
| Reddit: | 112 million monthly unique visitors | via Reddit | ||
| WhatsApp: | 450 million users | via Facebook | ||
| SnapChat: | ???? | via TechCrunch |
Please email marissa@modernmedia.co if you have additional updates, or a social network that you feel should be on the list.
Facebook Acquiring WhatsApp for $19 Billion
Mobile messaging service WhatsApp is being acquired by Facebook to the tune of $19 billion in cash and stock — Facebook’s biggest acquisition to date. According to The Wall Street Journal, it’s “the largest-ever purchase of a company backed by venture capital.”
What makes WhatsApp a must-have for Facebook?
- WhatsApp has 450 million members (and grew to that size faster than any company in history)
- 70% of users are active on a given day
- the service is adding 1 million users daily
- use of WhatsApp has more than doubled in the past 9 months
- the service processes 50 billion messages a day
WhatsApp allows users to share messages (text, picture and video) across mobile devices with different operating systems, and is especially popular in Europe and other areas outside the U.S. The app is free for the first year, 99 cents for each year after, and is ad-free. I started using it while traveling abroad (so that I could message folks at home for free) and never stopped, even after arriving back home.
In a blog post about the acquisition, Facebook also noted that WhatsApp’s messaging volume approaches the SMS volume of the entire global telecom industry. Wow.
In addition to taking out its only serious competition in the messaging arena, Facebook will boost its international popularity with this acquisition and appeal to teen users.
WhatsApp will continue to operate independently, and WhatsApp co-founder and CEO Jan Koum will join Facebook’s Board of Directors.
What do you think? It can boast some impressive stats, but is WhatsApp worth the hefty price tag?
