social-networking trend

Facebook remains the number-one social-networking site in the world, according to a new study released Tuesday by comScore -- and it has undergone 153 percent growth in the past year.

The Reston, Va.-based research firm said most of the growth for social-networking sites is outside North America. On this continent, the social-networking audience grew nine percent, but the growth was much higher elsewhere -- 66 percent in the Middle East-Africa region, 35 percent in Europe, and 33 percent in Latin America. Social-networking sites for the world at large grew about 25 percent.

Social networks provide powerful mechanisms for connecting people and information, but their benefits are limited to those who sign up with one service or another. For example, a Facebook user can't use her content or friends on LinkedIn or any other network.

That may change soon with top social networks Facebook and MySpace -- as well as Google -- all promising to enable data portability. Google announced Monday a preview release of Friend Connect, a technology that allows regular Web sites to join the social-networking trend.

Social networks provide powerful mechanisms for connecting people and information, but their benefits are limited to those who sign up with one service or another. For example, a Facebook user can't use her content or friends on LinkedIn or any other network.

That may change soon with top social networks Facebook and MySpace -- as well as Google -- all promising to enable data portability. Google announced Monday a preview release of Friend Connect, a technology that allows regular Web sites to join the social-networking trend.