Interesting question? I suspect most people do not know the answer, because they either don't need to know, or they don't much care, as they use the site for "purely recreational purposes"
I actually do know - well that is to say I will know in about seven days time - because I do need to know. It is important information that forms part of my "2011 Social Media Strategy"
At the beginning of December, I sent out an interactive survey to 5000 current/past clients and students. It is a very simple ten part questionnaire that should provide me with a complete insight into their online habits, preferences, and use of social media. Specifically, I hope to learn how much social media sites are influencing their buying decisions today, compared with twelve months ago when I last asked them.
Why is this so important to me? I think you know the answer to that - like most of my colleagues, friends, and acquaintances, I am always hugely time-constrained, and I simply must ensure that the time I dedicate to all my social media activities is proportional to the return I am receiving.
That is not to suggest that financial gain is the only reason I venture on to twitter/facebook/LinkedIn daily, far from it. Frequently I re-tweet interesting articles/blog posts etc, and I really enjoy the community spirit - it is like a collection of small clubs.
Whilst we have yet to formally "collate" the results of our 2010 survey, I can confidentally predict that less than 5% of my clients use twitter for anything other than recreation.
However, at first glance, it would appear that around 80% now have LinkedIn profiles, and that is a 20% increase on 2009.
I will of course share the final results with you in January.
My perception is that many of you are now winding down for Christmas, but equally, so many of you do not celebrate at this time of year, so I intend to carry on posting without interuption during December - it will give me something to do whilst I am waiting for the turkey to cook!!
Tomorrow: I ask "Will marketing ever marry sales?"