1 in 15 UK internet visits to top 5 Web 2.0 sites

One in 15 internet visits in the UK are now to one of the top five Web 2.0 sites, new research has revealed.

The favourite Web 2.0 websites in June 2008 were Facebook, Myspace, Bebo, YouTube and Wikipedia, the survey by Hitwise showed.

Of social networking websites, Facebook has extended its lead, now making up 45 per cent of the market share and well ahead of Bebo - with 25 per cent of market share - and Myspace - with almost 15 per cent, according to the consultancy.

Hitwise also found that Windows Live Spaces, Friends Reunited, Club Penguin, Yahoo! Groups and other social networking sites all have less than two per cent of the UK market share.

Jeremiah Owyang, a marketing analyst, writing on his Web Strategy by Jeremiah blog, said that advertising through social networking websites can be particularly effective because relationships between users are based on trust, there is a lot of buzz around this kind of media, and it is used by large numbers of people.

He said that the most effective marketing campaigns on such sites encourage interaction with consumers and involve the audience.