Social networking websites are witnessing an increase in popularity as more people are using them for downloading and viewing videos, according to a research.

The global figures revealed by Nielsen show that time spent viewing video on social networking sites increased 98 per cent year on year to 999.4 million minutes in October 2009 from 503.8 million minutes during the corresponding month last year.

Additionally, the number of online video streams viewed on social networking sites and blogs increased 45 per cent year on year to 349.5 million in October 2009 from 240.8 million streams in the same month in 2008.

"This astronomical increase in number of users viewing videos is a clear hint that social networking sites are not only extending their reach but users on these sites are also enhancing their usage of these platforms for more than just networking," said Danish Farhan, CEO of Zische Studios, which specialises in flash-enabled websites that are very high on video content.

"In the past six months, we have noticed an increased demand in incorporating video segment in the websites, be it for uploading or just for watching," said Farhan.

"In fact, this is also an indication that more and more users of social networking sites are uploading their videos, and not just watching them. This is possible now with convenient modes of handling video streams, which was very complicated earlier," said Farhan.

In Nielsen's official communiqué, Jon Gibs, Vice-President, Media Analytics, said: "During the past year, online video viewing has become central to the web experience. In conjunction with this increase, we are seeing remarkable growth in video viewing on social networking sites and it is only natural that these two trends would converge in consumers' minds, making sites like Facebook and Myspace.com, increasingly important distribution points for both consumer and professionally generated video."

Facebook was the No1 online social networking and blog destination in October 2009, with 217.8 million total video streams viewed during the month. Myspace.com and Stickam were No2 and No3, with 85.2 million and 26.3 million video streams, respectively.

Video viewing on Facebook continues to grow, revealed research figures. Last year, Facebook's online video viewing audience has experienced tremendous growth. Year-on-year, total time spent viewing video on Facebook increased 1,840 per cent to 677 million minutes in October 2009 from 34.9 million minutes in the same month of 2008. The number of unique viewers grew 548 per cent over the same period. Total streams increased by 987 per cent year over year.

"Facebook's rapid growth in online video last year illustrates the site's evolution from simply a communications-focused tool to a media portal," said Gibs.

"Social networking websites are evolving from a venue for catching up with friends to a platform for personal expression, allowing consumers to share their experiences in the full variety of content formats available online."

Ryan Leary of Kanexa, a global provider of business solutions for human resources, said: "To participate successfully in the social media revolution, companies need to establish their brand across communities where qualified candidates "hang out", drive people to their career site and began leveraging relationships with their contacts and their contacts' extended network. In the social networking arena, it's no longer about who you know. It's about who they know and how you utilise those relationships."

On a more direct benefit approach, Dimitri Metaxas, Regional Executive Director of Digital OmnicomMediaGroup told Emirates Business: "Social media now commands audiences that rival mass media and therefore it may look like a great opportunity to build its reach.

"Generally people on social media sites are very engaged in their activities and hence do not tend to respond to conventional advertising methods in the same way they do on news sites for instance. The game in social media is engagement and building relationships with people through value addition, entertainment and/or empowerment, putting the brand at the centre.

"Social media is also about listening and learning, allowing a brand to humanise itself, which can be a subtle but also powerful means of brand building."

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