LinkedIn soars, Facebook drops, what is the message here?

While Colleen is covering Third Tuesday in Vancouver and live blogging it on MapleLeaf 2.0, I said I’d chip in and post here for her in trade …

The latest Nielsen net data are out today and everyone is buzzing about Facebook’s 10% decline over March and general lack of growth:

• Bubble Alert: Facebook Traffic Declines 10% in April
• Nielsen: MySpace, Club Penguin growth static, LinkedIn soaring | The Social – CNET News.com
• Month-To-Month Facebook Traffic Falls By Ten Percent | WebProNews

The other part of the story is LinkedIn, it grew almost 400% since last year:

But now Nielsen charts a second drop: It says Facebook’s U.S. uniques dropped 10% decline from March to April, dropping form 24.94 million to 22.48 million. Time to stick a fork in Mark Zuckerberg and co? Not necessarily: ComScore shows a marginal increase in U.S. uniques over the same time frame: It says Facebook’s traffic perked up — just barely — from 35.51 million to 35.65 million. Who’s right? You’ve got us: But at some point Facebook will have reached a saturation point in the U.S., so we won’t be shocked if and when the numbers do flatten out for good. Which is why the company’s real focus going forward is two-fold: Growing outside the U.S., and trying to turn some of that enormous global traffic into real money.—Is Facebook On The Way Down? Depends On Who You Ask – Silicon Alley Insider

Facebook might be on everyone’s mind, but it’s LinkedIn’s huge rise that I think is the bigger story here.  Because it isn’t now about Facebook or LinkedIn, it’s about the acceptance of social networking in the mainstream.

I’m a well-known Facebook curmudgeon.  I’m there, but I don’t go often.  I don’t see a lot of value there.  I’m on LinkedIn too (LinkedIn: Tris Hussey) and have been for a long time.  Now, I don’t get a heck of a lot of value there either, but I’m also not being tossed pizzas, given Flaming Moe’s, or being bitten by vampires.

The question is then, why is Facebook on the decline and LinkedIn on the upswing?

I think because people are now used to this idea of social networking (in no small part thanks to Facebook) and with folks adding LinkedIn to other social media profiles like FriendFeed people see an option.

A business focused option, a professional option, something that could add value in the future (getting a job or finding a contact needed for business).

What I see is that social networking is now, dare I say, accepted in the larger business community.  And because it is accepted (again a nod is required to Facebook) and shows value, people are starting to flock to it.

The final question will be … what will LinkedIn do now?

Image courtesy of Nielsen