A detailed overview of forums in the UK

Following on from last week’s post on Twitter, here follows insight into the current use of forum communities in the UK. This information is drawn from our recent Social Media Insight 2009 report.

All of the information below is compiled solely using data from Social Media Library. If you have any thoughts or views, please do get in touch.

Consumer Topics

Consumer discussion groups make up nearly two thirds (64%) of all UK & Ireland-based forums, and while some are not as big as their counterparts in finance and technology in terms of members, the average 2.5 million posts eclipses any other type of forum on the web. These are in-depth, high volume, sustained discussions about topics du jour, from thoughts on current affairs to problems with pets.

Forums are essentially a non-threatening environment where people can swap ideas on a subject as and when they please, without either feeling under pressure to churn out a blog, or say something succinct that will live long in the memory. They are the natural home for online chit-chat.

For that reason, sporting discussions make up a good percentage of the consumer forum topics. It’s more like the friendly banter that you would hear down at the pub. Sports fans have evidently taken to forums more than they have warmed to blogging.

Other, lighter subjects such as lifestyle, home interests, and food and drink also make it onto the list. Interestingly, music is not so well represented as it is on social networks or blogs; perhaps there is less facility for file sharing, or maybe the forum is now seen as a bit outmoded by those at the cutting edge of music culture.

Technology

The second biggest forum grouping is technology with 17% of the overall total. These are populated by people who spend a lot of time in the virtual space anyway and prefer to use it to keep in touch with friends and colleagues, sharing complex issues and advice. They are early adopters who feel comfortable conversing online.

Healthcare & finance

The number of healthcare forums is not as significant as this subject area in the blogosphere, with only 7% of the total topics. Yet even though finance equates to only half of the health total, members of finance forums outstrip those on health sites by almost three to one, and average posts are almost double. There are a small number of financial forums, but they are intensely active: witness the success of Moneysavingexpert.com for one. Once these sites have gained traction they become huge, and in the current economic climate where people are seeking help from all quarters, they are likely to grow further.

Where can the most influential Twitter users be found in the UK?

As promised, here is an overview of the dissemination of the most influential Twitter users in the UK. More detailed analysis can be found in our Social Media Insight 2009 report, which is the first comprehensive report into social media in the UK & Ireland.

All of the information below is compiled solely using data from Social Media Library. If you have any thoughts or views, please do get in touch.

Regional breakdown



London is top for Twitter users with 11% of them living in the capital, but there is far more even distribution across the UK & Ireland. Interestingly, Cambridge has the second highest concentration after London, which could be something to do with the large technology community in the city.

Average number of followers by UK city



The breakdown of ‘followers’ – people who tune into other users’ tweets for regular updates on their activity - is just as intriguing. Coventry and Leicester record the highest average number of avid followers, each at just a shade under 600. London, despite having the highest proportion of people posting on Twitter, lies towards the bottom of the list when it comes to major followers.

Graham Lee - Chief Executive

A Detailed Overview of Blogging in the UK

We have just released Social Media Insight 2009 – the first comprehensive report into social media in the UK & Ireland.

The report offers a snapshot of just how widespread the use of blogs, podcasts, social networks, forums and other online social platforms is in 2009, and how and where people are consuming them. The breakdown of social media topics and geographical information contained in the report was compiled solely using data from Social Media Library.

The purpose of the report is to help people get more of a feel of the social media landscape as it currently stands. Social media is immensely complex, and particularly if you are not immersed in it day-to-day, quite confusing. Add to this the fact that our shared English language with the US -  making it exceedingly hard to garner actual engagement levels in the UK - and it becomes a difficult beast for people to get their heads around.

Marketing Week ran a five-page feature on the report today and we hope to see more debate stirring as people discuss the findings.

I am going to use this blog over the course of the next few weeks to share in more detail the key findings of the report, with our analysis and thoughts. Please stay with us. 

This is the first time such comprehensive analysis has been available of the proliferation of social media in the UK. I’m really keen to hear your thoughts and views – please do share any comments.

If you would like to download the report – click here

To kick things off, I will start with a detailed overview of the UK blogosphere. Twitter, social networks, podcasts and forums to follow over the course of the next few weeks…

Regional breakdown



A third of influential blogs are concentrated in London, a high proportion for a city that can only claim around 10% of the total population of the UK & Ireland. Overall, the South of England accounts for more than half of all influential blogs. The Midlands as a whole clearly has some catching up to do, but the North West can claim a healthy 13%. Much of this can be attributed to the buoyant music, media and cultural scenes of Manchester and Liverpool, the region’s biggest urban centres, which has spawned associated blogs.

Outside England, there is a low concentration of influential blogs. Scotland, however, outstrips Wales, Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland combined, with 7% of the total.

By Sector

Key findings:

•    38% of influential bloggers are writing about consumer-focused issues
•    25% are sharing their thoughts on technological matters
•    The third biggest group is b2b bloggers at 15%

B2B focused blogger activity



Key findings:

•    42% of influential b2b blogs are on marketing (including media and PR)
•    31% of b2b blogs are focused on creative subjects
•    Blogs on the environment make up 35% of all B2B industry blogs

Consumer focused blogger activity



Key findings:

•    45% of entertainment blogs cover music
•    21% of consumer interest bloggers write about fashion
•    13% of consumer blogs are on arts & crafts

Healthcare focused blogger activity



Key findings:

•    58% of healthcare blogs are of a professional nature
•    More than a third (34%) are written about patient issues
•    6% of healthcare bloggers are students

Finance focused blogger activity



Key findings:

•    Almost a third (30%) of influential financial blogs are about investment issues
•    25% of financial blogs are about general, or macro- economics
•    8% of financial bloggers discuss personal finance issues online

Technology focused blogger activity



Key findings:

•    Consumer technology is huge in the blogosphere, making up 61% of this area
•    27% of technology blogs are about IT-specific issues
•    15% of technology blogs are about photography