25 Random Things Meme Is a Boon for Facebook
According to the latest data from Compete, the '25 Random Things About Me' meme has not only given us access to a plethora of random facts about people we barely know, but this digital fad has also been good for Facebook. According to the latest data from Compete, four times more people than usual visited the 'Notes' section on Facebook in January. Compete estimates that close to 20 million users used 'Notes' in January, while only about 4 million used it in October 2008.
But it wasn't just the 'Notes' section that profited from this meme. Facebook itself saw its traffic grow by 15% in January, which represents the fourth largest single month increase in visitors to the site. In addition, 60% more profiles were created in January than in December.
Just this month, Facebook finally surpassed MySpace as the top social networking site in the U.S., and judging from this data some of that surge can be attributed to the 25 Things meme.
It would probably be wrong to attribute all of Facebook's growth to the '25 Random Things' meme, but the renewed interest in notes on Facebook is most likely fully attributable to this. Notes on Facebook are basically small blog posts, and represent the only space on the site where you can respond after being tagged to write 25 random things about yourself.
Given that the 25 Things meme has now reached both Time Magazine and the New York Times, we assume that this fad is slowly coming to an end, but even so, Facebook has clearly profited from it in the last two months.
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i love how when you put a CHAIN LETTER on Facebook it becomes a MEME.
Agreed. The 25 things meme is an example of a widespread social media spam / chain letter.
Not surprising that such a huge time waster like this is generating incredible traffic volume for facebook.
Any examples of social media memes like this that add value? (aside from entertainment that is)
I find it fascinating to see how this meme has spread so far and fast on Facebook, to the point of mainstream journalists reporting on it. I've seen similar surveys passed around e-mail lists and Xanga friends before, but never on the scale of Facebook. Yet another evidence of the "network effect," particularly now that Facebook is so feed-centric.
Facebook sounds like the silly Summer Camp I had to go to as a kid. What's next? Palm reading? Playing Doctor? Writing notes on our hands? I'm glad I never joined any of these nonsensical sites. Are there more Female or Male users?
I agree with the general sentiment that these chain gimmicks are getting a bit spammy and turning me off to the Facebook experience.
I HATE Facebook--can anyone tell me how Facebook is anything more than self-indulgent drivel? For the record, I do NOT have a FB account, nor will I ever. I don't know why everyone feels the need to puff themselves up and make themselves look cool. Aside from Internet stalkers, no ones cares about your terrible taste in music, the summer you spent in Prague "growing" (aka hanging at American bars getting wasted), and how your cat understands you. Get a life.
@Thomas: from what I've seen, there's a lot more female users.
@Steven: I think you're thinking of MySpace.
Facebook is a lot more, mature. It's a great way to get in contact with, and stay in touch with, friends & family that you might not have otherwise. Nearly all of my extended family is on Facebook now, and it's a great way for all of us to keep up with what's going on in everyone's lives.
It's also enabled me to get back in touch with old school friends I'd lost contact with since college and wouldn't have been able to get in touch with otherwise, and find out what's going on in their lives, who they married, how many kids they've got now, where the live now, etc.
I guess the "social" aspect of these types of networks are just lost on some people.
When I hear about things like this on Facebook, I wonder how it can help a business like mine? I guess not all parts of social networking are good for B2B...I've been using LinkedIn and don't see any of these time-wasters.
@Thomas Females make approx 57% of Facebook users. The largest age groups range from 35 to 54 years old, and the largest sampling of annual household income is between $50k-$75k.
@Energy Hoarder: How can Facebook help a business? Depends, but try searching for groups with search terms in Facebook that would relate to your business. You might be surprised at what you find given what's going on with Green these days.
I can appreciate what people are saying about spam and wasting time -- but I'd also guess the meme thing has helped to further build relationships with people who already know each other. We may not be talking business ROI here, but if that isn't "valuable" I'm not sure what is.
So not only does FB have your name, contact details, work history, interests and friends, it also now has a list of 25 very specific biographical facts about millions of people.
What would that data be worth I wonder?
What makes the "25 random things" a meme and not a spam? The fact that I have seen so many people who never, ever do the "spammy" thing posting it. Look at the data that the article shows. You know, you could also call "Rickrolling" people spam as well...
It's a chain letter.
Rewrite your headline 'Chain letters spread!' to notice how non-novel a piece of information this is.
Rewrite it again, 'Facebook Resorts to Chain Letters for Traffic' for a proper sense of irony.
Writing notes on our hands? I'm glad I never joined any of these nonsensical sites. Are there more Female or Male users?
muhabbet mIRC
25 Random Things about Me
~written by God~
1. I'm omnipotent.
2. I'm omnipresent.
3. I'm omniscient.
4. I created the universe.
5. I like to relax on Sundays.
6. I'm a bit on the strict side.
7. I consider myself to be very loving.
8. Don't let #7 fool you, I will damn you to eternal hell if you commit idolatry or break my other rules and don't properly beg me for forgiveness...but I really do love you ;-)
9. I'm flattered by all the fuss over me and my rules.
10. People often get my name wrong (i.e. "Allah", "Yahweh", "Vishnu", "Juju", etc.).
11. My actual name is Melvin.
12. I wish I hadn't actually disclosed my name on #11.
13. Since I'm being honest, heaven is incredibly boring.
14. Occasionally I come to earth disguised as a human being just to mix things up a bit for fun.
15. Some notable human beings I appeared as were: Socrates, William Shakespeare, Friedrich Nietzsche, Madonna, Crazy Horse, Ronald Reagan, Mao Zedong, John Holmes, Ray Kroc, Buddy Holly, and George Burns. Ironically, I played myself appearing as George Burns, which gives extra meaning to what I wrote half a dozen centuries ago:"All the world's a stage".
16. I never appeared as Jesus, nor have I had any children named Jesus. That guy was just off his nut!
17. I do have one son. I'll just refer to him as "C.M." Sadly, he got caught up in drugs and violence during the 1960's in California. I haven't talked to him in a while.
18. Those that refer to me as "Allah" are mistaken about the 72 virgin thing. It's actually 72 GRAPES. I regret the confusion.
19. I've been drunk only once. It was the day I created the platypus.
20. I'm a libertarian.
21. I f***ing hate the social conservative evangelical movement and I'm planning on exposing more of their hypocritical bulls**t.
22. I realize that I'm partly to blame for #21. I was Ronald Reagan in 1980 after all.
23. I'm currently talking to Sigmund Freud about my temper and jealousy issues (man, is that guy "out there" or what!)
24. I think Jews are cool and I like the Palestinians, but the Danes are really my chosen people and Israel was actually meant for them.
25. I take solace in that the laws of science don't pertain to me, and that I can manipulate time, space and human minds, so I can erase any information learned from this note of 25 random things.
Goodnight and Me Bless.
Some funny, defensive responses. Except for Melvin. Really liked your Madonna stint.
I was fascinated by watching 25 Things meme around, more like a game of telephone and watching how your friends reacted. Guys seemed much slower to want to play, but were much more revealing about personal drivers than you'd expect. Some of the comments were fluffy/casual but some were strangely and heartwarmingly deep. Many were styled haikus, in that people had interesting patterns to their personal storytelling that were beyond the 25 Thing framework.
If you were largely sending these or receiving these from your RL friends, it should have been redundant to RL living. But if they were to friends now separated by time and distance (some of the charm of FB as a social tool), it unpeeled some fascinating onions...
Frederick Lardinois-people you barely know? You don't know me at all! Lazy Googler is what I'd guess!
Everett Rhinehalt
Ms. Burwell
Language arts 6th period
Rough draft of globe research paper
Shakespeare’s Globe
Do you like watching plays? If you do you would love to see the Globe. If you were to see the Globe it would vary a little bit from the original Globe that was helped built by William Shakespeare himself.
There was an interesting beginning to the Globe. There was a theater in England called the Theatre. The lease the owner, James had on the land was ending on the property. They tried to renew the lease, but no agreement was made. They then bought land right across the river Thames which the Theatre was built by.
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Some of the comments were fluffy/casual but some were strangely and heartwarmingly deep. Many were styled haikus, in that people had interesting patterns to their personal storytelling that were beyond the 25 Thing framework.
Agreed. The 25 things meme is an example of a widespread social media spam / chain letter.
Not surprising that such a huge time waster like this is generating incredible traffic volume for facebook...!