Twitter grows like "wildfire"

Oct 23, 2008 by Dirk Singer

Stats out from metrics firm Nielsen (as reported in CNET) proves something that those of us using the service have been seeing first hand – Twitter is growing like “wildfire.”

A list of the top ten fastest growing social networks in the US shows that Twitter went up from just over 500k a year ago to 2.4 million (US) now, an increase of 343%. According to CNET, this growth has been “fueled by loads of press and tie-ins to coverage of the hotly contested presidential election.”

Just anecdotally, a month ago there were four of us using Twitter in this office. It’s now up to eight, with friends and friends of friends also popping out of the Twitter woodwork every day.

Anyone sceptical about the impact or influence of Twitter? Show them Twinfluence.

Image, Nielsen – Fastest growing social networks in the US.

Post-script (27 Oct). The Wall Street Journal today has a good piece on Twitter going mainstream:

“Doctors are using Twitter to update patients about office hours. Local groups such as the Los Angeles Fire Department are using it to share details about service calls with interested residents, occasionally with graphic descriptions of the victims’ conditions. And dozens of major companies, like computer maker Dell Inc., use Twitter to share deals and product news with people who sign up for the service.”