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U.S. catching up with Britain in mobile social networking: Report

New data shows that the United States is almost closing the gap with Britain in its use of mobile social networking.

An estimated 1.6 percent, or 4.08 million, of all mobile subscribers in the U.S. visited social networking Web sites on their mobile phones in December, according to Nielsen Mobile. By contrast, 1.7 percent of all British mobile subscribers, or 812,000 people, visited such sites through their phones in the first quarter of this year.

"Online social networks have become so much a part of consumers' lives that mobile access is a welcomed application and a very logical foray into mobile Web," said Nic Covey, Chicago-based director of insights at Nielsen Mobile.

The U.S. and Britain trumped Italy Spain, France and Germany in use of social networks through mobile phones.

For example, 0.6 percent of mobile subscribers, or 293,000 people, accessed social networks over the mobile Internet, compared with 0.8 percent and 291,000 mobile subscribers for Germany and 0.6 percent and 255,000 mobile subscribers in France.

The comparable numbers for Germany was 0.2 percent and 141,000 mobile subscribers.

MySpace took its online lead in the U.S. and maintained it on mobile. The Fox Interactive Media-owned site recorded 2.8 million unique mobile users in December versus No. 2 player Facebook's 1.8 million.

However, Facebook led in Britain with 557,000 unique mobile users per month in the first quarter versus MySpace's 211,000.

Nielsen Mobile found that Facebook and MySpace were popular social networking sites in Europe in the first quarter. But MSN's Windows Live Spaces was No. 1 in Italy with 154,000 unique mobile users and held the same position in France with 106,000 unique mobile users.

However, MySpace led Windows Live Spaces in Germany, 52,000 unique mobile users a month versus 45,000.

"Marketers should look for ways to leverage the fact that millions of consumers are connected directly to their full network, everywhere they go," Mr. Covey said.

"What could be better for a retailer than a consumer posting an update, on-the-go, that they are shopping at their store?" he said. "Or broadcasting a review of their restaurant, to all of their friends, as they walk out the door?"

Nielsen Mobile finds that growing consumer demand for mobile social networking is a significant driver of mobile service pricing models if Vodafone UK's decision to offer unlimited Internet access as a standard feature of its new monthly price plans is any indication.

However, as with any mobile marketing, marketers need to keep the consumer first and privacy paramount, Mr. Covey said.

"Marketers have to respect the amount of information mobile social networkers have published about themselves and lean into that information only when it will help deliver a more applicable or functional message to the consumer," Mr. Covey said.

"Social networkers aren't on the networks to be friends with their favorite brands, but if done tastefully, they won't mind them playing in the same space," he said.