Has the male gender’s seeming inability to interact beyond “road rage” and taunting at sports events finally caught up with us? Is my gender doomed to obscurity on social networks because we just don’t know how to communicate?
Let’s face it, guys have issues when it comes to really communicating emotions and needs effectively. Oh sure, we’ll talk about how our local sports team sucks or maybe brag about that fish we caught, but do we really know how to share our lives in a social sense? I have to wonder when it appears our opposite gender is beginning to dominate social networking. Is this due perhaps to some kind of genetic shortcoming on our part? Soon men will be driven back to the garage where we will huddle around broken down, rusted muscle cars, drink beer and lament our relegation in grunted musings.
I’m doomed. The only thing in my garage is a baby carriage and an electric mower.
I’ve been reading comScore’s “2010 US Digital Year in Review” and one bit of data which caught my eye suggests that women are fast becoming the dominate gender in social networking. According to the whitepaper, in 2010 women extended their lead over men in the share of time spent on social networks. Women spent 16.8 percent of their online time – one out of every six minutes – on social networking sites in December 2010, up 4.5 points from the previous year. By comparison we guys only spent 12 percent of our time on social networks during the same period, a piddly 2.9 percent increase.
Women are not only spending more time social networking, but their usage is also accelerating at a faster rate.
Women are going to own social networking and media gentlemen because they are better communicators – yes, I know I’m generalizing here. However, just based on personal experience, women are more likely to share information freely than men. My wife for example, is absolutely wired socially to a network of information for new moms. She uses social networks to exchange information about parenting and gain support from other new moms. Social media and networks have been a boon for her and through her efforts, I think we’ve been better parents for our two year old daughter.
This is why word-of-mouth and social marketing can be so effective with women. They really appreciate the value of sharing resources and information.
Look, guys have a simple methodology: find, hunt and kill – we aren’t likely to share the kill or certainly where we found it unless it gains us something.
Are you sharing more than just “muscle car” specs with your customers? Are you providing them real value by sharing information about how people use your products or services to enrich their lives?
Women aren’t going to wait for you to finally get it. As their influence continues to grow on social networks, they’ll share the information about what brands get them and ignore those who don’t.
I’ll be in the garage if anyone calls.