More adults on social networks

The Pew Internet and American Life project recently released a report detailing adult’s use of Social Networks. Hat tip to Read/Write Web for the heads up.

You can download the whole report at the link above, but here’s the important stuff:

• 35 percent of American adult internet users have a social network profile
• 75 percent of online adults 18-24 have a social network profile
• 50 percent of adults have a profile on MySpace
• 43 percent use social networks to “organize with other friends for an event, issue or cause”

You could interpret these numbers as more adults using social networks, however; I believe it has more to do with the fact that more people on social networks have become adults.

People who are eighteen this year were born in 1990, some people refer to them as “digital natives.” In other words they don’t know a world without a pervasive internet.

The fact that MySpace is still the dominant representative supports that theory. MySpace was the social networking site for a number of years when people in this age group were teens.

From a fundraising perspective, the percentage of older adults online is still relatively small. 30 percent of adults 35-44 and 19 percent of adults 45-54. These are the core donors of many nonprofits.

So if you are looking for funds now, social networks are probably not the best choice from a demographic standpoint.

However, if you are looking to engage the next and the next, next generation of donors — social networks are a safe bet.