Report: 1 in 5 Web Users Tweet with Twitter

It seems more and more folks are 'tweeting' with Twitter these days. According to a new study, almost 1 in 5 Internet users are using Twitter or a similar service to share personal and work happenings with their friends and colleagues.

Helping the incredible rise in Twitter's popularity are Google and Microsoft (via Bing), whose search engines have actually begun indexing Tweets, otherwise known as "common status updates."

Google, MS Index Filtered Tweets

Microsoft announced yesterday it had begun a new beta feature in Bing that provides real-time Tweet updates alongside relevant search queries. The Redmond-based firm says it will do its best to reduce the amount of spam and adult-oriented content appearing in these Tweets.

As for Google, it too has revealed an agreement with Twitter to include status updates in future search results. The company believes it's a logical step as more and more people join social networking sites. "Real-time updates like those on Twitter have appeared not only as a way for people to communicate their thoughts and feelings, but also as an interesting source of data about what is happening right now in regard to a particular topic," said a Google rep yesterday. (Source: pcmag.com)

How Popular is Twitter These Days?

According to a recent study by the Pew Internet & American Life Project, an astounding 19 per cent of all Internet users are now actively engaged in services that provide real-time personal and business updates, like Twitter. It's an incredible jump from Pew's last reported finding, 11 per cent back in the spring.

Pew researchers believe the rise in Twitter's popularity has to do with three important trends: the continuing success of Facebook, LinkedIn and MySpace, the steady march of people online between the ages of 18 and 44, and the increased use of mobile devices for surfing the web. In other words, more people are going online wherever they might be, and they're spending more time on there once connected.

Not surprisingly, Pew found that those people who own four or more wireless devices, including game consoles, laptop computers, or cell phones, are the most likely to use Twitter. About 39 per cent of these people use Twitter, with the percentage declining as you take away web-enabled devices (for example: owning 3 wireless devices equals 28 percent, 2 equals 19 per cent, and so on). (Source: msn.com)

All in all, it appears that social networking is most certainly here to stay. Don't agree? Tweet it.