In the growing — and increasingly competitive — world of mobile social networking, MySpace has emerged as a frontrunner, say reports from Online Media Daily. According to the reports, M:Metrics, which conducted a study of social networking via mobile phones, found that MySpace, with 3.7 million monthly users in July, was the leader in mobile social networking in U.S.

 

The study also suggests that the mobile social networking phenomenon is at its peak in the U.S., but an increasing number of people are being lured by the prospect of mobile social networking in countries like Italy — some 1.3 million users (or 2.8% of the subscriber population) visited a site like Bebo or MSN/Windows Live Spaces last month. The study included five countries in addition to the U.S.: U.K., France, Germany, Italy, and Spain.

 

Popular online social networking Web site Facebook ranked second with two million subscribers, and the world’s favorite video sharing site YouTube (News - Alert) was a distant third with only 900,000 users.

 

Although MySpace has cause to celebrate its lead in mobile social networking, there is lot of work to be done in this arena for everyone involved including MySpace — especially if it intends to maintain its edge.  Although a total of 7.5 mobile social networking users seems impressive at first glance, it represents a mere 3.5% of all mobile subscribers.  With most mobile devices offering access to the Internet today, the potential for growth is tremendous.

 

The good news is that continued growth is predicted.  Industry analysts estimate that, just like their online counterparts, mobile social networking sites will grow in popularity and will soon grow beyond teens and youngsters.  According to senior analyst Mark Donovan, an increasing number of people are looking at social networking Web sites as an indispensable part of their digital lifestyle. Which has prompted companies like MySpace and Facebook to partner with mobile service providers like Helio, Verizon, and AT&T (News - Alert), as they seek to significantly increase their market penetration.

 

According to Alexa.com, MySpace is currently the world’s sixth most popular English-language Web site and the sixth most popular website in any language, and the third most popular Web site in the United States.