We recently had a client keen to know which demographics used a platform the most.
For example, who uses Facebook the most? Who uses Ning the most? Who uses forums the most?
There is surprisingly little data on any of these, but it misses the point.
The demographics aren’t evenly weighted. There are more 21 – 35 year olds than those aged 65+. Therefore, most platforms will appear more popular with 21 – 35 year olds. That doesn’t make it the best platform to use for your community if you’re targeting that audience.
It’s more important to know what % of a demographic uses a platform. This tells you what platform/technology is best suited to your community. The 65+ audience might make up only 2% of LinkedIn users, but 60% of the 65+ online audience might know and be comfortable with LinkedIn.
