As the UK population gets more grey around the temples each day, Saga’s launch of a social networking site for over-50s is a canny move to say the least:
The social networking trend has scythed its way through offices and schools around the country - but now a new website is hoping to appeal to older internet users. Saga Zone, created by the insurance and holiday company, launches today with the aim of becoming the social website of choice for the over-50s. Users of Saga Zone must be over 50 - but once they have joined members can create their own profile pages, contact friends or join in online discussions.
More: http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2007/oct/31/news.socialnetworking
Just because your 88-year-old granny doesn’t know a website from her Werther’s Originals doesn’t mean there isn’t masses of revenue to be generated from older users who might turn their noses up at Facebook.
More from that Guardian report:
A survey this year by media regulator Ofcom found that older surfers make up a significant proportion of the internet population, and are much more likely to spend money online. Surfers over 50 account for nearly a third of all time spent online by British web users.
And UK people of all ages have emerged as Europe’s social networking power users, according to comScore:
Usage of social networking sites in the U.K. proved heavier than the European average in terms of hours spent, pages viewed, and the number of visits per month. The average visitor to social networking sites in the U.K. spent 5.8 hours per month on those sites in August and made 23.3 visits. This was a significantly heavier usage level than in France, which averaged 2 hours per month and 16.8 visits per visitor, or Germany, with 3.1 hours per month and 13.8 visits per visitor.
