Posted by markw on 03/10 at 02:32 PM "Member communities," or social network sites, are now more popular than using e-mail among the worldwide community of Internet users, according a new report from The Neilsen Company.

Search still ranks as the most popular online activity, according to "Global Faces and Networked Faces," followed by general interest portals and communities and software manufacturers. Social networking ranks fourth, and e-mail ranks fifth.

The report shows amazing growth in the amount of time spent on social networking. A year ago, social networking accounted for one in every 15 minutes spent online. That ratio is now one in every 11 minutes.

And Facebook, which rules the social networking world at the moment, is no longer the domain of young people. The highest growth for Facebook has come from users aged 35 to 49, the report said, and Facebook has added almost twice as many 50- to 64-year-old users than under-18 users.

What's it all mean for traditional publishers? Nielsen has a few suggestions. First, traditional publishing sites need to incorporate networking tools for their visitors. Second, they need to participate in the social networks themselves.

Meanwhile, advertisers are trying to figure out the best way to deliver their messages in a socially networked world. The money isn't there quite yet, but it will be. Social networking is already changing the way people interact, and publishers have to be engaged in the process.

Mark Whittaker is the senior sales executive for the AIM Group. E-mail him here.