Part 1: Professional Men and Women Differ when it comes to Social Networking
Differences: So, based on new research from Compass Intelligence, there is a slight gender gap when it comes to Social Networking. We conducted an online survey with nearly 8000 professionals (CxO, VP and director titles only, full-time or self-employed). This group is even split between professional men and women (refer to sample sizes in the table below). The result show that professional men and women are not the same with regard to their familiarity with and use of Web 2.0 features, like IP Video conferencing and wikis.
According to those surveyed, it seems that professional ladies are less likely to use VoIP and IP Video Conferencing, wikis and presence, as shown in Table 1 below. This table shows the percentage of respondents in each group indicating they currently use the indicated Web 2.0 feature.
| Table 1.Web 2.0 Features in Use - Male Biased“I do this now”Sample Size: |
Males(n=3915) |
Females(n=3998) |
| VoIP Conferencing |
23% |
19% |
| IP Video Conferencing |
29% |
24% |
| Wikis |
18% |
14% |
| Presence |
21% |
18% |
Why Different? The main reason for the difference between the sexes is that pro-ladies are much more likely to say they are “not familiar” with these particular 2.0 capabilities. There is a 9 – 10 point spread the features shown in Table 2 below. But, as also shown, there is a knowledge gap in both sexes. Web 2.0 features are still reasonably exotic, even among professional men. However, it’s even more pronounced for professional women, suggesting that more education from vendors is needed there.
| Table 2.Web 2.0 Features Not Using“I am not familiar with this”Sample Size: |
Males(n=3915) |
Females(n=3998) |
| VoIP Conferencing |
40% |
50% |
| IP Video Conferencing |
30% |
39% |
| Wikis |
54% |
64% |
| Presence |
49% |
57% |
|
Social Networking Sites (Business subject)
|
44%
|
51%
|
Similarities: Pro-ladies don’t lag in everything 2.0. When it comes to “information collaboration”, such as blogs, webinars and Web conferencing, as well as when it comes to IM/Chat and social networking sites, pro-ladies are just as likely and pro-men to use these feature today. In some case, the ladies are slightly more likely to use them, as shown in Table 3 below.
| Table 3.Web 2.0 Capability in Use – No Gender Bias“I do this now”Sample Size: |
Males(n=3915) |
Females(n=3998) |
| Blogs (Business subject) |
22% |
22% |
| Webinars/Webcasts |
40% |
42% |
| Web Conferencing |
43% |
40% |
| IM/Chat |
45% |
47% |
| Social Networking Sites (Business subject) |
24% |
23% |
So, why does this matter? Well, professional women make up roughly half of the population of Web-enabled professionals in the US (about 20% of US employment) and are a major constituency online. Often women, particularly, professional women, are underserved with regard to their online needs. As such, this large group (more than 13 million) might benefit from the added power of person-within-group aspect of Web 2.0 social networking features, if they get a little more education and outreach.
The only barrier today is simple familiarity. A little more explanation would help the uptake of “viral” marketing efforts among professional women and increase their likelihood to use new Web 2.0 tools. And, it’s a commonly held thought that women are more loyal, so they may make the best base for beginning social networks. Things that make you go hmmm…Basic Stats about US Professionals
· CI estimates there are 27 Million professionals in the US workforce based on 2007 Bureau of Labor Statistics data, about 20% of the total workforce.
· Compass Intelligence estimates that 51% of US professionals are male, or 13.8 million.
· Largest groups of professionals are Management, Biz and Financial Operations and Healthcare practitioners (doctors and so on).