According to a new report from Dan Zarrella, the weekend is the best time to post content on Facebook as articles posted then are shared the most. One explanation for the phenomenon was that more than half of companies block Facebook. While I’ve noticed that Twitter is the exact opposite, this report definitely sheds some light on Facebook user behavior.
Unfortunately we have no way of knowing how accurate this report is. The primary reason is that no information was shared about the sampling data. How were articles selected when testing sharing volume? Was an arbitrary data set selected for testing against Facebook’s share analytics tools? Whatever the model is, it’s definitely interesting.
I also would imagine that many Facebook users turn to their mobile devices to monitor content while on the go during the weekend. Then again, the same users who are blocked from accessing Facebook at work may be visiting their friends’ activity while in transit to and from work each day. Unfortunately this basic glimpse in to Facebook user behavior is nothing more than that: a basic glimpse.
I’d be interested to see other statistics on Facebook sharing. Do notice that your friends share more information on the weekends or is there more activity during the weekdays?
Thanks for the link and the mention!
If you’re curious about my methodology, I have detailed it in a post linked to from the post you got this graph from.
mmmm graphage. I am going to try this!
I see more activity during the workdays as a habit. Weekend activity corresponds to how good or bad the weather is, IMO. Sunny and warm? Low activity. I live in Wisconsin where the weather is pathetic 50% of the year.
Friday afternoon seems to be slower, not as much weekend traffic until Sunday evening. Of course, this is all purely anecdotal as well.
I don’t find that to be true. There is traffic on the weekend and the congestion isn’t as bad, but if you’re writing relevant content you get read.
Best times for me are during the week - just after lunch, right after work, and just before bed.
Awesome !
And now i know why I get so much traffic on weekends and not on weekdays !
Thanks for this analysis !!
Cheers
Ankit
Bill, that’s the difference between anecdotal evidence and empirical.
I’ve noticed that more fans are generated on the weekends and evening hours.
I agree with Bill - I think the weekends are really quiet on Facebook. I think the best overall time is 1pm EST. East Coast is at lunch, West Coast is finally awake, and the UK is ending the workday.
I believe Saturday and Sunday are my best traffic generating days. During the week I remain transparent engaging in and facilitating conversations.
It depends on the demographics you’re trying to reach, too. With college students I’ve noticed it’s best to share at around 10 or 11 at night, except for Fridays and Saturdays, when traffic falls significantly, in my experience.
I agree with Bill here. Our company gets the most people to reply during the following times during the week:
11.45 - 15.30 - 18.30 and 20.30
During the weekend the most hits to our stories come around 11.30 on saturday BUT these people are drunk etc. and wont buy nor read anything.
I think Bill is right about this and it is fascinating that the exact opposite is true for Twitter. Personally, I am on FB less on the weekends but that is because I work in the social media sphere and take a little vacation from the socialsphere on Sundays.
I somehow don’t find this right. Most sites experience a fall in traffic during weekends, except a few. Facebook is no exception. Although people dont get access to facebook through offices or colleges, they somehow manage to kee track during late evening or night. Weekends are preferred for outings.
It should certainly depend on the demographics as well as the type of content. It would be interesting to see which hours of the day gets the most interaction.