Tomorrow Facebook should theoretically be crossing the 200 million users level tomorrow based on our estimates but according to Wei Zhu of Facebook, the number could be as high as 280 million. While speaking at a Facebook Tech Talk, Wei Zhu slips and says that the site has 250 million users if not 280 million users (I’ve included the video below). At that point a communications person (I’d assume) jumps in to correct him on the number to 200 million.
Regardless of if it’s greater, they have confirmed that they at least surpassed 200 million and if growth keeps at this pace, the company should easily surpass 300 million before the end of the third quarter (if not earlier based on what Wei Zhu said). It was a wide range of numbers that Wei Zhu provided but most likely he was just confused about the numbers.
So is Mike Arrington’s suggestion that Facebook is understating their numbers by a huge sum accurate or was his take on it just linkbait? My guess it was linkbait since that’s how they roll and this time, they’ve baited the fish. Nothing like some old fashion speculating on a Friday night!
The site continues to experience tremendous growth and we will continue following that growth all the way up. The real question is how far the company will go before it begins to peak. Right now the site is adding around 1 million new domestic users a week which also helps to increase revenues substantially since U.S. ad revenue accounts for the majority of Facebook’s income.
If the site doesn’t slow down in the growth internationally, Facebook is going to become one extremely expensive behemoth to run (as if it wasn’t already). Then again, when you have the majority of online users connected via your site, revenue can’t be that big of a problem, can it?
Fb’s growth has been unreal! Do you see any end in sight? I can’t! The fact that it has been so adopted by the older demos and women makes me feel that its pattern of growth may only be beginning.
Does anyone else out there administer a page for non profits or sports organizations? Both of these industries I feel are uniquely structured for Social Media. I would love to chat and bounce some ideas. FB me.
I have been amazed at Facebooks rapid growth for the past few quarters, in fact I don’t recall MySpace picking up this momentum at any time in it’s history. In my opinion, Facebook’s growth has a lot to do w/ the quality of their product. In terms of social networking they have raised the bar, and just like Google has dominated the search engine market, I predict that Facebook will continue to dominate the social networking landscape for years to come.
I would be curious though to see a side by side comparison of Twitters growth versus Facebooks growth since the first of the year. Granted, both are very different in what they bring to the table, but I would bet that Twitter is sneaking up on Facebook in terms of % of new users…
This is a huge milestone
Go go go Facebook!
The growth reflects the importance that people place on being connected.
I love Facebook. I have been able to connect with friends of the past and make new friends with like minded people.
Learn each day from the passionate people.
At the current rate of growth, Facebook will have 500 million+ by end of summer if not before!
The secret to Facebook- a fun platform that allows us all to communicate on the web and via mobile devices. A platform that has been designed around what the user wants, not what the economic models dictate.
We are witnessing an evolution of the web, of people empowering the web….in a way that is common to all people..by social interaction. The people are speaking….the numbers say it all.
Amazing growth indeed! I wonder what the future is hiding for us, the users, regarding this in terms of social connectivity, and fees?
Face Book is the easiest,largest Bookmarking site to socialise with the people around the world.
Interesting. I wanted to get the data direct from facebook on the numbers . Ran the numbers from the Ad Targetting Manager and Voila the total users as on 30th March 2009 1600hrs GMT +8 is 183,337,980. Countrywise breakup is given here http://we-need-to-talk.blogspot.com/2009/03/facebook-statistics-collated-at-1600hrs.html
Not sure on how it would cross 200 Mn by Today (even by taking into account a 1 Million new users everyday) . However the growth numbers are impressive and if FB is underquoting its userbase (which i am not convinced about)_ it will definitely cross 200 mn by Mid April for sure.
Just wondering how many of the 200 million users are repeat users – i.e. their account was disabled without warning or notice so they signed up for a new one under a different email address. This seems to be the advice I’m seeing across the web for people whose accounts have been disabled.
What is meant by active users? Ive tried closeing my account an fbook refuse. And what about people who have alternative life styles and have lots of accounts, and the businesses after same types of pple but have many sites. ?
Facebook should be careful enough to make users’ activities more productive and clean. In fact this 200 million number of users is just a bonus to facebook. Facebook has better introduce more innovative functionalities!
great project ~ nice facebook ~
Very happy to hear this great news.
it must have at least 50 people by now! lol! joke!