M:Metrics, a leading authority on mobile media, released a study showing that Mobile Social Networks are already popular with mobile users, with over 3% of US mobile subscribers visiting a mobile social network site in June. This is important for mobile advertising, as the social networks can provide an excellent venue for mobile advertising. (see post on “itsmy” ad-funded social network)

“For an increasingly wide audience, social networking sites have become an indispensable part of the digital lifestyle,” said Mark Donovan, senior analyst, M:Metrics. “Nearly every online social networking site has added the ability to connect to these communities with a mobile phone, allowing people to access profiles and share content while they’re on the go. With the mobile phone playing a central role in people’s social lives, it’s only natural that social networking sites are working to bridge the gap between the online and mobile worlds.”

MySpace and Facebook are the top two social networking sites accessed via mobile in both the U.S. and UK. MySpace attracts 3.7 million U.S. and 440,000 UK mobile users. In America, Facebook’s mobile audience is about 2 million, and in Britain, about 307,000. Rounding out the top three is YouTube in the U.S., with 901,000 mobile visitors and Bebo in the UK, with 288,000.

M:Metrics also looks at the age of the mobile social network users. Not surprisingly the younger demographics are the biggest users, with the 18 to 24 year-old group most active in US and UK, and a slightly younger 13 to 17 year-old group leading in France, Germany, Italy and Spain.

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