AOL's Social Networks Not Looking So Good

If it’s a well-known social network, and it’s not owned by AOL, it’s probably in okay shape.  That’s what I’m starting to conclude, anyway, after viewing the latest numbers from Nielsen//NetRatings; among the top ten sites, everything other than AOL Hometown and AOL People Connection is going up.

Granted, the data comes from the stretch between July of 2006 and July of 2007, so it doesn’t represent the latest bumps and shifts.  Yet in that period, Hometown and People Connection lost 18 and 42 percent, respectively, in terms of growth.  Leaders MySpace and Facebook gained 33 and 129 percent.

The real miracles took place a little further down the list; Club Penguin and LinkedIn, which are ranked seventh and eighth, both grew by exactly 268 percent.  In regards to that first site, CNET’s