MARLBOROUGH, Mass., Oct. 16 /PRNewswire/ -- Online ad network Chitika recently broke down a sample of users from their network to see what Twitter users want. By categorizing the sites that get links from Twitter, Chitika determined that the thing that Twitterers want the most is news, with over 28% of all traffic going to news sites. Movie sites took second place with 22.56% of Twitter traffic, followed by tech and gadget sites with 13.39%. Medical sites rounded out the top 4 with 7.98%.

    Genre             % of Twitter traffic
    News                       28.49%
    Movies                     22.56%
    Tech                       13.39%
    Medical                     7.98%
    Other                      27.58%

Given Twitter's unique ability to bring information instantly to large numbers of people, it's not surprising that news leads the way. From being the first to publish pictures of a Turkish Airlines plane crash to the social network's breaking of US Airways Flight 1549's dramatic crash into the Hudson River earlier this year, Twitter's instantaneous and collaborative nature has made it out to be the bleeding edge of all news.

Compare Twitter's results, though, with older, more established social network Facebook, and the value and perception of Twitter's speed become more obvious. While news sites do receive a good deal of Facebook's referrals, they lag behind tech and lifestyle sites - tech sites dominate Facebook's traffic with over 33% of the network's referrals going there.

    Genre                        % of Facebook Traffic
    Tech                                33.22%
    Lifestyle                           18.29%
    News                                18.25%
    How-To                               4.55%
    Other                               25.69%

The comparison seems to be that Twitterers want knowledge, and to be the first to hear about everything, whereas Facebook users are more interested in being the coolest, with the newest gadgets and hottest fashion.

About Chitika

Chitika, Inc., is a search-based online advertising network, leading the way in intent-based advertising and search engine insights. With over 60,000 sites and 2 billion monthly impressions, the Chitika network is the pulse of the online world. For more information, visit http://chitika.com

Additional information and graphics to accompany this story may be viewed and downloaded here:

http://chitika.com/research/2009/twitterers-want-their-news/

This release was issued through The Xpress Press News Service, merging e-mail and satellite distribution technologies to reach business analysts and media outlets worldwide. For more information, visit http://www.XpressPress.com

    Contact:
    Daniel Ruby
    Research Director, Online Insights
    Chitika, Inc.
    +866.441.7203  x966
    press@chitika.com

SOURCE Chitika, Inc.

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