Facebook Continues Growth in U.K. as Bebo and MySpace Losses Continue

Facebook accounted for 6.22 percent of visits to all Web sites from U.K. users during the last week of March, according to data from online measurement company Experian Hitwise. By contrast, ailing social networks Bebo and MySpace accounted for 0.19 percent and 0.15 percent of visits, respectively, following three years of consistent decline.

Within Hitwise’s social networking and forums site category, Facebook accounted for over 50 percent of traffic for the week ending April 3, followed by YouTube with 17 percent, and Twitter with just over 2 percent of visits. Bebo and MySpace occupied the fourth and fifth spots, with 1.58 percent and 1.30 percent of traffic, respectively.

Admitting it wasn’t prepared to invest any further in the social networking space, Bebo-parent AOL announced earlier this month that it intends to either sell or close the network by the end of May.

Meanwhile – as its user base continues to grow – Twitter announced last week its long-awaited plan to start monetizing its audience over the course of the next few months through its Promoted Tweets product.