Karen Webster’s earlier post, The Aging of Facebook, made the point that social networks aren’t just for kids anymore. In a recent article, it was reported that over the past six months, the largest growing demographic on Facebook was users between 35-54 years olds with a 276.4% growth rate and in a close second were the 55 year old+ users at 194.3%. It’s adding 5 million new users each week, and now 45% of its US audience is over the age of 26.

The staggering growth of this platform – and now across all age demographics - further solidifies the staying power of these platforms. So now it is up to marketers to figure out how to monetize the relationships without barging in as uninvited guests.