MySpace's dominance in the social networking markets of the US and UK is under threat, according to Nielsen//Net Ratings latest traffic figures.The rapidly growing popularity of rival sites Facebook and Bebo has seen MySpace record only its second monthly dip in traffic since November 2005.
Facebook, which was originally renowned for its large base of graduate and college-based users, has also become bigger in the UK than in the US.
MySpace remains the most popular social networking site in the UK, having attracted 6.5 million unique visitors last month.
But last month traffic to the site dropped for the first time since June and only the second time since the end of 2005.
Yet, over the past six months Facebook has seen its audience numbers boom, growing at 19 times the rate of MySpace's - 523 per cent compared to 28 per cent.
Couple this with the fact that Bebo, a social networking site that tends to attract a younger audience than the other two, has also experienced growth of 49 per cent, MySpace has every reason to be looking nervously over its shoulder.
Alex Burmaster, European internet analyst, Nielsen//NetRatings said: "MySpace is, by far, still the most popular social network. However, if last month's growth rates were to remain consistent, both Bebo and Facebook would catch MySpace in September this year."
He added that Bebo led the way when it came to "user engagement", suggesting that users spent more time on average surfing the site, compared to the average "Facebooker" or "MySpacer".
