Beantown’s Buzzing – Boston Ranked As Top Ten Socially Networked Cities

We know that people are becoming increasingly engaged and connected through social media, but which US cities are the most engaged? Men’s Health Magazine recently published the top 100 most socially networked cities in the US to answer this question. To do so, they analyzed many different aspects of social media and its usage in each city – Linkedin, Facebook, Twitter, Myspace, Friendster, Reddit, Digg…

Turns out Boston is ranked #9, behind Washington DC (who knew the US capital would also be the capital of social networking?), Atlanta, Seattle, and San Francisco.

So how did Boston get ranked in the top ten? The key might be a high number of innovative, young professionals. Boston has always been a hub for students and recent grads who aren’t quite ready to say goodbye to their Alma Maters. Boston is also known for innovation, earning the rank of Best US City for Innovation in 2010, beating out even San Francisco. And don’t forget, Boston was MarketWatch’s Third Best City for Business in 2010. Young professionals have a better understanding of the social media landscape and are able to capitalize on that by utilizing social media to enhance their brands or build their businesses. With so many of these young and involved social media fiends in the Boston area, a plethora of Tweets, check-ins, and “stumbling” is inevitable.

But the key to being one of the top socially networked cities is more than just people using social media platforms to connect with family and friends.  Instead, the interaction between people and brands through social media channels to influence and mobilize people across the country is the type of social media interaction that has made Boston really stand out. DC’s place in the rankings has a lot to do with the numerous politicians, nonprofits, and government agencies tapping into social media to reach broader audiences. Similarly, Boston’s young professionals bring more opportunities for brand and consumer interaction through social media. The expansion of social media is therefore not only in the hands of consumers, but brands and organizations that utilize it for greater communication purposes.

How do you think the social media landscape is changed by the way brands and consumers use it?