NEW: Providence 57th in Nation for Social Networking

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Monday, March 14, 2011

Leah Michaels, GoLocalProv Contributor

A recent survey by Men’s Health magazine to determine the most socially networked city in America has found Providence to be of average standing in the area of online connectedness. Out of the 100 cities studied, Providence was ranked number 57, with a social network grade of C, in between Manchester, NH and Baltimore, MD.

The rankings were compiled based on the number of Facebook and LinkedIn users per capita for each locale, overall Twitter usage, traffic created from the major social networks like Myspace and Friendster, and the percentage of households that visit chat rooms and blogs.

Fifth in New England

Out of the six New England cities included, Providence was fifth most socially networked, with Boston top ranked at number 9 (grade A), Burlington, VT listed as 13, Portland, ME in the 17 spot, and Manchester, NH one notch above Providence at 56. The only New England city below the RI capital was Bridgeport, CT, one of the 10 least socially networked cities at number 93 (rank D-).

America’s Most Socially Networked City was Washington, DC, followed by Atlanta, GA and Denver, CO. The least connected of America's 100 largest cities? El Paso, TX.

Besides the obvious benefits of being able to stay in touch with friends, family, and co-workers, social networking incites people to donate for charity. "Unlike giving anonymously, contributing through social networking sites increases concern about the issues and encourages friends to donate," said Robb Willer, PhD, an assistant professor of sociology at the University of California at Berkeley. In other words, sharing (online) is caring, so get on the Web and start sharing, Providence!

The full list of the city rankings can be found here.