This isn’t a big spread but it does make you wonder why.

It’s not a big surprise to me. Women, in general, are more interested and engaged in social networking. They love to be connected whether by phone, laptop or desktop.

Mobile makers better make sure they are 1) hiring women engineers, 2) surveying their women customers for product design and 3) engaging their women customers in getting feedback on what’s working (or not) in their products.

The study also showed that while social networking is commonly thought of as something for “the kids,” the 35-54 age group had more active mobile social networkers than any other group.

Some highlights include:
- 59% are are visiting sites multiple times per day.
- Facebook was the most popular social network among these users, with 83% belonging to the site.
- 55% were on Twitter.
- 93% said that control over their own privacy settings were very important.
- 71% said using social networks to network professional was very important and 62% said to stay up-to-date with friends.

More women use social networking than men and if your organization doesn’t understand the trends and strategies on how to maximize them you’re missing out on a key audience.

Libby Chivers of SEO Optimise gives the following tips  to marketing to women online:

1. Women enjoy socializing online more than men. Chivers suggests that  confrontational forum debates are out and supportive social networking is in. She suggests allowing users to personalize their platforms, encourage the sharing of ideas and support and create a space for off-topic chat.

Don’t be afraid to have your site not be 100% about your mission. The goal is to foster community. Remember, when you connect women to each other you deepen your own brand.

2. Attract women with attractive Web design. Men tend to appreciate functionality in websites. Women want that too but they also want colorful, attractive and textured sites.

3. Grow your user generation content. Women trust each other more than they do organizations/corporations. Some of the most successful Web site are ones that let the users generate their own content and share it with others.  “A female reader will prefer to trust their fellow consumers rather than the company message, no matter how many statistics, blueprints and facts the firm has provided.”

• More than one-half (53%) of the US female Internet population of 79 million actively participated in some type of social media at least weekly.
• 55% of women participate in some form of blogging activity75% participate in social networks such as Facebook or MySpace
• 20% use Twitter
• 45% of survey respondents decided to purchase an item after reading about it on a  blog
• Of the female social media participants, 75% took part in social networking and 55% used blogs.
• But many women went beyond merely reading: 12 million posted to blogs and 8 million published them.
• In fact, women who used blogs were more than twice as likely to do so when they were seeking information, advice and recommendations than were women who participated in social networking.
• When providing advice or contributing to a community, more women also turned to blogs than social networks.
• Women online are now more than ever before spending less time engaging in traditional media activities like:Reading the newspaper (39%)Reading magazines (36%)

  Listening to the radio (31%)

  Watching TV (30%)

  Talking on the phone (28%)

  Meeting in person  (19%)