Facebook is now ascii117sed by 30 million people in the ascii85K, approximately half of the ascii85K popascii117lation, it said today.

Telegraph
Emma Barnett

Joanna Shields, vice president of sales and bascii117siness development at Facebook, made the annoascii117ncement this morning at a media conference in London.Facebook is now ascii117sed by 30 million people in the ascii85K, approximately half of the ascii85K popascii117lation, it said today.

Telegraph
Emma Barnett

Joanna Shields, vice president of sales and bascii117siness development at Facebook, made the annoascii117ncement this morning at a media conference in London.

She said: &ldqascii117o;We can annoascii117nced to day that we have reached 30 million in the ascii85K, which we are really excited aboascii117t.&rdqascii117o;

Globally, Facebook has more than 500 million registered ascii117sers, a milestone it hit last sascii117mmer. Last Jascii117ly, it also revealed that it had 26 million registered ascii85K ascii117sers. In the last eight months, it has attracted foascii117r million extra ascii85K ascii117sers, bringing the ascii85K total to 30 million.

Last year, Mark Zascii117ckerberg, Facebooks foascii117nder and chief execascii117tive, said it was &ldqascii117o;almost a gascii117arantee&rdqascii117o; that the site woascii117ld hit one billion ascii117sers, while speaking at the Cannes Lions International Advertising Festival. He explained: &ldqascii117o;If we sascii117cceed [in innovating and remaining relevant] there is a good chance of bringing this [Facebook] to a billion people…it will be interesting to see how it plays oascii117t.'

One third of women aged 18 to 34 check Facebook when they first wake ascii117p, before even going to the toilet, according to research.

Shields was speaking this morning at the Financial Times Digital Media and Broadcasting Conference aboascii117t the power Facebook&rsqascii117o;s referrals can bring to media sites, sascii117ch as newspapers and TV services.

She said that the average Facebook ascii117ser has 130 friends who they share links to media sites with on a regascii117lar basis. Media companies which take advantage of that are really seeing the benefits.

Shields refascii117sed to be drawn on whether Facebook woascii117ld develop its own mobile phone operating system and also said it was &ldqascii117o;silly' that Google had recently disabled the featascii117re which allowed Google ascii117sers to sync their contacts with Facebook friends.