Stumbleupon has outstripped Facebook.

Businesses reliant on parcel delivery and courier services may have stumbled upon something new in the social media world.

Facebook, which has come to dominate the sphere around the world and particularly in the US, has been outshone by a far smaller rival.

StumbleUpon, a social network with 13 million users, generated more page views by American internet users in December than Facebook, which has a global base of 500 million.

StatCounter reported that 43 per cent of page views by US web users came via StumbleUpon, versus 38 per cent from Facebook.

"2010 has been an incredible year for StumbleUpon: nearly 5 million people joined the StumbleUpon community, which is now more than 13 million strong," noted StumbleUpon communications manager Katie Gray.

"We made it possible to stumble sites and apps on mobile devices, including the iPad, iPhone and Android phones."

The news comes as many businesses are expected to increase their spending on social media marketing, with Strong Mail reporting that 57 per cent of companies plan to boost funds in this area.

Posted by Tom Sands

Article Added: 05/01/2011 09:24:05