Social networking sites like Facebook and YouTube are the darlings of the media, and with news this week that AOL has acquired Bebo for $850 million, it's clear that even the old guard thinks there is cash in communities. But what about web users? Are they showing signs of matching the medias high level of interest? If your content strategy (or your budget) doesn't include plans for a user-generated video forum, are you destined to not succeed?

Not quite. The latest Internet Activity Index (IAI) shows that internet users are spending a surprisingly small share (7.5%) of their valuable web time with communities. Usually defined as sites that combine content with communications in order to foster relationships between individual members, communities are distinguished by their user-generated content.

Released monthly by the Online Publisher's Association (OPA), the Index is a breakdown of time spent online by global web users, and measures results for five basic site types - content, communications, commerce, search, and community. A deconstruction of Nielsen Online data, the Index has only recently included the community category.

"Since the IAI was launched four years ago, a distinct category of sites has evolved around community," said OPA president Pam Horan. But, "Even with community added, our initial data reflect the same pattern found over the last 15 months. The bulk of consumers' online time is spent with content." In all, 42.7% of consumer time online is spent with Content sites, 28.7% is with Communication sites, 16.1% with Commerce sites, 7.5% with Communities, and 5% on Search sites.

When laying out your content strategy, it is best to remember that web users are not always looking for the things the media admires. Substantive content is often enough to acquire the attention that you are seeking.