Based on the online community software market's twofold growth in size in 2008, IDC is predicting that the U.S. online community software market will grow from $278.4 million in 2008 to $1.6 billion in 2013 at a compound annual growth rate of 41.8%. Despite the recession, many of the largest vendors reported double-digit growth rates in 2008 and higher-than-expected growth in the first half of 2009 as the U.S. online community software market doubled in revenue from $135.3 million in 2007 to $278.4 million in 2008 based on the promise of online community software to help organizations deepen relationships with customers and innovate at much faster speeds.
(www.idc.com)