The List: The web secrets of FT readers as revealed by Bob Ivins of comScore, Inc

There are many ways of tracking internet usage. ComScore, Inc measures the online behaviour of a globally representative sample of more than 2m consumers' browsing and buying habits. We then map this data on to the wider population, so audience sizes for websites such as FT.com, online categories such as social networking, and geographic regions can be estimated and a picture of the average internet user developed. Because comScore tracks users, we are able to measure cross-visitation - for example, what other sites do British users of FT.com visit? Using data collected in December 2007 and analysed in January 2008, here's what we found.

FOOTBALL

Most popular site: IFanFootball.com - FT.com users were nearly 12 times more likely than the average internet user to access this site, which had a total of 260,000 unique visitors in December 2007.

Other: CAFC.com - FT.com users are four times more likely than the average internet user to visit the site of football club Charlton Athletic (which had 72,000 unique visitors in December)

Most surprising finding: ChelseaFC.com - 309,000 unique visitors in December 2007, but FT.com users were 63 per cent less likely to visit the site than the average UK internet user.

SOCIAL NETWORKING

Most popular site: Orkut.com was the most popular mainstream social networking site - FT.com users were 59 per cent more likely than the average internet user to access this site, which had 238,000 unique visitors in December 2007.

Other: FT.com users were more than twice as likely to visit online publishing site scribd.com (which had 380,000 unique visitors in December) and tagging site Del.i.cious.com, (191,000 unique visitors) than the average Internet user.

Most surprising finding: Linkin.com - FT.com users were only 9 per cent more likely to visit the business-focused social networking site than the average UK Internet user (262,000 unique visitors in December 2007).

PROPERTY

Most popular site: Foxtons - FT.com users were eight times more likely than the average internet user to access this site, which had 108,000 unique visitors in December 2007.

Other: FT.com users were eight times more likely to visit overseas property specialist justoverseas.co.uk (which had 207,000 unique visitors in December) than the average internet user.

Most surprising finding: Nationalhomebuyers.co.uk - FT.com users were more than 20 times more likely than the average UK internet user to visit this quick sale property site, which had 49,000 visitors in December 2007.

CAREERS

Most popular site: TheLadders.com - FT.com users were seven and a half times more likely than the average internet user to access this site, which specialises in positions paying £50,000+ per annum and had 245,000 unique visitors in December 2007.

Other: FT.com users were 181 per cent more likely to visit education jobs specialist eteach.com (235,000 unique visitors)

Most surprising finding: Indeed.co.uk - FT.com users were 43 per cent less likely than the average UK Internet user to visit this jobs search engine, which had 96,000 unique visitors in December 2007 - the same month its US parent site indeed.com made Time magazine's list of the Top 10 websites of 2007.

So what can we conclude? FT.com users are highly web-savvy: they know where to find news and information and the goods and services they want and tend to frequent a diverse range of specialist suppliers rather than portals. They are also interested in value for money - there were more discount vendors and high-street retail names in our research than those of designer labels. They are less likely to follow the online herd to the most populist sites, as evidenced by their social networking activity, but will seek out best of breed sites for a particular category.

Bob Ivins is executive vice president and managing director, Europe, comScore Inc.