You see it all over the social web these days, the prompt to log-in using your Facebook/Twitter/Google+/LinkedIn account. But just how much are the so-called “social logins” catching on? A new survey by Janrain shows it’s on the rise and here to stay.

We all agree that trying to remember passwords and user names is a total headache. Why not use the identity of a preferred social network instead, the thinking goes. The Guardian has ridden this concept to huge traffic gains (not to mention more social interaction) rather than insist you plug in your personal details every time you want to comment upon a story, whereas, you’re more likely to search through your inbox, lose interest and click elsewhere.

News and media sites are not the only ones riding this wave. Here’s how Janrain views the field:

More than ever, people are sharing comments, purchases, reviews and other content from the web to their social networks. As a result, social networks have become a recommendation engine for web users. Facebook and Twitter are far and away the most popular sharing destinations, but LinkedIn and Yahoo! maintain preference on niche sites that are catered to their audience (B2B sites for LinkedIn, as an example). During the past year, Twitter’s popularity as a sharing destination has increased at a more prominent rate than other social networks.

At the moment, Facebook is the preferred social login channel with Google+ a distant second. The chart below shows the other contenders: