More Users Relying on Aggregators for Breaking News, MORI Study Finds
By
Tania Valdemoro
When users most frequently go online |
Breaking news drives people online, according to the latest MORI Research survey about newspaper Web site users.
But users increasingly are relying on aggregator sites like Google or MSN for local news coverage instead of getting it from
local newspaper sites, said Michael Fibison, associate director at MORI Research. His firm recently issued “Power Users
2004,” a new study that examines the reading and buying habits of newspaper Web site users (http://www.digitaledge.org).
For newspapers, it’s unclear whether the aggregators are an entry point or the competition, Fibison said. The survey
found that 39 percent of respondents relied on Google for news, up from only 3 percent two years ago. “It’s now the
superpower in news, entertainment and shopping,” he said.
Newspaper Web sites face other threats, Fibison said. For instance, the study found that more users are going directly to department
store Web sites, such as Target.com, to do research on products they may want to buy instead of going to newspapers for the same
information. The survey also found that users don’t typically go online to see local ads, but instead still look for local
advertising in newspapers.
Nevertheless, newspapers’ online operations have new opportunities once they discern their audience properly, Fibison
said. “The average newspaper Web site user is well-educated and affluent, earning an average of $71,000 a year. On average,
he or she spends 19 hours a week online. Nearly 70 percent of users are online at work,” according to the study.
The number of people shopping online has also increased markedly, Fibison said. Seven out of 10 people surveyed had bought
items online. And the percentage of people who said they had accessed paid content, not including pornography, rose to 22 percent
in 2004 from 12 percent in 2002. The study also found that more people are going online to get driving directions and movie times
or to do banking.
The key is to keep readers coming back to your Web site, said Fibison. He recommended that journalists tailor their site’s
content and increase the site’s utilities that attract repeat visitors, such as maps and movie times. But most of all, he
advised, offer users breaking news. |
