Big Changes for Big Papers: In 2008 The Web Changed the Media For Good
Use of the internet by the top 100 US newspapers changed radically in 2008, according to the annual report of the industry released today by analysts The Bivings Group. The group reports that 58% of the biggest newspapers now make use of internet based "user generated content," up from just 24% in 2007.
That finding is just one of a number of interesting statistics in this report that details a dramatic transformation underway right now in media.
Other highlights include:
- 75% of newspapers now accept comments on articles, up from 33% in 2007.
- 100% adoption of RSS. All but three of the papers offered feeds in 2007 already, but this is a remarkable change in news delivery none the less.
- 92% of the newspapers now include buttons to bookmark articles in social bookmarking systems like Delicious or Digg, up from 7% in 2006.
- The brief experiment with required online registration is over. The number of websites requiring registration to view most content (free or paid) has decreased to 11%, compared to 29% in 2007 and 23% in 2006.
- 20% offer chatting options and 40% now offer SMS alerts.
What It Means
Mainstream news will never be the same again. You can now talk back to it, take part in it and interact with it along with countless other sources of information. Just as no software company can produce content or code as well as a world of users and developers collaborating can, so too can newspapers no longer keep us sufficiently informed all on their own. It's nice to see they aren't trying to anymore. These are changes for the better and show that while old media institutions are struggling to hold on to revenue in the face of the internet challenge, the fight is also doing them a lot of good at the same time.
You can read the full report here.
Photo: "Sharing a Paper" CC by Flickr user Pingu1963
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Are you kidding? The Bivings's summary stresses the exact opposite of the notion that newspapers "changed radically." Just look at the web summary:
"Speaking generally, our study shows that newspapers are trying to improve their web programs and aggressively experimenting with a variety of new features. However, having actually reviewed all these newspaper websites it is hard not to be left with the impression that the sites are being improved incrementally on the margins."
Please report the facts--even when they're dismal. We'll take them over sugar-coated dreams that newspapers are actually taking the risks they need to at long last.
Josh, I hear ya but I still think these numbers are impressive. I guess I set a really low standard for newspapers! I don't have a hard time believing both that the changes are going on incrementally on the margins and that they are radical and irreversible.
Only 75% of newspapers enable commenting? That seems disappointingly low.
I work at the firm that produced the study and I understand Marshall's point. Just a few years ago many newspapers had formal policies in place against linking to external sites, had all their content locked up behind some sort of registration wall and literally none of them had the community features that blogs have included from the beginning. Newspapers now acknowledge that there is a world outside their walled gardens and are participating in it. That is an impressive change when you consider where they started from.
However, it is hard not to think that the current model is really beyond saving and that more drastic measures are needed. To survive, they are going to need to actually get ahead of the curve (like the Las Vegas Sun) instead of simply adding blog-style features to their websites two year after they've become industry standards.
I'll believe newspapers are changing when we see key reporters (and Editors and Publishers) twittering news prior to actual release. They still think in terms of print cycle and worry too much about scheduled release. Interesting stats, though.
@aaron "key reporters (and Editors and Publishers) twittering news prior to actual release."
Been/being done. One example http://twitter.com/trackingike more http://www.statesman.com/news/content/standing/twitter.html
Look around http://graphicdesignr.net/blog/2008/12/17/november-newspapers-that-use-twitter/ you'll find a lot more.