This time last year I wrote a post outlining how online reading patterns had changed over 2010. The habits and products for reading on the Web have continued to evolve over 2011. This year, for example, Google+ arrived on the scene and changed the way many people find and discuss topical articles. We also saw continued innovation in mobile and tablet reading apps.
In this post I identify two key trends in online reading over 2011, plus two main ways that our online reading habits have changed.
New research from Bit.ly shows that people share more links about dogs than cats. Using their internal search engine, Bit.ly data scientists looked for the number of pages with content containing the term "cat" and "dog." They included the plural and any variations. While it's clear that dogs are the most popular animal on the Internet, the data shows that the majority of people want to cuddle multiple dogs at one time, whereas people would rather cuddle with one cat at a time. What makes people want to share links about dogs more than links about cats?
In a new study from eMarketer.com, researchers found that by the end of 2011, 33.7 million Americans will use a tablet at least once a month. This is an increase of 158.6% since 2010, when the iPad was first released. The study estimates a 63.8% increase in users to 54.8 million by 2012. By 2014, that number will shoot up to 89.5 million. A total 35.6% of Internet users will use an iPad at least once per month by the year 2014.
Today, tablets are shared. For example, magazine discovery app Zite released a multiple sign-in option after discovering that 30% of iPad users shared their device with one or more people. According to eMarketer's data, however, as tablet adoption continues, tablets will move to single-use, much like the smartphones of today.
A new report from Nielsen reveals that kids ages 6-12 want Apple devices, especially iPads. Forty-four percent of kids ages 6-12 expressed interest in the iPad, up from 31 percent in 2010. Only 30% of kids want an iPod Touch, and 27% want an iPhone. For kids ages 13-and-up, iPads still top the wish list, with 24% this year, up from 18% last year. The second most desired item is a computer - 18% of kids ages 13-and-up want it more than an iPad. Yet last year, computers were the top most desired item for this age group after televisions, smartphones and then iPads. When it comes to holiday shopping, 2011 is most certainly the year of the iPad.
Sixty-two percent of teens set their profiles to private (friends only) on social media sites, according to results from a recent study by Pew Internet entitled "Teens, kindness and cruelty on social networking sites." Nineteen percent set their profiles to partially private, and 17% leave their profiles completely public.
Teens with public profiles tend to have had negative experiences on social media sites. They are nearly twice as likely as those who didn't have a bad experience to say that their profile was public (23% vs. 12%).
The Web is singing this morning. The coming death of Flash on mobile devices has made a lot of tech pundits and developers very happy. There is a big fat "I told you so" coming from all corners the of Internet while all Adobe can do is quietly sit back and rue the day the original iPhone was announced.
There could be several books written about the battle for Flash against mobile. "Steve Jobs' Last Laugh" could probably be finished in time for the holiday shopping season. "How To Kill Flash For Dummies" would be an enlightening title as well. It is a bittersweet day for many. We want to know: how are you reacting to the passing of Flash for mobile? Take the poll below.
The so-called tablet revolution in computing may still be young, but early research into how the devices are being used can tell us a lot.
About 11% of American adults now own a tablet, according to recent data from Pew's Project For Excellence in Journalism. A large majority (77%) of those tablet owners use them every day and more than half consume news content from the devices.
Analytics firm comScore released new data today showing that U.S. mobile social media audiences increased 37%, and more than half of social mobile audiences read a post from an organization, brand or event on their mobile device.
While the mobile browser accounted for more visits, research shows that the social networking app audience has grown five times faster in the past year. While the mobile browsing social networking audience has grown 24% to 42.3 million users, the mobile social networking app audience shot up 126% to 42.3 million users in the past year.
Every time I come to a Web 2.0 conference, Mary Meeker's presentation is what I most look forward to! She's been doing them for eight years now and they're always big on data, long on vision. You can view the presentation below, along with real-time notes taken while Meeker spoke.
Mobile has been a big theme of her presentations over the past couple of years. Sure enough, mobile is a big part of this year's presentation. Although she says that mobile growth is still in "early innings" - perhaps continuing the Moneyball metaphor that her Kleiner Perkins colleague presented earlier today.
A 2011 study by the National Restaurant Association confirms that consumers who use social media, including apps, Twitter, Facebook, Foursquare, UrbanSpoon and more, not only dine out more, but are more likely to become return customers. The study divided these techie-type consumers into two categories, based on data from the Association's 2010 National Household Survey: "connected adults," which refers to people who frequently use email and the Internet, and "social media-savvy adults," who use at least one of the following tools: Facebook, Twitter, Yelp and other food review sites, or mobile-phone apps like Foursquare and UrbanSpoon.
