Mike’s Points

Those who get their news and information on the Internet are more likely to read traditional media, than their less-than-’net-savy brethren.

That’s at least how it is in Canada, according to a study done by the Canadian Internet Project, and reported on CyberJournalist.net.

The key findings of plus a link to the report are on CyberJournalist. According to the study, “Fifty-nine percent of Internet users cited newspapers as an important source of information, compared to 50 percent of non-users.”

As the study pointed out, “Internet users, it would seem, are simply more media-oriented than are non-users.”

Internet users are just news junkies (like me, I suppose) who use the Internet as an additional outlet to gather information, whether it be useful or useless.

However, according to the study, while Internet users see newspapers as an important source of information, they tend to spend less time reading newspapers and other traditional media.

That makes sense as there is more competition for news and media sources.

So, should more newspapers take a cue from “USA Today” and develop quicker-read stories with graphs to optimize readers’ time?

Some have, but more should.
– Mike

Technorati tags: CyberJournalist, Canadian Internet Project, Studies, Canada, News, Newspapers

CyberJournalist had this great post the other day on the “Top 10 Reasons for Reading a Newspaper.”

Okay. I’ll save you a click through by posting them here:

Top 10 Reasons for Reading a Newspaper
1. My newspaper has never crashed, gone down, or flashed animated ads at me.

2. Anywhere I travel, my newspaper goes with me. I don’t need a laptop or a wireless connection or a PDA.

3. I can read my newspaper while standing, while eating, while riding a bus, but not while driving my car, which is just as well since I should be paying attention to the road.

4. If I read a story I like, I can tear it out and save it, and not have to pay to read it 30 days later.

5. I don’t have to sign in or customize or register or remember passwords to read my newspaper. And I often enjoy articles in my newspaper on topics I wouldn’t normally think I’d be interested in.

6. My newspaper has high-resolution picutres and type on large pages that load almost instantly, making it easy to browse and enjoy.

7. My newspaper is cheap, disposable and easy to replace. If it’s lost or stolen, it’s no big deal.

8. My newspaper is not made of unrecyclable toxic materials.

9. If my newspaper makes a mistake, the correction is posted with an explanation. It’s not sneakily applied to the original story after I’ve read it.

10. I can read my newspaper sitting outside on a nice day in the sun, even if a breeze is blowing, because I know how to fold a newspaper.

My favorite? #4.
– Mike

Technorati tags: CyberJournalist, Newspapers