Online News Outpaces Newspapers March 10th, 2010

As online news sources and mobile apps proliferate across the Internet, consumers are tuning into online media sources in greater numbers than ever before.  According to a new study conducted by the Pew Internet & American Life Project, online news consumption is now surpassing the popularity of newspapers and radio stations as news platforms, and falls just behind television.

Here are a few interesting highlights from the study showing how Americans get their news, and the areas of interest driving their consumption:

• Multi-Platform Viewing.  Today, a staggering 92% of Americans take in the news via multiple platforms, including national and local TV, the Internet, the radio, and local and national newspapers.  46% say they get news from four to six media platforms on an average day, while only 7% consume news from a single media platform.
• Portable & Personalized.  News on-the-go via mobile phones is now a trend among 33% of cell phone owners, and 28% of Internet users have customized their home page to include news sources and topics of personal interest.
• Participatory.  37% of Internet users have contributed to creating the news, have commented on it, or have disseminated it via postings on social media sites.
• Why Tune In?  72% of news-following adults say they tune in because they enjoy talking about current events with friends and family.  69% watch due to a social or civic obligation to stay informed.  61% say the news provides valuable information that can help improve their lives.  And 44% say the news is an entertaining diversion.

Given the tremendous shift toward online news, more newspapers are beginning to charge their online readers to adapt to what is clearly a growing broadband news trend.  With so many news platforms and sources available, free speech and consumer participation in this democratic process is clearly alive and well.

ACI Study Reveals Negative Effects of Net Regulation March 4th, 2010

Today, as the FCC discusses imposing greater government regulation of the Internet, debate is raging over the necessity of such policies.  After all, the rapid rise of broadband and its innovations has emerged from a relatively unfettered Internet ecosystem driven by vigorous investment and competition.  Now, a study from the American Consumer Institute finds that greater Internet regulation will stifle private investment and impede the innovation consumers enjoy and count on nationwide.

According to the study:

• Both historically and across the marketplace today, infrastructure investment, innovation and improvement of the Internet is robust.
• Broadband providers’ core innovations have enabled and stimulated next-generation innovations that would otherwise not exist.
• No data or analysis exists to support claims that proposed net neutrality rules would promote innovation in the Internet ecosystem.
• Imposing new net neutrality regulations would diminish network provider’s incentives and opportunities to continue historic trends of innovation and investment.

These findings are consistent with another recent ACI study focusing on the adverse impacts of proposed FCC policies on U.S. employment.  The study cites historical data demonstrating that for every $1 billion in revenue, network companies provided 2,329 jobs, while non-network companies generated approximately half that number of jobs.  ACI suggests that FCC regulations, if imposed, would favor non-network companies, as opposed to the IT sector – ultimately leading to less investment and employment.

To read more about what experts are saying about net neutrality and the ACI study; review this blog over at NextGenWeb.

Nielsen Charts Facebook’s Rise March 2nd, 2010

It’s hard to miss the meteoric rise of Facebook, which according to the company has now expanded to 400 million active members.  And consider this sign of its growth: the website added 225 million users — or more than half of its members — in the past 12 months alone.

A new study from Nielsen also shows that U.S. Internet users are spending an unprecedented amount of time on the site.  In fact, American consumers committed more time to Facebook than Google, Yahoo, Microsoft, YouTube, Amazon and Wikipedia combined.

According to the study, in just six months the average amount of time spent on Facebook jumped from roughly 4 to 7 hours per month.  Based on the growth charted through January 2010, American Facebook users spent an average of 14 minutes per day, as compared to these relatively meager daily time stats: Yahoo (2:09), Microsoft/Bing (1:35), Google (1:23), YouTube (1:02), Amazon (0.22), and Wikipedia (0:15).

With this increase comes another interesting trend.  Given Facebook users’ tendency to share Web links with friends and family, the site is becoming a force to be reckoned with in terms of driving Internet traffic.  In fact, according to Compete Inc., Facebook has surpassed Google as the leading source of traffic to major portals, such as MSN, Yahoo, and AOL.  The company found that 13 percent of traffic to these sites came from Facebook, as opposed to 7.61 percent from eBay, and 7 percent from Google.

With more people turning to a friend’s recommendation as opposed to conducting their own independent online searches, the new social media trend, coined “friend-casting,” has taken off.  What does this mean for marketers?  Social-media optimization, in addition to search engine optimization, will become a key part of many companies’ strategies to connect with consumers.  A prime example is Intuit’s current TurboTax campaign using Facebook.  Since half of TurboTax’s 20 million users are on Facebook and each have an average of 150 friends, friend-casting connections can play a significant role in building buzz and driving sales.

What Are We Sharing Online? February 25th, 2010

Today, broadband’s rich reading resources — from online newspapers and magazines to blogs — help feed our knowledge of the world, and let us easily share articles and ideas with little more than a click of a button.  But what kinds of stories are we compelled to share online, and why?  That subject is now an area of focus among researchers – and you may be surprised by the findings.

Recently, a University of Pennsylvania study analyzed The New York Times list of most emailed articles over a period of six months.  The researchers examined the content and other factors such as placement in the newspaper and online.  Contrary to the frequent media perception that sensationalism and negativity sells, they found the majority of readers e-mailed articles with positive themes.  Stories that were “awe-inspiring” and long articles on “intellectually challenging” subjects were the most popular fodder for forwarding.  And although 20 percent of the most emailed articles were featured on the Times home page — 30 percent were in-depth science articles with headlines such as “The Promise and Power of RNA.”

Another key driver of Internet sharing is social media.  According to Facebook, 5 billion pieces of content are shared on the site every week, including links, photos, and videos.  Based on statistics from Gigya – a company that powers sharing widgets on more than 5,000 content sites – Facebook and Twitter are dominating about three quarters of all items shared via social media channels.  Facebook leads the pack with 44%; Twitter comes in second with 29%; Yahoo accounts for 18%; and MySpace makes up 9%.  As you can see, many of us prefer to broadcast links, rather than sharing them via email.

Thanks to the dynamism of the Internet, a vibrant online community is sharing inspiring and uplifting stories that give us a common bond regardless of any physical distance.

FCC Report Highlights Barriers to Broadband Adoption February 23rd, 2010

With the FCC’s national broadband plan slated to be unveiled March 17, the agency has been analyzing barriers to broadband adoption across the U.S.  Today, a new report reveals the FCC’s findings based on telephone interviews with 5,005 residents in the fall of 2009. The agency’s ultimate goal?  Speeding broadband Internet access to an estimated 93 million Americans who report hurdles ranging from technological literacy to a lack of perceived relevancy.

The report identifies four different types of ‘non-adopters’ who each face different barriers:  the ‘Digitally Distant’ who don’t see the point of being online; the ‘Digital Hopefuls’ who would like to be online, but lack the resources to be online (including often even having a computer); the ‘Digitally Uncomfortable’ who have the resources, but who don’t see the need; and the ‘Near Converts’ who are similar to adopters, but primarily cite costs as the greatest barrier to home use.

Here are some other highlights from the FCC’s findings:

• 78% of U.S. adults are Internet users and the vast majority of people now use broadband, as opposed to a slower dial-up Internet connection.
• Of the 35% of Americans who do not use broadband at home, 22 percent are older Americans, minority groups, rural residents, low-income individuals, or those with less education.
• For those without home broadband:  41% cite either digital literacy, or a lack of relevancy of the Internet to their lives – and choose not to adopt for these reasons.  Another 36% of non-adopters say affordability is a primary barrier to broadband access, with 10% citing the cost of a computer as being too much.

While broadband has been embraced by American consumers at a faster rate than any technology in our history, the FCC report shows there’s more work to do to speed broadband’s benefits, and technology literacy and education efforts that underscore the Internet’s relevancy will be critical to those efforts.

Global Broadband to Hit 1 Billion by 2013 January 28th, 2010

With a National Broadband Plan underway, there’s much talk today about broadband adoption.  Now, a new report released by In-Stat shows consumers are continually and rapidly embracing the high-speed Internet.

According to the study, an average of 8.8 million people worldwide subscribed to broadband each month in 2009, resulting in 578 million worldwide broadband subscribers by December 2009. That’s 99 million new broadband subscribers compared with the end of  2008.  Given this pace, In-Stat projects global broadband subscribers will exceed 1 billion by 2013.  Furthermore, In-Stat’s research indicates that households with multiple broadband connections are expected to multiply in the coming years, featuring a mix of wired broadband technology and mobile wireless connections.

What’s fueling this trend?  The rise in online video viewing, music downloads, and other high-bandwidth applications are contributing to the global demand for broadband.  The increased use of smartphones and other mobile broadband applications is also a contributing factor.  Additionally, as the high-speed Internet becomes increasingly ubiquitous, more people are realizing and seizing broadband’s benefits – from real-time communication to employment opportunities, cutting-edge health care technologies, and more.

Along similar lines, a study from the Pew Internet and American Life Project documents the growth of home broadband Internet connections – which rose 15% from 2008 to 2009.  Interestingly, several populations considered slow broadband adopters saw the largest growth.  For example, high-speed Internet subscriptions among seniors increased from 19% in 2008 to 30% in 2009.  Meanwhile, broadband adoption among low-income Americans with annual household incomes below $30,000 jumped 34% between 2008 and 2009.  And rural adoption rates jumped nearly 10 percentage points during the same period.

Study Shows Voracious Appetite for Data December 18th, 2009

The information age has given rise to an array of resources – from radio to print publications to television and the Internet.  Today’s smartphones and other portable broadband-enabled devices connect us to a steady stream of information delivered through a variety of channels.  So how do our data consumption habits compare to the past?

A new study conducted by researchers at the University of San Diego finds that the average American takes in 34 gigabytes of data and information each day.  This represents a growth rate of approximately 350 percent in information consumption over three decades.  Researchers attribute this exponential growth to modern, cross-platform habits that have created a culture that shifts easily between mediums, including the Internet, radio, text messages and video games.

According to the study, Americans take in approximately 100,000 words per day – whether from reading online and print publications to listening to television and radio.  And while time spent reading print media may have declined, the added time spent reading and surfing online adds up to more daily reading than previously documented.

How exactly do we divide our time between data channels?  TV watching dominates with an average five hours of daily viewing.  Gaming jumped in popularity, consuming nearly 55 percent of the total daily data bytes.  The average time spent on the computer was approximately two hours per day, and radio listening rang in at just over two hours.  Not surprisingly in our ultra-connected, multi-tasking world, many of these activities occurred simultaneously – such as text messaging or checking email while watching television.

With broadband-driven communications channels proliferating and integrating with a variety of technologies, our access to information has never been so vast or diverse–making it easy to stay connected and entertained in our modern world.

Booking Holiday Travel Over Broadband November 24th, 2009

As the Pew Internet and American Life Project study “The Generations Online in 2009” made clear, booking travel reservations over the Internet is now embraced across the generations.  Boomers are just as likely as those in their 20s to make travel arrangements online – which is perhaps why new, more customer-friendly online travel websites are emerging.

In today’s economy, many consumers are searching for more cost-conscious routes to recreation.  With this in mind, the new booking system Amadeus features an interface called “Affinity Shopper” that examines customers’ budget parameters and interests and searches broad time horizons to find the best deal.  The results are featured graphically on a map, showcasing a variety of options at a glance.  Along similar lines, Kayak.com boasts an interface that shows less expensive flights if you shift your travel time or days slightly.

For those planning a long, complicated trek around the world, Airtreks.com invites travelers to create their route by selecting cities on a world map, and then returns a cost estimate.  The service is provided by a travel agency that is available to book your flights at no additional cost.  For those seeking highly specialized adventures from visiting wildlife habitats to viewing geological formations, Worldheritage.org offers an exciting list of more than 800 world heritage sites that can be browsed according to your area of interest.

And, next flight, don’t get stuck with the worst seat on the plane.  While you can’t always choose who you sit next to, you can select your seat wisely by referring to the traveler reviews on seatguru.com.  From legroom to limited recline, detailed graphics help consumers identify substandard to superior seats.

From finding bargains to exploring exotic locations, broadband is bringing the world into our homes – and granting us passage to an exciting array of destinations.

Schools Embrace Social Networking November 17th, 2009

In today’s Internet-savvy era, many schools are realizing there’s a more effective way to communicate with parents, students and alumni than traditional school newsletters or notes buried in backpacks.  Going digital and connecting online via social networks is the logical, next step – particularly given the fact that Digg, Twitter and Facebook have 32 million, 58 million and 411 million unique monthly visitors, according to September 2009 Comscore worldwide data.

For some institutions, the school blog provides a modern look into school activities, featuring stories about students, photos and even video of recent sporting events or the school play.  This allows parents to connect with school happenings on their own time, and in a more dynamic way.  A growing number of schools also now have Facebook pages and are building a “fan” base that enables two-way communication – from promoting a school event to building support for a fundraising initiative.  Twitter, too, has found a place among educational communications.  For example, one Maryland school is using the technology to update parents on the school’s expansion project among other monthly updates.

Social networking offers exciting possibilities for students too.  According to a National School Board Association Survey, “almost 60 percent of students who use social networking talk about education topics online and, surprisingly, more than 50 percent talk specifically about schoolwork.”  While many schools are slow to embrace social learning networks as a part of their curriculums, a number of promising online programs are emerging that could enhance education.

Remember the days of pen pals?  This idea gets a digital makeover with ePals, which not only connects students from more than 200 countries and translates their e-mails, but also provides collaborative projects with classrooms worldwide ranging from biodiversity to human rights.  Along similar lines, CultureQuest and iEarn provide online classroom projects that help students become knowledgeable global citizens.  And Globaloria, sponsored by the World Wide Workshop Foundation, is a social learning network of educational, programmable web sites and related wikis and blogs that has been touted as a pathway for digital literacy for young people.

In today’s digital age, broadband is driving important education advances that transcend geographic boundaries and expose students to global perspectives.  And children worldwide are excited and engaged by interactive online learning tools, which heighten their interest in learning and help develop the minds of the future.

Tech Advances Aid the Disabled November 12th, 2009

Thanks to the rapid evolution and reach of broadband and other modern innovations, people with diverse needs are finding answers and opportunities in today’s technology. For disabled communities, these new tools are more than toys—they are downright empowering, and give the gift of greater independence, not to mention access to employment and education opportunities. And since 50 million Americans, or 1 in 5 people, are living with at least one disability, the potential for these advances to do good is significant.

As highlighted in a recent New York Times video, advances in computers and their hardware are making affordable, broadband-enabled laptops which are powerful enough to run the software needed to aid those with disabilities. For example, for the speech impaired, a low-cost laptop with free talk and type software enables individuals to communicate and conduct business with regular computing functions and Internet access. This is a tremendous change from the cumbersome, costly, and severely limited computers of the past that were available to the disabled.

Thanks to wireless technology, other exciting innovations are emerging for disabled citizens. For deaf Americans, a new wireless captioning system could greatly enhance their experience in public venues – actually transmitting via caption what is happening audibly at places, including movie theaters, museums, schools and sports arenas. For those with cognitive disabilities, the Travel Assistance Device uses GPS technology inside cell phones to track disabled transit riders and guide them safely to their destination. When the rider’s bus stop approaches, the phone vibrates and plays a prerecorded message telling the individual to pull the cord and tell the driver to pull over at the next corner—ultimately giving the individual greater independence to go about their day. And thanks to voice technology, the K-NFB reader, a smartphone for the vision-impaired, can actually scan and read documents aloud – in addition to serving as a phone and camera.

With innovators focused on the next frontier and making devices universal, disabled communities will continue to enjoy greater choices that enhance their quality of life in myriad ways.