Research Surveys
Polls On How People Find and Read News Online
Public Relations for Technology and Media Companies The Information Ecosystem Research Series How Do Professionals Get News…Today! The following report is based on a survey of executives in the media, technology, telecommunication and marketing industries conducted through LinkedIn. The content of this report simply reflects the results of this survey and does not reflect findings, agreements or scientific analysis. All questions and comments should be directed to Ephraim Cohen at The Fortex Group – This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or (203) 569-9436. While there’s never a shortage of buzz about the latest information distribution platform or advice about the latest outreach strategies to best deliver messages to your intended targets, what communications professionals really need to understand is exactly how their audience is going about getting their news today. To that end, we recently conducted a series of mini-polls on LinkedIn, for which we surveyed 100-200 executives per poll about how they personally receive news and information. Key Findings News web sites and aggregators dominate with 52% of respondents get their news from news web sites and 28% from aggregators like Google news. Twitter is rising as a news distribution source with 7% of respondents getting news that way (and it’s still early). Email is still a strong option at 10%. Print is still important as 37% read a print paper daily and 20% cited print when asked about reading opinion editorials. Mobile platform is not only a strong news delivery tool, but is a platform where interest in using news applications (38% said they used applications) allow for branded applications vs. web browsing (35%) where users may easily move to another site. No one type of news site or source dominated in terms of the type of result people click on when searching for information. Note on the polls. Please keep in mind when viewing this data that these polls DO NOT indicate that you either should or should not pay attention to a specific type of outlet or platform. Rather, their results indicate a potential, general trend and they serve as a reminder that we should neither take new platforms for granted nor dismiss the effectiveness of established ones. For information contact Ephraim Cohen at +1-917-215-5413 or cohen @fortexgroup.com Copyright 2009 The Fortex Group Page 2 – The Information Ecosystem Survey Series Poll 1: From Which Sources Do You Retrieve Your Daily News? In our first poll, we surveyed 200 professionals in the marketing, tech/telecom, media and related industries. This group was selected both because they represent common targets for client programs and because they are often seen as earlier adopters than are their counterparts in other industries. In response to the question of how they get their news, news sites and aggregators dominate. While Twitter received a strong response, this is the predominant Twitter-using crowd. As early adopters, they may be indicating future potential for wider usage or experimentation – time will tell. Blogs were not rated as highly and do not seem to be taking over as a primary source of news delivery. That may be due to blogs often being more of a news opinion source than news itself while blogs that deliver news sites, such as Business Insider, are simply seen as news sites (which happen to be using a blog platform0. News sites clearly dominate in this area; however aggregators also have a sizable market share. This is significant because as these aggregators gain value as a primary information source, the necessity for SEO in press releases continue increase as a second arm of media relations program. Twitter had a surprisingly strong influence, rivaling that of newsletters; however, Twitter’s 140 character limit is perfect for news headlines. Email newsletters remain strong for niche interests, so while their percentage may be low, in reality they may retain a high level of importance for industry-specific news. Blogs came in last, but that may be because they are perceived less as a news source and more as an outlet for opinions and niche interest areas. This will be examined more in depth in a subsequent poll. Unprompted quotes from respondents led to some interesting revelations: For information contact Ephraim Cohen at +1-917-215-5413 or cohen @fortexgroup.com Copyright 2009 The Fortex Group Page 3 – The Information Ecosystem Survey Series 1. Print still has a real purpose, and while e-readers may eventually change this, they do not yet have enough market penetration for a real impact. Respondents said: “I still enjoy browsing through a REAL newspaper over coffee!!!” “I actually get 90% of my news from reading the New York Times every morning on my commuter train. Actually a combination...newspaper and the net..still nothing like reading the hard copy” 2. While people have definite preferences, they will use a mix of sources: “I then use the aggregation of Yahoo! News and the NYTimes.com to fill in the holes. I, of course, get virtually all the news of my industry from very specialized newsletters and email alerts.” “It depends on the type of news I am looking for or interested in. News sites are key for general info, and e-newsletters are great for business or topic specific news.” “Mostly NY Times online, Yahoo! News and a host of e-newsletters and blog feeds.” “90% on-line NYT, NPR, Business Week.10% cable/MSNBC. If my total news intake is onehour per day that is more then sufficient as the rest is spin and just feeding the beast.” “I haven't bought a newspaper in months! There is something to be said for the convenience of being able to peruse constantly updated news online. I usually look at the popular news sites for the important, late-breaking stuff, and eventually make to to blogs for any niche news, commentary, or interesting points of view.” Poll 2: How do you Read News on a Mobile Device? For this poll, we surveyed 125 executives with more mobile-oriented job functions (marketing, sales, some IT, etc.) across business sectors to explore how people retrieve news on a mobile device. Coming as a bit of a surprise, apps showed very strongly, which may be an indicator of the strength of the iPhone apps store (where news apps sell quite well). This may indicate that on a mobile device, where screen size and mobile environments require more focus, specific news delivery systems may win out over general searching (just look at the popularity of news apps like AP news on the iPhone). Should this trend continue, public relations professionals may well end up shifting more time to focus on major news brands that have strong footholds in mobile platforms. This will be an interesting area to watch, as preferences may shift considerably as handset technology and mobile industry business models continue to evolve. For information contact Ephraim Cohen at +1-917-215-5413 or cohen @fortexgroup.com Copyright 2009 The Fortex Group Page 4 – The Information Ecosystem Survey Series Poll 3: Where do you get More Opinion-based “News” Our third poll surveyed 100 business executives, with no specific sector selection. They were asked which sources they use to retrieve news analysis or opinion news (editorials). The surprising revelation was how strong news sites ranked, while bloggers did not perform as well as we expected (however, they may not lost ground in being a preferred result in search results (see poll 4). The results for print were more predictable, as like in the first poll, several people specifically indicated that they will always enjoy print with coffee (as will I). Breaking survey results down by age range leads to the question, “will the print generation die out?” While it does appear at first glance that the younger generation has completely eschewed print media, it may just demonstrate that people enjoy actual paper-based media more as they get older (I for one did not read papers regularly until after college – and that was pre-web). For information contact Ephraim Cohen at +1-917-215-5413 or cohen @fortexgroup.com Copyright 2009 The Fortex Group Page 5 – The Information Ecosystem Survey Series Poll 4: What type of Search Result is of most Interest for Opinions on a News Topic Our fourth poll asked 125 executives which types of search results were most interesting to them when seeking opinions on a particular news topic. Op-ed sections of news sites were the leader, with research/white papers coming in a close second. Here, bloggers began to pull even with other types of search results. Unprompted quotes from respondents reveal some interesting points of view: “Depends on what one wants opinion for: To gauge strong and immediate reactions, I'd look to microblogs. For a substantive approach with more enduring value, I'd go to trusted columnist or to blog--including posts recommended by trusted bloggers. “ For information contact Ephraim Cohen at +1-917-215-5413 or cohen @fortexgroup.com Copyright 2009 The Fortex Group Page 6 – The Information Ecosystem Survey Series “Blogs are the easiest way to reply to or comment on a news topic” “I think Twitter will be all but dead in three years. It offers no added value beyond eyewitness reports to major events.” “Twitter is the launching pad for everything happening in the NOW. There is every option to dig deeper once you do find that initial point of interest.” Poll Five: Do you still Read Print Newspapers Our final poll surveyed [who?]. They were asked simply if they still read print newspapers. As revealed in results from other questions discussed previously in this article, we see that the demand for print media still exists, even when explored by age group. For information contact Ephraim Cohen at +1-917-215-5413 or cohen @fortexgroup.com Copyright 2009 The Fortex Group Page 7 – The Information Ecosystem Survey Series Next Our initial survey series has revealed interesting and useful insights and has led to more questions. The second part of this series will look more in-depth at how professionals get opinions. To be alerted when our next study is ready, please contact us via email or phone. For information contact Ephraim Cohen at +1-917-215-5413 or cohen @fortexgroup.com Copyright 2009 The Fortex Group
Public Relations for Technology and Media Companies The Information Ecosystem Research Series How Do Professionals Get News…Today! The following report is based on a survey of executives in the media, technology, telecommunication and marketing industries conducted through LinkedIn. The content of this report simply reflects the results of this survey and does not reflect findings, agreements or scientific analysis. All questions and comments should be directed to Ephraim Cohen at The Fortex Group – This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or (203) 569-9436. While there’s never a shortage of buzz about the latest information distribution platform or advice about the latest outreach strategies to best deliver messages to your intended targets, what communications professionals really need to understand is exactly how their audience is going about getting their news today. To that end, we recently conducted a series of mini-polls on LinkedIn, for which we surveyed 100-200 executives per poll about how they personally receive news and information. Key Findings News web sites and aggregators dominate with 52% of respondents get their news from news web sites and 28% from aggregators like Google news. Twitter is rising as a news distribution source with 7% of respondents getting news that way (and it’s still early). Email is still a strong option at 10%. Print is still important as 37% read a print paper daily and 20% cited print when asked about reading opinion editorials. Mobile platform is not only a strong news delivery tool, but is a platform where interest in using news applications (38% said they used applications) allow for branded applications vs. web browsing (35%) where users may easily move to another site. No one type of news site or source dominated in terms of the type of result people click on when searching for information. Note on the polls. Please keep in mind when viewing this data that these polls DO NOT indicate that you either should or should not pay attention to a specific type of outlet or platform. Rather, their results indicate a potential, general trend and they serve as a reminder that we should neither take new platforms for granted nor dismiss the effectiveness of established ones. For information contact Ephraim Cohen at +1-917-215-5413 or cohen @fortexgroup.com Copyright 2009 The Fortex Group Page 2 – The Information Ecosystem Survey Series Poll 1: From Which Sources Do You Retrieve Your Daily News? In our first poll, we surveyed 200 professionals in the marketing, tech/telecom, media and related industries. This group was selected both because they represent common targets for client programs and because they are often seen as earlier adopters than are their counterparts in other industries. In response to the question of how they get their news, news sites and aggregators dominate. While Twitter received a strong response, this is the predominant Twitter-using crowd. As early adopters, they may be indicating future potential for wider usage or experimentation – time will tell. Blogs were not rated as highly and do not seem to be taking over as a primary source of news delivery. That may be due to blogs often being more of a news opinion source than news itself while blogs that deliver news sites, such as Business Insider, are simply seen as news sites (which happen to be using a blog platform0. News sites clearly dominate in this area; however aggregators also have a sizable market share. This is significant because as these aggregators gain value as a primary information source, the necessity for SEO in press releases continue increase as a second arm of media relations program. Twitter had a surprisingly strong influence, rivaling that of newsletters; however, Twitter’s 140 character limit is perfect for news headlines. Email newsletters remain strong for niche interests, so while their percentage may be low, in reality they may retain a high level of importance for industry-specific news. Blogs came in last, but that may be because they are perceived less as a news source and more as an outlet for opinions and niche interest areas. This will be examined more in depth in a subsequent poll. Unprompted quotes from respondents led to some interesting revelations: For information contact Ephraim Cohen at +1-917-215-5413 or cohen @fortexgroup.com Copyright 2009 The Fortex Group Page 3 – The Information Ecosystem Survey Series 1. Print still has a real purpose, and while e-readers may eventually change this, they do not yet have enough market penetration for a real impact. Respondents said: “I still enjoy browsing through a REAL newspaper over coffee!!!” “I actually get 90% of my news from reading the New York Times every morning on my commuter train. Actually a combination...newspaper and the net..still nothing like reading the hard copy” 2. While people have definite preferences, they will use a mix of sources: “I then use the aggregation of Yahoo! News and the NYTimes.com to fill in the holes. I, of course, get virtually all the news of my industry from very specialized newsletters and email alerts.” “It depends on the type of news I am looking for or interested in. News sites are key for general info, and e-newsletters are great for business or topic specific news.” “Mostly NY Times online, Yahoo! News and a host of e-newsletters and blog feeds.” “90% on-line NYT, NPR, Business Week.10% cable/MSNBC. If my total news intake is onehour per day that is more then sufficient as the rest is spin and just feeding the beast.” “I haven't bought a newspaper in months! There is something to be said for the convenience of being able to peruse constantly updated news online. I usually look at the popular news sites for the important, late-breaking stuff, and eventually make to to blogs for any niche news, commentary, or interesting points of view.” Poll 2: How do you Read News on a Mobile Device? For this poll, we surveyed 125 executives with more mobile-oriented job functions (marketing, sales, some IT, etc.) across business sectors to explore how people retrieve news on a mobile device. Coming as a bit of a surprise, apps showed very strongly, which may be an indicator of the strength of the iPhone apps store (where news apps sell quite well). This may indicate that on a mobile device, where screen size and mobile environments require more focus, specific news delivery systems may win out over general searching (just look at the popularity of news apps like AP news on the iPhone). Should this trend continue, public relations professionals may well end up shifting more time to focus on major news brands that have strong footholds in mobile platforms. This will be an interesting area to watch, as preferences may shift considerably as handset technology and mobile industry business models continue to evolve. For information contact Ephraim Cohen at +1-917-215-5413 or cohen @fortexgroup.com Copyright 2009 The Fortex Group Page 4 – The Information Ecosystem Survey Series Poll 3: Where do you get More Opinion-based “News” Our third poll surveyed 100 business executives, with no specific sector selection. They were asked which sources they use to retrieve news analysis or opinion news (editorials). The surprising revelation was how strong news sites ranked, while bloggers did not perform as well as we expected (however, they may not lost ground in being a preferred result in search results (see poll 4). The results for print were more predictable, as like in the first poll, several people specifically indicated that they will always enjoy print with coffee (as will I). Breaking survey results down by age range leads to the question, “will the print generation die out?” While it does appear at first glance that the younger generation has completely eschewed print media, it may just demonstrate that people enjoy actual paper-based media more as they get older (I for one did not read papers regularly until after college – and that was pre-web). For information contact Ephraim Cohen at +1-917-215-5413 or cohen @fortexgroup.com Copyright 2009 The Fortex Group Page 5 – The Information Ecosystem Survey Series Poll 4: What type of Search Result is of most Interest for Opinions on a News Topic Our fourth poll asked 125 executives which types of search results were most interesting to them when seeking opinions on a particular news topic. Op-ed sections of news sites were the leader, with research/white papers coming in a close second. Here, bloggers began to pull even with other types of search results. Unprompted quotes from respondents reveal some interesting points of view: “Depends on what one wants opinion for: To gauge strong and immediate reactions, I'd look to microblogs. For a substantive approach with more enduring value, I'd go to trusted columnist or to blog--including posts recommended by trusted bloggers. “ For information contact Ephraim Cohen at +1-917-215-5413 or cohen @fortexgroup.com Copyright 2009 The Fortex Group Page 6 – The Information Ecosystem Survey Series “Blogs are the easiest way to reply to or comment on a news topic” “I think Twitter will be all but dead in three years. It offers no added value beyond eyewitness reports to major events.” “Twitter is the launching pad for everything happening in the NOW. There is every option to dig deeper once you do find that initial point of interest.” Poll Five: Do you still Read Print Newspapers Our final poll surveyed [who?]. They were asked simply if they still read print newspapers. As revealed in results from other questions discussed previously in this article, we see that the demand for print media still exists, even when explored by age group. For information contact Ephraim Cohen at +1-917-215-5413 or cohen @fortexgroup.com Copyright 2009 The Fortex Group Page 7 – The Information Ecosystem Survey Series Next Our initial survey series has revealed interesting and useful insights and has led to more questions. The second part of this series will look more in-depth at how professionals get opinions. To be alerted when our next study is ready, please contact us via email or phone. For information contact Ephraim Cohen at +1-917-215-5413 or cohen @fortexgroup.com Copyright 2009 The Fortex Group
