Comments on: Aussie news sites engaging users longer than their US peers

By: kathryn

kathryn — Fri, 29 May 2009 03:48:10 +0000

I agree with comment above – there’s such an abundance of quality sources that it fragments time spent with each title.

And unless users were using equal connection speed, its likely that the difference in internet connection speeds could also have a strong influence.

With blazing fast internet connections, sites load instantaneously for US users. Meanwhile here in Australia I sat and twiddled my thumbs as it took my computer 10 seconds to fully load the SMH homepage from my office broadband connection.

By: Wolfcat

Wolfcat — Fri, 29 May 2009 03:40:22 +0000

perhaps people are spending more time on the fairfax sites just to navigate around the new giant adds and that they have to look at 17 different pages is the story is more than 3 pars long.

By: Cartel

Cartel — Thu, 28 May 2009 12:51:51 +0000

No surprise – print media (and therefore online news) in Australia is a cartel, so there’s nowhere else for users to go to get their news. Don’t confuse “engagement” with “lacking other options”. Compare the competition that US and UK newspaper sites face for readership – dozens of newspapers and independent voices.

As much as the visitors to this site are tech-savvy, we must face the fact that blogs and independent news sites have not taken off in Australia except Business Spectator and some very niche verticals like technology. It’s a shame because the standard of Fairfax and News Ltd reportage in this country is very low and is completely derivative of overseas news. We need more competition in our newspaper sector to lift reporting standards and give users more choice.

By: Renai LeMay

Renai LeMay — Thu, 28 May 2009 12:03:07 +0000

I think even in individual verticals Australian readers engage very deeply with their favourite sites. One of the best ways you can measure this is through comments on articles.

For example, when the Federal Govt kicked Telstra out of the National Broadband Network tender process, ZDNet.com.au, Australia’s largest technology news site, received 177 comments on a single article: http://bit.ly/Et78U

This is just on one issue in the telecommunications industry, on an issue only Australians are interested in!

We’ve also recently begun to reach out to readers more directly in recent times; on Twitter, via email, comments on the site and even informal reader meet-up and drinks nights: http://bit.ly/11ot6G

Cheers,

Renai LeMay
News Editor
ZDNet.com.au
renai.lemay@zdnet.com.au

By: mumbrella

mumbrella — Thu, 28 May 2009 11:52:36 +0000

I’m not so sure that its deliberate with News Ltd though. For instance, the Mon-Sat Telegraph content is almost always reliably available. Yet it’s far more random for the Sunday Tele. Often as not, if i look to link to something that was in the print edition, it’s not online.

I don’t think it’s a policy though, I think it’s just that the S Tele guys aren’t as into it, so are a bit sloppier in making sure they get everything up.

I’d be interested if there was something more strategic behind it though.

Cheers,

Tim

By: Kurtis

Kurtis — Thu, 28 May 2009 11:52:20 +0000

Interesting stuff. As Jason says, content rules.

It would be interesting to compare this to the latest newspaper or circulation results for the newspapers. From memory, the AFR had a loss of circulation AND a loss in online engagement. The worst of both worlds.

Is the same true for ninemsn – loss in tv viewership and online viewership?

This has to be good argument for getting more brand advertisers online using these news sites

By: Jason Whittaker

Jason Whittaker — Thu, 28 May 2009 11:19:43 +0000

I think that’s quite instructive but still expected.

Content rules. The sites that have the richest content (SMH, Age) are stickier than those that have very little content.

I also think it’s Fairfax’s biggest mistake. Essentially EVERYTHING they do goes online for free, including features and long-form stuff, whereas News titles are much more selective in what goes online. Means people will stick with you longer online, but at what cost to your hard copy (where the majority of the revenue remains)?