Users spending less time on newspaper sites

A great chart at SAI shows the difference in time spent on site from 2008 to 2009 for NYT, WSJ, WaPo and USA Today. WSJ's numbers have shown the most dramatic drop. Interesting. When I was at WSJ, the higher-ups used their clout with the IAB to consider replacing the Page View metric with Time Spent on Site. This was because their use of Ajax, while creating a better user experience, wasn't ticking up the Page View meter. This may come back to bite them, but ultimately, if advertisers want WSJ's premium demographic they'll pay to be there.

Newspaper Classifieds lose to Craigslist

This chart at Silicon Alley Insider shows the conversion of the billions of dollars of newspaper classified revenue into millions of dollars of revenue for Craigslist.
When I worked at some large newspapers, it became clear that we couldn't possibly compete with Craigslist's free online classified listings. We watched our classified revenue plummet while losing marketshare to Craigslist, Zillow, Trulia, Cars.com and others. Meanwhile, some managers clung to a strategy destined for failure: online upsells from ever-decreasing print sales. Finally, partnering with the online pure-plays became the last great hope, but why would anyone go to Monster's jobs listings through another site? It all comes down to where the online community is. As long as newspapers continue to attract a large enough audience and utilize effective cross-promotion, they should be able to hold on to some classified revenue, but it will never be the billions they once garnered as the largest distribution source for advertisers when print was the only game in town.

Will Return Shortly...

Taking a break from blogging this week while I travel across Route 66 in a Chrysler Sebring convertible. Started in Milwaukee, picked up Route 66 in Joliet, IL, then traveled through Missouri and Kansas. In Oklahoma City now en route to Amarillo, then Santa Fe, Flagstaff, and Las Vegas. Back next week.