[icernet] E-media watcher looks into online journalism's crystal ball

[Arul Selvan MIC]

In 2003, online ad revenues will be up and paid-content revenue models
down, e-media watcher Steve Outing predicts for Editor & Publisher.
Outing is optimistic that 2003 will also bring in a flashier Web, as the
improvement of Macromedia's Flash technology allows designers to start
creating more multimedia, interactive content for broadband. The most
loathed form of Internet advertising, the pop-up, will eventually become
extinct, Outing predicts, thanks to the increasingly popular pop-up
blockers. Instead, Outing believes media-rich ads will dominate
cyberspace in 2003, and better targeting of online ads -- due to an
increase in visitor registration at Web sites -- could encourage online
ad spending. Thus comes Outing's suggestion that news sites steer clear
of entirely subscription-based revenue models. Consumers will pay for
high quality, premium content, but don't devalue the free part of a Web
site, he says, since advertisers will still require high traffic numbers
if they are to spend money online. Despite optimism that 2003 will bring
more great things for online publishers, Outing fears that most
newspapers won't move quickly enough to capitalize on the recruitment
market.

Source:
http://www.editorandpublisher.com/editorandpublisher/features_columns/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1779308