Online retail sales reaches 4 year high

US Retail E-Commerce Sales Booming

eMarketer - All those sales have to come from somewhere. Retailers had very happy holidays.

US retail e-commerce sales (excluding travel) for the fourth quarter of 2006 were the highest they have been in four years, according to the US Census Bureau.

On an unadjusted basis, sales totaled $33.9 billion, up about a third from the third quarter of 2006.

The Q4 2006 e-commerce estimate increased 25.0% from a year earlier while total retail sales increased 4.0% in the same period. E-commerce sales in Q4 2006 accounted for 3.3% of total sales.

eMarketer senior analyst and e-commerce specialist Jeffrey Grau said that the disparity between e-commerce and total retail sales is significant.

“Retail e-commerce sales for Q4 2006 exceeded expectations by increasing 25% over the same quarter a year ago,” said Mr. Grau. “This is the biggest jump in Q4 sales since 2002 and is additional evidence that the Internet channel is stealing sales away from retail stores.”

Total e-commerce sales for 2006 were estimated at $108.7 billion, an increase of 23.5% from 2005. Total retail sales in 2006 increased 5.8% from 2005. E-commerce sales accounted for 2.8% of total sales in 2006, and 2.4% of total sales in 2005.

Overall retail holiday sales are by no means shrinking, having grown each of the past four years, according to eMarketer calculations of Census Bureau data.

Online retail sales have always been small fraction of overall retail sales, but if growth rates hold steady, offline-only retailers may no longer be able to ignore the online retail share.

NYT invites users to post video on website

Media Week - For the first time, The New York Times will begin posting user-generated videos on its Web site.

NYTimes.com has begun inviting soon-to-be-married couples to submit three-minute videos to the site which explain how the couple met one another. Couples that are selected to have their wedding announcement photos featured in the New York Times will also be eligible to have their videos run on the site.

“How We Met will allow our readers to share one of the most meaningful moments of their lives with other readers,” said Vivian Schiller, senior vp and general manager, NYTimes.com. “New York Times readers are a pretty creative lot, and we can’t wait to see the varied ways they’ll choose to tell their stories in video.”

Bloggers, citizen reporters vital to journalism in future, poll says

E&P - NEW YORK A new We Media/Zogby Interactive poll has found that most Americans think blogging and “citizen journalism” will prove vital to journalism in the future.The national survey of 5,384 adults found that 55% thought blogging was an important aspect of American journalism in the future, while 74% said they believed amateur “citizen” reporters would play a key role.

When asked about the impact of the Internet on journalism, 53% said that Web-based media provided the most opportunity for the future of journalism. 72% of respondents said they were “dissatisfied” with the quality of journalism in the U.S., but 76% thought that the Internet’s overall effect on the quality of journalism has been positive.

The poll also surveyed 77 members of the media at the recent We Media conference in Miami, finding that 55% of these media insiders were “dissatisfied” with American journalism today, while 61% thought that the media is out of touch with what Americans want from their news. 86% of those media industry insiders polled said that bloggers would be key to the future of journalism.

“We are now seeing mainstream acceptance of what we call the Power of Us — the value, credibility, and vital expression of citizen and collaborative media,” said Dale Peskin, a managing director of iFOCOS, the organization that conducts the annual We Media conference, in a statement. “We’ve arrived at a tipping point. A new definition of democratic media is emerging in our society.”

The nationwide poll also found that dissatifaction with the media is greater among those respondents who characterize themselves as “conservative,” with 88% saying they were unhappy with the state of journalism. A full 95% of those saying they were “very conservative” expressing negative sentiments about the current state of journalism. 51% of liberal respondents said they were dissatisfied with the quality of American journalism.

Other key findings from the nationwide survey:

– 72% of those asked said journalism is important to their community.

– 81% said Web sites are an important source of news, followed by television (78%), radio (73%), newspapers (69%), magazines (38%), and blogs (30%).

Online ad spending growth to slow down in 2007

eMarketer - Online ad spending may have to settle for heroic, rather than superheroic, growth.
Having grown by more than 30% for each of the last three years, online ad spending in the US will rise by less than 19% in 2007, according to new eMarketer estimates.

Lower annual growth rates are inevitable for any growing market; as total spending increases, each new dollar represents a smaller percentage of the total. Still, the widely expected fall in US economic growth will have the very real effect of constraining advertising budgets in 2007.

Online ad spending will not have negative growth for the foreseeable future. And at 18.9%, growth in 2007 will far surpass the levels seen in all other major media.

While online video advertising will eventually contribute far greater sums to the Internet totals, significant enough levels of spending will not occur for several years. However, 2008 will see spending bounce back, supported by the US presidential elections and the Summer Olympics, with slowing but still strong growth from 2009 through 2011.

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While virtually all researchers expect online ad spending to increase each year through 2011, five firms — Borrell Associates, Forrester Research, JupiterResearch, Oppenheimer and PricewaterhouseCoopers — see positive annual growth slipping into single figures for the first time since the dawn of Internet advertising in the 1990s (apart from 2001 and 2002, when online ad spending fell by 11.8% and 15.8%, respectively).

eMarketer’s view is more bullish, projecting annual growth falling to 13.0% by the end of 2011. This is based on three premises, according to eMarketer senior analyst David Hallerman, who made the projections.

1) Even if the economy slows down, continued growth in the online audience and the need for advertising to follow that audience will drive an ongoing shift away from other media, most notably newspapers and radio

2) The opportunities for better targeting and more accurate tracking offered by online advertising relative to other media makes spending on the Internet even more appealing in a soft economy

3) As online video advertising becomes more widely used, large brand marketers who have up to now only dipped their toes online will devote increasingly greater budget shares to the Internet

Chinese advertising to surge 20% in 2007: forecast

No more giant Mao posters, it’s all billboards and neon signs now.
According to figures from CTR Market Research (CTR), total advertising spending in China amounted to $36.9 billion in 2006, representing annual growth of 18%, and the firm estimates that total Chinese ad spending will grow another 20% in 2007.

Previously, CTR figures showed that ad spending in mainland China grew 18% in 2005, 22% in 2004 and 39% in 2003, so although growth is leveling off, the market remains robust.

“We’re optimistic about the China advertising market in the next two years leading up to the 2008 Beijing Olympics,” said Tian Tao of CTR, “and we expect the share of the top 100 advertisers will contribute to the double digit growth.”

According to TNS Media Intelligence, China is now tied with the UK as the world’s third-largest ad market, after the US and Japan.

In 2006, the US advertising market grew by 3.8%, while Japan and UK experienced negative growth of -0.2% and -1.8%, respectively.

CTR numbers show that the beverage and financial, investment and banking services sectors drove overall market growth, with ad spending increases of 48% and 33%, respectively, in 2006.

The spending increases were across the traditional media board, with radio having the highest growth rate, at 24%. Television ad spending was close behind, at 18%. Magazines were up 10%, and out-of-home and newspapers were up 9% and 4%, respectively.

Still, overall Chinese advertising spending in 2006 accounted for only 1.4% of GDP, vs. 3% in the US, indicating that China’s advertising market still has room to grow.

For more information on this huge market, read eMarketer’s China Online report.

Full colour epaper possible in two years: Fujitsu

journalism.com.uk - New technology means colour epaper tablet newspapers and magazines could be possible in two years - developers have claimed.

Mike Nelson, general manager of sales for Fujitsu Europe, told an industry conference, in London, that colour epaper technology, on which portable tablet newspapers could be carried, will be ready for use in two years.

Demonstrating a prototype of what he claimed was the world’s first colour epaper he said the idea of black and white epaper was redundant and the colour version would see first use next year in supermarket displays.

“All the print media has moved to colour. When you read your newspaper its in colour. I don’t believe the industry will accept going back to a black and white format just to embrace the new technology.

“The technology has to move the printed image on somewhat and add some usability and user value,” he told Journalism.co.uk.

“The first application will be as electronic labels for supermarkets and that will start next year, with much smaller screens but the same technology in colour.”

Mr Nelson added that Fujitsu was looking to form alliances with content providers and tablet manufacturers so that once the technology was ready it would not be delayed in getting to market.

“It’s probably two years away before we can get the screen manufacturing technology up to scratch for an A5 or bigger size in colour. That is when we can talk about distributing magazines and so forth on it.

“The way to make a success of this market is through a collaboration. It’s not just a product market where we make the screens and someone else integrates than and sells them to a third party who distributes media on them.

“Much better to have all the elements of that business together from the start to make sure the end product and the end distribution is viable.”

Mr Nelson said the technology, which can run on very little power, was not yet in a position to handle moving images and was therefore not a threat for LCD in the short term.

“LCD is much better at the moment for moving images, the update on here is relatively slow - about one second or so. That’s OK for flicking through the pages of a book or newspaper but it would not be any good for video in its current state.”

He added: “The technology is very similar to LCD screen technology except with a conventional LCD screen as soon as you remove the power the image goes.

“With this once the LCD has set the image it says there forever. With an A5 size screen I could change the image every two seconds for more than a year from the power in a single triple A battery.”

‘Virtual’ journalism in an online ‘Second Life’

editor and publisher -Reuters and CNET both have “bureaus” in the virtual Internet world — staffed with real people who report on events within and relating to the “metaverse.” Here’s a look at how media and journalistic principles are evolving in Second Life.

Last October, British media giant Reuters made global headlines by opening an all-digital bureau within the online virtual universe (or “metaverse”) program Second Life. The bureau is physically modeled on its New York and London offices, and is staffed by veteran reporter Adam Pasick, whose in-world character name is Adam Reuters.At the virtual Reuters bureau, users can meet and chat with the character Adam Reuters, gather in comfy niches to discuss the news of the day and pick up a device that displays headlines either directly on their computer screen while visiting Second Life or on in-world monitors they can install on their own digital land.

Some of those headlines relate to events within Second Life, while others concern the outside world. Adam also writes articles for the website Secondlife.reuters.com, which also features a mix of virtual and real-life (known to many metaverse dwellers as “meatspace”) news.

Launched by San Francisco-based Linden Lab in 2003, Second Life is a 24-hour virtual universe that has become a thriving Internet community. Building upon years of advancement in video game technology, Second Life allows users a tremendous range of freedom in communicating with other live players and interacting with ever-changing digital landscapes.

Users create characters known as “avatars,” which are widely customizable in terms of body type and dress (many have wings, grossly exaggerated or animal features or even rainbow coloring), and then navigate through rich 3D environments, buying property, building elaborate structures and forming friendships, families and societies.

The number of created avatars in Second Life has been showing double-digit growth in recent months. with more than 1 million logins within the past 60 days, according to Linden Lab. At any given moment, one can expect to encounter 15 to 25,000 active users. As Reuters reported in October, people shell out an average of $350,000 a day, or $13 million a year, in real money that buys them enhancements within Second Life — although users can also enjoy the virtual world without spending a dime.

One of the Reuters site’s more popular features is a steady tracker of the exchange rate between Linden and U.S. dollars.

There’s also a Second Life newspaper. A rival paper recently shut down.

***
At his office in San Francisco, Daniel Terdiman spends an average of an hour a day as his character GreeterDan Godel in Second Life. However, Terdiman doesn’t have to worry about getting in trouble with his boss, because his time spent in the virtual world is part of his job as a reporter for the technology-focused media company CNET.

While Terdiman says he does enjoy visiting Second Life for fun during his spare time, he primarily logs in to do research and interview sources. “With our virtual CNET bureau, and all the real-life companies that are opening up operations and hosting press conferences within Second Life, there is a lot for me to cover these days,” said Terdiman, who specializes in writing about cultural and business aspects of the Internet.

CNET’s Second Life bureau closely resembles an immaculate, polygonal version of the company’s San Francisco brick-and-mortar home, at least on the outside. “The only functioning part so far is on the top floor, where there’s a theater,” explained Terdiman.

About once a week, Terdiman’s avatar GreeterDan Godel hosts in-world (meaning in Second Life) interviews in the virtual theater with prominent people from both the real world and within the program. Subjects have included Philip Rosedale, the CEO of Linden Lab, and DigiBarn’s Bruce Damer, who is a historian of virtual worlds. A recent interview featured the chief gaming officer of Fortune 500 company Sun Microsystems.

Also, according to Terdiman, “Because it’s 3D and interactive, people can express themselves in ways they couldn’t in a chat room. It’s also good because we get a verbatim transcript, so you don’t have to take notes. And it’s fun.”

***
In addition to established news sources, Second Life citizens have a growing number of options for finding out about their virtual world. Legions of blogs and websites devoted to the metaverse have sprung up, including the leading blog New World Notes. The site is run by real-world journalist James Wagner Au, who works under the avatar name Hamlet Au.

Au had spent three years serving as Linden’s official “embedded” journalist within Second Life, but his site is now affiliated with Federated Media Publishing, which runs the popular site Boing Boing. Recent New World Notes stories include an announcement for an in-world lunar lander design competition, discussion about the implications of the program’s rapid growth and coverage of the virtual exhibit “13 Most Beautiful Avatars.”

The Second Life Herald is a web-based newspaper focused exclusively on the metaverse. Within Second Life, users can click on a kiosk to bring up the publication’s website, which is funded by advertising just like most other content websites. According to Second Life Herald Managing Editor Pixeleen Mistral — who prefers not to use her real-life name for her work — the paper covers a wide range of topics, from Linden policy and technical issues to sex, crime, lifestyles and economics within the virtual world.

A would-be rival, The Democrat, which sought to provide in-world content through the program’s “notecard” feature, folded in early November after a four-month run.

***

Print reporters aren’t the only journalists working in Second Life. Marco Manray has spent the last few years documenting the metaverse through screen-capture “photography.” Manray the avatar is controlled by Marco Cadioli, a photographer and college lecturer from Milan, Italy.

“I apply the rules of photography in my artworks in virtual worlds, in terms of point of view, compositions, language,” Cadioli explained via e-mail. “We are constructing a new world, but we don’t know what the result will be. That’s the reason why I take photographs in the Metaverse, to understand how this all started.”

These days, Cadioli is so busy with his work in Second Life that he says he no longer has time to take photos in real life. Besides prominent display within the virtual world, Cadioli’s computer-generated images have appeared in traditional paper magazines. He explained, “For Ecrans, the magazine of [France’s] Libération newspaper, I shot a wide reportage exploring Second Life. For the Italian Casamica, Corriere della Sera’s interior design magazine, I shot a cover and a series about living in Second Life.” Cadioli says he makes money selling his metaverse images at the same pay scale he earned for his real-world work.

***

Those who wish to reach a sizable audience within Second Life need to “learn to think of communication as visual, experiential and in 360-degrees, rather than as flat, printed content,” according to Linda Zimmer, a blogger and CEO of Internet marketing and communications company MarCom:Interactive. In many cases, this means companies and organizations are getting their messages across in the program through streaming audio and video, 3D modeling and direct demonstrations.

In terms of reporting technique, interviewing sources within Second Life often means people will be more at ease, versus having to meet face to face with real-life journalists or even talking on the telephone. The extra sense of anonymity can compel some sources to open up. Since Second Life’s chat feature retains a log of exchanges, sources may be less worried about being misquoted, suggests Pixeleen Mistral.

Still, Terdiman admits that interviewing sources in a virtual world also presents some ethical challenges. “The stuff I do is largely cultural — I’m not trying to catch people — so we tend to accept calling people only by their avatar names,” said Terdiman. Reuters’ current policy is to ask sources within Second Life to provide their real-life names for verification purposes. If the source declines disclosure, Reuters doesn’t necessarily rule them out as a potential contact, however, and will instead rely on the avatar’s standing within his or her localized Second Life community, as well as the entire network.

For wholly virtual reporters like Pixeleen Mistral, the question of real-world identities isn’t even addressed — perhaps not surprising for a journalist who herself is only known by a handle. “My reporting is about the world inside Second Life, and I confirm with the sources in world,” she explained in an e-mail. “It introduces more confusion to drag the real-life person into the scene. It might depend on the story, but if you want to cover transgendered furries [avatars that look like the plush animal costumes of theme parks], getting a real-life name and contact might be hard.”

Mistral also warns journalists to be wary of Linden Lab’s Terms of Service document, which lists restrictions on sharing Second Life conversations with the outside world without explicit permission. Further, she pointed out, “Since Linden Lab can potentially monitor any conversation in world, sensitive things are discussed via something they don’t control, like e-mail or Yahoo instant messaging.”

Report: Newspaper Web Sites Dominated Local Streaming Video Advertising

editor and publisher - NEW YORK Newspapers are beating broadcast TV stations at their own game. According to a new study from Borrell Associates, newspaper Web sites are capturing more than 50% of streaming-video advertising dollars. Newspaper Web sites netted $81 million in locally spent streaming-video advertising while local TV Web sites took in $32 million in 2006.

“Print media are using the Internet as a crossover platform to tap traditional TV advertisers,” analysts wrote in the report.

Admittedly, the spoils are small with the local video advertising market pegged at $161 million in 2006. But it’s a growing form of advertising. Borrell projects that in five years, local online video advertising will surpass $5 billion — representing more than one-third of all local online advertising.

The Portsmouth, Va.-based consulting firm estimates that within that same time span, three-fourths of all local placement on the Web will be in the form of paid search or video advertising.

The report points out that TV Web sites are known for its video news libraries while newspapers have concentrated more on commercial content — mainly in online classified ads by up selling video supplements.

The report said that of the roughly 1,450 daily papers in the U.S., about 40% are equipped with some form of video player on their Web sites. Many have signed up with the Associated Press’ video program though few are selling ads around the content. AP though has partnered with MSN to sell 15-second pre-roll commercials across its member sites.

Borrell identified several categories that “dominated” streaming video including real estate and automotive.

AP partners with citizen journalism site

cyberjournalist.net - The Associated Press has partnered with a citizen journalism site, NowPublic.com, to integrate user-generated content into the wires. AP bureaus will work with NowPublic communities in selected locations on ways to enhance regional news coverage, and national AP news desks also may tap the network in breaking news situations where citizen contributors may capture critical information and images.PRESS RELEASE

AP and NowPublic.com announce a collaboration

The Associated Press and NowPublic.com announced Friday that they have agreed to an innovative initiative designed to bring citizen content into AP newsgathering, and to explore ways to involve NowPublic’s on-the-ground network of news contributors in AP’s breaking news coverage.

NowPublic.com, based in Vancouver, is the world’s largest participatory news network with more than 60,000 contributors from 140 countries. The AP is the world’s largest newsgathering organization with a staff of more than 4,000 employees located in more than 240 bureaus in 97 countries.

The goal of the effort is to expand the world’s access to news as it happens, the companies said. In addition, it is designed to help NowPublic expand its rapidly growing network of worldwide contributors by exposing them to the opportunities they have to produce valuable news material.

“The Associated Press has a long tradition of pursuing citizen contributions in breaking news events worldwide,” said Jim Kennedy, AP’s vice president and director of strategic planning. “This relationship will make that connection even stronger and result in more news and images from people who are in the right place at the right time.”

“NowPublic’s idea of a working relationship between the public as citizen media, and traditional reporters in the mainstream media started taking shape in 2006,” said NowPublic co-founder and CEO Leonard Brody. “This collaboration is one of the initial endeavors.”

Contributions to the AP news report from NowPublic’s network of participants could take many forms over time, said AP Deputy Managing Editor for Multimedia Lou Ferrara. “They could range from simple eyewitness accounts to originally produced content.”

In the early stages of the relationship, AP bureaus will work with NowPublic communities in selected locations on ways to enhance regional news coverage. National AP news desks also may tap the network in breaking news situations where citizen contributors may capture critical information and images. NowPublic also will help AP extend its coverage of virtual communities, such as social networks and contributed content sites, Ferrara said.

About NowPublic
NowPublic is a crowd-sourced, participatory news network that mobilizes an army of reporters to cover the events that define our world. In just 12 months, the company has become the largest news organization of its kind with over 60,000 reporters in over 140 countries. This year, The Guardian named NowPublic one of the top five most useful news sites on the Web. The company has received funding from Brightspark, New York Angels and GrowthWorks and members of the New York Angels.

About The Associated Press
The Associated Press is the essential global news network, delivering fast, unbiased news from every corner of the world to all media platforms and formats. Founded in 1846, AP today is the largest and most trusted source of independent news and information. On any given day, more than half the world’s population sees news from AP.

Google newspaper ads a success

editorandpublisher.com - The fact that publishers are not only willing but eager to collaborate with major Internet players could be considered a sign that the Great Newspaper Apocalypse might never materialize. At least not in 2007, anyway. Now comes word that Google wants to extend its newspaper print pilot program because it exceeded the company’s expectations. What those expectations were in the first place is anyone’s guess — Google wouldn’t say — but at least the gentle giant wants to keep banking the experiment.When it rolled out the program last fall, 50 newspapers got involved. At the beginning of this year, 16 more jumped on board. One hundred advertisers have volunteered to test out the program as well.

Here’s how it works: Newspapers list available inventory, rate card information, and circulation. Advertisers place bids, and it’s up to the newspaper to accept them. “We are turning the whole model on its ear,” says Tom Phillips, director of print ads at Google.

Most of the advertisers are new to running in newspapers, though some are former free-standing-insert buyers. The advertisers are hardly bit players: “They are medium and large businesses,” says Phillips, citing Netflix, Avis, and Budget as participants. “They are not, for the most part, small.”

Phillips is quick to note that Google has no interest in poaching advertisers who have strong newspaper relationships: “We frankly don’t have much interest going after the core clients of the big metros.” Most of the buys, he says, involve multiple cities with extended flights. “What has surprised us is the rate of offers that have been accepted,” says Phillips, who nevertheless declined to disclose that rate or the average amount.

Peter Cobb, co-founder and senior vice president of eBags.com in Denver, says Google’s print program “makes it easier for people like us.” The company, which sells handbags, luggage, and laptop cases online, already uses Google for paid search listings. Cobb was looking for alternatives to keyword search and shopping-comparison advertising, which is increasingly getting more expensive.

On using the tools for the program, Cobb says, “I didn’t have to call up the sales reps for The Denver Post or The Dallas Morning News or the Houston Chronicle. I wouldn’t know where to start.” Aside from a one-stop shop, Cobb appreciated that Google would measure the probability of the acceptance of an ad based on bids.

So eBags advertised in seven cities over a three-week period and spent hundreds of thousands of dollars averaging probably “less than half of the rate card,” Cobb says. One of the company’s brands, Skyway luggage, noticed a spike in business during the ad period.

The Google program is one good way for papers to recover national advertising dollars, notes Bruce Murray, CEO of New York-based research company Corzen: “I think for that reason alone, it’s outstanding.”

Miles Groves, president of MG Strategic Research in Washington, thinks that Google’s alliance with newspapers lends each party added credibility. “Why does it matter? It shouldn’t, but it does,” he says. With Google acting as a middleman, “it’s a strong third party with strong clout.”

Google needs newspapers, too. It’s hard to fathom, but the fast-growing company must expand ever faster if it wants to stay in the good graces of its shareholders. “[Google] needs to look into other areas to see how ad dollars flow and help create value,” says Murray. Perhaps turning to wheezing newspapers, once a fast-growing medium itself, will prove to be a beneficial move for all involved.

Reporters, editors need training to rewrite keyword-rich headlines

CNET - On January 2, The Wall Street Journal’s Web site posted a story with the headline: “Green Beans Comes Marching Home.” It happened to be an article about Green Beans Coffee, a company serving overseas U.S. military bases, opening its first cafe in the United States.

Let’s say you were interested in the subject but didn’t know the Journal had written an article on it. You might type into a search engine some combination of keywords like “Green Beans,” “coffee,” “U.S. military,” “bases” and “soldiers.”

Various combinations failed to return a link to the article in the first page of results on Google. Using all of the keywords and terms separated like that did find the article, but not on The Wall Street Journal site. Instead, it was on a blog site that had reposted the article word for word.

The example points to a dilemma many newspapers and other print media find themselves facing when posting articles online. Pithy, witty and provocative headlines–the pride of many an editor–are often useless and even counterproductive in getting the Web page ranked high in search engines. A low ranking means limited exposure and fewer readers.

News organizations that generate revenue from advertising are keenly aware of the problem and are using coding techniques and training journalists to rewrite the print headlines, thinking about what the story is about and being as clear as possible. The science behind it is called SEO, or search engine optimization, and it has spawned a whole industry of companies dedicated to helping Web sites get noticed by Google’s search engine.

It’s clearly having an impact.

In November, Nielsen/NetRatings ranked Boston.com, the sister Web site of The Boston Globe, as the fourth most trafficked newspaper Web site in the country, even though its print circulation is ranked 15th by one audit bureau.

“We’re regularly beating the bigger boys, like the Chicago Tribune and The Wall Street Journal…and part of the reason is SEO,” said David Beard, editor of Boston.com and former assistant managing editor of its New York Times Co.-owned print sibling.

“We have Web ‘heds.’ We go into the newspaper (production) system to create a more literal Web headline,” Beard said. “We’ve had training sessions with copy editors and the night desk for the newspaper. It’s been a big education initiative.”

Times Online, which is based in the United Kingdom and is a division of News Corp., gets anywhere from 30 percent to 60 percent of its traffic from search engines, Publisher Zach Leonard said. The site modifies headlines it imports onto the Web site from its print affiliates, The Times and The Sunday Times. The company also started training its editorial staff on SEO last summer and is investing in a new content management system that will soon launch with a new Web site, he said.

“Nine to 12 months ago, if you said ‘SEO’ to most of the (news) team, they would scratch their head. Now it’s a part of their job,” Leonard said. “We have to recognize that search is driving much of the behavior on the Web. Newspapers that don’t understand that at the highest level, all the way up to the editors, simply won’t exist.”

The Wall Street Journal is a unique case. Most of its content is walled off from the public Internet and accessible only through subscription. This particular article was among the free content visible to search engines.

To rank high in the search engines, the Journal headline should have included the term “coffee,” “cafes” or even “Starbucks,” said Stephan Spencer, founder and president of SEO firm Netconcepts.

“For one thing, ‘green beans’ isn’t a terribly popular search term,” he said. “Secondly, a fraction of those searchers will be looking for the coffee supplier; most will be looking for recipes.” His suggested headline: “U.S. Military Coffee Supplier to take on Starbucks with Cafes Stateside.”

That might seem a bit unwieldy to many journalists, but Spencer assures that a balance can be reached between being straightforward and fun. Newspapers are increasingly jumping on the SEO bandwagon to stay alive.

Spencer recommends that Web sites not only use keywords in the headline but that they also include a more descriptive, keyword-rich version of the headline in the title tag, which appears in the blue bar at the very top of the browser window when looking at a Web page. He also suggests that Web sites use keywords in the anchor text, which is the underlined text in a hyperlink. A keyword carries more weight in search engines if it is located at the beginning of a headline, he said.

Other SEO tricks include frequently and consistently interlinking between related stories and items on a Web site, and tagging the content accurately across the Web page, including changing headers and tabs on pages to mundane, rather than cleverly named, terms.

“The headline itself doesn’t necessarily have to be modified if you know how SEO works,” Spencer said.

Journalists can see how popular specific keywords are and get suggested alternatives by using Google’s AdWords Keyword Tool, or paid services like WordTracker.com or Keyword Discovery.com.

Inventive but direct
But consulting software and statistics to rewrite a headline may seem anathema to traditional journalistic standards of artistically stretching for the headline that will best lure readers’ eyes to the article.

That can be accomplished by being pithy (Ford to City: Drop Dead), poetic (Headless Body in Topless Bar), witty (Super Caley Go Ballistic. Celtic Are Atrocious), rhyming (Sticks Nix Hick Pix) or shocking (Bastards!). And no computer can help with that.

“A lot of journalists spend a lot of time perfecting headlines and being clever, and now you’ve got to be more direct. It’s going to be a different art, I think,” said Sree Sreenivasan, a teacher in the new-media program at Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism and a reporter for WNBC.com.

“How do you get eye-catching, interesting headlines that make people want to click but at the same time are relevant to search engines, which are nothing but dumb robots going around looking for keywords?” asked Howard Finberg, director of interactive learning at The Poynter Institute, a training organization for journalists.

“If the search engine is all about making information more accessible and making the online experience more pleasant, I wish they would work with the people designing the pages,” Finberg said. “A lot of sites have gotten into this…content management trap.”

With the news sites all striving for clarity to be search engine stars, there is the danger that sites covering the same news will have strikingly similar headlines. That just means headline writers have to work a little harder to make their headline stand out, experts said. But at least on the Web, there are no real space limitations like on a print page, said Neil Chase, editor of continuous news for The New York Times.

“The flip side is, if you look at a one-column lead story on page 1 of The New York Times, it’s really hard to find a headline to fit that space. It’s a real art,” Chase said. “You expand that to the space available on the Web site, and you may come up with something more compelling with more words.”

In a newspaper, the pictures and accompanying features, or sidebars around the article, can help give context to the story. For example, the infamous “Bastards!” headline that the San Francisco Examiner ran on September 12, 2001, was accompanied by a large photo of the World Trade Center towers engulfed in flames. With the Web, there may not be photos or other indicators of what is being referenced in an obscure headline like that.

But that’s part of the evolution of mass communications in the Digital Age.

“There’s nothing doom and gloom about it,” Chase of The New York Times said. “It’s just one of the many changes in the industry.”