U.S. magazines are slow to seize web opportunities, study says

Magazines in the U.S. are lagging in terms of seizing online opportunities, at least when compared with newspapers, according to a study reported in MediaDaily News. The study, by a Washington-based public relations company The Bivings Group, studied 50 of the top circulating magazines to assess the degree to which they are using the internet. It says that newspapers are way ahead of major U.S. magazines in terms of introducing the online features intended to attract audiences.

"Despite the fact that magazines have succeeded in providing online content that enhances printed content, the availability of various Web 2.0 features on magazine websites was disappointing."

The study says that in almost every category, from using video and podcasting, to publishing writer and report blogs, magazines are lagging far behind. The study pointed to Time magazine and Maxim as examples ofusing online tools well , but said that many other magazines just don't cut it. Astonishingly, only 8% of the magazines surveyed allow readers to comment on articles.

Of the top 50 magazines, just 34% offer video content, 14% offer podcasts, and 8% allow users to comment on articles. These figures are dwarfed by the offerings of the top 50 newspapers.

The most popular Web feature for magazine Web sites, RSS feeds, is only offered by 48% - 24 magazines - of the nation's top 50 magazines. In contrast, the most popular Web feature offered by the top 50 newspaper Web sites - reporter blogs - is offered by 92% of online newspapers. In addition, just three of the top 50 magazines -6%- used a system of tags for searching and organizing their Web sites: Popular Science, US Weekly, and Parenting.

A comment on on the Bivings website suggests that the study missed one aspect in which magazines are way ahead -- using e-newsletters to connect with niche segments of their audiences. These tend to be more popular and more widely taken up by readers than RSS feeds.