This article was submitted by a fellow reader.  The bad times continue for traditional print media with circulation taking a drastic plunge.  The Audit Bureau of Circulations show significant declines for every major New York paper with the exception of the Wall Street Journal.

Traditional media companies are trying a variety of strategies to improve circulation and revenue.  The new generation of consumers want fresh content, and the only place they can access this content on demand is on the internet.  Additionally, it is free and convienent.  It will be interesting to see how traditional media continues to evolve during this hardship.

I personally have not bought a newspaper in over 2 years.  A strategy that they have not tried is making the print publications completely free.  This could have a positive effect on revenue streams.  Sometimes you have to give away things for free to reap large rewards later.  The hard part of this equation is that advertisers are starting to prefer advertising on the internet than in print publications.  It is cheaper and more effective in the long run.  Traditional media will have a hard time with transformation.

Thanks Brian for sending this.

(Via CrainsNewYork.com)

Approximately 1.3 billion cellphone users will embrace local search by 2013.  Juniper Research states that this is 30% of the subscriber base.  We will continue to see additional reports from other industry experts validating the future growth of local search in the months to come.  There are many clues given in each report that can assist geo domain owners in delveloping successful sites for users.  You have to know what to look for when reading an article that is related to your industry.

In this article, it states “the quality of locally based directories and content will be a key factor”.  To many, this is common sense, but I bet there are people who are developing their sites at this time without focusing on both.  It is imperative to build your geo domains in accordance with criteria that is presented on future trends.  If you have an established site already, you should ask your team if your site meets mobile search standards for those using cellphones and PDAs.  

You have to consistently stay ahead of the game by incorporating these future growth trends into your development.  The market is expected to generate $4.8 billion by 2013.  This should give you plenty of motivation to develop your sites effectively with everyone in mind, not just web surfers.  Continue to stay proactive and implement new strategies emerging.    

Advertising supported local search will be the key to driving this sector according to Juniper Research, but the firm cautions that the effectiveness of advertising in this sector will vary widely according to local conditions. The availability and quality of locally based directories and content will be a key factor, as well as the presence of the necessary location based infrastructure. In the end it will be the quality of the user experience that will be of paramount importance, the report states.

(Via MarketWire.com)