Thursday, 27, Jan 2011 10:14
The proliferation of social media sites could be beneficial to providers of online news articles, a report has shown.
However, the same research illustrates that news publishers must be mindful of its potential threat.
The report, 2011 Trends to Watch: Media and Broadcast Technology, published by Ovum, urges businesses to seize the opportunities presented by social media.
As greater numbers of people use smartphones, the opportunities such platforms present also increase, the study highlights.
They allow, for example, publishers to "engage directly with the audience, derive greater insight into their preferences and demography and to directly capitalise them through products such as casual games or virtual goods".
However, the report also notes that such platforms are gaining audiences at the expense of traditional media - something which those who publish on both may want to consider.
Meanwhile, Edelman's 11th Trust Barometer Report recently showed that consumers are more likely to trust online news articles when it comes to finding out about brands.
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