Wi-Fi Attracts New Apps

"This story is pretty basic coverage of how people are using Wi-Fi in their homes but it touches on an interesting point near the end: It seems that content creators are starting to tailor their sites for Wi-Fi users. For example, Epicurious, a cooking site, offers how-to videos designed for customers to watch while cooking in the kitchen. Allrecipes.com redesigned its site to make it easier to view an entire recipe on a screen, presumably while cooking. Also, Yahoo TV is encouraging users to watch TV with their laptops to take advantage of interactive applications that pertain to a television program....

The Wi-Fi market may now be reaching a penetration level that is spurring content providers to think about what types of applications they can offer that take advantage of the portability that Wi-Fi enables. There's nothing inherently new about what Wi-Fi delivers--it's just Internet access--but the portability feature should start opening doors to new markets...." [Wi-Fi Networking News]

Something for libraries to think about, as well. How wireless-friendly is your web site, specifically the home page and your "links to databases" page?

Marketers Take Note: The Elusive 18-34 Year-Old Is Habitually Online

"The Online Publishers Association (OPA) released today the first in a series of research reports designed to provide a detailed view of the 18 to 34 year-old consumer. The first installment of the research, conducted in partnership with comScore Networks, found that 72% of all 18 to 34 year-olds are online - the highest percentage of any age group.

Notably, 18 to 34 year-olds account for a significantly larger share of Internet usage relative to their proportion in the total U.S. population. While 18 to 34 year-olds comprise only 24% of the total U.S. population, they account for 38% of the total time spent online and 40% of the total pages viewed. This skew is even more pronounced among men in this age group.

'The recent debate surrounding the shifting media consumption patterns of 18 to 34 year-olds demands a deeper look into this important consumer segment,' said Michael Zimbalist, executive director of the Online Publishers Association. 'Because this group represents the first 'generation' to have grown up with the Internet, their behavior patterns are a harbinger of future media consumption of the population at large.'

Like all Internet users, 18 to 34 year-olds are most likely to go online at home, from work or from school. However, 18 to 34 year-olds are significantly more likely than other age groups to access the Web from other non-traditional locations. For example, within 30 days of the survey date, 24% of 18 to 34 year-olds accessed the Web from a friend/relative's home, 16% accessed the Internet via cell phone, and 8% accessed the Web from a library - a significantly higher percentage than any other age group.

'Eighteen to 34 year-olds feel a perpetual need to stay connected. This group expects to get online whenever they choose and wherever they are,' said Mr. Zimbalist." [Business Wire, via Lost Remote]

Enough said. The full report is at http://www.online-publishers.org/opa-comScore_18-34_Study_032904_Release_FINAL.pdf.

The Pledge of Allegiance: The PowerPoint version [Slate, via Furdlog]

Almost as good as The Gettysburg Address.

So it's official! Mark and Tony agreed to add the ebook and audio versions of Professor Lessig's book, Free Culture, to our SWAN catalog. Tony made it happen, so users can now access the electronic versions before the print ones are even available. How cool is that?!

Next up, a discussion of how to add all of the various ebook formats that are available, but at least the beginnings are there!