Newspapers Who Have Embraced The Web Are Reaping The Rewards; Those That Haven't Are Failing
PaidContent.org have produced a very telling graph which clearly shows which online newspapers are succeeding and which ones are struggling.
I'm sure it is no coincidence that the ones who are struggling are the ones which are leading the attack on Google, the news aggregators and bloggers.
In terms of traffic, Rupert Murdoch's Times Online and Sun Online have finished the year roughly where they started it. No wonder Murdoch is trying to create a news OPEC. Likewise, The Mirror Online and Independent, who are wallowing at the bottom of the pond, are both high profile critics of Google, the lack of legislation and SEO.
At the other end of the scale The Guardian Online has been at the cutting edge of internet activity, implementing blogs, social media and interactivity ahead of their competitors. They are now reaping the rewards as their global traffic surges.
The Telegraph and Mail Online have kept quiet and continually improved their websites and they too are building strong and loyal audiences. Both of them would love Murdoch to move The Sun and The Times behind a paywall, so they could welcome their audiences to their sites.
2010 will be a very interesting year. The hard work of some and the failings of others will be clear to see in the statistics.