For Web surfers, the
advantages of RSS are quite simple: They save time and bandwidth.
Instead of remembering
to visit a favorite Web site, the news comes directly into your
computer daily or at whatever interval you want.
What's more, most RSS
feeds contain just links, headlines, or brief synopsis of new
information only. That means the small amount of Web data can be
sent to any XML-compatible device — a cell phone, pager, or handheld
computer — without a lengthy download process.
More importantly, RSS
gives you control over receiving information you want without
revealing information about yourself. Unlike subscribing to an
e-mail newsletter, you never have to give out your e-mail address
with an RSS feed. That avoids the possibility of receiving spam or
unwanted junk e-mail from the Web site.
NEW
YORK, Aug. 15 -- Nielsen/NetRatings, a global leader in
Internet media and market research, announced today that 11 percent
of Weblog readers,
blog site visitors who claim to read
blogs regularly or occasionally, use RSS (Really Simple
Syndication) to sort through the increasing number of
blogs available (see Table 1). According
to Nielsen//NetRatings' "Understanding
the Blogosphere" survey, nearly five
percent of blog readers use feed
aggregation software and more than six percent use a feed
aggregating Web site to monitor RSS feeds from
blogs.
"While
RSS is an established technology, the growing popularity of
blogs has catapulted RSS into the
spotlight as a content personalization tool," said Jon
Gibs, senior research manager, Nielsen//NetRatings.
"RSS
feeds deliver relevant posts quickly, in a customizable, easy to
manage format. These types of services provide marketers with an
additional avenue to tap a captive audience for time-critical
offers. Since the customers themselves pick the content they will
receive, advertisers are able to deliver their message within a
context they know will engage their target audience," he continued.
The majority of
respondents to the survey were less familiar with RSS feeds. Among
the other respondents, 23 percent understood RSS but did not use it,
while 66 percent either did not understand the technology or had
never heard of it. (Full
Story click here).
The top 50 blogging
and blog-related sites grew 31 percent to 29.3 million unique
visitors during July 2005 as compared to the beginning of this year,
comprising nearly 20 percent of active Internet users.
Leading the way, MSN
Spaces ranked No. 1 in year-to-date unique audience growth with a
947 percent increase by attracting nearly 3.3 million visitors in
July, compared to more than 300,000 in January (see Table 2).
Fark.com and Blogger ranked No. 2 and 3, with 63 percent and 45
percent unique audience growth, respectively.
"While these sites
will likely never have the traffic of some of the larger ad
networks, blogs do have a specific role to play in the online
advertising mix. Advertisers should look to blogs as a way to
organically grow trends by leveraging the role of bloggers as peer
influencers. By associating their message with the blog's image,
advertisers can legitimize new trends they are hoping to promote to
a niche audience," said Gibs.
The "Understanding
the Blogosphere" survey was conducted in June 2005 among 1,000
participants who had previously visited blog sites. A copy of the
study findings is available to Nielsen//NetRatings subscribers via
their client services representative.
Nielsen//NetRatings
reports July 2005 data for the Top Sites by Parent Company and Top
Brands. In addition, Nielsen//NetRatings reveals the Top Advertisers
by Company for July 2005.
Example: The data
indicates that 33.5 million home and work Internet users visited at
least one of the Walt Disney Internet Group-owned sites or launched
a Walt Disney Internet Group-owned application during the month, and
each person spent, on average, a total of 38 minutes and 55 seconds
at one or more of their sites or applications.
A parent company is
defined as a consolidation of multiple domains and URLs owned by a
single entity. A brand is defined as a consolidation of multiple
domains and URLs that has a consistent collection of branded
content. Reach is a measure of the unduplicated audience that visits
a property. The data is expressed as the percentage of the total
universe of Internet users who logged onto the Internet at least
once during the reporting period.
Nielsen//NetRatings
AdRelevance Top 10 Advertisers, July 2005
Top advertisers,
ranked by estimated spending, are based on data from AdRelevance,
Nielsen//NetRatings' advertising research service. An impression is
counted as the number of times an ad is rendered for viewing.
Estimated spending
reflects CPM-based advertising only, and excludes search-based
advertising, paid fee services, performance-based campaigns,
sponsorships, barters, partnership advertising, advertorials,
promotions, email and direct response. Impressions reported exclude
house ads, which are ads that run on an advertiser's own Web
property.
Example: An
estimated 1.2 billion General Motors Corporation ads were rendered
for viewing at the cost of approximately $7.2 million during the
surfing period.
About Nielsen//NetRatings
NetRatings, Inc. (Nasdaq:
NTRT -
News) delivers leading Internet media and market research
solutions, marketed globally under the Nielsen//NetRatings brand.
With high quality, technology-driven products and services,
Nielsen//NetRatings is the global standard for Internet audience
measurement and premier source for online advertising intelligence,
enabling clients to make informed business decisions regarding their
Internet and digital strategies. The Nielsen//NetRatings portfolio
includes panel-based and site-centric Internet audience measurement
services, online advertising intelligence, user lifestyle and
demographic data, e-commerce and transaction metrics, and custom
data, research and analysis. For more information, please visit
http://www.nielsen-netratings.com .
NetRatings, Inc.
Suzy Bausch (408)
941-2965
Tracy Yen (408)
941-2932
Source: Nielsen//NetRatings
