The consumption patterns of online readers reflect this changing lifestyle. The first newspapers went on the Web in 1994 - 78 titles were producing an online edition by the end of that year. Today, close to 5,000 newspapers worldwide produce online editions - the American Journalism Review lists 4,925 newspapers online. About half of these are US newspapers, and it has been argued that on the Internet there exists only one style of online newspaper, made in the North American mould. As has happened in the US, portals and search engines are quickly and effectively closing in on this market.
Good content is a precious online commodity.
Without it, it is impossible to build an audience, brand or community. Newspapers have a distinct advantage over many other companies by bringing their products and services online because their product is content. However, the structure and delivery of that content are crucial, and the way it is produced must match the consumption patterns of its audience. While the presentation of online news has become increasingly sophisticated in the course of the past four years, for the most part the content has remained static. The Internet is not a place to rehash and reformat existing stories.