Arianna Huffington: Co-Creator and Pioneer of the Online Newspaper Acknowledges Changes in Consumer Habits Are "Here to Stay"

Arianna Huffington is the co-creator of one of the most popular online newspapers, The Huffington Post. Huffington has pioneered the online industry, and the site that she co-founded has exploded with popularity since it was created five years ago. In an age where many print newspapers are in financial trouble, Arianna Huffington's site is raking in the dough and performing very well.

One thing that scares many people that go to the internet for information is the possibility that media outlets are going to begin to charge for information. Arianna Huffington recently said in an interview with Matt Hartley from the Financial Post that "The Huffington Post is committed to the link economy and our business model is advertising-supported. The Greek philosopher Herodotus ... said you cannot enter into the same river twice, and I think we need to acknowledge that there are changes in consumer habits, for example, that are here to stay."

This could mean that Huffington Post will pick up many readers that would otherwise go to sites such as The New York Times or other big named newspapers - should these papers choose to charge for unlimited access to online content. The Wall Street Journal already charges for unlimited access to their site; however, their information could fall under "specialized information" that some consumers are willing to pay for.

Another trend in online media that Arianna Huffington recognizes is local media. People search online not only for what is going on in the world, but also what is going on in their area. Hyperlocal media is gaining a lot of steam, and there are many sites out there that have looked for ways to diversify their local media.

The Huffington Post recognizes this shift, and is working on local editions of the Huffington Post, and have also started working on college editions of their online newspaper.

In some ways, Arianna Huffington has revolutionized the way we get access to information we desire, much like Steve Jobs has revolutionized the way we get and listen to music. In the age of online media, there aren't many sites out there that are parallel to The Huffington Post. High quality, free information - many of them written by citizen journalists that are out there living the news - is right at your fingertips.

It will be interesting to see how the face of online media changes will change over the next few years, when print media becomes less and less popular, and more and more people come to the internet for information.

Source:

Montreal Gazette