Is Anyone Really Reading Your Stuff?
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Information Overload.
There are those who like to read books and those who like to get their information on line and those who would rather get their information in snippets. .
Have you ever thought about what catches a reader’s eye, and what keeps them reading your articles? Many writers spend hours digging, researching and analyzing the topics they will choose to write about, while others just write rants with no particular subject. So who gets more readers, and why, and with so many wonderful comments why don’t they relate to the topic?
Albert-László Barabási of the University of Notre Dame in the US and colleagues in Hungary have calculated that most news becomes old hat within a day and will be barely read by anyone 36 hours after it was first posted. Of course some items will stretch out for months, but readers will look for the newest information regarding the topic.
What topics are the most read?
It seems that 30-year-olds were more likely to read local news, and more 20-year-olds read more science and sports news than any other age groups. All ages read opinion articles, and more men read political news than woman. What draws someone to your article are the headlines or a certain topic of interest. For example, the more a topic is in the news, the more details people seem to want.
The Shaikh and Chaparro study found that 62% of respondents preferred to read news onscreen rather than on paper. It seems, also, that credibility is more important for Web users, since it is unclear who is behind information on the Web and whether a page can be trusted.
Do people read your full article or are they skimming to pertinent information?
A study by Jakob Nielson found that the average page view contained 593 words, and users spend more time on pages with more information, but most readers only spend 4.4 seconds more for each addition 100 words. On average, 79 percent of those tested always scanned any new page they came across, while only 16 percent read word-by-word. Most stunning is the results that most readers will only read about 20% of the text on an average page.
The Stanford-Poynter eye tracking study shows a pattern in which text is sought out and either skimmed or read. They found that on line readers eye get fixated on the headlines first, not to photos or graphics, as you might expect. The eyes of online news readers then comes back to the photos and graphics. The study also found that banner ads do catch online readers' attention. For the 45 percent of banner ads looked at, their subjects' eyes fixated on them for an average one second. That is long enough to perceive the ad.
The reason I bring up this topic is because even with the most researched articles, which include the most facts, readers will only read and understand one fourth of your hard work. Which poses the question: Could this be why there are so many uneducated readers, and why with so much internet information, so many are still ignorant?
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CommentsLoading...
I read yours completely! It's a mircale after that kahlua Pop saved for me today.. ;o)
I also tend to rread most of the comments.
Definitely food for thought; bookmarked to save as a reminder...
Thanks much...
great hub that highlights some very important points that we as writers often overlook i.e. what interests the reader and holds his attention for long. anyway, really enjoyed reading, so thanks for posting!
Where you aware that 57.39% of all statistics are made up on the spot for the convenience of the argument/discussion?
Regards,
TOF
Interesting Hub - I was disappointed that women are not staying up to par on politics. People have very short attention spans. I did read all your Hub.
Dear jiberish,
I always enjoy reading your hubs from beginning to end. This hub was very interesting. I think the key for most readers is brevity. The average person has the attention span of a flea!
Seems us Hubbers tend to read the whole thing, looks like we're a different breed, enjoy'd your work here.
I can't speak for anyone else. I know I read your hubs word for word. You do an enormous amount of research and I always find your hubs informative and enjoyable.
Thank you everyone for your great comments. It is true for me, I speed read through a lot of Hubs, but on the ones I comments, I usually go back and read them word for word. Then there are so I read that are just not worth a comment. Thank you again, all.
Old Firm, you look like someone who I would trust with those facts. I have however used information from actual studies. Thank you for visiting.
Definite food for thought with this hub. I also read your entire hubs because I can easily see you have done your research and they are well written. Thanks.
Never trust a bookworm by his avatar jiberish.
I'm sure that you reported your research diligently, I was poking fun at your sources, certainly not at you. (And I have no reason to doubt their sincerity either) I just have a healthy disrespect for percentages, - they can be adapted so facilely to almost any point of view.
I actually agree wholeheartedly with your opinions here. There is a plethora of information fired at us on the net, and in our every day life. Skimming, selecting or rejecting is the only way to cope.
Regards,
TOF
Agree wholeheartedly!
I remain guilty of reading an article word for word to the end, as long as the first paragraph captures my attention. Then comes the comments, I also follow up with them in total.
As for the vast information on the net, it often absorbs my morning. I start with a pot of coffee and at around 4 am, begins my e-mail opening, next thing I know it's 12:30 and 2 full pots of coffee... I often look at the lost morning and wonder if it is a curse. Then I realize as a hermit, this is my "keep in touch" activity. My dogs are good company, yet rarely add anything substantial to our one way discussions.
Thanks for another hub to chase my coffee. You are one of several hubbers that make my mornings, though I don't always comment.
Jiberish,
I tend to skim more with web content. I tend to read hard copy material read word for word. I think its because while the tag lines get your attention, the advertisements seem to distract your attention. Also if I skim a Hub for instance and then skip to the comments, I could simply respond to some one elses misinterpretation. I think htat happens a lot with blogging and forums. Its a good point you bring up. Not only is the hard work not seen for what it is, some folks go off half cocked because they misinterpret the article all together.
Pamele, that is a really nice thing to say, Thank you.
Old Firm, I understand what you're saying, in haste so many numbers are thrown out there, that could be the reason they can't come up with concrete numbers on the cost of health care, or anything else. I always enjoy your visit, thank you.
50 Caliber, you make me blush. I aprreciate the visits, at least you have dogs, I bounce my ideas off a pet rock. :)
CJ, you are right, they just read the headlines, and get distracted. Thank you.
I love how you and The Old Firm bicker, it should be a hub in and of itself.
VERY GOOD! You got me a-thinkin' there! I firmly believe that liberals don't read at all - they just talk amongst themselves and accept what their friends say on faith. And even when presented with the facts, refuse to let go of their "faith."
I read, sometimes skim, but am usually careful to verify before repeat. You DID make me think though and for that - I thank you! ;-)
It's getting so that readers are just looking at the bold strokes and not the details, I'm going to change my hubs to reflect that. Thanks Jib.
WOW jiberish, it's a little discouraging, knowing that most of the times that your hard work goes unappreciated. I am a verbatim reader, when I find an article that interests me, and by the way I will only comment on any that I read in their entirety. Although I do read some article, that I don't comment on, because I can't think of any appropriate comments don't want to give a one word response. This was really an enjoyable, albeit discouraging, (smile), hub.
Very well-written and compiled jiberish - thank you! It is disheartening to see those figures but I guess with so much information at the click of a mouse, it has to be selective. I do read every work when it's of interest to me - and yes, the headlines draw me in.
Interesting facts. I tend to be a skimmer on the Web - for some reason hard copy is more riveting! :)
Headlines, titles and sometimes cover pictures play a major role in catching the eye! It's true that the title might or might not attract you to a specific book.
I'm learning the art of skimming and I probably only take in a smidge of the knowledge available. It's the information age - I feel overwhelmed at the best of times, be it web or paper. On the social network such as Hubpages, I think actually getting a comment these days says the callibre of a persons writing must be above average.
well thought out hub thanks
Thank you all for your wonderful comments. I came across another study which states that Bullet points work better than actual sentences. I will be trying that in future hubs. Again, Thank you all.
Great informative hub! Now we know the correct strategy for the 2010 elections; run our campaign ads on the sports pages and in The American Science Journal since as you pointed out, “more 20-year-olds read more science and sports news than any other age groups.” We lost this last election because the youth of this nation were sufficiently brainwashed thanks to our Liberal Educational System!
If we ran the election on ET or Youtube, it would get watched more than any news channel. Thanks Patriot for pointing out the obvious.
Jib- I read every single word, I swear! :) Nice hub with some very good points. Thanks.
RS, there will be a test later. Thanks!
I have readers, and your one of my faves.
Hmmmmmm. Thought-provoking.
Yes Rawlus, I am one of your avid readers. When you're good, you're good.
Filipino, you are new to my Hubs, hope you enjoyed it. Thank you for visiting.
Jiberish, interesting topic to reflect on. Even though I like to write, I never wanted to be a journalist, because I didn't want to deal with deadlines and news that goes stale in a matter of hours.
AYA, I would love that job. It would be a challenge for me. Thank you for stopping in.
Now this was truly a great read! Even the title drew me in. I really appreciated all the research you put into this hub. It's funny though, we as adults tend to have the attention span of small children when it comes down to reading. We live in a generation of aliteracy (or alliteracy), which I think is due to the prevalance of instant gratification.
Good hub, and it's interesting to see these figures you've collected from studies. I am typically a verbatim reader, but the headline has to grab me. I saw yours and I had to check it out. Thanks.
Veronica, I can understand when you're researching, skimming thru vast amounts of information, but here on hubs, and other pertinent articles, I find that reading it verbatim gives me a better understanding. Thank you for your comment.
Jeffrey Neal, in doing this research I did find that headlines are very important. Thank you for your visit.
Reading what stuff Jiberish ?
You're in rare form tonight Tony. Thanks for visiting. :))
I figure who ever is reading SOMETHING - it is a miracle these days. People's attention spans are getting shorter and shorter which worries me! I hear from someone who is a giant CEO and writes his OWN blog that he only reads blogs that are 700-800 words long. And he loves books. I am currently reading a 850+ page book and can't put it down - it is just taking me forever to get through it since I'm blogging all the time now - but I would not trade (personally) the feel of a book (especially hard back) in my hand for anything I could read on the internet! But the internet has its market too - I guess we have the best of all worlds these days.
Interesting hub... I have been wondering what it takes in a title to get people interested and to keep them interested through my hubs . Good read and by the way you are right I skim most hubs I read ... but I did read yours all the way through.
Akirchner, I was a bookworm when I was younger, but was always anxious to get to the plot. I love the internet because you can get so many different view points on one subject. Thank you for stopping in.
Wendi, thank you, I'm honored.
I do read most articles, word for word, if only out of respect for the hard work of the writers who wrote them.
But I do believe that internet writing isn't at all like writing a book. There, you're expected to expound on every detail. But on the internet, stating facts quickly and concisely, is a definate plus, I think.
Maybe we (authors and readers)are both at fault. Maybe we should write tighter articles, in consideration to those with minimal attention spans. Maybe we can get more "reads" that way. What do you think?
Brookfield,thank you for your first visit. Some articles just capture the attention of the reader, those I read word for word, while others babble, those I tend to skim..
Hi Jiberish
This is a great article! I loved all the statistics! Thank you for sharing it.
Seamist, thank you for stopping in.
Interesting Hub...Thank you for sharing...This article is full of great points to remember when writing an article or story.
K Keller, Thank you for visiting.
I rated your hub and I really appreciate the insights and ideas.
John
Thank you for stoppin in.
You don't have this kind of problems, for sure! It's important to find topics that are close to people life, to interview people, to show certain numerical datas and to be on the people as much as possible (or to give the impression that you were there). Being confidential with you readers it's an other fundamental point. And to dispose of a well known instrument. You can write a wonderful blog, read by nobody but you and your family.
I really liked your hub on what people actually read. It makes me look forward to projecting some better hubs later on. On a note though, I have met some whom are badgering me because of my views. I try to be polite and explain it, but the more I explain it, the more aggravating it gets.
I realize some people use hub pages to post articles that interest them. I post articles to express my feelings and to help people better understand their country. So I am hoping your tips here will help me to present this in a better way.
I read it all, and I agree with much of it, I tend to write shorter hubs, packed with emotions so that they cannot tear their elusive eyes away. It seems to be working well, I have been averaging 58 readers a day in the last seven weeksand many great E-mails which can be better than comments, longer, and more detailed uinput results. I am happy with that. Excellent hub.~~~MFB III
MFB, thank you for stopping in. I have mixed my writings with research info, which tends to make some of them a little long, that is because when writing about politics, everyone wants to know the source. Maybe I should put more emotion less facts. Thanks.
jiberish, interesting information you have given us. A little disheartening, but certainly gives me something to shoot for. Generally speaking, when reading blogs, I skim. However, I find that most hub articles (including your own) require my full attention. So many great writers here and so many great articles. Being a part of it all inspires one to try harder to produce well written, read worthy material.
This was a great read....I actually read the articles I go to because you always want to leave a comment after you read...if you don't read or understand what is being written, how can you possibly comment on it??? The stats you provided here are very accurate and yes, a lot of people just skim over...you must provide interesting information and sometimes this is difficult....wonderful hub!
Hello, I just found you, this was a very interesting hub and yes I do hope to read more.
Zzron, thank you for stopping in and taking the time to read!
I buzz around and "collect the nectar"...if it's to my taste, I read the whole page word for word. I read every bit of this page. Good topic, and well written...kudos!
Bayoulady, Thank you for your nice comment.
smarleygrl7 2 years ago
Very good point. Unfortunately as much reading as I like to do on certain topics I only read portions if the article is very long. I like articles that get to the point.