Our e-Books are Reading Us (WSJ 6/29/12)

Wall Street Journal article by Alexandra Alter, "Our E-Books Are Reading Us" is worth reading, sharing, and discussing.  http://www.artsjournal.com/artsjournal1/2012/06/our_ebooks_are.shtml

As publishers and authors learn more about how readers read, which books they read faster, which lines are highlighted the most by readers... it will change what readers are offered.  That is not necessarily a good thing.  Think I'll stay offline book-wise and keep my reading choices a little more to myself.  On the bright side, it might help text book publishers learn how to better engage students. 

 

Here's how Alexander Alter's article starts...

"It takes the average reader just seven hours to read the final book in Suzanne Collins's "Hunger Games" trilogy on the Kobo e-reader—about 57 pages an hour. Nearly 18,000 Kindle readers have highlighted the same line from the second book in the series: "Because sometimes things happen to people and they're not equipped to deal with them." And on Barnes & Noble's Nook, the first thing that most readers do upon finishing the first "Hunger Games" book is to download the next one."  more

* * * * * * * * * *

PLEASE NOTE:  Senior Summer School for iPad and Kindle users starts Tuesday afternoon, July 3rd.  Instructor is John Chan and his Tablet Team. See the San Mateo Senior Center Computer Group newsletter at http://www.ackerfield.com/smsccg/newsletter.pdf

iPad/Kindle (Conference Room)

Tuesday 2:00 pm – 4 pm 7/3 thru 7/24

8/7 thru 8/21&22

9/4 thru 9/25

COMPUTER CLUB: January 9

Happy New Year! 


We look forward to seeing you on Monday, January 9 at 2:00pm for the first COMPUTER CLUB meeting of 2012.  Bring in your new technology toys and tales.


Bring friends and family.  
Sign up for new courses.  

• Learn how to use your new computers, eReaders, tablets, mobile devices and more. 

• Learn new social media tools including image generators, avatars, mini-music videos, wikis, blogs, and all sorts of fun web 2.0 tools.  You have permission to have fun!

Sign up online at http://www.ackerfield.com/smsccg/ 
or in person at the San Mateo Senior Center at 2645 Alameda de las Pulgas.

-- Best wishes,

The Computer Teaching Team

Portrait of Today’s Tablet User

Rush Brandis of the California State Library shares this report on today's tablet users (Apple Computer's iPad and other brands of tablets)
Key findings from “A Portrait of Today’s Tablet User” include:

• Today’s tablet users represent 12% of the US internet population ages 8 - 64; that number is projected to grow to 23% by early 2012—a group that represents an estimated 54 million people
• 87% of tablet users are accessing content and information, the dominant activity for this device
• 93% of tablet users have downloaded apps; the average tablet user has downloaded 20 apps
• 79% of app downloaders have paid for apps in the last 12 months; 26% of all apps downloaded are paid
• On average, those who have downloaded apps on tablets have spent $53 on apps in the past 12 months
• In addition to iTunes, Amazon and Google, 29% of tablet users would prefer to buy apps from their cable company or internet provider and 25% would prefer to buy their apps directly from publishers

“The tablet also provides a rich platform for advertisers with 46% indicating that they found tablet advertising within newspaper and magazine apps to be relevant, unique and interesting,” continued Horan.
Additional insights regarding tablet users and usage preferences include:

• 60% of tablet users are males; 48% are 18-34 years old
• 43% of tablet users have HH income in excess of $50,000
• 56% of tablet users who watch video watch full-length TV and 55% watch full-length movies

 

 

 

The full report is at

 

http://onlinepubs.ehclients.com/images/pdf/MMF-OPA_--_Portait_of_Todays_Tablet_User_--_Jun11_%28Final-Public%293.pdf

 

http://www.online-publishers.org/index.php/opa_news/press_release/opa_releases_findings_of_new_tablet_study_and_implications_for_online_ind

 

or

 

http://tinyurl.com/tabletstudy

 

 

 

Pew Internet and American Life Project: eReader Ownership doubles

Rush Brandis of the California State Library alerted librarians of a new Pew Internet and American Life Report on E-Reader Ownership. Here is an overview taken from the report:

Overview:

• The share of adults in the United States who own an e-book reader doubled to 12% in May, 2011  from 6% in November 2010.  E-readers, such as a Kindle or Nook, are portable devices designed to allow readers to download and read books and periodicals.  This is the first time since the Pew Internet Project began measuring e-reader use in April 2009 that ownership of this device has reached double digits among U.S. adults. 

• Tablet computers—portable devices similar to e-readers but designed for more interactive web functions—have not seen the same level of growth in recent months.  In May 2011, 8% of adults report owning a tablet computer such as an iPad, Samsung Galaxy or Motorola Xoom.  This is roughly the same percentage of adults who reported owning this kind of device in January 2011 (7%), and represents just a 3 percentage-point increase in ownership since November 2010.  Prior to that, tablet ownership had been climbing relatively quickly.

The full report is at

http://www.pewinternet.org/~/media//Files/Reports/2011/PIP_eReader_Tablet.pdf