There has been a lot of discussion recently about the tabloid or “compact” format being the preferred size for newspaper readers.
All the hoopla has made me wonder whether reading on the Web is like reading a tabloid, and whether this has influenced the tab trend.
There are parallels between the two mediums. On a computer, the size of a Web page is compact. It’s even smaller on a handheld. The Web continues to become more portable as wireless Internet becomes more prevalent. You can sit in Starbucks and read the news online. And just as tabloids provide good navigation upfront, you need good navigation online to know where you are going.
Despite the early thinking that the Web could offer unlimited space for stories, research has shown that scrolling long pieces of text isn’t popular. Users lose interest and go somewhere else. Daily pieces have became shorter and punchier online. Photos got smaller or became a separate gallery of images. Usability became the focus. Perhaps the tab format influenced the Web, as well.
It seems to me that the average person is just looking for options in the way she receives the news. Both the Web and tabs provide news consumers with a choice. But the physical format is much less important than the credibility and organization of the content.
However the industry evolves over the next 10 years, that will remain true.
Someday, the Web won’t exist in its current form. Blogs will be out of fashion. And words printed on paper could be the equivalent of cave drawings.
All that will be left is the journalism.
