What Do Women Really Want (Online, That Is)?
Newsgroups: soc.women
Message-ID: <423@harrison.win.net>
Reply-To: rosalind@harrison.win.net (Rosalind Resnick)
From: rosalind@harrison.win.net (Rosalind Resnick)
Date: Tue, 03 May 1994 09:29:01 GMT
Subject: What Do Women Really Want (Online, That Is)?
Lines: 60
The May issue of Interactive Publishing Alert contains the results
of a new IPA survey that analyzes women's online usage patterns and
preferences and what this means for electronic publishers.
The theme of the issue is women online - what women really want from an online publication. Besides the survey results, the issue includes a profile of U.S. News & World Report's Women's Forum and guest columns by Betsy Richter of The Village Voice and Leslie Regan Shade of McGill University. Interactive Publishing Alert is a monthly online newsletter that tracks trends and developments in the electronic newspaper and magazine field.
Here are some highlights from the survey:
- Women who go online know their bauds from their bits. Over 80 percent of the women who responded to the poll said they'd been using a computer for more than three years; 37.3 percent said they had subscribed to an online service for that long. More than 40 percent of the respondents rated themselves as "old pro's" in their computer and online services abilities; only 10.2 percent put themselves in the beginner's category.
- Women who use online services log on frequently and don't mind paying for the privilege. Over 66 percent of the women who responded to the survey said they went online at least once a day; an equal number said they spent at least $20 a month on online services.
- Communications ranks highest on women's online agenda. When asked to name the online features they use the most, 51 respondents cited special-interest bulletin boards and 47 picked swapping e-mail with friends and family. Only 11 said that downloading software was important to them, and only 6 named online shopping, banking and travel services.
- Interactivity is women's top requirement for an online publication. When asked to pick three features they'd most like to see in an online publication, 45 picked the ability to interact with editors, writers and other readers. Internet access (35) was the No. 2 choice, followed by an easy-to-use software interface (24) and up-to-the-minute news, sports, weather and financial information (22).
"Realize that women have a different perspective on many
things, but don't patronize us," one respondent wrote. "Just
because I'm a woman doesn't mean that I'm not interested in
weighty things -- it just means that I might look at them from
another angle. Forget the emphasis on shopping. Communication is
important, and, of course, we'd like to know about things that
affect families. Just don't dumb-down things, and you'll probably
have a winner."
Rosalind Resnick
Editor and Publisher
Interactive Publishing Alert
305-920-5326 (voice)
Subscriptions cost $149 a year; single issues are $15.
For more information on subscribing to Interactive Publishing Alert
or obtaining a copy of the "What Do Women Want (From an Online
Publication)?" survey, write to rosalind@harrison.win.net.
Last modified 2005-02-15 11:09 AM