The Top 10 Ways Journalists Use the Internet

According to a new survey, one of the least popular ways journalists use the Internet is to create podcasts. But what is the top use? Is it to lurk on Facebook or Twitter? Or is it to constantly go on Google and search for story ideas? What do the majority of journalists use the Internet for?

The 2011 Arketi Web Watch Media Survey, sponsored by the PR firm Arketi Group, says the majority of its respondents use the Internet to read news.

The survey was specifically aimed at B2B journalists and their use of technology, but I think the results are still valid for most other types of  journalists.

From the infographic on the right, we can see the top 10 ways journalists use the Internet:

1. Reading news
2. Searching for news sources/story idea
3. Social networking
4. Micro-blogging
5. Blogging
6. Watching webinars/webcasts
7. Watching YouTube
8. Exploring Wikis
9. Producing/listening to podcasts
10. Social bookmarking

The survey also has some other interesting bits of information, such as 92 percent of the survey respondents are on LinkedIn while less than half have a blog site.

There also is a pretty neat list of where reporters get their ideas from. While most get story ideas from industry sources, I was surprised to see that 39 percent of respondents come up with articles from social networking sites, like Facebook or LinkedIn.

Interested in seeing the survey results yourself? Free copies are available.

What do you think about the survey? How does this list compare to your own Internet usage?

Author and journalist Susan Orlean (left) has written two nonfiction pieces that have been turned into films. She’ll discuss her new book, Rin Tin Tin, in Mediabistro’s first online Literary Festival & Workshops starting July 16. Other speakers include Rebecca Skloot, Jason Boog, and Jason Allen Ashlock. Register now.