Expert Internet Users prize it for Info.

Consumers look to the Web first within a short time.

As US Internet users ages 16 and older gain experience on the Web, the Internet becomes a more-important source of information, according to recently released data from the USC Annenberg Center for the Digital Future. In time, the Internet surpasses even personal sources of information, and all media except the Web stay at the same levels of importance or drop.

In contrast, less than one-half of new Internet users—defined as having 18 months or less of experience online—consider the Web an important or very important source of information, and newbies value all other media more highly at first.

The implications for experienced users are fairly straightforward: If it makes sense for the product or service being marketed, the Internet should be a part of the campaign.

Although veteran Web users prize the Internet for information, they tend to do so in a general sense. When it comes to certain types of specialized information, or when the information affects users personally, as with healthcare, expert sources still hold sway.

Adult Internet users surveyed late last year by Opinion Research Corporation for iCrossing trusted medical professionals significantly more than the Internet, and even more than friends with the same condition or relatives.

Courtesy of http://www.emarketer.com