Eye tracking study yields surprising results for bloggers

The Poynter Institute wanted to take a scientific look at how people read news and if there was a difference when the news was presented in an online, tabloid or broadsheet format. 

It’s the largest study they’ve ever done and is the first time they’ve compared both print and online media.

The Institute just released the results of their EyeTrack07 study.

Here are some findings that will not be a surprise:

• People are drawn to alternative story forms like Q&A’s, timelines, sidebars and lists
• Photos get a lot of attention in print
• Real photos got more attention than staged or studio photographs

Here’s the surprise:

The largest percentage of story text read was in the online format.

• 77% online
• 62% in broadsheet
• 57% in tabloid

And…nearly two-thirds of online readers, once they selected an item to read, read ALL of the text.

Interestingly, the study was partially funded by mainstream print newspapers. You can download a teaser of the research results.  They’ll also be selling the full results in mid-April.