Digital Journal releases data showing strong growth in user-generated media

Our sister site Digital Journal, issued a press release today that is important for anyone following user-generated content and how it plays a role in media.

The press release is pasted below:

–

TORONTO, Feb. 24 – Digital Journal, a global digital media news network, released data today showing strong growth in its online and mobile divisions.

Regarded as a pioneer and leader in crowd-sourcing and user-generated content, Digital Journal has 30,000 professional and citizen journalists, bloggers, photographers and freelancers in 200 countries around the world.

Today, the company released the following information related to growth:

Mobile growth

• Mobile website and smartphone apps attracting more than half-a-million pageviews per month and growing.
• Smartphone apps launched in mid December 2010 for Android, Apple, BlackBerry and Windows Phone devices in partnership with Polar Mobile.
• Smartphone apps downloaded 35,000 times since launch, currently growing by more than 5,000 downloads per day.
• Interactive mobile website allows anyone to post news, blogs, images and more from their smartphone.

Online growth

• Attracting millions of readers, doubling year-over-year entirely by word of mouth.
• Crowd-sourcing content from 30,000 members in 200 countries around the world.
• Paid out more than $100,000 to outside contributors so far.
• Digital Journal has published more than 100,000 news articles and 65,000 images from contributors in every major metropolis around the globe.
• Editors make more than 200 appearances on national TV, radio and in print each year.

Future of Media events

• Digital Journal is now running a semi-annual conference called Future of Media, a speaker series dedicated to discussing the future of media.
• Past speakers include executives from Facebook, Global News, CBC, CTV and more.
• Sponsors have included Dell, Rogers, Canada Newswire, Queensway Audi and more.
• Every event has sold-out, hitting capacity before doors open.
• Future of Media events widely regarded as must-see media events for executives in media, advertising and PR.

“Digital Journal is excited about its strong growth and global reach,” said Chris Hogg, CEO of Digital Journal, Inc. “With a content platform that is proprietary and automated, we’re currently looking at a number of potential strategic partnership opportunities.”

Digital Journal Platform & Technology

Digital Journal’s proprietary content platform enables qualified contributors to publish content such as news, blogs, images and video, as well as engage in discussions on important topics from their communities. The company’s platform enables content creation at scale, and ad revenue is shared with contributors based on how many pageviews and how much engagement their content attracts.

Digital Journal’s platform enables the company to scale from a hyperlocal focus to an international audience, with the ability to contact readers and contributors within 1 km (1/2 mile) of any geographic location in order to crowd-source content. That technology has been showcased in events such as the recent uprisings in the Middle East and Africa; when a massive earthquake hit Christchurch, New Zealand; and in order to mobilize citizens to cover their communities in metropolises such as Toronto, New York, Paris, London, Sydney and more.

Digital Journal publishes a variety of content ranging from on-the-ground news reports to more general interest stories on topics such as celebrities, business and food. Contributors and readers interact in a one-of-a-kind social news experience that blends news reportage with social communities and groups.

Digital Journal also consults news organizations on how to empower their audience to acquire content, drive revenue and increase engagement from digital media properties. For more information, visit digitaljournal.com