In this selection of the week’s outstanding news, we start by publishing the results of a survey from the University of Sabana regarding the consumption of information on the Internet. 

Then, have you experienced Augmented Reality? AR technology is the advertising industry’s new big bet and we are going to tell you why.

Lastly, more and more businesses are recognising the value of cloud computing. Google joins its competitors and launches its own service of cloud storage. Find out all the details here:

Last Thursday was the Day of the Journalist in Colombia, and if we talk about journalism, we have to talk about Internet. The web has taken a leading role in the distribution of information, from the development of citizen journalism to the transition from the printed edition of the daily paper to the digital edition.

But, how do users stay informed on the Internet? What do they expect from digital media? The University of Sabana has carried out a study of the characteristics of information consumption on the Internet.

Almost 90% of those interviewed consult the Internet every day, 55% of whom go online to read the news. As regards readers’ preferences, those sites which show information in an organized way, with a clear distribution of the news as regards the moment of publication and its relevance, are the most popular.

The different ways of accessing information were rated as important by more than half of those interviewed, 54.8% value sites with a web feed and 54.1% that they can enter the site from mobile devices. For 62.7% of those interviewed,news content is important and should have visual complements such as video.

In short, news websites should favour the following criteria: legibility, organization, availability, visual appeal, fast downloads, user friendliness, have their own search engines and encourage interaction.

Tell us, do you agree with these valuations? What do you look for in a news website?

Augmented Reality, or AR for short, is one of the tools that is attracting most attention in the marketing and publicity industries.

Augmented Reality is a technology that mixes elements from the real world with virtual designs. Physical objects come to life via smart devices, permitting a greater interaction with the user.

Companies such as Volkswagen, Starbucks and Absolut are already using it in their communication strategies, even the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) has integrated Augmented Reality into its exhibitions.

The technology has been available since 2008, but its impact is increasing thanks to the popularization of mobile devices capable of reading Augmented Reality sources.

Augmented Reality is considered to be the big bet of the publicity sector, given that the possibility of interaction will attract consumers. According to the market study specialist in connectivity and technology, ABI Research, in 2014 Augmented Reality will be a $350 million market in the United States alone.

For its part, Google is betting on maximizing the experience with glasses that will display information on the lenses.

And you? Have you tried Augmented Reality?

The Internet giant is working on the launch of Google Drive, its own cloud storage system. The service will compete with products already on the market such as Dropbox, SkyDrive and iCloud.

The need to save archives on the cloud are increasing due to the limited storage capacity of smartphones and tablets, given that adding flash memories or hard discs reduces portability.

Using Cloud Computing technology, Google Drive will enable the uploading of photos, videos and other archives to the company’s servers; and access to them remotely via different mobile devices. It will also facilitate the sharing of content via a hyperlink. Google Drive will be free, except when the minimum storage capacity is exceeded, in which case a tariff will be paid according to the level of use.

I hope you’ve enjoyed this edition of Mash my week!

See you next time!