By Latria Graham
ONA Convention Online Staff

Editors and producers of online sites are working hard to attract more young users, they said at an ONA breakfast discussion Friday about how Internet sites can be “hip” to attract more young users. Professionals from all over poured into the dimly lit room for this informal session titled “Our old friend, the younger user.”

“It’s a question that we all are struggling with: How do we attract the younger Web users?” asked Chris Kraft, an editor at AJC.com. “We know they are on the Web all the time, so how do we get them to come to our site?”

Listen: Chris Kraft of AJC.com gives tips on how to attract young users to Web sites.

Fred Brichman, art director for daily news at MSNBC.com, said his site aims for splashier presentations. “Our biggest push is more multimedia stuff, using stills and audio and TV stuff,” he said. “We do a weekly entertainment time show, which is fun, with celebrities on the red carpet.”

Using entertainment as a means to keep the younger audience interested can be challenging for companies with no entertainment focus. Steve McGookin, U.S. news editor of The Financial Times, said it’s tough, but there are ways.

“We push for business-skilled students,” he said. “If you get the reader when they’re getting into their career, they will likely stay interested in your site as they move on.”

Forbes.com editor Paul Maidment agreed with McGookin. “Get them while they’re young,” he said. “The profile for people in business has changed. The entrepreneurs are young people and that’s who we should go after.”

According to a report by ZDnet.com, almost 85 percent of Americans ages 18 to 29 use the Internet. Although this is a large number of young people and could be used as a tool for success, some feel that sites should not concentrate on one group.

“I think that the content that we provide should appeal to everyone,” AJC.com’s Kraft said. “I don’t think we should necessarily target young users in the way we write stories or the way that we present stories, but we should have an eye to the things that they are interested in.”

Discussion Starter:
What are some ways your site can attract younger users, or do you even think it is necessary?