Virtually all newspapers now publish online classifieds, but many don't take full advantage of the Web's interactive and display capabilities, according to a recent University of Missouri-Columbia
study. For the study, "Interactivity and vividness in U.S. newspapers' online classified ads," graduate student Sarah Farebrother and assistant professor of journalism Shelly Rodgers examined online
classified ads of 24 newspapers over a two-day period in March. The papers ranged in size from the 2,110-circulation Nebraska City News-Press to the 900,000-plus circulation
Los Angeles Times.
Almost all of the papers' Web sites--91.6 percent--offered classified ads in three categories--automotive, employment and real estate. -- Wendy Davis