The latest issue of the Journal of Advertising Research includes a very interesting article by comScore co-founder Gian Fulgoni titled "The Rise of the Digital Omnivore: What It Means for Advertisers, Publishers, and App Developers," which reports some eye-opening numbers about Internet usage. The punch line, which was recently summarized in another MediaPost article based on an earlier presentation by Fulgoni, is this: Although, as a percentage, desktop traffic has shrunk dramatically relative to mobile in the last four years, the total amount of desktop traffic has actually grown in the same time span.

Sometimes publishers appear so desperate to increase readership that they overstep their bounds, to the point of becoming downright annoying. Without naming names, I have seen two behaviors in particular that I find annoying. First, some sites fail to use cookies, or simply ignore them, and bombard me with takeover ads or pop-ups begging me to subscribe to their newsletter even if I visit the same site twice within a short time span, and even if I am already registered on that site and already subscribing to their newsletters. Second, and even more annoying, I have found some sites that …

In the fourth quarter of 2010, smartphone shipments increased by 87% versus the year prior - and for the first time, outsold personal computers. Consumer time spent on mobile devices caught the entire digital publishing industry off guard because the rate at which consumers spend time on their smartphones is driven by ramped-up addiction. The crack is texting and Snapchat. These two forms of mobile communication feed a hyper and constant physical need to connect, subconsciously inducing teenagers and adults to reach for their phones in a subtle panic every two minutes. As publishers, advertisers and tech platforms, aren't we …

Mobile use continues to grow unabated as a new generation eschews traditional consumption channels. This year, mobile search surpassed desktop for the first time, with no signs of slowing down. For advertisers, this growth whet an appetite to increase mobile ad spend. For publishers, on the other hand, it has caused as much headache as it has opportunity.