• by January 25, 2002

Jupiter Media Metrix reports that despite the notion that new technology might someday render traditional print publications obsolete, this week ’s data indicate that some book and book club sites seem to be connecting with an online audience.

For example, Bookspan rose 72% to 291,000 average daily visitors for the week ending Jan. 20, The Science Fiction Book Club site, sfbc.com, increased 62% to 93,000 average daily unique visitors, and booksamillion.com appeared this week with 52,000 average daily visitors, despite not appearing in the reports for the prior three weeks.

Additionally, after an extended holiday hiatus, popular humor-and-satire site theonion.com increased 49% to 88,000 average daily unique visitors. Scott Adams ’DILBERT.COM also increase 74% to 81,000 average daily visitors.

Also, JMM reports that for the week ending Jan. 20, a number of kid-and-teen sites experienced notable growth in average daily visitors:

- Yahoo ’s Yahooligans.com rose 79% to 108,000.

- Bolt.com increased 57% increase to 107,000.

- Nickelodeon ’s NICKJR.com climbed 30% to 117,000.

- katrillion.com increased 26% to 90,000.

- foxkids.com rose 21% to 76,000.

Average daily visitors to several banking sites also increased versus the prior three-week average:

- crosscountrybank.com increased 100% to 74,000.

- directmerchantsbank.com climbed 92% to 69,000.

- sovereignbank.com rose 44% to 75,000.