While the mainstream media and newspaper outlets are often charged with failing to understand or utilize Internet advertising, it was interesting to see the response that many of them had this past week to the horrible tragedy that took place at Virginia Tech. In an article published yesterday evening, The New York Times reports on the media's use of paid search advertising to drive traffic to their own coverage of the event.

From the article:

While many of the ads are no longer showing, you will still find ads from The New York Times and The First Post showing up on the right hand column if you run a search for "Virginia tech shooting."

It's interesting to see these outlets finally realizing that while they may be some of the top news outlets in the country, they still have to compete for eyeballs when it comes to online information. These days, many people are just as likely to head to Wikipedia or a blog for coverage as they are to head to the big name news sites.

Taking the time to remind readers that up to the minute coverage is available isn't a bad idea when you stop and think about it. People are now so used to heading straight to a search engine that they're likely to end up clicking on the top search and news listings rather than going directly to a particular source. They're also more likely to check out multiple sources, so it makes sense to think that beyond reminding your own readers...you might also pick up some new ones.