Everyone infected with gloom on the state of the Internet economy had better read this article by online publishing analyst and commentator Steve Outing. From the looks of research cited in his report, experienced Internet users are relying more and more on the Internet, not less, and investors who have abandoned online media outlets may miss out when the tide turns.

The studies conducted by research publisher Lyra Research and published under the aegis of its Content Intelligence group are fascinating. According to Outing,

"...when Internet users are randomly surveyed, the Web continues to come out on top in terms of importance to news consumers, and usage patterns. And the more experienced people are in using the Internet, the more they use it and enjoy it over newspapers."

Here's what stands out to us:

1. When people start relying on the Internet to get their news, they do not visit newspaper Web sites!

2. 32 percent of Internet-using survey subjects prefer using the Internet over newspapers when looking for employment. According to the researchers, "that's a lot."

3. The numbers are even more interesting when subjects are questioned about real estate searches: "Among Internet users who have a graduate education, 59 percent chose the Web as their favorite source of real estate listings."

Comments: The audience for online news and information has not gone away and is growing substantially week after week. The hits are there, in other words, though this leaves unanswered the question of how the content providers will survive financially. Outing says "The public doesn't care if Internet publishers are starving. They just want their news and content, and it's the publishers' jobs to figure out how to make money."