This is slightly off-topic, but might have some relevance to explain the slow development of online journalism in Canada.
E-commerce is on the rise in Canada, according to the latest official figures from Statistics Canada.
Internet sales hit an estimated $62.7 billion in 2007, up 26% from 2006. But e-commerce is still to make an impact in Canada, representing a relatively small fraction of total economic activity.
Stats Canada reports that online sales of private sector firms accounted for just under 2% of total operating revenue in 2007.
Maybe this explain why the news business in Canada is lagging behind in its investment in digital journalism.
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Great post and I couldn’t agree more! I work for a company called Sitebrand and we help e-commerce marketers improve conversion and boost revenues. I find it interesting how it’s easier to get coverage on our successes in the US vs. Canada. The US seems to be more interested in learning about competitive advantages like web personalization. Hopefully more awareness through posts like this will help alert the issue.