What are they ranking in? General search? News?

Jonathan, I think you're being way too hard on the Scotsman app - and I was hardly glowing in my references of it in my review over at bit.ly/scotsman-ipad - as I think the team have done quite a decent job.

There's always a couple of things you need to consider when looking at an app like this:

1) What was the budget? While it was substantial, I'll bet it wasn't huge. And more to the point, the app is only the start, it needs to be updated daily with fresh content and to add more than the pictures used in the print version (i.e. - video or more pics or even audio) is a staff resource that, quite frankly, I'm willing to bet The Scotsman doesn't have. Many reporters are still reluctant (for some good reasons and for some bad reasons) to do more than a new story in text. Hell, most PR companies in Scotland do little more than provide text still.

2) Consider the audience. Younger audiences have very little brand loyalty, so The Scotsman is (probably) aiming more towards the 30somethings and upwards. So to offer something that's quite traditional in appearance gives the reader the reassurance of what they are getting. It's toe-dipping instead of throwing them in at the deep end.

(As an aside, I would also point out that the traditional newspaper page is one of the most successful designs ever when it comes to imparting information. There's a reason so many newspapers look similar. Within seconds you can have a rough idea of about 15 stories, some of which are linked and some of which are not - can't do that on a webpage with just one tale)

3) You talk of consider The Scotsman's competitors. In a global marketplace, yes, the likes of the NY Times and so on are doing more - with completely different staffing levels and budgets. In Scotland - the core market for The Scotsman's ongoing success - there are no other apps. Hell, it's a struggle to even get digital papers of many of their Scottish counterparts. Most don't even have digital teams.

Just my two pence. YMMV.

Oh, good point. This also impacts social media then - and I've blogged about that at - http://www.contently-managed.com/blog/2011/09/30/will-foursquare-social-...

My take on the row: http://bit.ly/liverpool-cipr-row

Circulation of the papers combined is around 400,000 according to wiki with sales being around 90,000. If you look online at the amount of people from Liverpool on Facebook and Twitter, the council could probably just reach more people through those two channels alone.

(Not that I agree with what's been done here, but the day is coming when a council will realise that if it wants to get information out to people more accurately and quicker than traditional press (as well as having a - false - belief of being more in control) then they'll skip the local press and just do it themselves online because they can reach as many - if not more - people.