The escalation of FIRSTonline, the independent web journal of economics and finance which is about to celebrate its eighth birthday, knows no stops. In February, FIRSTonline set an all-time high in direct visits, which exceeded 2 million for the first time and they reached 2 million and 151 thousand and 836 with an increase of 560 thousand visits compared to the previous month (in January they had been 1.591.135) despite February having three days less than January.
In essence, the average daily visits of FIRSTonline are now more than 70 per day, which become just under 100 if we think in aggregate terms, i.e. if we add contacts on social networks and other platforms where the contents of FIRSTonline are distributed to direct visits to the site. In February, between direct visits, contacts on Facebook (95.030), on the Msn portal of Microsoft Italia (413.153) and on the twin sites just born and published by FIRSTonline (47.239 visits between FIRST Arte, First&Food and FIRST Tutorial) in fact we arrive at a total aggregate of 2 million and 705.258 visits, which suggests in the not too distant future the threshold of 3 million contacts/month and which represents an increase of almost half a million contacts compared to the previous month (in January 2 without the three sites twins).
February's hit is a starting point towards new goals but from now on it rewards the quality and service journalism on which FIRSTonline and its sister sites have been aiming since birth with an information offer that makes independence of judgement, reliability, professional competence and creative imagination its unmistakable identity traits.
In February the drivers of the visits – also driven by the new videos – were the services on pensions, citizen income, eco-tax, employment, cigarette prices and the effects of Brexit, testifying to the fact that even in jungle of the Net you can do quality journalism and public utility because among readers, especially young people, there is a great desire for information but also the need to play it safe and not have to waste time to ascertain if a story is true or false because what is published has been strictly controlled. But there is also the need not to be flooded by the rain of news and to easily identify the really important ones. It is the job that FIRSTonline does every day and the success of the public is the best acknowledgment that the entire team of journalists and technicians who passionately create the product hour by hour can receive.
