As Internet user numbers surge each year, information is more in demand in the Russian-language online world. This has led to popular Web sites increasingly employing niche resources that focus on specific audiences, which results in the formation of "unique" online communities, CNews reported Thursday.

A conference has been created in Russia to address these issues for Web-based media outlets, and will take place in its second year on December 9.

The main focus of the conference will be niche online sources, the role of Web media during the financial crisis and current trends. Round table events will include "Modern Technology for News Site Management," "Niche Internet Outlets: Efficacy and Price of Users," "Media Convergence: Barriers and Perspectives on the Shift from Offline to Online Media" and "Ways to Preserve Internet Budgets during The Crisis," CNews reported.

The event will be hosted by the Regional Public Centre for Internet Technology as well as the media worker's association Mediasoyuz and will be supported by the Federal Print and Mass Communications Agency.