Absolutely, queries are a good way to save time and target your market in a lot of cases, especially when you're talking magazine/newspaper/online media.

Unfortunately, few book publishers will accept fiction queries except from already-successful authors with proven track records of selling copies. Editors usually want to see full manuscripts for fiction.

Thanks for your comment.

Not sending in a proposal query is another way authors waste time. People should investigate whether or not they have a chance of being published as well. I know it's counterintuitive to a lot of writers but they are in a business first and art comes second, if not third or forth.