tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4402283548766807872.post525797465998729791..comments2024-03-20T02:26:06.500-04:00Comments on The Blunt Bean Counter: Newspaper Paywalls - The Future or the Last News Stand? The Blunt Bean Counterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11358868550072516313noreply@blogger.comBlogger13125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4402283548766807872.post-2465563845787209272012-12-22T11:49:30.856-05:002012-12-22T11:49:30.856-05:00I suppose in a few years both of us will wonder wh...I suppose in a few years both of us will wonder why we didn't create the company that offers this option, especially when it gets bought out for millions of dollars by MicroSoft or Google or someone!BetCrookshttp://financialcrooks.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4402283548766807872.post-84217679457599867582012-12-21T10:46:23.243-05:002012-12-21T10:46:23.243-05:00For the cost of a library card( $12/yr in my case ...For the cost of a library card( $12/yr in my case in Edmonton), I get online access to the complete print versions of newspapers around the world, so I have no need to subscribe to the traditional print version or pay fees for access to articles on websites.Gerry Gibeaultnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4402283548766807872.post-25374725767106840272012-12-21T01:08:55.522-05:002012-12-21T01:08:55.522-05:00I don't know, the infographic suggested that t...I don't know, the infographic suggested that the NYT paywall had no net effect as ad revenue dropped. If that lost ad revenue (traffic) instead went to a free competitor, then by staying free the competitor might win out in the end: if they put up their own paywall, their ad revenue would drop and they'd be back at square 1. But keeping the new traffic puts them ahead of where they were before...Potatohttp://www.holypotato.netnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4402283548766807872.post-63279646642162902732012-12-20T22:08:15.243-05:002012-12-20T22:08:15.243-05:00As a young adult and a dad of 2 I have two thing t...As a young adult and a dad of 2 I have two thing to contribute to is blog. 1st get a good understanding of RRSPS, TFSAs, taxes, and pension amount. Just learning about those 4 subjects will get you a long way. I also find the best way to learn is try to teach someone once you have learnt the difference. It's amazing how many people out there no nothing about 1 or all of these subjects. Being a dad I am constantly looking for ways to educate my kids about COINs without without just out right giving it to them. The hardest thing to get past so far is just learning to take care of their stuff. Once I get that down then I can go on to teaching them the stuff costs coins. I've started an RESP for the and bought some DRIP- able stocks for them in their name. as always the end goal is to teach them how to fish vs giving them the fish.Glenn Lnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4402283548766807872.post-86371479864370180882012-12-19T21:28:21.551-05:002012-12-19T21:28:21.551-05:00Hey BetCrooks:
Really like the central depository...Hey BetCrooks:<br /><br />Really like the central depository website idea. Probably would take to much co-operation, but maybe the papers will come up with something similar if paywalls are not the panacea they hope for.The Blunt Bean Counterhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11358868550072516313noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4402283548766807872.post-4666687741207281452012-12-19T13:45:07.138-05:002012-12-19T13:45:07.138-05:00The problem with paywalls for me is the price and ...The problem with paywalls for me is the price and the security of payment. I only read 2-3 articles a week in the Globe and Mail, 4-5 in the Star, and 1-2 in the National Post.<br /><br />I would accept a system where each time I click to read an article, it gets counted on a central website somewhere and a very small fee (maybe 10 cents) is debited from my account. I'd have to top up the account periodically, like a Tim's card or a phone prepaid card.<br /><br />I don't want a costly subscription to each newspaper or magazine since I'm not interested in most of their content. And I don't like leaving a credit card trail on a variety of different sites. Some central billing service would solve both of those problems for me.<br /><br />I'm also not sure how paywalls affect comments. If you want to go back and read the comments a few times for the same article, do you have to pay/count that as a new article "read" each time?<br /><br />I guess the next two or three years will decide whether paywalls work or not.<br /><br />Happy New Year's!BetCrookshttp://financialcrooks.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4402283548766807872.post-92026403300015357412012-12-18T23:24:07.539-05:002012-12-18T23:24:07.539-05:00@Anon – Interesting point about the duplicity of m...@Anon – Interesting point about the duplicity of most news items. To your point, when you think about it, you often see the exact same guest article in two different papers on the same day. <br /><br />@Nathan – I had read somewhere that many people were getting around the NY Times paywall, I guess that is how, now even us non-techies know how.<br /><br />@Potato – No doubt that the Star and Post have seen traffic increases since the G&M paywall went up. You raise a very interesting tactic; say the Post says why fight the big boys and scraps their plans for a paywall; would the free traffic and I would suggest it is substantial, bring in sufficient online revenue to make up for the lost paywall revenue? Based on what I have read, the answer is probably not. In the end, it comes back to compelling content at a fair price point.<br /><br />The Blunt Bean Counterhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11358868550072516313noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4402283548766807872.post-48702078632762757712012-12-18T20:12:44.920-05:002012-12-18T20:12:44.920-05:00What a weird infographic... who uses a pie chart t...What a weird infographic... who uses a pie chart to show a year-over-year increase?<br /><br />Anyway, I think the biggest problem with the paywalls is the price point. When the ads popped up for Globe Unlimited at $1/mo I thought that was fair... but then the fine print said it was just the first month, and it was $20/mo after that. Screw that noise. <br /><br />I have to wonder if the Star and Post have seen traffic increases since the G&M paywall went up, and if one of them will decide to scrap their own plans for a paywall and keep the traffic in the end.Potatohttp://www.holypotato.netnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4402283548766807872.post-5920134151684895432012-12-18T20:07:25.150-05:002012-12-18T20:07:25.150-05:00One interesting dilemma for the newspapers is that...One interesting dilemma for the newspapers is that they generally need to rely on cookies to determine how much of your free article quota is used up. Since most browsers now include a 'private browsing' mode, it is a simple matter even for non-technical readers to defeat this mechanism and have unlimited free articles.<br /><br />They could track IP addresses instead, but that would come with its own problems, like having a single article limit for an entire corporate network. Plus it would be defeated almost as easily by using a proxy network such as Tor. And unlike pirating music, these sorts of private browsing measures are entirely legal. (Although the papers would also likely have browsing restrictions in their Terms of Use contracts, so they could have a case there I suppose.)<br /><br />Or they can go the route of only offering partial articles for free, but then how much of your readership do you lose, as you discussed in the post? I'm guessing most.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13903169117125578441noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4402283548766807872.post-17697051403770927442012-12-18T18:55:04.240-05:002012-12-18T18:55:04.240-05:00The truth that most news "content" is wo...The truth that most news "content" is worthless.<br />Worse yet, and unlike songs, most is interchangeable -- if one guy puts up a paywall, you can get the same news elsewhere for free. <br /><br />One of the few worth paying for is The Economist, since you get thoughtful analysis, and iPad edition and an audio version. No wonder they're one of the few making money.<br /><br />I've also been paying for the Wall Street Journal, and might be willing to pay for a few other quality names (a Reuters feed, The Telegraph, Nat.Post or Globe&Mail, etc.) <br /><br />Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4402283548766807872.post-31380644584080318782012-12-18T14:47:48.027-05:002012-12-18T14:47:48.027-05:00@Anon-interesting concept, I wonder in the future ...@Anon-interesting concept, I wonder in the future if competing papers will form alliances?<br /><br />@Mary-I am sure if the G&M marketing department reads this, your words are music to their ears. I think the 10 article restriction is intended to frustrate and cause people to give up and pay, not be altruistic and allow for 10 free viewings.The Blunt Bean Counterhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11358868550072516313noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4402283548766807872.post-78397593362701996192012-12-18T14:00:48.908-05:002012-12-18T14:00:48.908-05:00I have succumbed to paying for the G&M online ...I have succumbed to paying for the G&M online and will re-assess in a few months. We 'share' the single subscription by both using the single iPad or using my personal login on my husband's laptop. Not ideal and we also supplement our online reading with paper a few times a week. We found our collective use of various papers' 10 article limit just too restricting, particularly when traveling outside of the countryMary C ( the other one)https://www.blogger.com/profile/16112761146019132179noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4402283548766807872.post-40581514750737044232012-12-18T13:16:31.866-05:002012-12-18T13:16:31.866-05:00Newspaper paywalls are too expensive for me. I am...Newspaper paywalls are too expensive for me. I am willing to pay $20 a month, but not for only one paper. If I could get the Globe and Mail, National Post, and another US paper, say the NY Times for $20 a month I would subscribe.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com