Will You Pay For Your Favorite Columnist?

from the not-this-again dept

As predicted, people are misinterpreting a new study about people paying for "content". The study really shows that people will pay for some worthwhile services, but they're really not that interested in content. However, the Boston Herald is starting a ridiculous experiment trying to charge readers $5/month to read their favorite columnist. Even the columnists hate the idea (read it while it's still free...). Suddenly, they're afraid that their column has very specific profit/loss requirements. Not enough people paying up to read your column? You'll find yourself looking for a new job. As the one columnist warns, he's switching from his usual business news to "firetrucks, guns and reality TV plus lots and lots of sex." Online content providers are missing the point. The free nature of the internet gives them the ability to leverage their content and make money in other ways. Trying to charge will drastically reduce their page views (killing any hope they had of other business models) while not bringing in nearly enough revenue to seem worthwhile. Meanwhile, by charging for specific columnists only, they're putting too much focus (and pressure) on one tiny aspect of the paper.
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  1. identicon
    Joe Schmoe, 6 Mar 2003 @ 10:20am

    !

    Slashsdot just implimented a great idea along these lines -
    http://slashdot.org/articles/03/03/06/1548245.shtml?tid=124

    A paid premium whereby stories are held back about 20 minutes or so for the non-paying readers, giving paid readers an opportunity to avoid the "slashdot effect" (dead links due to maxed out traffic generated by the reference).

    link to this | view in thread ]

  2. identicon
    slim, 7 Mar 2003 @ 7:51am

    why this is so stuipid

    The price is too high. 50C a day gets you the ENTIRE PAPER.

    link to this | view in thread ]

  3. identicon
    Anonymous Coward, 7 Mar 2003 @ 7:58am

    No Subject Given

    Think the papers are going to be surprised by how little we care about what columnist have to say. I read a paper/website for the news .... not the opinions.

    Goes for Tech Dirt as well. I come here to see what interesting articles mike has found. Not listen to mike's take on them.

    link to this | view in thread ]


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