Does The Web Have A Publishing Cycle?

from the for-newspapers-it-does dept

Sometimes it's difficult to break out of habits. While newspapers have a clear reason for having a drop-dead deadline for submitting articles, and a once-a-day publishing schedule, the web world offers them plenty of flexibility in when they publish... which they seem to have promptly ignored. E-Media Tidbits notes a new study showing many online newspapers stick to a once-a-day publishing schedule. It's not that surprising that they do this. It fits within their existing processes, and since many are reusing print copy anyway, it makes some amount of sense. Still, you would expect them to start to realize they can publish on a less strict schedule. It appears some newspapers have made an effort to stay more regularly updated, but many simply don't bother at all. Of course, in doing so, they risk losing readers to other sites that are more timely.
Hide this

Thank you for reading this Techdirt post. With so many things competing for everyone’s attention these days, we really appreciate you giving us your time. We work hard every day to put quality content out there for our community.

Techdirt is one of the few remaining truly independent media outlets. We do not have a giant corporation behind us, and we rely heavily on our community to support us, in an age when advertisers are increasingly uninterested in sponsoring small, independent sites — especially a site like ours that is unwilling to pull punches in its reporting and analysis.

While other websites have resorted to paywalls, registration requirements, and increasingly annoying/intrusive advertising, we have always kept Techdirt open and available to anyone. But in order to continue doing so, we need your support. We offer a variety of ways for our readers to support us, from direct donations to special subscriptions and cool merchandise — and every little bit helps. Thank you.

–The Techdirt Team


Reader Comments

Subscribe: RSS

View by: Time | Thread


  1. identicon
    Adam, 21 Jul 2004 @ 7:06pm

    Don't forget ...

    In order to update a site around the clock you have to have 1) have enough designers and producers on staff to do it (and many papers online presence operates on barebones staffs) and 2) have folks willing to work the hours, and get paid poorly for it.

    link to this | view in thread ]

  2. identicon
    dorpus, 21 Jul 2004 @ 7:25pm

    Is techdirt timely?

    It does nothing on weekends. It's using 5- or 10-year-old code from Slashdot. Newer forums allow people to group threads, edit their postings retroactively, allow for much more sophisticated communications.

    link to this | view in thread ]

  3. identicon
    thecaptain, 22 Jul 2004 @ 5:29am

    Re: Is techdirt timely?

    Do we NEED those things on Techdirt? Not likely.

    As for weekends, well I think Mike's allowed to have a life...even if you don't want one :)

    link to this | view in thread ]

  4. identicon
    Justin Walters, 22 Jul 2004 @ 5:51am

    umm yes and no?

    This article struck me as odd. Most of it is spent wondering aloud why online newspapers stick to a once/day publishing schedule, pointing out that they clearly don't need to. Then at the very end it off-the-cuff mentions a huge reason exactly why they need to. ??

    link to this | view in thread ]

  5. identicon
    Oliver Wendell Jones, 22 Jul 2004 @ 6:51am

    Re: Is techdirt timely?

    Dorpus,

    If you're displeased with the tools available to you here at Techdirt, please - GO ELSE WHERE.

    Signed,
    Civilized Beings Everywhere

    link to this | view in thread ]

  6. identicon
    dorpus, 22 Jul 2004 @ 9:08am

    Re: Is techdirt timely?

    >Do we NEED those things on Techdirt? Not likely.< br>>As for weekends, well I think Mike's allowed to have a life...even if you don't want one :)

    I judge Techdirt by the same standard that Mike judges newspapers. People still want to read newspapers on weekends. They do not accept the excuse that we should feel sorry for journalists, therefore newspapers don't have to publish on weekends.

    >If you're displeased with the tools available to you here at Techdirt, please - GO ELSE WHERE.

    I am in plenty of other forums already.

    link to this | view in thread ]

  7. identicon
    95% of techdirt readers agree, 22 Jul 2004 @ 9:36am

    Dorpus is an asshole


    Dorpus, You are just an asshole.
    Face it.
    Your opinions and statements are either absurd, off topic or just written to bait people.

    Go to slashdot. Your kind is welcome there.
    Techdirt is a nice forum for discussing news articles, not a freakin' newspaper.

    Or if you don't like the way techdirt runs may I suggest you start your own website ?

    link to this | view in thread ]

  8. identicon
    dorpus, 22 Jul 2004 @ 11:43am

    Re: Dorpus is an asshole

    >Your opinions and statements are either absurd, off topic or just written to bait people.< br>
    No, I wrote in response to the absurd notion that Techdirt has a right to complain that newspapers only get updated daily, when

    1. Techdirt does not update on weekends, and
    2. Techdirt steals all its news from real news sources, such as newspapers.

    >Go to slashdot. Your kind is welcome there.

    I'm already there.

    >Or if you don't like the way techdirt runs may I suggest you start your own website ?

    I've got a medical research career to pursue, don't have the time.


    link to this | view in thread ]

  9. identicon
    Anonymous Coward, 22 Jul 2004 @ 12:28pm

    Re: Dorpus is an asshole

    Well you sure have enough time to post your blatherings.

    Judging by the amount of posts I suspect the only job in the medical community you will excel @ is emptying bedpans.

    link to this | view in thread ]

  10. identicon
    John, 22 Jul 2004 @ 2:23pm

    Re: Dorpus is an asshole

    I'm writing in response to the absurd notion that dorpus has a right to complain about when Techdirt updates, when

    1. Dorpus has yet to say anything, ever, that actually adds to the conversation
    2. Dorpus seems to have no reading comprehension or analytical skills whatsoever

    link to this | view in thread ]

  11. identicon
    hanzie, 23 Jul 2004 @ 1:31am

    Re: Dorpus is an asshole

    C'mon guys, leave dorpus alone. He's just confessed he's undergoing some serious medical research, and will likely be making a career of this. It's not funny to pick on sick people.

    link to this | view in thread ]

  12. identicon
    Anonymous Coward, 23 Jul 2004 @ 6:49am

    Re: Dorpus is an asshole


    Oh, I didn't realise he was a medical research subject !

    My bad ... lol

    link to this | view in thread ]


Follow Techdirt
Essential Reading
Techdirt Deals
Report this ad  |  Hide Techdirt ads
Techdirt Insider Discord

The latest chatter on the Techdirt Insider Discord channel...

Loading...
Recent Stories

This site, like most other sites on the web, uses cookies. For more information, see our privacy policy. Got it
Close

Email This

This feature is only available to registered users. Register or sign in to use it.