Friday
Jun142002
237 - Why I Am Paying for My Newspaper On-Line?
June 14, 2002
#237 - - - June 14, 2002 - - - 43,457 Readers
*** Elliott Masie's TechLearn TRENDS ***
Training, e-Learning and Collaboration Updates
Published by The MASIE Center www.masie.com
Host of: Strategies for e-Learning Workshop
1. Why I Am Paying for My Newspaper On-Line?
2. New: Strategies for e-Learning Workshop in August
1. Why I Am Paying for My Newspaper On-Line: I start everyday by reading,
at 6 am, the three newspapers in our area. All on-line. While the
pictures are fewer and the ads are different, the e-newspapers have become
an habit, especially when on the road or in a foreign land. All were
free, at least until last month.
One of our local papers announced that the on-line version of their paper
would be $13 a month. My first reaction was to say No! Why should I pay
for that paper, when the others were free. I still buy the print paper on
Sunday and on some days and am exposed to their banner ads at every click.
So, I balked and dropped them from my morning reading ritual.
For about 2 weeks. When I noticed the absence of this paper's content, I
took a deep breath, typed in my credit card and with a big smile returned
to the fold of e-readers. I have been intrigued by own behavior and what
it may say about our willingness to pay for on-line content in general.
When I focus on the value of the content to me, especially when I focus on
the COST OF NOT HAVING THE CONTENT, the $13 a month seems OK. When I
think about the cost of assembling the content, the $13 a month also seems
fine. Now, I would like them to drop or deeply reduce the banner ads and
increase the search capabilities. But, I had to go through a
re-evaluation of how I felt about paying for THIS type of on-line content.
Would I read as many local and national papers if there was a charge like
this for each, probably not. Would I pay to be part of a reading club
that gave me access to a collection of papers, like Nexis, for sure.
I never balked at paying for a print newspaper, yet this was a bridge to
cross before I could feel good about paying for an e-newspaper.
Ironically, the paper tells me they have gotten way fewer subscribers than
they thought! So, they are playing with their pricing and business
models. I am intrigued about readers' thoughts about your own response to
paying for e-content, whether it be a daily newspaper or knowledge flows.
Send me an email to emasie@masie.com with some thoughts on this issue.
2. New: Strategies for e-Learning Workshop in August: We have just
scheduled another session for our managers only, e-Learning Strategies
Workshop. It will be held at McDonald’s Hamburger University in Chicago,
IL on August 27 and 28. Details and on-line registration at
http://www.masie.com
*** Elliott Masie's TechLearn TRENDS ***
Training, e-Learning and Collaboration Updates
Published by The MASIE Center www.masie.com
Host of: Strategies for e-Learning Workshop
1. Why I Am Paying for My Newspaper On-Line?
2. New: Strategies for e-Learning Workshop in August
1. Why I Am Paying for My Newspaper On-Line: I start everyday by reading,
at 6 am, the three newspapers in our area. All on-line. While the
pictures are fewer and the ads are different, the e-newspapers have become
an habit, especially when on the road or in a foreign land. All were
free, at least until last month.
One of our local papers announced that the on-line version of their paper
would be $13 a month. My first reaction was to say No! Why should I pay
for that paper, when the others were free. I still buy the print paper on
Sunday and on some days and am exposed to their banner ads at every click.
So, I balked and dropped them from my morning reading ritual.
For about 2 weeks. When I noticed the absence of this paper's content, I
took a deep breath, typed in my credit card and with a big smile returned
to the fold of e-readers. I have been intrigued by own behavior and what
it may say about our willingness to pay for on-line content in general.
When I focus on the value of the content to me, especially when I focus on
the COST OF NOT HAVING THE CONTENT, the $13 a month seems OK. When I
think about the cost of assembling the content, the $13 a month also seems
fine. Now, I would like them to drop or deeply reduce the banner ads and
increase the search capabilities. But, I had to go through a
re-evaluation of how I felt about paying for THIS type of on-line content.
Would I read as many local and national papers if there was a charge like
this for each, probably not. Would I pay to be part of a reading club
that gave me access to a collection of papers, like Nexis, for sure.
I never balked at paying for a print newspaper, yet this was a bridge to
cross before I could feel good about paying for an e-newspaper.
Ironically, the paper tells me they have gotten way fewer subscribers than
they thought! So, they are playing with their pricing and business
models. I am intrigued about readers' thoughts about your own response to
paying for e-content, whether it be a daily newspaper or knowledge flows.
Send me an email to emasie@masie.com with some thoughts on this issue.
2. New: Strategies for e-Learning Workshop in August: We have just
scheduled another session for our managers only, e-Learning Strategies
Workshop. It will be held at McDonald’s Hamburger University in Chicago,
IL on August 27 and 28. Details and on-line registration at
http://www.masie.com
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