Paid online access to New York Times – my opinion

As a publisher, I’m happy to see the New York Times take a real lead on paid content. I’ve always thought that the Web wants to be “FREE,” but everyone knows that anything that is always given away free turns into garbage. And that’s the road most print publications are on unless they change their model. The New York Times can’t continue to create leadership journalism as it watches home delivery and newsstand sales dwindle to those few remaining octogenarians who want the inky, bulky broadsheet hanging into their cereal (Full disclosure: I’m one of them). While Google AdSense can make publishers a few dimes and nickels each month, it’s revenue potential is way over-stated and decreasing. There has to be another way.

I love the NYT solution for the following reasons:

1. It provides a benefit and distinction for home subscribers. Part of this reaction is selfish, since I’ve subscribed since I lived in New York fifteen years ago. But it stands to reason that you promote sales by giving benefits to the people who increase your value as an asset. And, advertisers like to see paid subscription since it connotes involvement.

2. It allows people to get a little bit for free. They haven’t yet said how many articles per month you will get for “free” as a non-subscriber, but it’s at least ten, that should give you enough to read your favorite columnists or features every month. Beyond that, as with public radio, you really should be donating something anyway.

3. It keeps the NYT open to Google and Bing searches. I always thought this was the way things should go. Allow the NYT to be searchable via search engines so people can find the best info online and perhaps discover the Times.

4. Most importantly, it still allows bloggers to tell the world about stories they find in the NYT, without resorting to copying articles wholesale. I often make a comment on an article, providing an interesting snipped with a link to the full article. The NYT will still allow this though clicking the link will count towards the monthly quota for unpaid users. This should help the New York Time get more readers while not destroying their model.

This is the system the New Yorker should use as well. It’s fun to send an great article to someone who is not a reader. It’s not good if someone is reading the whole thing on line while everyone else is paying. And face it, a new generation of readers is growing up and they are happy reading a book or magazine on an iPhone rather than a physical magazine.

Hats off to the New York Times.

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