I think that it is a very risky move from New York Times. It is planning to go behind a paywall from 2011. It is the most popular website in USA and it has a rich tradition that goes back to nearly 160 years. It is finding itself increasingly under pressure because of falling revenue from advertisements and subscription.
I think that the main problem is that those who are at the top at New York Times are unable to understand the new reality that has emerged after Internet became popular. Blogging perhaps changed the way we get news. For example, I am living in a country which is in opposite time zone of New York and it is now 3 AM in my city. I am writing about this topic because it is of some interest to me. In the past, I wanted to write something like this but I did not have any scope.
What New York Times and other major newspapers should try to do is to tap in to the market and attract people like me who have the passion for news.
One Comment
“most popular website” ? Surely you mean “most popular newspaper.” Anyway, I can see why they are doing this but I don’t think it will be particularly effective. There are many other places people can go to get their news fix for free so unless all of the major news outlets go to a “pay” model simultaneously (which seems extremely unlikely) it’s not going to work.