Local Online Newspaper Threatens Freeloaders, Goes Offline
Local Online Newspaper Threatens Freeloaders, Goes Offline
Posted 10/28/2010 at 6:48am
| by Paul Lilly
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Color us amused at The North Country Gazette, a regional news site serving uptate New York which apparently doesn't have a grasp on this whole Internet thing just yet. According to report on BoingBoing.net, the online rag was expecting visitors to pay for a subscription if they read more than one article, only it was entirely based on the honor system.
"We allow you to read one article for free -- this one that you're on. Thereafter, to read more or to return later, a subscription is needed. Please don't abuse the privilege. To subscribe, see the ad to the right. We provide a service to you, we deserve to be paid for it," stated a message typed in red text and comic sans next to each article.
Those in charge of The North Country Gazette are no fools and had the foresight to predict some users would have the audacity to ignore the comic sans warning and *gasp* read a second article without paying the toll. Check out the screen grab BoingBoing managed to swipe before the The North Country Gazette went into full lockdown mode (you now need a username and password to access the site).
We don't know what's more surprising, that The North Country Gazette had the bad sense to threaten its readership rather than toss up a paywall, or that Rupert Murdoch didn't think of this first.
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I Jedi
October 28, 2010 at 2:15pm
The newspaper is like a dying animal, that is being cornered. It's doing all it can to survive, but it knows it's going to die. Same can be said with pay-as-you-go online web articles. Where once you only had your local newspaper, The New Yorker, and USA Today, you now have a wide choice of news-outlets to go to on the Internet. Sorry, journalist, but you'll just have to settle for public servant pay.
FrancesTheMute
October 28, 2010 at 11:01am
What's even more amusing is there doesn't seem to be a page that you can go to to sign up for an account. The main url just prompts for a username and password, so if someone doesn't have an account yet, they apparantly can't get one. Seems whoever running the newspaper just completely fails at the internet.
mothrpe
October 29, 2010 at 7:12am
Hahaha, that's totally correct, you can't even go to the site to get a membership!
I click the google link and I get the username/password popup. I love this website now, even though I've never visited it.
lunchbox73
October 28, 2010 at 10:46am
Here is a headline for their next edition. I'm offering it free of charge: INTERNET CHANGES NEWSPAPER BUSINESS MODEL.
Most newspapers jumped in to the whole internet thing without thinking too much about it. A lot of papers still charge for their dated, static, low tech printed newspaper yet give away a majority of their news for free on the internet.
Blues22475
October 28, 2010 at 10:23am
It will help them. I personally don't see it beneficial as people can just go else where to get their news for their area. It's not like that's the only source of local news.
Eoraptor
October 28, 2010 at 9:42am
Just one more example of dead media that ~just doesn't get it~
Why don't they offer to sell me some music on casette while they're at it and then call RIAA?
Atomike
October 28, 2010 at 7:52am
They think this is a legal EULA? Nobody on their site signed or clicked any form of consent to be bound by their terms. In other news, if you read this, you owe me $20. See? It's ridiculous. They won't even be able to hire a lawyer to take this case. No lawyer would waste his/her time.
Wingzero_x
October 28, 2010 at 11:22am
The only thing you are wrong about is the lawyer, there is no shortage in that department. Even if it is a waste of time, he'll still get paid. Oh, and I don't have $20, so I'll bake you a cake!
canis187
November 05, 2010 at 7:18am
To include the sales-tax on that transaction! What would be 7.5% sales tax on a cake? a cup-cake?
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