End of the Internet

Had the "privilege" of sitting in on a managers meeting today. It was loosely discussed that our chain may soon be giving up on the internet — not giving up, but making less of an effort to feed the thing.

Word is our paper made gains in profit on the internet — but only in the "thousands of dollars" range. Word also is that the print product generated more revenue than anticipated.

Our ME's quote: "This internet push is about two steps away from being taken out behind the woodshed."

 

That's forward thinking.

 

Frederick's resume in the mail.

 

What the fuck is the Internet?

 

Hey, speaking as an Internet guy, you know what? This might be exactly the right decision for this paper at this time.

 

At some point papers need to cut their losses and forget about the Web if they can't generate revenue that way. Had a conversation today with some ex-co-workers about the idea of charging for content on our college beat, and apparently the woman in charge of the Web freaks out every time someone brings this idea up, going on and on about how we "need hits." She thinks that the idea of charging for content indicates that the person endorsing it is an unindoctrinated rube. I think that if you can't turn content into profit, what's the point?

 

A move to give up on the Internet would depend on if online users can get the same news for free anywhere else. Plus the market for online versus print could be completely different.

 

Waylon, this ain't you, but I really, really wish people would talk about needing hits. It simply isn't something anybody who knows anything about the web worries about anymore. Not just "hits."

Page views important? Yes. Unique visitors? Yes.

Not hits.

 

http://www.shibumi.org/eoti.htm

 

Not to mention time spent on the site.

 

I'm surprised smaller news sites haven't merged ops, formed a regional network, pooled info and split any profits. Yahoo and Google can cherry pick headlines, but a regional site might keep the Internet effort afloat.

 

I was waiting for someone to post that.