micropayments and sports journalism

To pay it, or to whom?

 

To pay it.

"Hi, I'm representing all the newspapers in the country. We'd like you to pay us $1 for each of your customers."

"No."

Now what?

 

And, on the specific issue of "micro" or "burst" or "a la carte" payments, read this piece by Michael Kinsley, "You Can't Sell News by the Slice."

It pretty much puts the debate to rest. If the numbers don't work for the NY Times, where would it work?

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/10/opinion/10kinsley.html?_r=1&scp=3&sq=michael%20kinsley&st=cse

 

That's not quite how taxes are levied.

 

Okay, a tax then.

I guess if you get the government to hold people up at gunpoint and give you money, that works.

There's a lot of problems, first and foremost that you are now beholden to the government for your continued existence, but I guess it actually works from a revenue standpoint.

 

I'm not saying it is right or wrong.
Professionally, I would love it. As a citizen, it would give me cause for concern. But, it is a viable option available. No other model -- no other currently being discussed -- is viable.

 

You absolutely need firebrand columnists to make it happen.

But, no, I wouldn't go somewhere else. I would pay to stay with the crew.

 

I thought this thread title referred to the salaries journalists would be getting soon

 

There's one of your biggest problems. You define your business model by what you, a journalist, would do.

Not by what a reader would do.

 

What if SportsJournalists.com started charging ass holes for comments? Man some people would be screwed on here.

 

Moddy could retire.

 

This asshole, along with all the rest, would just go find somewhere else to be an asshole. That's the beauty and the horror of the internet.