1. Welcome to SportsJournalists.com, a friendly forum for discussing all things sports and journalism.

    Your voice is missing! You will need to register for a free account to get access to the following site features:
    • Reply to discussions and create your own threads.
    • Access to private conversations with other members.
    • Fewer ads.

    We hope to see you as a part of our community soon!

'What if the newspaper industry made a colossal mistake?'

Discussion in 'Journalism topics only' started by Dick Whitman, Oct 18, 2016.

  1. TheSportsPredictor

    TheSportsPredictor Well-Known Member


     
  2. jr/shotglass

    jr/shotglass Well-Known Member

    Here's what I've said from the moment they began pulling resources away from print and into digital.

     
  3. Dick Whitman

    Dick Whitman Well-Known Member

    One reason I basically make this site my first stop for news is that I don't have to wade through 50,000 ads that pop out at me and slow my computer down, along with eight links to some form of, "You won't believe what Punky Brewster's cousin from Season 3, Episode 17 looks like now!"
     
    wicked and TexasVet like this.
  4. I Should Coco

    I Should Coco Well-Known Member

    Another thing about making online news free 20 years ago: That is the amount management was willing to spend on the online product.

    "We'll just buy this online template from TownNews, the desk will cut and paste the content onto their upload site after deadline, and voila! An online site with ad revenue!"

    Some newspapers haven't moved too far from that mindset.
     
  5. TyWebb

    TyWebb Well-Known Member

    You do have to deal with the occasional Hall of Fame debate or the latest story about a celebrity coming out and supposedly loving it, but once you get past all that nonsense, this site is pretty great. :)
     
  6. LongTimeListener

    LongTimeListener Well-Known Member

    This discussion calls to mind the famous "information wants to be free" quote, which suckered newspaper companies into giving it away, which was the decision that sealed newspapers' fate even if it didn't look like it for about 10 more years.

    Anyway, this article explains the quote:

    About that Quote “Information Wants to be Free”

    But in the self-serving interests of the Internet industry and of consumers, half of the sentiment dropped out entirely.
     
  7. WriteThinking

    WriteThinking Well-Known Member

    Wow, I find that amazing these days, for almost anybody short of my elderly mother. Ever since I got a Kindle, I've not liked reading printed books nearly as much. I've done it, but definitely prefer the e-reader.
     
  8. playthrough

    playthrough Moderator Staff Member

    And some newspapers now think a story plus a mediocre video and/or a clunky photo gallery equals compelling online content.
     
  9. playthrough

    playthrough Moderator Staff Member

    Maybe if I still traveled extensively for work I'd eventually go e-reader for convenience, dunno. But I've got six hardcovers on my nightstand and that's just how I keep up. My 11-year-old is a voracious reader and we've offered to get her an e-reader, but she's just like me -- if she doesn't have a pile of library books in her room she feels inadequate. And me and the Mrs. are terrified that she might want a literary career.
     
  10. WriteThinking

    WriteThinking Well-Known Member

    Well, a literary career might be better than a journalism career, no?

    I sometimes wish I'd gone that direction, and even now, I wish I knew more about how to go about it, and whether I could succeed in it. I haven't tried, so I guess I don't know, but I haven't educated myself about it yet, either.
     
  11. jr/shotglass

    jr/shotglass Well-Known Member

    Slideshows.

    God, I hate slideshows.

    Some newspapers think they're online gold.
     
  12. Dick Whitman

    Dick Whitman Well-Known Member

    My 7-year-old is the same way. Except he is drowning in nonfiction titles. We all know where that might be leading ...
     
Draft saved Draft deleted

Share This Page