Comments on: The Future of Paywalls, Memberships and Advertising – Writing on the Wall is Starting to Appear http://blog.digidave.org/2012/03/the-future-of-paywalls-memberships-and-advertising-writing-is-on-the-wall-is-starting-to-appear Journalism is a Process, Not a Product Fri, 08 Feb 2013 11:56:58 +0000 hourly 1 By: Houston Futures of… – Preparing Foresight Professionals... http://blog.digidave.org/2012/03/the-future-of-paywalls-memberships-and-advertising-writing-is-on-the-wall-is-starting-to-appear/comment-page-1#comment-79505 Houston Futures of… – Preparing Foresight Professionals... Fri, 30 Mar 2012 19:32:07 +0000 http://blog.digidave.org/?p=3721#comment-79505 [...] Blogging:  Writing on your own may get a little easier with the unveiling of Google’s new revenue options for publishers, but Spot.us says it figured that out already.  Will it work to propel web journalism? [...] [...] Blogging:  Writing on your own may get a little easier with the unveiling of Google’s new revenue options for publishers, but Spot.us says it figured that out already.  Will it work to propel web journalism? [...]

]]> By: Digidave http://blog.digidave.org/2012/03/the-future-of-paywalls-memberships-and-advertising-writing-is-on-the-wall-is-starting-to-appear/comment-page-1#comment-79504 Digidave Fri, 30 Mar 2012 18:04:40 +0000 http://blog.digidave.org/?p=3721#comment-79504 @stephen All excellent points. But I would still push that the higher purpose of journalism is to create an informed society. I agree it may not accomplish that goal (certainly no single news organization can/has achieved it) but the reality on the ground doesn't necc. change the PURPOSE of something. By your description the only purpose of journalism is to be a business. Fair enough and I'm sure some people are in it just for the business aspect. But I would recommend they become hedge fund bankers (the money is better). As for the future of these surveys. I think its a little too early to predict they'll end up weakened the same way banner ads are. Don't forget it's not just eyeballs that are being accessed here - there is information. Read the section here on "reinventing our relationship to advertising" http://blog.digidave.org/2010/04/spot-us-version-of-advertising-what-are-your-thoughts In the age of information - surveys are like mining for data. And data is digital gold. @stephen
All excellent points. But I would still push that the higher purpose of journalism is to create an informed society. I agree it may not accomplish that goal (certainly no single news organization can/has achieved it) but the reality on the ground doesn’t necc. change the PURPOSE of something. By your description the only purpose of journalism is to be a business. Fair enough and I’m sure some people are in it just for the business aspect. But I would recommend they become hedge fund bankers (the money is better).

As for the future of these surveys. I think its a little too early to predict they’ll end up weakened the same way banner ads are. Don’t forget it’s not just eyeballs that are being accessed here – there is information. Read the section here on “reinventing our relationship to advertising” http://blog.digidave.org/2010/04/spot-us-version-of-advertising-what-are-your-thoughts

In the age of information – surveys are like mining for data. And data is digital gold.

]]> By: Stephen http://blog.digidave.org/2012/03/the-future-of-paywalls-memberships-and-advertising-writing-is-on-the-wall-is-starting-to-appear/comment-page-1#comment-79502 Stephen Fri, 30 Mar 2012 14:01:47 +0000 http://blog.digidave.org/?p=3721#comment-79502 This survey stuff will be like banner ads. Ok...great $15CPMs. Wait until every website does it, and supply is unlimited...now we are back to the current $0.25 remnant rate CPMs. Buy the time this scales to 10,000 websites, the gravy train will have crashed to a halt. "The higher purpose of journalism is to create an informed democratic society" NO IT IS NOT. Theorists in universities believe this garbage, but no one in the actual industry does. High quality news from Public Radio, Newspapers, High-End Magazines has never been consumed by a majority of the population. Not even close, in fact. The vast majority of people are staid Fox News, CNN, Entertainment Tonight people. Read even a shred of data on this and you will see. The highest market penetration of newspapers was NEVER more than about 25% in the last 50 years. The New York penetration of the New York Times has always been in the mid-high single digits....in their home market. Newspapers are for a very select minority of people. It is only in the last 20 years and the internet that the average joe has started reading a quality daily newspaper, metro or otherwise. Newspapers just have to be ready to once again lose these readers and get their real subscribers to pay again. Subscribers...donators...customers. Sure, whatever- people who hand me their cash can call themselves whatever they want. I'll tell the boys in circulation to gussy up their language. This survey stuff will be like banner ads. Ok…great $15CPMs. Wait until every website does it, and supply is unlimited…now we are back to the current $0.25 remnant rate CPMs. Buy the time this scales to 10,000 websites, the gravy train will have crashed to a halt.
“The higher purpose of journalism is to create an informed democratic society”
NO IT IS NOT. Theorists in universities believe this garbage, but no one in the actual industry does. High quality news from Public Radio, Newspapers, High-End Magazines has never been consumed by a majority of the population. Not even close, in fact. The vast majority of people are staid Fox News, CNN, Entertainment Tonight people. Read even a shred of data on this and you will see. The highest market penetration of newspapers was NEVER more than about 25% in the last 50 years. The New York penetration of the New York Times has always been in the mid-high single digits….in their home market.
Newspapers are for a very select minority of people. It is only in the last 20 years and the internet that the average joe has started reading a quality daily newspaper, metro or otherwise. Newspapers just have to be ready to once again lose these readers and get their real subscribers to pay again. Subscribers…donators…customers. Sure, whatever- people who hand me their cash can call themselves whatever they want. I’ll tell the boys in circulation to gussy up their language.

]]> By: Dave Burdick http://blog.digidave.org/2012/03/the-future-of-paywalls-memberships-and-advertising-writing-is-on-the-wall-is-starting-to-appear/comment-page-1#comment-79499 Dave Burdick Fri, 30 Mar 2012 01:50:27 +0000 http://blog.digidave.org/?p=3721#comment-79499 Great post. How about free "memberships" for some level of comment moderation/admin? Great post.

How about free “memberships” for some level of comment moderation/admin?

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