[LINK] iTNews

[Chirgwin, Richard]

While we're on the subject, a journalists' site reported that IT news had
delayed its "subs" model by a month due to unspecified subscription
management and security problems.

Richard Chirgwin

> -----Original Message-----
> From: Bernard Robertson-Dunn [mailto:brd@austarmetro.com.au]
> Sent: Thursday, 7 March 2002 09:23
> To: Link
> Subject: Re: [LINK] iTNews
> 
> 
> Bernard Robertson-Dunn wrote:
> > 
> > For the past month or so the iTNews site at 
> http://www.itnews.com.au/
> > has been threatening to charge for content.
> 
> On this theme:
> 
> Are the days of the free internet over?
> Tuesday 5th March 2002 3:00pm
> Silicon.com
> http://www.silicon.com/bin/bladerunner?30REQEVENT=&REQAUTH=210
> 46&14001REQSUB=REQINT1=51792
> 
> Two-thirds of websites to charge for content inside 12 months...
> 
> Sixty-six per cent of interactive publishers in the UK will 
> start charging
> for online content in the near future in a bid to battle falling
> advertising revenue.
> 
> The findings of a report from the Periodical Publishers Association
> Interactive (PPAi), follows news that one of its key members, 
> FT.com, will
> introduce fee-based content within the year.
> 
> The survey found that online publishers were more concerned 
> with how to
> charge, rather than whether to charge, with some debate over different
> types of micro-payment and SMS marketing. FT.com, the latest 
> in a line of
> UK publishers to introduce charges, is planning to charge up 
> to £100 a year
> for specialised analysis content.
> 
> Over the past year the Guardian, Sun, Telegraph and The Times 
> websites have
> all introduced varying levels of fee-based content.
> 
> In the US Yahoo, Google and the Wall Street Journal have 
> spearheaded the
> move to a subscription service.
> 
> Just 26 per cent of the PPAi members surveyed said they had 
> no plans to
> make users pay for content, while eight per cent remain undecided.
> 
> -- 
> The most important service rendered by the press and the 
> magazines is that
> of educating people to approach printed matter with distrust.
> -- Samuel Butler
> 
> Regards
> brd
> 
> Bernard Robertson-Dunn
> Sydney Australia
> brd@austarmetro.com.au
>