Google unlocks 33% of publisher paywalls on July 30 • Hacker News Board

Re: Google unlocks 33% of publisher paywalls on July 30

#221

Post by mc32 » Wed, Jul 31, 2019, 1:12 PM UTC

kabdib wrote: post #91

My household still gets a physical paper (the Seattle Times), and a digital version of the same. We subscribe to the NYT and The Economist. That's about our limit for news subscriptions. I'm not going to fork over $10/month to each of the other potential news sites for every article they publish. I have no idea why the Podunk Press and the Suburban Picayune Times even consider that as an option for out-of-area reader…

I wish there were simple bundles that subscribers could adjust periodically (don’t know that a balanced period might be, perhaps a week?) and allow them to pick from X number of reputable and worthwhile publications.

This subscription would do minimal metrics of tracking and allow people to adjust their feed. And also go back to traditional headlines (with all the fun puns and occasional hyperbole, but much less click-bait because that turns subscribers off.

Re: Google unlocks 33% of publisher paywalls on July 30

#222

Post by joegahona » Wed, Jul 31, 2019, 4:01 PM UTC

creato wrote: post #187

joegahona wrote: post #177

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Google will only include your content in their search results if the user can see your content. That's not true for the WSJ.

They seem to allow enough of their pages to appear to enable Google to see it. I can always see the first few sentences and the titles of WSJ articles, that's probably what google can see too.

I don't think it's that -- the amount shown to Google isn't enough to provide any kind of meaningful SEO. My guess is WSJ has something worked out with Google.

Re: Google unlocks 33% of publisher paywalls on July 30

#223

Post by lunias » Wed, Jul 31, 2019, 5:22 PM UTC

liability wrote: post #124

So real news continues to make their content harder to read, while fake news does everything they can to spread far and wide. Journalism for profit is fundamentally broken.

I agree... not only did the internet enable access to all the information, but it also provided the most convenient interface (removing the possibility of collecting a profit margin from the production of physical goods). I'm not sure how a corporation can compete with that; they are simply not lean enough, but I feel like individuals still can. Become a good writer, do solid research, offer unique insights, and build a fanbase. Then sell T-shirts.

Re: Google unlocks 33% of publisher paywalls on July 30

#224

Post by m463 » Thu, Aug 01, 2019, 12:46 AM UTC

mcny wrote: post #207

m463 wrote: post #194

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> I think something like Taler will help because it makes payments easier. Taler should allow anonymous payments, which means a possibility of one fix to the present model: you can read the news without the news reading you.

Taler from what I understand does not require full details to be shared with the tax man, only agregates. That being said I don't think taler is anonymous at all.

I was told Taler is anonymous - for the customer.

Re: Google unlocks 33% of publisher paywalls on July 30

#225

Post by panzagl » Thu, Aug 01, 2019, 4:58 PM UTC

literallycancer wrote: post #156

panzagl wrote: post #89

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Niall Ferguson is a historian, what makes you think otherwise?

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Niall_Ferguson#Opinions_and_re...

Believe it or not, historians are supposed to have opinions.

Re: Google unlocks 33% of publisher paywalls on July 30

#226

Post by dredmorbius » Fri, Aug 02, 2019, 4:42 AM UTC

kabdib wrote: post #196

vulpes wrote: post #145

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This is Apple's News+ in the nutshell, so federated subscription service you're envisioning would have to compete with Apple.

Yup, you're right. I feel stupid now :-) edit: apparently you have to use apple devices? oh heck no, what were they thinking ?

Apple sells hardware.

That's what they're thinking.

Re: Google unlocks 33% of publisher paywalls on July 30

#227

Post by dredmorbius » Fri, Aug 02, 2019, 4:50 AM UTC

hyperbovine wrote: post #149

liability wrote: post #124

So real news continues to make their content harder to read, while fake news does everything they can to spread far and wide. Journalism for profit is fundamentally broken.

No, their model is fine. Sell a decent product for money. The problem lies squarely with hordes of credulous morons who either don’t know or don’t care that their news is fake, and aren’t willing to shell out for quality content. Whether that exposes a deeper flaw in human nature, or is just an oddity of our times, is left to you to decide.

If your Plan for Saving the World requires on changing human nature, overall intelligence,[1] or mass social behaviour, you're going to be Having a Bad Time.

Markets and information play poorly. Always have, always will.

________________________________

Notes:

1. Also known as the Lake Wobegon Fallacy. All the children aren't above average.

Re: Google unlocks 33% of publisher paywalls on July 30

#228

Post by dredmorbius » Fri, Aug 02, 2019, 5:08 AM UTC

david_ar wrote: post #195

liability wrote: post #124

So real news continues to make their content harder to read, while fake news does everything they can to spread far and wide. Journalism for profit is fundamentally broken.

I'm curious as to when this mythical age of widespread access to "real news" existed. George Orwell dated it to at least 80 years ago ("History stopped in 1936")...

Arguably ~1930 - 1980.

A sea change began with Walter Lippmann's Public Opinion, seen as birthing modern, generally impartial, journalism. Not absolutely, but relative to earlier periods, quite.

Ironically, widespread national advertising assisted in much of. this, at least for stories not adversely concerning national advertisers. But local squelching of critical news was limited, and occasional nationally critical stories could appear. Watergate was arguably the high-water mark. Corporate ownership massively diluted effectiveness, especially after 1980, though exceptions remain.

Bookending Orwell and Lippmann, I'd suggest I.F. Stone (who calls the 1970s as a high-water mark) and Hamilton Holt's Commercialism and Journalism (1909).

I.F. Stone, interview: https://www.invidio.us/watch?v=qV3gO3zxQ1g

textsCommercialism and journalism https://archive.org/details/commercialismjou00holtuoft

Re: Google unlocks 33% of publisher paywalls on July 30

#229

Post by tandr » Wed, Aug 07, 2019, 9:34 PM UTC

ooOOoo wrote: post #88

shusson wrote: post #74

Earlier quoted context omitted.

examples?

Mediapart with subscriber numbers exceeding 150,000 and net profits in 2018 at almost 2 million euros See https://blogs.mediapart.fr/edwy-plenel/blog/140319/eleven-ye...

so... they are making 13 1/3 euro per subscriber per year. Is it a good amount or not-so-good?