tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8231037340068853572.post1727949637458459759..comments2008-04-04T15:01:16.211-05:00Aaron J. Brownhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04840595156757109496noreply@blogger.comBlogger3125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8231037340068853572.post-19077450274031165282008-04-04T15:01:00.000-05:002008-04-04T15:01:00.000-05:00Anonymous, the irony of your comment is amusing. The "nefarious purpose" of online registration is to prove to advertisers that people are reading the site online.<BR/><BR/>Like everyone else, you want to "just read the news", but you don't seem to care that the people working hard to write the news don't get paid when you read it for free. And they're not even asking you to spend money. They just want you to take 30 seconds and sign up for a free account. Poor you. What a rough life.Paulhttp://www.dailyramblings.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8231037340068853572.post-28041452087670526892008-04-04T06:57:00.000-05:002008-04-04T06:57:00.000-05:00I prefer to think of it as realistic, not pessimistic. And perhaps I didn't stress my main belief, that the core of these small town multi-media operations will be LOCAL content. Ideally, quality local content. You're right ... Google can't cut it alone. But there will be a lot of stress on the industry before this happens. Coal doesn't become diamonds by choice, but by pressure.Aaron J. Brownhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04840595156757109496noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8231037340068853572.post-69349760732531027632008-04-04T01:31:00.000-05:002008-04-04T01:31:00.000-05:00I'm rather saddened to read this rather pessimistic outlook for small papers. I specifically go to the websites of the local papers to find local news - Yahoo, Google, MSN, etc, don't do it for me. Nor does the NYT, Wall Street Journal, or any of those big national papers. I'm looking for the local news.<BR/><BR/>My issue with "registering" is that every darned website out there makes you do that, and primarily so they can gather information on you for some nefarious purpose. I'm tired of that. I don't need one more place gathering my information. It would be great if we could just read the news. <BR/><BR/>My suspicion is the real problem is convincing advertisers that people are reading these online versions of the paper. Maybe there is a way to use printable coupons to demonstrate the level of readership? I mean, isn't that one of the ways print newspapers convinced advertisers of the impact of advertising?<BR/><BR/>I believe you are right the revolutin will come with these small town papers. But I believe the readership online might prove to have a healthy component of people who are "from" a community, but who no longer live there. (At least if current trends of people leaving their small town roots for urban careers continues......)Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com