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02 Nov 2009 11:20

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Biz: An 80-year-old man gets the internet better than Newsday does

  • My column has been popular around the country, but now it was really going to be impossible for people outside Long Island to read it.
  • 80-year-old former Newsday columnist (and lifelong newsman) Saul Friedman • On his reasons for suspending his popular “Gray Matters” column for the newspaper. They all have to do with Cablevision’s decision to start charging $5 a week for non-subscribers to read the paper online. Friedman’s column wouldn’t be able to reach outside of its Long Island home base as a result, despite the fact the column has a national audience. Friedman himself lives in the D.C. area, so he would have to pay, too. Where does Friedman go next? The blog “Time Goes By,” which seems like a much better place for an 80-year-old guy who understands the internet better than a cable company. • source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

23 Oct 2009 13:36

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Tech: Daily Poll: Would you pay money to watch shows on Hulu?

Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

23 Oct 2009 13:30

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Tech: Hulu’s bending to broadcasters, probably charging soon. NOOO!

  • It’s time to start getting paid for broadcast content online. I think a free model is a very difficult way to capture the value of our content. I think what we need to do is deliver that content to consumers in a way where they will appreciate the value.
  • News Corp. Deputy Chairman Chase Carey • Describing the necessity to make a really smart and cool service incredibly lame and not awesome. Carey’s talking about Hulu, of course, and he hopes to see the company charge for some of the same content that’s available for free over the airwaves in 2010. However, it could get worse as time goes on – with the possibility of Comcast taking over NBC Universal, they could stick an even deeper fork into one of big media’s best forays into the online world. Don’t screw this up, jerks. • source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 4 Comments • Permalink

09 Oct 2009 12:30

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Biz: Dear Associated Press: Our boycott of you is still freaking on

  • We content creators have been too slow to react to the free exploitation of news by third parties without input or permission.
  • Associated Press Chief Executive Tom Curley • Discussing the idea of charging search engines money for finding their content. Rupert Murdoch of News Corp. is also on board. May we just say, as the Associated Press looks to screw over the entire Internet with its greed and lack of foresight, we would like to welcome our new Reuters overlords. (In case you’re wondering: We’re going to continue to post stuff from News Corp., because, come on, Glenn Beck!) • source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 2 Comments • Permalink

06 Aug 2009 11:10

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Biz: Rupert Murdoch is talking about charging for content, too

  • He has slightly more sense about it than AP, though. Murdoch, smarting from huge declines in News Corp. this quarter, wants to start charging for all of his news products within the next year. But rather than simply a blanket “let’s screw everyone” approach (though he’s saying that, too, suggesting “furious litigation”), he wants to do it by differentiating the content of his products from what you can get for free. He should have an easy time with that, as his products tend to break a lot of big stories, especially when it comes to celebrity news. Still, though … don’t just close the doors, man. Figure out ways to let the outside world in. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

04 Aug 2009 10:44

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Biz, Tech: AP: Charging for quotes it doesn’t own, going into PR spin mode

  • If nature has made any one thing less susceptible than all others of exclusive property, it is the action of the thinking power called an idea.
  • Thomas Jefferson • Quoted by blogger James Grimmelmann, who used that handy-dandy quote-charging system to see if Associated Press would charge him to pay for a quote they didn’t even use in a story. Not only did they do it (for $12), they returned his money, then made a statement about it. (He smartly responded back.) Sure, they’re not attacking bloggers. That’s what they say. But we can see the precedent and the crosshairs. It’s just not good for the Internet, guys. Our ban on their content stands. • source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

02 Aug 2009 20:21

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Biz, Tech: Dear Associated Press: There’s no way you’re charging this much

  • $12 cost to quote five words from a single article, according to their new iCopyright site source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 6 Comments • Permalink
 

10 May 2009 22:39

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Biz, U.S.: The Wall Street Journal plans to charge using micropayments

  • It’s a payments system – once we have your details we will be able to charge you according to what you read, in particular, a high price for specialist material.
  • Wall Street Journal Managing Editor Robert Thomson • On his company’s eventual move to a micropayments system online. It’s a system that’s been heavily fought against by readers but makes sense for the WSJ, as they have a history of charging for their content. And since they have Rupert Murdoch as owner, they have a better reason to do it than most. • source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

22 Feb 2009 22:51

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Biz: A charge too far: US Airways stops charging for drinks

  • $1 for coffee, $2 for soda or water? The airline, in a desire to cut costs and bring in new sources of revenue to fend off bankruptcy, did things that other airlines did – charge for checked baggage, premium seats and using frequent-flier miles to book tickets. But charging for a soda seemed a bit much to most people, so in a memo to employees, CEO W. Douglas Parker said they would back off of the policy starting March 1. Kudos to them for realizing that there’s a limit to nickel-and-diming customers. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink
 
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