Comments on: Wall Street Journal to Go Free Online

By: Anderson

Anderson — Fri, 16 Nov 2007 21:21:02 +0000

They'll lose $$ to people cancelling their print subscriptions & taking advantage of the free online content, but perhaps less than many other papers would. I wonder how many WSJ subs are businesses where "no one" picks up the cost?

By: James Joyner

James Joyner — Fri, 16 Nov 2007 20:12:08 +0000

Thanks!

And, yeah, login walls are a pain. I don't mind registration for commenting on the blogs and so forth but the content itself should be unencumbered.

By: Mark Jaquith

Mark Jaquith — Fri, 16 Nov 2007 20:05:19 +0000

Wonder if there will still be a "login wall." Three cheers for BugMeNot. Killing the login wall as well as the pay wall would be the ultimate traffic booster, as they'd get more direct links from bloggers.

P.S. Happy Birthday, James!

By: M. Murcek

M. Murcek — Fri, 16 Nov 2007 18:52:07 +0000

I've been a WSJ Online subscriber for years. The obvious questions I'll be watching for the answers to are 1) Will the quality level of WSJ Online content be harmed? 2) Will the ads be annoying and distracting? As it stands now, I completely ignore online ads (you can train your mind to even stop reacting to provocative pictures and animations, but the pop-overs are maddening) Not the answer that those depending upon on-line ad revenue wish to hear, but true for some users all the same...

By: Boyd

Boyd — Fri, 16 Nov 2007 18:48:03 +0000

Especially if you're running a Sports site and can write it off on taxes.

Well yes, there is that. Heh.

By: James Joyner

James Joyner — Fri, 16 Nov 2007 17:43:24 +0000

When the DMN put their Cowboys news on the subscription model, I switched to the Ft Worth Star-Telegram. I don't think I'll bother returning to the Morning News. The pissed me off just a little too much with that one.

I did the same for quite some time but Gosselin and others are worth paying a few bucks for. Especially if you're running a Sports site and can write it off on taxes.

By: Boyd

Boyd — Fri, 16 Nov 2007 17:32:58 +0000

When the DMN put their Cowboys news on the subscription model, I switched to the Ft Worth Star-Telegram. I don't think I'll bother returning to the Morning News. The pissed me off just a little too much with that one.

By: James Joyner

James Joyner — Fri, 16 Nov 2007 17:26:18 +0000

How is this going to work for those of us who are paying for the online version now?

The article doesn't so, although I presume they'll stop billing if it's monthly and prorate if it's annual. Sometimes, though, you just get hosed. That happened to me with the Dallas Morning News, when they made their Cowboys news free again. It wasn't that big a deal, since it was a modest annual fee and I didn't get any less than I was previously paying for. But rather odd.

By: DC Loser

DC Loser — Fri, 16 Nov 2007 17:17:04 +0000

How is this going to work for those of us who are paying for the online version now? Are they going to give us the print version or just not bill us anymore?