Pay to Read

What do you go online for? Everything….to know, to find, get entertained, communicate, play, watch movies, purchase, make money and almost everything under the sun…

And Man do you have choices?!! For each and all of the above….

How do you decide what to do then? For information which site to follow, which review to believe of what is there how much of it is true??

It is just too much out there and that too almost free…

 

So when do we start paying – when we are assured of quality, when we know there's something which isn't available outside and free and when we can't change our habits.

All this came when Times has decided to charge for its news.

What charging for a newspaper when there are so many out there and free. Well it all depends on perspective charging for an online paper is logical and sensible business decision by Time because e of the following four reasons (I always wonder why there are never 4 points to but mostly the top 3, top5 and top10...anyways):

1. Trusted Information-There is just too much clutter and if you want to look premium act premium. News is more sensalisation in the present days than anything else. Do you really feel you have read something once you read any regular paper (or atleast80% of it)? When I pay and get some information I am more confident of it then what I get for free.
   
2. Banking on Habits- Now I have a habit of reading Times of India and I can never adjust with The Hindu coz it looks an essay sheet with prescriptions to me. If I live in a place where The Hindu is free and ToI is charged I would still go for it; what's a little money to pay when I can read things the way I like themJ. It's like my tea – I want it with lotsa ginger, sugar, milk everything…and I am ready to pay additional if that's what is required. I compare Tea here as that's what comes closest to the role a newspaper in our daily lives. Same principle applies to online newspapers.
   
3. Start Something New- Some people say that times readership is already taking a beating by the competitors which are all available online; now what can Times do to become a leader again? Fastest/most relevant etc are all the tags that have already been used to the hilt...so start something new...Act different – you never know when u hit a jackpot. Shake up the things and be different.
   
4. And finally- It can be the ads are not giving good enough money... J
   

 

We still don't know the exact game plan so it's yet not a total analysis but an intelligent guess with limited information.

Whatever it is let's wait and watch – It would be definitely interesting to see whether Times turn back or others join the wagon!