This link has been bookmarked by 3 people . It was first bookmarked on 17 Nov 2008, by Andy Brudtkuhl.
The big harm in not having a web-first strategy is that we may fall deeper into complacency -- and not be prepared for the day when our readers find that they don't need us anymore. Once our readers discover RSS or even email alerts, there is a risk that they will find replacements for the printed newspaper. They will become their own editors, compiling a list of websites where they can search to get their own news.
If a certain reader is only interested in national and state news, sports, and obituaries, for example, it would be easy for him to find all that information online without ever visiting bgdailynews.com. In a future online world, we will have to find ways to keep our readers.
If an entrepreneur sees a crack in our dominance of covering the news, a wedge could be driven in and cause readers to abandon our print edition and our online edition. Currently, we are using the print content and revenue to subsidize our online edition. It's our R&D for the future, when the day comes that our newspaper has to make that choice between print and web.
Summary: Essentially, for a newspaper that relies on the print edition for its revenue, it doesn't really make sense to do the online thing 'right.'
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