Statesman Pay Wall (school, deals, work)

[ankey]

I've had a subscription to the Statesman since the early days of Twitter when they had a special where you could get the subscription at a fixed price for several years (~50% off the normal rate back then). If it wasn't for that, I would not be a subscriber still.

Nevertheless, I do actually enjoy the articles behind the paywall. It's a much nicer, cleaner site without all the animated ads and such and I think the quality is a lot better than local TV news for in-depth pieces.

[ScoPro]

Where is the online site.....Austin360?

[scm53]

Originally Posted by ScoPro

Where is the online site.....Austin360?

statesman.com

[verybadgnome]

Don't feel bad for not paying to read the Statesman online as they employ 16 different web trackers that gather information on your browsing habits plus conventional advertising.

This makes me wonder if the pay site is tracker and advertising free?

[mamacatnv]

I paid up for online access and added Sunday delivery. I have no issue paying a bit for something I enjoy. I like access to the local headlines as well as the Sunday printed paper. I paid for a subscription to a local paper most of my adult life, just because it is now online I don't know why I should be getting it for free. They still have to pay their bills, cover circulation etc.

[austinnerd]

Biggest problem with their paywall is that there appears to be very little unique content that would make it worthwhile. I don't mind paying for stuff if I feel that I'm getting something in return. I feel sorry for newspapers in general, they are in a very tough spot, and I don't think that this whole "myStatesman" thing is going to really do much to offset loses in subscribers and advertisers.

[rangergrit]

Originally Posted by verybadgnome

Don't feel bad for not paying to read the Statesman online as they employ 16 different web trackers that gather information on your browsing habits plus conventional advertising.

This makes me wonder if the pay site is tracker and advertising free?

I read the online paper every day. The visual version, sort of like PDFs.

If has web trackers, like every other site. Ghostery shows it to be normal. I do know I never get ads. Perhaps you need to learn how to prevent things you don't want.

[Down Lo Ho]

Why pay for the Statesman? Toilet paper much better bargain for me.

[verybadgnome]

Originally Posted by rangergrit

I read the online paper every day. The visual version, sort of like PDFs.

If has web trackers, like every other site. Ghostery shows it to be normal. I do know I never get ads. Perhaps you need to learn how to prevent things you don't want.

I do use Ghostery and it works great except when the trackers are part of the content. My point was that Statesman already has two income streams and now have started a third, yet still deliver mediocre quality. And yes most, but not all, sites use these but is not necessarily a good thing. In other civilized parts of the world this stuff is regulated, e.g. the U.K.

[rangergrit]

Originally Posted by verybadgnome

I do use Ghostery and it works great except when the trackers are part of the content. My point was that Statesman already has two income streams and now have started a third, yet still deliver mediocre quality. And yes most, but not all, sites use these but is not necessarily a good thing. In other civilized parts of the world this stuff is regulated, e.g. the U.K.

OK, now I understand your complaint.

The AAS operates like almost every other media outlet in the US, but doesn't operate like some in the UK.

Although you say you use Ghostery, you also said you see ads. I never see the ads.

Maybe you need to crusade on a site for "people who want to comment on business, but don't have a clue about how business works." Or on a site about community organizers (who also don't know anything).