Jimbo critiques The Times Options

[thekohser]

Jimbo's all fired up about Rupert Murdoch's pay-wall on The Times. Could it be that he's also aware that Jana Winter is paid by Murdoch?

Anyway, Jimbo's going to love: "the London office of Wikia, the commercial arm of Wikipedia".

Now that it's in a reliable source like MediaWeek, can't we get the Wikipedia article about Wikia to finally say that it's "the commercial arm of Wikipedia"?

[Jon Awbrey]

Jimbo's all fired up about Rupert Murdoch's pay-wall on The Times. Could it be that he's also aware that Jana Winter is paid by Murdoch?

Anyway, Jimbo's going to love: "the London office of Wikia, the commercial arm of Wikipedia".

Now that it's in a reliable source like MediaWeek, can't we get the Wikipedia article about Wikia to finally say that it's "the commercial arm of Wikipedia"?

Really, Greg, don't post links to one of these creepy pics of Jimbo without a NSFSS (Not Safe For Sensitive Stomachs) warning.

Jon

[thekohser]

Comment from the author of the piece, moments ago:

@gordonmacmillan // Posted 11 August, 2010 at 2:38 pm // Permalink

@Gregory Kohs you must be prescient — right after you posted your comment about commercial arm of Wikia the phone went. That line in the post has now been amended.

[Jon Awbrey]

Comment from the author of the piece, moments ago:

@gordonmacmillan // Posted 11 August, 2010 at 2:38 pm // Permalink

@Gregory Kohs you must be prescient — right after you posted your comment about commercial arm of Wikia the phone went. That line in the post has now been amended.

The long arm of Mr. WPple wipes again !

Take that, Omar !!!

Jon

[GlassBeadGame]

Jimbo's all fired up about Rupert Murdoch's pay-wall on The Times. Could it be that he's also aware that Jana Winter is paid by Murdoch?

The conflict would be present whether a Fox journalist was pursuing WP on issues relating to pornography or not. Murdock (at least here) represents the long sustained practice of paying for the development of content through employing journalists and researchers and developing leads and contacts. This material does not appear as if by magic and it is reasonable to charge for it. I don't know if this model will take hold or if something else is needed but it is important that people in the business of wresting information from a hard world do not give up trying to find a way to sustain their work. Wales represents the web 2.0 aggregator and echo chamber of endless re-transmission. For him content is free, easy and as far as he is concerned does appear by magic.

It is the "what is mine is mine and what is yours is mine" school of thought.

He said as an opinion former and influencer he would think twice about writing for the paper if what he said could not be shared via social media.

What kind of person would refer to himself that way? He sounds like Stephen Colbert in full character as a self involved asshole.

[Jon Awbrey]

He said as an opinion former and influencer he would think twice about writing for the paper if what he said could not be shared via social media.

What kind of person would refer to himself that way? He sounds like Stephen Colbert in full character as a self involved asshole.

New on ABC this Fall —

The Influencer

Jon

[Cedric]

With due regard to The Rule of Blind Pig, Jimbo has to be right at least some of the time, and this would appear to be one of those times. The paywall probably won't work, and for the reason that Jimbo cited: its content simply isn't unique enough. There are too many competitors offering similar quality content for free for it to work. Still, Jimbo being Jimbo, he still manages to come off as what the cousins would call a "pompous prat":

He said as an opinion former and influencer he would think twice about writing for the paper if what he said could not be shared via social media.

What kind of person would refer to himself that way? He sounds like Stephen Colbert in full character as a self involved asshole.

To err is human. To be an insufferable self-involved asshole is objectivist.

[Avirosa]

With due regard to The Rule of Blind Pig, Jimbo has to be right at least some of the time, and this would appear to be one of those times. The paywall probably won't work, and for the reason that Jimbo cited: its content simply isn't unique enough. There are too many competitors offering similar quality content for free for it to work.

The logic behind the Times paywall has nothing to do with content delivery, and everything to do with market segmentation. Murdoch is banking on The Times retaining sufficient loyalty from SEGs A&B to encourage high end advertising revenue exclusive to the paywall, in this respect Murdoch is probably on safe ground as The Times readership is in the main not sensitive to the monetary cost of news (and more importantly comment and opinion of those commentators likely to be published by The Times) but is sensitive to time costs, so that digital delivery will suport a premium. Little Jimmy got the basics of the issue when he recognised that The NYT and FT can succesfully levy such a premium, it's just that he knows nothing about the UK, so can't grasp why The Times may be successful at doing the same.

Still, Jimbo being Jimbo, he still manages to come off as what the cousins would call a "pompous prat"

Wrong ascription - "complete wanker" would be the more commonly applied idiom. But then we UKans gave the US BP, so it's only fair we get some of your toxic businesses in return, though Lehmann Brother, Goldman Sax et al might be thought enough without foisting Wikia on us as well.

A.virosa

[SB_Johnny]

Jimbo's all fired up about Rupert Murdoch's pay-wall on The Times. Could it be that he's also aware that Jana Winter is paid by Murdoch?

Anyway, Jimbo's going to love: "the London office of Wikia, the commercial arm of Wikipedia".

Now that it's in a reliable source like MediaWeek, can't we get the Wikipedia article about Wikia to finally say that it's "the commercial arm of Wikipedia"?

From the article on wallblog:

I’ve said it before and I will say it again – The Times paywall is anti social media. Its paywall just, as Wales says, removes it from the paper from the conversation. And no one is talking about it. Shame.

You must be off your game today Greg, if you're letting me catch the horrid editing.

[Somey]

You must be off your game today Greg, if you're letting me catch the horrid editing.

Not to mention the one that's two paragraphs below that: "Wales said he had would have no qualms about paying for the New York Times on an Apple iPad"...

[dtobias]

Paywalls rarely work on the Internet, particularly for information of general interest rather than some obscure specialty where the paywalled content may actually be of unique interest, such as investment tips or odd-fetish porn.

[lilburne]

Paywalls rarely work on the Internet, particularly for information of general interest rather than some obscure specialty where the paywalled content may actually be of unique interest, such as investment tips or odd-fetish porn.

Much as I dislike NI and Murdoch I hope this works and more follow him. There are far too many sites that provide no content of their own and simply scrap the work of others - Yes Google I'm looking at you.

At some point the freetards are going to be wondering where all the music, news, and movies went.

[GlassBeadGame]

Paywalls rarely work on the Internet, particularly for information of general interest rather than some obscure specialty where the paywalled content may actually be of unique interest, such as investment tips or odd-fetish porn.

Much as I dislike NI and Murdoch I hope this works and more follow him. There are far too many sites that provide no content of their own and simply scrap the work of others - Yes Google I'm looking at you.

At some point the freetards are going to be wondering where all the music, news, and movies went.

"Freetard"... nice.

[Zoloft]

Paywalls rarely work on the Internet, particularly for information of general interest rather than some obscure specialty where the paywalled content may actually be of unique interest, such as investment tips or odd-fetish porn.

Much as I dislike NI and Murdoch I hope this works and more follow him. There are far too many sites that provide no content of their own and simply scrap the work of others - Yes Google I'm looking at you.

At some point the freetards are going to be wondering where all the music, news, and movies went.

Ah, the hopelessness of open content. I'm with you -no one ever made a dime letting their work get shared freely.

[Milton Roe]

Paywalls rarely work on the Internet, particularly for information of general interest rather than some obscure specialty where the paywalled content may actually be of unique interest, such as investment tips or odd-fetish porn.

Much as I dislike NI and Murdoch I hope this works and more follow him. There are far too many sites that provide no content of their own and simply scrap the work of others - Yes Google I'm looking at you.

At some point the freetards are going to be wondering where all the music, news, and movies went.

"Freetard"... nice.

Adding it to my own vocabulary immediately!!

Eh, how much do you want for it? Wondering if the license fee for a fine word like freetard™ is more than I'm willing to pay. Crap, I used it so it looks like I'm in some debt already.

[Subtle Bee]

"Freetard"... nice.

Adding it to my own vocabulary immediately!!

Eh, how much do you want for it? Wondering if the license fee for a fine word like freetard™ is more than I'm willing to pay. Crap, I'm in debt already.

Don't be a sucker, someone's bound to repost it on WP soon enough.

ps. was "fine word" a deliberate double entendre? Be honest!

[thekohser]

See Dan Lyons, who purportedly coined the term.

[Milton Roe]

"Freetard"... nice.

Adding it to my own vocabulary immediately!!

Eh, how much do you want for it? Wondering if the license fee for a fine word like freetard™ is more than I'm willing to pay. Crap, I'm in debt already.

Don't be a sucker, someone's bound to repost it on WP soon enough.

ps. was "fine word" a deliberate double entendre? Be honest!

Unless I'm missing something it's not that good a pun. Or I'd claim it.

What would happen if it was? Would it be like scrabble and count more?

=========

"When I make a word do a lot of work like that," said Humpty Dumpty, "I always pay it extra."

"Oh!" said Alice. She was too much puzzled to make any other remark.

"Ah, you should see 'em come round me of a Saturday night," Humpty Dumpty went on, wagging his head gravely from side to side, "for to get their wages, you know."

[Larry Sanger]

Paywalls rarely work on the Internet, particularly for information of general interest rather than some obscure specialty where the paywalled content may actually be of unique interest, such as investment tips or odd-fetish porn.

Arguably, the New York Times is of unique interest; there is only one Times, whatever its faults...

[Zoloft]

Paywalls rarely work on the Internet, particularly for information of general interest rather than some obscure specialty where the paywalled content may actually be of unique interest, such as investment tips or odd-fetish porn.

Arguably, the New York Times is of unique interest; there is only one Times, whatever its faults...

Not to sound too much like a certain sockmaster, but if you ask for 'The Times' in London, they won't hand you the 'New York' upstart.