Several in the New Hampshire dead tree press, and their digital protrusions, are jumping on the latest trend in information sharing (or lack of it, actually), the registration wall. The registration wall is similar to the pay-wall except that you can receive limited access (or metered) content for free, but only up to a point. It’s the velvet rope that leads to another velvet rope from which you can see through the open door, but no more. It’s like a peep show. People who want more will have to pony up their PayPal account (or any approved credit-card) for unlimited access. It’s the front page viewed through the bin. Drop in some change and you get to see what is inside.
This old frontier on the new frontier has or is being embraced by many of New Hampshire’s media ‘titans.’ Before you get to peek they want you to register, give up your email so they can tease you with headlines, and a password; six or more characters, letters and numbers, no tildas or ampersands or pound keys–oh my!
"Sorry that password is already taken." The goal? It can’t be traffic or money.
Take a look at the New York times for a clue. The graph pictured here gives you some idea as to the likely path to failure from a meter based viewing scheme with the option to buy.
Want to see something else startling, look here.
OK. So it won’t work for one of the worlds most well know left wing rags. But is local news compelling enough content to attract more people than might already be bothered to purchase the dead tree edition, (or a full boat digital subscription), on a platform that has little if any tolerance for distraction or delay, and trillions of other choices just one caffeinated-energy-drink-A.D.D-twitchy-mouse-click away?
They don’t even have to be better choices. Five seconds is five seconds too long and a death knell to your life-expectancy as a viable content provider. I’m wondering if they considered that? Or how about this?
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