> On the Internet, readers have become used to getting > content for free. > > Most newspapers follow a model where they offer free > content, and earn by way > of the earnings from advertising on their site. Some > use their websites as a > brand-building exercise -- even if they don't earn > money, at least the profile > of their mast-head is improved. A few papers, like > the New York Times, if not > mistaken, do require you to register before visiting > their content. But this > too is free. >
Hi Fred, Yes a number of publications are free on the net, however, requiring one to "subscribe and pay" if you want to read issues older than a couple of days. By and large, these publications survive on the large sale of their newsprint, so can afford to give their wares freely on the "new medium". As I understand, The Independent Goan Observer is a publication that is new, and probably does not have as large a readership as do the major papers in Goa. Moreover, it is a weekly, not a daily. I can understand that the "subscription" idea is one way of keeping this publication alive. Whether Rs 1,000 is way too much for the privilege or not, is debatable, considering that good books in India cost a minimum of a third of that. Translated to US$, this does not seem excessive. One must remember that the owners of this publication have no other means of livelihood, so this is not a "voluntary service". I am writing this from Melbourne independently - I have no ties whatsoever with the publication - and I support the publication's view-point. Cheers, Gabriel de Figueiredo. Melbourne - Australia. Find local movie times and trailers on Yahoo! Movies. http://au.movies.yahoo.com
