Bookworm

NY Times Ends TimesSelect

"Effective September 19, 2007, TimesSelect has ended. Content previously published for TimesSelect is available free to all NYTimes.com visitors. . . Access all articles published since 1987 for free on NYTimes.com. . . Get highlights of the day in Opinion, sent weekday afternoons. . . Create customized e-mail alerts to articles that match your interests. . . Save any article from NYTimes.com and around the Web."  [The New York Times - Opinion]

Hip, hip, hooray!  I heard about this on NPR coming home yesterday.  I've missed being able to read the columnists online.  They're embracing the advertising-supported model, even though it will initially mean a financial loss.  Apparently the Wall Street Journal is considering doing the same thing and they've never had much online for nonsubscribers at all.

New York Times - Free Access Week

Have you been missing reading some of your favorite New York Times columnists online, but don't have the cash to pony up for Times Select?  This week is, apparently, Free Access Week -- go forth and read!

How I Used My Times Select 14 day trial

I really didn't much leisure time to evaluate Times Select -- and 14 days isn't very long -- but I primarily used it to look up articles on topics of interest -- favorite authors, the first mentions of Derek Jeter's name in the paper, the first time the word Internet was used, etc.  Makes me wish I had access to the very cool, but very expensive Lexis-Nexus service, actually; I could spend hours looking up stuff like that.  But, in the end, I can't justify the expense -- $50 a year -- for access to the archive and the columnists.  It would be slightly more tempting if you got the pictures, charts, graphs, etc. published as part of the original article, but you don't.  You just get the text. 

NY Times to Charge for Op-Ed and columnists

"New York Times will offer new subscription-based service on its Web site, charging users annual fee of $49.95 to read its Op-Ed and news columnists; most material on site will remain free to users; service, called TimesSelect, will also include access to Times's online archives as well as other features; will be free to home-delivery subscribers of newspaper." [NY Times]

This is probably a wise move for the Times.  I'll still visit the site for its news coverage, but will definitely miss the content that will no longer be free.  $50 a year isn't a bad deal when you factor in the online access to the archives; someday when I have more disposable income again, I might consider it.  I'd like to see the crosswords included, though. 

I have paid for online content in the past, namely streaming audio for Yankee games through mlb.com and NYT crosswords before the price got too high to justify.  I've considered subscribing to Salon.com, but since I don't have as much time to read anymore, I choose to view the advertisement of the day to access the site occasionally.

How about you?  Do you pay for online content?  What do you think about the Times' plan?

Changes Afoot at NYTimes.com?

"A survey sent yesterday to some registered users stated that Nytimes.com plans to charge people who don't subscribe to the print edition for some content in the future. The survey outlined pricing options from $13.49 to $15.99 a month for full access. Daily access might be obtained for $1 a day." [NY Newsday]

Meanwhile, has anyone else noticed that you can no longer email the full text of a story? Your only choice now is to email a snippet with a link. This change must've happened in the last few days because I email stories, often to myself, almost every weekday.

Wall Street Journal Free for Five Days

WSJ.com will grant free access to its content for five days, beginning November 8, 2004. This article hypothesizes that perhaps the Journal is considering moving to an ad-supported model like the Times uses rather than its current subscriber-only model. [C|net News.com]