Here’s a link to an interesting column from Time online.

It’s all about how, in the rush to get everything online and conform to the rigid rules of the Internet, i.e., everything must be free, newspapers forgot that by giving away all their content, they were … well … giving away all their content.

Who in their right mind would pay money for something they could get for free?

Here’s a great quote from the article:

Newspapers and magazines traditionally have had three revenue sources: newsstand sales, subscriptions and advertising. The new business model relies only on the last of these. That makes for a wobbly stool even when the one leg is strong. When it weakens — as countless publishers have seen happen as a result of the recession — the stool can’t possibly stand.

The Trib started out following the lead of everyone else, and later went to a pay subscription site, which set off a blast of criticism because, as the e-mailers wrote, “everything on the Internet is free.” (Let me know how that goes the next time you order a DVD from Amazon.com.)

Anyway, the conventional wisdom seems to be coming back around now, but the Trib newsroom still has dissenters who swear we should never have started charging for our product.

What do you think?

The once dominant movie rental company has released a set-top box that will allow its customers to rent “DVD-quality” movies via the internet. Movies can be rented for as little as $1.99 and can be viewed immediately after purchase, as long as you have a broadband internet connection, or can be saved for later viewing. Continue Reading

We all know there is no shortage of free stuff online, especially coupon code Web sites. The majority of them made specifically in hopes of confusing you just enough that you accidentally click on their advertisements. Retail Me Not takes a much different approach.

Retail Me Not is a breath of fresh air for online coupon codes. It houses a large database of user submitted coupon codes categorized by Web site and tagged for browsing convenience. A quick search for overstock.com returned 50+ coupons complete with coupon description, success rate percentage and user comments. A very simple check mark and red “X” icon simplify the success rate feedback. No registration is required to give your approval of the code.

Another great feature of Retail Me Not is its interesting approach to making money. They allow any Web site to be excluded from their database if they so desire. They also give each Web site the ability to have featured coupon codes. These are codes that participating Web sites create specifically for Retail Me Not users and can range from a percentage off your purchase to free shipping on orders over a certain total. Yes, they have Google advertisements placed throughout each page, but they make no attempt to hide them and they do not consume the page.

The next time you are shopping online, be sure to check Retail Me Not before you check out. Chances are they have a coupon code for wherever you plan on purchasing. If you are a hardcore E-shopper, you may want to check out the Firefox plugin which notifies you of available coupons upon arriving at each online retailer.

If you’re unfamiliar with Pandora and the “Music Genome Project”, I highly suggest visiting pandora.com. The idea behind the Web site is that you type in a musical artist name or the name of a song and Pandora will create a playlist of similar artists and songs. It really is a great way to find new music that fits your interest. Continue Reading

I was looking into the price of Microsoft’s latest iteration of Office. Five hundred dollars? I’m surprised anyone can afford it. At that price, I could purchase a brand new laptop. Continue Reading