May 13th, 2010 by Susie

Despite the traditional media being put under great strain, some big players do not seem to be adjusting their strategies in line with new realities. Users may welcome high quality content, but paying for it is not necessarily on their agenda. In some ways, this is nothing new in that newspapers have often been shared among family and friends. However, the development of the net has really threatened newspaper circulations in a time of economic uncertainty. The idea of charging users for non-specialist online content may not be a productive one. Nevertheless, media tycoon Rupert Murdoch has apparently declared: “Content is not just the king, it is the emperor.”

While many people enjoy digesting content that is up-to-date, relevant and of interest, content is only part of what the media offer consumers. An important part of the media is the packaging, if that is the correct term. Users appreciate content that comes in an appropriate format which is attractive and easily understood. Rupert Murdoch, with his desire to charge users for online content, does not seem to completely appreciate the differences between the diverse forms of media. Reading a brief article online is not like going through a whole newspaper.

One reason why reading content online which is not of a specialist nature should perhaps be free is that users are not having the same experience as the reader of a broadsheet newspaper. They are often moving around the net looking for things which catch their imagination. Instead of sticking with one newspaper for a happy forty-five minutes or longer, they may be rapidly moving round from information source to information source. Furthermore, they are seeing large amounts of advertisements on their travels.

Another reason why the non-specialist content should arguably not be available only to those who pay is that users are accustomed to not being charged for it. Unless the quality of a product improves, it seems hard for consumers to get used to the notion of paying for something which was previously free. Not many free local newspapers would survive if they were suddenly put on sale.

It is understandable that content providers wish to maximise the rewards they can receive for their efforts. However, charging for ordinary news content may not have that outcome in the long term. Users with limited means may be pushed to using alternative sources of information. Already some users are dissatisfied with the diet provided by the traditional media. Some object to politically-slanted, negative and ultimately tedious stories. If the providers of this unsatisfactory fare persevere with charging for it online, the tendency of the industry’s profits to fall may actually be exacerbated.

Content is very important. In search engine optimization terms it satisfies users and search engines alike. However, perceiving content as having elevated royal status could just prove to be a big mistake. SEO is necessary to make high grade content visible online. Those who want to put content on too high a pedestal might find being on the wrong side of an argument to be very uncomfortable from an economic perspective.

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