I’ve written a number of blog posts about how, in my opinion, The Times is missing a trick by making its paywall impermeable to social media or put another way how it is anti-social media.

I’ve written how its anti-social media paywall model was rejected by other parts of News Corp and how the Times and The New York Times compare (social media Vs anti-social media).

However, it has emerged that the News International-owned Times maybe about to change that policy and allow a little social media light in and its readers to share some articles. Read More »

While it was reported earlier this week that News International had ditched the idea of a paywall for The Sun other parts of the News Corporation empire are pressing ahead with plans.

The Australian will put its paywall live on Monday, according to News Limited boss John Hartigan, beginning with a three month free trial. Read More »

I wrote earlier this year that News International was rethinking its anti-social media paywall policy with regards whether it would introduce a paywall for the Sun modelled on the one employed by The Times.

It had intially been reported that The Sun would follow in the footsteps of the News of the World, which saw its traffic plummet after its paywall went live, but that turned out to be the least of its problems. Read More »

News International has put out some updated figures detailing how The Times and The Sunday Times paywalls are performing.

Back in March we reported that News International was claiming 79,000 digital subscribers. That figure has risen to just over 100,000 in time for its first birthday. It is a nice round number. Read More »

If you have followed The New York Times Twitter feed you will know that until now it has been an automated one much like many other publications, but that’s now changed — at least temporarily.

As Poynter reports The New York Times has replaced its main automatic feed this week with two real people, in social media editors Liz Heron and Lexi Mainland, as an experiment. Read More »

Interesting report on Journalism UK about News International possibly rethinking its closed, anti-social media or iron curtain, approach to its paywall. The Sun had been due to follow same paywall model employed by The Times and the News of the World.

Anyone who reads this blog regularly will know I think this is the equivalent to shooting yourself in the foot. I mean, seriously, why do it? Why have a paywall that cuts you off from the social media conversation? Read More »

I’ve said a bunch of times that metered paywalls can work and that this will be the case with the delayed one at the New York Times, which is set to finally launch  shortly.

Others have said it will be a success too and research has shown that where metered type paywalls have gone up they have had little effect on newspaper web traffic, but it is always nice to have more evidence such as the Augusta Chronicle. It put up a metered paywall and not only did it work, but it boosted traffic. Read More »

The New York Times Company has issued a short update on its delayed paywall, which was meant to launch last month, but will now instead “launch shortly”. Read More »

Listen carefully, I think I heard a penny drop. Entertainment title Variety has had a brain wave and is launching a breaking news blog outside of its paywall.

Rather like The Times  Variety has a paywall that hides all of its content, which of course discourages websites from linking or sharing its content.

Read More »

News Corporation might recently have delayed The Sun’s move to paid content, in light of the disappointment with the The Times, but that is not stopping the Telegraph Media Group pushing ahead with plans to introduced a metered paywall for Telegraph.co.uk.

Marketing reports today that the Daily Telegraph website is to a unveil paid-for website in September and that it will be a metered model, which unlike The Times and its anti-social media paywall will allow articles to be freely shared online. Smart move. Read More »