Forum Home
Press F1
 
Thread ID: 35893 2003-07-24 21:59:00 Slightly OT: PC World, NZ Herald etc caffy (2665) Press F1
Post ID Timestamp Content User
162639 2003-07-24 21:59:00 Hi,

Wasn't sure if this is 'OT' or not, but it involves the internet - not in a technical way, though! :)

But, I was curious as to why PC World and NZ Herald (I'm sure there are other media that do the same) expect people to pay $7-8 (for the magazine) or $1 . 20 (for the newspaper) to read their articles, when you can read them for free on their websites?

Is it just a matter of convenience/comfort? I . e . some people would rather lie down on the couch/bed reading magazines/newspapers, than sitting 'hunched' up at computers?

My curiousity arose when on Wednesday I was looking at the Herald's website, and read a particular article . In Thursday's paper that very article appeared .

Same with PC World, many (if not all) of the articles that appear in the magazine, can be read on the website .

What's with paying $7-8 for the mag when you can 'read' it for free on the net?

cheers,
caffy
caffy (2665)
162640 2003-07-24 22:07:00 Well, yes, an interesting conundrum. You may not realise it but the advertising in PC World (and the Herald too) covers a huge chunk of the cost of production. Without that, and without selling a good quantity of the printed version, there would be a void.
Also, the advertising on the websites helps fund the cost of running the site.
I tend to use the web sites to find historical things when I can't be arsed going through each issue, or in the Herald's case trying to figure out where the damn thing should be.
Please don't stop buying PC World completely, or I will disappear forever, like tinkerbell when nobody believed in her.
robo.
PS I am not sure that analogy was a good one. Buy more copies and my abilities should increase.
robo (205)
162641 2003-07-24 22:15:00 I have just subscibed to PCWorld,so expecting some good answers now robo;) Thomas (1820)
162642 2003-07-24 22:35:00 You might win the PC, then, Thomas.
robo.
robo (205)
162643 2003-07-24 22:35:00 I can't be bothered reading everything on a monitor. I just always seem to revert back to forums and instant messaging. So I just sit here reading the magazine while answering the questions here. -=JM=- (16)
162644 2003-07-24 23:25:00 Robo - "arsed"?????!!!!!!
Easy fella, this is a family show. Here I am trying to promote the depth and colour of the English language and an exalted chap like you resorts to a common or garden anglo-saxonism. Tut tut.

Anyway I personally couldn't think of anything worse than being tied to an inflexible piece of glass needing electricity in order to read or browse a newspaper or magazine. Besides a chap (or chapess) might drop the screen at a quiet and reflective moment -say, in the bath and would be off to join the Holy Chorus Invisible tous de suite. Electrons + water + reader would be a terminal application.

I happily pay for PC World and my paper. This eletronic medium has a long way to go before paper publications are threatened.

Cheers
Winston001
Winston001 (3612)
162645 2003-07-25 00:23:00 >You might win the PC, then, Thomas.
>robo.

Indeed,I have both my fingers and my legs crossed and I can tell you it's hard to get around;)

Would seem we have a prude here with old Win.;)
Thomas (1820)
162646 2003-07-25 00:32:00 Not all the content from the magazine appears online. There are also some things that we can't reproduce online (like some of the feature sized product comparison tables). You also don't get all the nice glossy pictures!

Plus, if you don't buy the magazine, you won't get the free cd!! :)
Mary H (769)
162647 2003-07-25 02:04:00 I thought people bought the CD and got the magazine thrown in free. :D Graham L (2)
162648 2003-07-25 02:11:00 Imagine this - you turn on your computer one day to read PC World only to find that it doesn't turn on at all. Now you remember a great article from the latest issue all about how to fix the exact problem you've got... so you go and grab your latest copy... oh wait, you can't - that latest copy is on the net you can't access cause your computer isn't going.

Convenience would be the main reason people pay for the magazine and newspapers. Hey I even pay for Time magazine to be delivered :)

Mike.
Mike (15)
1 2