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Good news / bad news
It has been a while since the last LWN update. So here are a couple of
items of LWN metadata.
On the "good news" side, we've finally managed to implement an often-requested feature: per-article RSS feeds for readers who want to follow the comments on a specific article in their RSS reader. The feed URL appears in the metadata headers for each article and comment, so subscribing to an article-specific feed should be a matter of a simple mouse click for most readers. Of course, the unread comments page remains the best way to follow conversations on LWN, in your editor's humble opinion. The not-so-good news is this: while LWN has held up reasonably well through this whole "economic crisis" thing, the simple fact is that its effects are being felt here. Some subscribers are not renewing, and others are moving to lower subscription levels. Costs have also increased - for example, our credit card bank evidently was unhappy with the size of its government bailout, so it raised credit card processing rates considerably. We are told that health insurance will be increasing 20-30% in a few months. Needless to say, these things are putting a squeeze on the budget. What it comes down to is that something will have to change for LWN to continue operating. We very much intend to continue, so we're considering all of the options available to us. Since we're evidently not seen as being too big to fail, those options are generally unpleasant; they include price increases and/or staff reductions. No decisions have been made, but, one way or another, LWN readers are likely to see some changes as we get this operation back onto an even keel. Thanks, as always, for supporting LWN. (Log in to post comments)
Good news / bad news Posted Sep 3, 2009 1:30 UTC (Thu) by mattdm (subscriber, #18) [Link]
Thanks for the update, and thank you for providing this invaluable resource over the years.
Good news / bad news Posted Sep 3, 2009 3:17 UTC (Thu) by aryonoco (subscriber, #55563) [Link]
Please do not reduce staff.
LWN is excellent, and it should remain excellent.
I would suggest removing the $2.50/month subscription option (though I am on it myself right now!) and differentiating between the remaining two in some way by adding features, so that users opting for $10 a month would get something in return (the content should be still accessible to all subscribers though).
LWN might not be too big to fail, but it is too awesome to fail! As always, keep up the good work.
Good news / bad news Posted Sep 3, 2009 3:24 UTC (Thu) by dlang (✭ supporter ✭, #313) [Link]
there is already some differentiation between levels, although I don't remember what it is (since I've been subscribed at the $10 level for so long)
I don't think that it would be good to drop the $2.50 level, but hopefully this article will prompt people to think hard before dropping (or think hard about scraping enough together to upgrade, it's really not that much money)
DEFINITELY the quote of the week! Posted Sep 3, 2009 6:52 UTC (Thu) by levien (subscriber, #4361) [Link]
LWN might not be too big to fail, but it is too awesome to fail!
I don't believe anything more needs to be said.
Good news / bad news Posted Sep 3, 2009 4:01 UTC (Thu) by a9db0 (subscriber, #2181) [Link]
I just renewed at the "Professional Hacker" level, even though I'm significantly under-employed at the moment. I did so because I like lwn, I read it, and I use it as a resource. The reporting is leagues ahead of anything else out there. The daily consolidated list of security updates saves me time. It gets me the information I need at both a high level and in depth level.
And it has personality, as evidenced by lines like: "Evidently, the fear of high-performance nethack is enough to drive Linux off this platform entirely." - This should make quotes of the week!
Good news / bad news Posted Sep 3, 2009 11:49 UTC (Thu) by kirkengaard (subscriber, #15022) [Link]
Nethack on Cell -- for the highest quality three-dimensionally rendered at-signs, octothorpes, percent-signs, bras and kets!
Good news / bad news Posted Sep 3, 2009 4:40 UTC (Thu) by rsidd (subscriber, #2582) [Link]
LWN is not too big to fail as far as the US Government is concerned. But perhaps others with money -- people like the Linux Foundation, various Linux vendors, corporates like IBM and Intel, even the FSF -- may disagree? I'd say LWN is the single most useful linux resource out there (short of the LKML itself, which is not for the faint-hearted), and does a unique job of combining technical analysis and non-technical information. If you haven't explored corporate sponsorship, please do so! A few discreet ads are fine. And if anyone from the above organisations -- or any others with some spare change -- are reading it, please consider supporting Jon.
Me, I have been subscribing for a few years, at the full level ever since I could afford it. I live in a developing country, but still find it well worth the money.
Good news / bad news Posted Sep 3, 2009 4:44 UTC (Thu) by rsidd (subscriber, #2582) [Link] at the full level ever since I could afford it.Actually, I'm embarrassed to say that wasn't true. I have upgraded to "professional hacker" now (by an odd coincidence, it turns out my subscription ran out yesterday, though I haven't yet been alerted).
Good news / bad news Posted Sep 3, 2009 9:59 UTC (Thu) by man_ls (subscriber, #15091) [Link] Yeah, LWN and its staff is providing an invaluable service to the Linux community at large, as evidenced by the PR out of "Who wrote 2.6.x" and things like Linux Weather Forecast. I wonder why the Linux Foundation doesn't spend more on making sure that services like LWN continue, and less in embarrassing campaigns.
Linux Foundation Posted Sep 3, 2009 13:15 UTC (Thu) by corbet (editor, #1) [Link] FWIW, we do get some support from the Linux Foundation in exchange for efforts like the weather forecast page. Plus the LF has covered a disproportionate amount of my travel over the last couple of years. They've been nice to us, no complaints there.
Good news / bad news Posted Sep 4, 2009 22:26 UTC (Fri) by giraffedata (subscriber, #1954) [Link] I'd say LWN is the single most useful linux resource out there (short of the LKML itself, which is not for the faint-hearted) You think LKML is more useful than LWN? I think only a tiny number of people get more use out of LKML -- maybe those are the strong-hearted you refer to -- so I don't think LKML is in the running against LWN for most useful Linux resource.
Good news / bad news Posted Sep 3, 2009 5:03 UTC (Thu) by jonabbey (subscriber, #2736) [Link]
Just switched to 'Project Leader' and extended for 12 months. LWN is far too valuable to be thinking about cutting staff or cutting back coverage.
By all means, let us know if there's more we can do to help.
Good news / bad news Posted Sep 3, 2009 5:35 UTC (Thu) by xoddam (subscriber, #2322) [Link]
ditto.
Jon, Jake, Rebecca et al ... your work excellent, it is appreciated, it is vital, it is wanted, and it is supported. By our wallets, gladly.
Good news / bad news Posted Sep 3, 2009 9:42 UTC (Thu) by niner (subscriber, #26151) [Link]
Switched to 'Project Leader' as well. For me LWN.net is the best example
of real journalism on the net, so I just can't watch it going down. It's about more than just Linux here.
Good news / bad news Posted Sep 3, 2009 14:28 UTC (Thu) by oseemann (subscriber, #6687) [Link]
ditto.
LWN is unique.
Me too... PL*12 Posted Sep 3, 2009 16:24 UTC (Thu) by dion (subscriber, #2764) [Link]
Sorry, I don't have much original to say here, I just upgraded to project lead for another 12 months, eventhough I'm not really a project lead in any way:)
I'd be very unhappy to lose LWN, so I hope you can pull through.
Have you thought about setting up company-wide subscriptions?
It's somewhat easier for us happy subscribers to talk up a slightly expensive common subscription to our bosses than it is to sell them on an outright sponsorship or 5 individual subscriptions.
Company-wide subscriptions Posted Sep 3, 2009 16:45 UTC (Thu) by corbet (editor, #1) [Link] We do have company-wide subscriptions, and a fair number of group subscribers; more information can be found on this page.
Company-wide subscriptions Posted Sep 5, 2009 7:01 UTC (Sat) by dion (subscriber, #2764) [Link]
Hmm, I never knew that, thanks!
Good news / bad news Posted Sep 4, 2009 22:10 UTC (Fri) by man_ls (subscriber, #15091) [Link] Just did that too. After all I'm officially a "Project Leader" (even though they are pretty small projects)... and LWN is indeed invaluable. And a lot of fun.
Good news / bad news Posted Sep 8, 2009 18:22 UTC (Tue) by erwaelde (subscriber, #34976) [Link]
meee tooo!
Good news / bad news Posted Sep 3, 2009 5:48 UTC (Thu) by storner (subscriber, #119) [Link]
Which is the least expensive way of sending you money - credit card or PayPal? I've used both over the years, but never gave it much thought that there is some processing charge for LWN.
Good news / bad news Posted Sep 3, 2009 13:20 UTC (Thu) by corbet (editor, #1) [Link] I think that credit cards still win by a little bit, especially if you don't have one of those affinity cards that cost more to process. That is partially true because TrustCommerce has supported us so nicely for a long time.
Good news / bad news Posted Sep 10, 2009 5:53 UTC (Thu) by lysse (guest, #3190) [Link]
Is that still true for international customers?
International charges Posted Sep 10, 2009 13:05 UTC (Thu) by corbet (editor, #1) [Link] There is an extra fee for non-US cards, of course; there's a fee for everything and, as far as I can tell, several fees for nothing. But it's relatively small and won't be enough to change the end result.
Good news / bad news Posted Sep 3, 2009 7:23 UTC (Thu) by macson_g (subscriber, #12717) [Link] Even those who can't afford to upgrade to more expensive subscription level, can support LWN by simply disabling AdBlock for the domain.
Good news / bad news Posted Sep 4, 2009 9:44 UTC (Fri) by Quazatron (guest, #4368) [Link]
Oops! Thanks for the hint.
I am an happy AdBlock user, so I tend to forget that most sites do have ads on them.
I'll try to remember to disable it on the more worthy sites ;-)
Good news / bad news Posted Sep 5, 2009 16:28 UTC (Sat) by kotnik (subscriber, #57300) [Link]
I forgot as well :(
Now it's off on lwn.net and I'll check out the links.
Good news / bad news Posted Sep 7, 2009 21:24 UTC (Mon) by kragil (subscriber, #34373) [Link]
OK, LWN is now the only site I unblock.
Please don't add flashy ads though.
Good news / bad news Posted Sep 7, 2009 21:29 UTC (Mon) by kragil (subscriber, #34373) [Link]
Well, make that "I will unblock all static ads."
More customers necessary Posted Sep 3, 2009 7:56 UTC (Thu) by job (guest, #670) [Link]
Raising prices too much may scare off potential subscribers. Fifty dollars a year (or what is it?) is a decent price for a trade mag, but keep in mind it's only available by web and it's pretty much text-only.
Perhaps there are ways to get more people to subscribe. Extend the subscriber-only time, make the "please subscribe" nag screen larger and more obtruse, perhaps put a nag screen at the student/unemployed subscription level too. More subscribers also means more dedicated readers and better comments.
Expanding the customer space is always more desirable than getting more out of the ones you have. Company (IBM, Novell?) and university (every CS department should have one) wide subscriptions is also underused. If the papers mags can do it, so can LWN. Sell, sell, sell!
More customers necessary Posted Sep 3, 2009 11:58 UTC (Thu) by kirkengaard (subscriber, #15022) [Link]
Let me get this straight -- you want to increase subscription interest at a hacker magazine by nagging louder, and you believe that pushing subscription onto more casual users -- whose interest doesn't already drive them to be better contributors -- will improve the signal-to-noise ratio here? Seriously? These are not what we call "cultivating readership."
More customers necessary Posted Sep 3, 2009 12:54 UTC (Thu) by nix (subscriber, #2304) [Link]
The paper mags *can't* do it. Newspapers are imploding, in case you hadn't noticed.
More is better? Posted Sep 3, 2009 20:54 UTC (Thu) by man_ls (subscriber, #15091) [Link] More subscribers also means more dedicated readers and better comments.Not so sure about that. So instead of 50 good comments we would get 50 better comments? Most probably we would get 75 slightly worse comments. You know, most of the time I don't make any comments because someone else already said it better. (In fact most of the time I'm out of my depth, but that's my own problem.) The "intelligent" (as opposed to "smart" or "clever") comment space is limited. More subscribers would probably add to the "smart" or "clever", but unless the new readership is actually more knowledgeable than the existing parish (doubtful) comments would not really improve. It is true that there are a lot of kernel hackers who do all their discussions over at lkml, and that is a shame. Where are Morton, Ts'o or even Kolivas? LWN is a much friendlier environment so they should come join us over here, discuss whatever issues in the comments, and then post a patch on lkml.
Good news / bad news Posted Sep 3, 2009 8:19 UTC (Thu) by liljencrantz (subscriber, #28458) [Link]
Recently renewed my subscription. I'm trying to convince my job that we need a corporate subscription. They turned down my last request about two years ago because it was too expensive, but my place in the company is stronger now. We'll see. Not much more that I can do. Hope things work out, LWN is truly a great resource.
Good news / bad news Posted Sep 3, 2009 9:29 UTC (Thu) by danpb (subscriber, #4831) [Link]
I would happily continue buying personal subscriptions to support LWN, but the subscription page appears to be disabled when it detects that you are part of a corporate group subscription. You might consider letting people under a corporate sub still buy personal subs....
Good news / bad news Posted Sep 3, 2009 16:23 UTC (Thu) by gutschke (subscriber, #27910) [Link]
I have been paying for my own subscription for years, even though I have
access to a corporate subscription. Maybe, the fact that I subscribed when logged in from home was the trick that made this work.
Good news / bad news Posted Sep 3, 2009 17:44 UTC (Thu) by rfrancoise (subscriber, #15508) [Link]
Yeah. I have access via the Debian group subscription (sponsored by HP), but if the individual levels are more profitable to LWN I'd be happy to subscribe on my own money.
Good news / bad news Posted Sep 4, 2009 2:18 UTC (Fri) by branden (subscriber, #7029) [Link]
That's what I did. I spent a year (or two?) subscribed at the
professional hacker level, but a couple of months ago re-upped at the project leader level and paid for a year all at once.
I hope that helped. I join in the universal consensus here that LWN is
Good news / bad news Posted Sep 10, 2009 17:54 UTC (Thu) by daenzer (✭ supporter ✭, #7050) [Link]
How to do it? I can't seem to find the possibility to change from group to individual anywhere in the account preferences.
Good news / bad news Posted Sep 15, 2009 20:01 UTC (Tue) by branden (subscriber, #7029) [Link]
Here's what works for me:
Click on "My Account" in the LHS navigation bar.
Click on "Click here" under the "Subscription information" heading. (Don't web style guidelines discourage hyperlinking words and phrases like "here" and "click here"?)
Click on "Change your subscription level."
Click on the button of your preference.
I hope this helps (and works)...
Good news / bad news Posted Sep 16, 2009 8:24 UTC (Wed) by daenzer (✭ supporter ✭, #7050) [Link]
> Click on "Click here" under the "Subscription information" heading.
I don't have any links there, only the text 'You have access via the Debian Project group subscription.'.
Thanks for trying to help though Branden.
Good news / bad news Posted Sep 16, 2009 19:33 UTC (Wed) by branden (subscriber, #7029) [Link]
Hmmm--declaring independence from the Debian group subscription may
require editorial intervention.
I'd drop a mail to subs@lwn.net if you need help.
Good news / bad news Posted Sep 3, 2009 11:55 UTC (Thu) by jeremiah (subscriber, #1221) [Link]
Could you perhaps add a level above project leader. Corporate sponsor? I'd love to give you more
money than I already am.
Good news / bad news Posted Sep 3, 2009 12:24 UTC (Thu) by da4089 (subscriber, #1195) [Link]
I'd be happy to pay a little more too.
I suspect it's best done by an across-the-board price increment (just add $2 to all subscription rates). Your costs go up -> your prices go up. That's the way of things.
But if there was an option to subscribe as a "Community Sponsor" or something, at $20/month (?), it'd recognise the motivation and at least provide the option for a regular additional contribution.
Good news / bad news Posted Sep 3, 2009 12:51 UTC (Thu) by RonO (guest, #13096) [Link]
I was trying to think of a level above project leader using a project related metaphor, but I started using corporate terms (program manager, department head, etc.) which I do not feel is appropriate.
Your suggesting of community supporter is good, though it may be perceived as a lower level (relative to project leader). If this perception is substantial, perhaps community advocate is a suitable alternative.
Good news / bad news Posted Sep 3, 2009 15:10 UTC (Thu) by kfiles (subscriber, #11628) [Link]
> I was trying to think of a level above project leader using a project
> related metaphor, but I started using corporate terms (program manager, > department head, etc.) which I do not feel is appropriate.
How about "Benevolent Dictator"?
:)
Good news / bad news Posted Sep 3, 2009 16:59 UTC (Thu) by cry_regarder (subscriber, #50545) [Link]
How about "Patron of the Arts" or just "Patron"?
Good news / bad news Posted Sep 5, 2009 12:15 UTC (Sat) by aleXXX (subscriber, #2742) [Link] For KDE we have "Patrons of KDE" (highest level) and "Supporters of KDE": http://ev.kde.org/supporting-members.phpAlex
Good news / bad news Posted Sep 4, 2009 1:52 UTC (Fri) by modernjazz (guest, #4185) [Link]
Or "Linus"
Good news / bad news Posted Sep 3, 2009 13:33 UTC (Thu) by nijhof (subscriber, #4034) [Link]
I guess you could buy an additional subscription for your cat, or something...
Good news / bad news Posted Sep 3, 2009 20:23 UTC (Thu) by PaXTeam (subscriber, #24616) [Link]
why not pay for someone else who is unable to? two birds with one stone...
Good news / bad news Posted Sep 4, 2009 8:23 UTC (Fri) by hppnq (guest, #14462) [Link] There are LWN gift certificates!
Good news / bad news Posted Sep 4, 2009 9:03 UTC (Fri) by tpo (subscriber, #25713) [Link]
> why not pay for someone else who is unable to? two birds with one stone...
Who would that needing soul be? You can reach me at tpo_hp at sourcepole point ch
Good news / bad news Posted Sep 10, 2009 5:55 UTC (Thu) by lysse (guest, #3190) [Link]
Well, I just subscribed again at "starving hacker" level (on disability benefits), but if anyone wants to upgrade me...
Good news / bad news Posted Sep 10, 2009 5:59 UTC (Thu) by lysse (guest, #3190) [Link] ...then, given that telepathy probably won't work, send a shout to the email address at isle-of-avalon.co.uk whose username is gwenhwyfaer. (You know when you realise you've omitted a crucial line of your post just after you press "submit", even though it didn't occur to you at the "preview" stage...? *smacks head*)
Good news / bad news Posted Sep 4, 2009 17:03 UTC (Fri) by jeremiah (subscriber, #1221) [Link]
I'm being generous w/ someone eslse's money. So I can only justify one to the bean counters, but I can justify more than I'm currently spending. After all your are mentioned in our PCI documentation as a source of Security alerts and notifications.
Good news / bad news Posted Sep 3, 2009 12:13 UTC (Thu) by zmower (subscriber, #3005) [Link]
How about allowing those of us on Project Manager level to set our own subscription fee (subject to a $10 minimum)? When I get my credit card bill and I'm charged £6.11 (at current exchange rate) I often think "But it's worth more than that!"
And how about diffentiating comments based on subscription level? Having a gold star next to my comments (rare as they are) might make Project Leader more attractive. It's the little things that make all the difference.
Good news / bad news Posted Sep 3, 2009 12:26 UTC (Thu) by da4089 (subscriber, #1195) [Link]
I like the idea of a flexible monthly rate too.
Good news / bad news Posted Sep 3, 2009 13:43 UTC (Thu) by stevem (subscriber, #1512) [Link]
+1 I've been paying at Project Leader level for a while, and would happily pay a little more.
Good news / bad news Posted Sep 3, 2009 16:21 UTC (Thu) by Steve_Baker (subscriber, #265) [Link]
I like the gold star idea. Little things like that really do make a
difference. And you should get a gold star for supporting LWN more. :)
Good news / bad news Posted Sep 3, 2009 16:45 UTC (Thu) by zmower (subscriber, #3005) [Link]
I was thinking bronze, silver and gold to represent the three subscription levels. And none for guest comments.
Good news / bad news Posted Sep 3, 2009 12:32 UTC (Thu) by zonker (subscriber, #7867) [Link]
Just a thought - maybe this shouldn't be a subscriber-only article. :-)
Good news / bad news Posted Sep 10, 2009 6:00 UTC (Thu) by lysse (guest, #3190) [Link]
Er, yeah. I didn't spot it until today. Of course, I subscribed at once, so that won't happen again... but...
Good news / bad news Posted Sep 3, 2009 12:37 UTC (Thu) by pjdowner (guest, #46843) [Link]
LWN is the only news source I have ever paid for, that I can remember. I've never bought a newspaper but I have bought LWN, it's a fantastic resource and shouldn't go away.
Good news / bad news Posted Sep 3, 2009 18:01 UTC (Thu) by pjdowner (guest, #46843) [Link]
Further thoughts...
Please setup a caffe press page or something similar, I'd certainly buy a t-shirt or a mug to help fund lwn.
Good news / bad news Posted Sep 3, 2009 19:44 UTC (Thu) by JLCdjinn (guest, #1905) [Link]
Dude. A LWN t-shirt. I want one!
Good news / bad news Posted Sep 6, 2009 17:07 UTC (Sun) by richardr (subscriber, #14799) [Link]
This is the only website I have ever paid for, and, to be honest I'm now in an environment where I basically don't use linux at all. Because of that, if the starving hacker level were removed, I would stop my subscription. It would be a shame though, as I think it's definitely worth supported even though it's of limited relevance at the moment. I still read it to keep up to date, and would miss the quality of the writing...
How does an institution / library purchase access? Posted Sep 3, 2009 13:04 UTC (Thu) by ejr (subscriber, #51652) [Link]
Alas, my employer is in a freeze. For future reference, though, where is the information on how a campus library or other institution could purchase access?
Good news / bad news Posted Sep 3, 2009 13:22 UTC (Thu) by cpeltz (guest, #50565) [Link]
Seeing as LWN replaces two Linux Mags i have been reading monthly and each one costs over 5 EUR i increased subscreption to 10$ per month, its still much less then i would pay for the mags and I get more and more up to date information about linux at an incredible professional level, thanks and i hope u can keep going.
Still love LWN Posted Sep 3, 2009 13:51 UTC (Thu) by dwheeler (guest, #1216) [Link] I love LWN; it's been a very good source of information for years. I wish you the best in working out financing; please keep going!!
Good news / bad news Posted Sep 3, 2009 16:21 UTC (Thu) by leoc (subscriber, #39773) [Link]
One thing that would be worth considering is to add a one-time fee to obtain a "guest" account. Something like, say, $10 to be able to post comments. It might simultaneously increase revenue and the quality of comments.
Good news / bad news Posted Sep 3, 2009 20:54 UTC (Thu) by richardfish (guest, #20657) [Link]
I share your pain. Unfortunately my project leader subscription will run out
in a few days, and I probably won't be able to resubscribe until I find new employment.
Still I think LWN is great, and can only hope that you see a recovery
I subscribed... Posted Sep 3, 2009 23:02 UTC (Thu) by Ein2015 (guest, #60616) [Link]
I've hit a couple of articles here and there in the past on LWN, and I found much I like when I
recently perused some archives.
And then I read that you've implemented RSS feeds.
Thus, I've subscribed now, as a student, for the $2.50/mo rate for 12 months.
I hope this helps and that this publication can pull through the economic downturn.
Good news / bad news Posted Sep 3, 2009 23:20 UTC (Thu) by fibberty (guest, #60617) [Link]
I am not a long-time reader, but I find myself here occasionally, and have a suggestion: pose this question to techdirt.com. IMHO, Mike Masnick is one of the smartest economists around. Ask him how he sees his CWF+RTB model working for LWN.net.
Good news / bad news Posted Sep 4, 2009 0:21 UTC (Fri) by boerner (guest, #4247) [Link]
Offer some schwag (t-shirts, mugs, etc) and mark it up to make a decent profit. Have some of the proceeds cover costs, some go straight to LWN. If you want, split it three ways with the third portion going to an open source project.
Another idea would be to offer more how-to type articles to appeal to a wide swath of readers from newbies to experts. It might generate more traffic. I would also like to see product reviews. I would love to see the Grumpy Editor review some of the hardware that is coming out now...
I could do a review of the Marvell SheevaPlug. I'll even do it for free if that helps.
Good news / bad news Posted Sep 4, 2009 8:11 UTC (Fri) by paulj (subscriber, #341) [Link]
I'd love an LWN t-shirt. +1
Good news / bad news Posted Sep 4, 2009 9:30 UTC (Fri) by dodocaptain (subscriber, #44818) [Link]
LWN shirts would be awesome +1! :-)
Good news / bad news Posted Sep 5, 2009 5:06 UTC (Sat) by patrick_g (subscriber, #44470) [Link]
Yes please ! I want LWN shirts !
Good news / bad news Posted Sep 6, 2009 19:49 UTC (Sun) by BackSeat (subscriber, #1886) [Link] Offer some schwag (t-shirts, mugs, etc)Definitely Another idea would be to offer more how-to type articles Definitely not. The web is awash with them, and some of them are very good. Don't compete with those sites: this is not where the value of LWN lies.
An accounting of suggestions Posted Sep 4, 2009 15:55 UTC (Fri) by JLCdjinn (guest, #1905) [Link] I took some time to look back at some of the outstanding suggestions made by LWN readers in response to past update articles. These are ideas that were never publicly vetoed by the LWN BFDL, so they might be worth revisiting. They are certainly selected and ordered according to my personal bias. :)
And I wanted to throw a couple other ideas into the pool:
An accounting of suggestions Posted Sep 4, 2009 15:57 UTC (Fri) by JLCdjinn (guest, #1905) [Link]
Clearly, we also need a "edit your post" feature, too...
An accounting of suggestions Posted Sep 4, 2009 17:15 UTC (Fri) by corbet (editor, #1) [Link] Wow, that is quite a list! That much work certainly justifies a response, at least...
LWN subscriber mailing list or forum. Mailing list would be easy to implement, but do people really want more email? Forums are something we've considered at times; they're on the list. LWN-branded merchandise. This will probably happen relatively soon. Visual distinction for subscription levels. Relatively easily done, I guess, can't hurt. Pay to vote for specific content. Interesting idea, but I guess I have a hard time seeing it working out for more than an article or two. LWN readers are already paying for the articles to be written, after all. Security alert service. Subscribers to the daily update email already get the list of security alerts. RSS feeds for alerts are likely to be in the relatively near future. No ads subscription level. That we already have - project leader subscribers can turn off ads. Subscription level allowing configuring of which ads to see. That's a complication that, I suspect, would see little use in practice. Project leaders can turn off all ads in good conscience now. Ads in feeds. We've played with that some, with pretty sad results. One thing we've not tried is the Google feed-ads offering, partly because it would require us to distribute our feeds through their service. I'm always reluctant to put yet more eggs into the Google basket. Voluntarily pay more. The recent "add a bit to a project leader subscription" idea might be worth a try. We've learned to be very careful about anything that looks like "donations," though; that's what got us into big hassles with our previous credit card bank. I always like to suggest that people wanting to pay more can buy a text ad in support of the development project of their choice. User profiles. On the list, will get done One Of These Days. Comment filtering and/or moderation. Some sort of filtering will likely happen at some point. I'm a little leery of a larger-scale moderation scheme, but that could maybe happen too. Visual marking of "seen" articles/comments. There's probably useful things that could be done here. Editorial comment summaries. That would require real work on an ongoing basis, could be hard to sustain. Would you rather have comment summaries or more articles? Smarter comment page links. Could be done. I hope that wouldn't result in search engines trying to snarf each version. Increase corporate sponsorship. On our list of things to pursue. Mobile-phone-friendly version. Definitely on the list of things to do. LWN subscription sponsorship. I kind of fear that this could be a lot of work to set up and would not see a huge amount of use. Gift certificates kind of turned out that way. I could always be wrong, though. Specific new content, e.g. how to use kernel changes as a regular user. New content is always good, it's just a matter of being able to write it. Free your code, Luke. It's on the list, honest. Get the word out. We've been doing some things along these lines for a while, need to do more. Spit and polish. The site could use a makeover, no doubt. It's a matter of time. "Best of LWN", possibly with print versions. Interesting idea. Some articles do seem to get steady traffic over time. Bundle commercial distributions with LWN memberships. That's the other way around: bundle subscriptions with commercial offerings. It's an idea we've considered but never really managed to make any headway with. I18N. People occasionally try to maintain translations for a while, but the simple fact is that it's a lot of work. Somebody really needs to be paid to do it. I'm hoping we'll figure out a way to do that, but it hasn't happened yet. LWN-managed FLOSS development. This sounds a bit far-afield from our real competency. Ability to change your user ID. That can be done now, you just have to ask us. Hacking up a form to do it wouldn't be hard. Certain account levels gain the ability to post as "anonymous". LWN has never allowed anonymous posting, and I kind of think that's important. I would be seriously hesitant to change that policy.
An accounting of suggestions Posted Sep 4, 2009 18:15 UTC (Fri) by JLCdjinn (guest, #1905) [Link] Thanks for taking the time to provide some feedback on these ideas. I find it very useful to see what you might be open to, and your reasons for not liking other ideas. To push some more feedback on the stack:
I would be very happy to be a member of a mailing list with other LWN subscribers, discussing anything of interest.
That's a great idea! I'm definitely going to keep that in the back of my head for future use. I think it adds a bit to the desire to leave text ads on while turning graphical adds off, though. Those graphical adds are such an eyesore.
More articles, certainly. I just found the idea interesting, so I wanted to include it in my list.
Interesting. Have you elaborated on that policy anywhere? If not, I'd love to read a bit more on your thoughts on anonymous posting, if you ever get a spare moment.
An accounting of suggestions Posted Sep 4, 2009 19:24 UTC (Fri) by farnz (guest, #17727) [Link] Just a thought; I pay for membership of the ACCU, and I get two options over and above just membership; one pays for people the ACCU deem worthy to attend standards committees, and the other pays for the ACCU to donate memberships to poorer people. Both of these options are fixed-price, and I have to assume that the ACCU is being honest, and actually distributing the funds. Translating this into LWN terms, could you offer the option to pay a fixed sum towards getting people to Linux conferences, and/or $10 towards subscriptions for people LWN deems worthy? Possibly with the requirement that someone who is sponsored by LWN to attend a conference writes an article afterwards for you.
An accounting of suggestions Posted Sep 4, 2009 21:24 UTC (Fri) by dlang (✭ supporter ✭, #313) [Link]
quote:
I always like to suggest that people wanting to pay more can buy a text ad in support of the development project of their choice
pointer to how to do this and a price structure?
I will note that some of the examples from this thread where a company is paying the subscription will readily support a slightly (or not so slightly) more expensive subscription, but will not support a second subscription or purchase of something else.
An accounting of suggestions Posted Sep 5, 2009 22:02 UTC (Sat) by mmarsh (subscriber, #17029) [Link]
If you're looking for T-shirt ideas, how about:
"lwn.net$ cat /var/log/news/* | fmt | lpr"
LWN-branded t-shirt suggestions Posted Sep 12, 2009 4:03 UTC (Sat) by jabby (guest, #2648) [Link] How about this? Front: LWN.net (centered in a soft, rounded font) Back: "... and that can only be a good thing." (centered in a script font) Perhaps some people more clever than I can come up with some fun sentences for the lead-in to the quote on the back. :o)
An accounting of suggestions Posted Sep 11, 2009 13:14 UTC (Fri) by cassee (subscriber, #5336) [Link] Visual distinction for subscription levels. Relatively easily done, I guess, can't hurt.I'm not sure what the suggestion is exactly, but I would be sad to see subscription levels distinctions added to every comment. I fear that they would suggest a difference in comment(er) significance instead.
An accounting of suggestions Posted Sep 5, 2009 10:53 UTC (Sat) by man_ls (subscriber, #15091) [Link] You have missed a good one: It was already accepted by our editor, and is probably on the list, but somehow it does not exist yet. Perhaps the lack of a good name for the level is holding it back, although there were good suggestions made above; I propose "Lord Great Chamberlain of LWN". Not that I am going to use yet; although it is probably worth it I cannot justify that increase.
Good news / bad news Posted Sep 4, 2009 20:58 UTC (Fri) by jordanb (guest, #45668) [Link]
Since everyone else is tossing in their two cents, I thought I might do so as well.
Maybe raising the cost of subscription would increase revenue. I know I would keep on paying for my 'professional hacker' subscription if it went up some. People expect prices to go up due to inflation and as far as I can tell the prices have remained the same for a long time.
Going from $5/mo to $6/mo, say, means going from $60 per billing cycle to $72. I don't think there are any psychological barriers in those numbers for subscribers.
For LWN, though, it does represent a 20% increase in price. I'm guessing most subscribers are at the PH level, so that should be a substantial increase in revenue that (I would think) would help lwn.net get through any temporary rough spot.
In general though, trying to squeeze more revenue from existing readers seems to me to be a bit wrong-headed. Especially trying to squeeze more guests into becoming subscribers -- I think you'd just drive them away.
ISTM that LWN's biggest problem is that only a very small fraction of the Linux community is interested in this site, so it's leaving a ton of potentially convertible readership on the table. I don't think this is a fault of the content on LWN (which is unparalleled for our niche) but of the way LWN is viewed in the community.
Most people I know who are aware of LWN view it as a holdover from the 1990s. I've tried to promote it to some of my nerdy friends, but I think they file it next to my Ultra 5 as "archaic things Jordan likes." So while this entirely non-scientific, I think LWN's biggest impediment to new users is its Netscape 4.7-esque design. This is made far worse by the ads. I'm always shocked to come here without adblock, and see how horribly they've been tacked on. The whole thing just feels like a site that used to be cool, but went to seed, and then after the owner lost interest he decided to squeeze some ad-revenue out of the declining readership by hooking in a bunch of Google ads.
Certainly many news sites carry ads, but they at least make some effort to integrate them into the flow of the pages. I can't imagine you're making much revenue at all off of Google syndication (I"ve not used them, but from what I've heard from other people who have, their payouts suck even on parts of the internet not populated by adblock users). I think they're currently a serious drag on the readership potential of the site.
On the slightly less short term, I think you need to really prioritize redesigning the site. It shouldn't become a javascript monster like slashdot of course. But.. have you heard of this cool new thing called CSS? :P The site needs a look and feel that reflects the reality that it's still very relevant to anyone who cares about Linux or FOSS.
Good news / bad news Posted Sep 4, 2009 21:12 UTC (Fri) by corbet (editor, #1) [Link] Thanks for the suggestions, we appreciate them.I will say, though, that I'm really hesitant to integrate the ads into the flow of the site. We've really tried to keep them out of the way, instead. We might look more modern and get more clicks if we put ads in the middle of the text, but we're not really willing to do that. The site definitely needs a redesign (though, I'll note, it got a CSS-oriented rework a year or two ago). There's no doubt that more effort has gone into the words than the appearance. But I'm sure not interested in redesigns which make LWN harder to read, and I'm determined that it will never be necessary to run JavaScript to read LWN.
Good news / bad news Posted Sep 4, 2009 22:32 UTC (Fri) by jordanb (guest, #45668) [Link]
I guess my problem with the ads is that when I un-adblock them, the whole content column squeezes together, and an entire new row of space appears to the right, and a big square ad plops down in the middle. It's clear that you just added another <td> to an existing two-column layout so you could stick the ad in the third column.
I agree that it's nice that you don't try to wrap the content around the ad (although I think that's really about the only reasonable thing you can do with those huge square ads you've chosen). My complaint about "flow" is more that the ad acts like it doesn't belong there, that it was tacked on as an afterthought. If it were up to me (knowing little about your finances, but knowing that google ads aren't very profitable) I'd drop them entirely. Barring that, I think it'd be more reasonable to put banners along the top, or 'skyscrapers' in the left column under the navigation. As far as the square ads go.. I think the reason that every other site that has them wraps the content around them isn't just to make them even more annoying. It's because that's the only place they'll reasonably go without destroying the site layout.
I also didn't mean to suggest that LWN should choose more 'shiny' over readability. My point about the design is that it's just horribly outdated and fails to 'feel' like it belongs on the modern web. Let's look at a 'modern' "news" site design:
(PLEASE NOTE: I'm not suggesting that LWN should become in ANY WAY like TechCrunch. It's a horribly, crappy, link-spamming trash site, that happens to have a nice clean website design wrapped around its festering pile of drivel).
Notice the logo. There's no cutsy drawing in it, it's smooth, clean, horizontal and functional (I do think that the compound StudlyCaps logo with two colors is *fast* becoming a cliche though).
There are no big swaths of heavy color. The organizational elements of the site are very light, neutral and delicate fields, and thin gray lines. These things don't really matter to the reader, so they're not emphasized. This is a big difference from the 90's "amateur web" where people tended to drop table elements in with heavy background fill. OTOH there are lots of small but professionally done icons, drawing the reader to things that *do* matter, like the triangle in the read-more link, the comment pages, and the links to try to encourage the readers to send the stories to the big syndication engines.
They also use a lot more pictures and transient icons. This brings back in a lot of color that got dropped with the big table fields, and also helps engage the eye. Of course, coming up with an image for every article would probably be a big ongoing burden (especially on a site with no staff designers or photographers). But even without those images (or with only a few, like the ones highlighting features along the top) the design says "clean", "professional" and "modern," all while adding to rather than detracting from the readability of the content.
Good news / bad news Posted Sep 7, 2009 8:33 UTC (Mon) by richardr (subscriber, #14799) [Link]
Just a small comment to agree with the layout issues - the _only_ problem I have with lwn is that I want to be able to read any site comfortably in 800 pixels, and lwn is one of the sites I particularly struggle with. The third column often eats into that massively and I either end up having to line up the main text to get that into the 800px or I 'fit to width' the whole window and get only a couple of hundred pixels for the text... I have no desire to adblock the site, since I know it's your income I'm playing with.
Good news / bad news Posted Sep 7, 2009 12:49 UTC (Mon) by corbet (editor, #1) [Link] There's a useful secret trick here: go into the account customization area and set the minimum width for the middle column wide enough to keep it from getting squashed. That will push the right-column ad off the right side, but some readers have found that they can live with that. Those readers include me - I often work with two side-by-side browser windows, so they are never that wide.
Good news / bad news Posted Sep 12, 2009 18:23 UTC (Sat) by dlang (✭ supporter ✭, #313) [Link]
if you add ?format=printable to any lwn url it reformats the page to just the center column. it makes it _much_ easier to read on narrow screens (say a kindle at 600x800)
unfortunantly it looses the navigation on the left, so you have to navigate to the page, then set the option
On that note ... Posted Sep 9, 2009 2:01 UTC (Wed) by xoddam (subscriber, #2322) [Link]
I *hate* the cluttery two-column page I get when my cookie expires. It only just dawned on me that that's what *everyone* sees who hasn't already taken the time to log in.
We subscribers / addicts might appreciate the odd tip: "Oh there's a trick for that, go to your account page and set a minimum width" -- but it doesn't cut it, indeed is not at all applicable, for new readers.
First impressions count.
The old blog-type front page layout with new items appearing at the top and which I still use by choice as a subscriber, feels cleaner than the columny no-cookie intro page. But it would be better if the default widths and flow around the ads in the first screenful were saner.
Good news / bad news Posted Sep 5, 2009 18:27 UTC (Sat) by quotemstr (subscriber, #45331) [Link] The site needs a look and feel that reflects the reality that it's still very relevant to anyone who cares about Linux or FOSS.I don't accept the notion that CSS gimmickry is necessary for a site to remain relevant. Consider the New York Times, the overall look of which has remained roughly the same for a century. It's still going a lot better than papers that went down the USA Today route. On the web, consider Craigslist, which is prospering with a clean, simple design that would probably look all right in Mosaic. LWN's design is simple, clean, and mature, and I don't see anything wrong with it. Frankly, the kind of person who would eschew LWN's high-quality journalism because it doesn't look as modern as Slashdot or Digg is exactly the kind of person who wouldn't appreciate it anyway. Here, there is a refreshing lack of "lol", "epic FAIL", and other such detritus, and I'd like to keep it that way.
Good news / bad news Posted Sep 5, 2009 19:33 UTC (Sat) by jordanb (guest, #45668) [Link]
Where did I ever say anywhere above that LWN should employ "gimmickry," CSS or otherwise? I agree that the NYT has a very nice, austere design that follows the principals I mentioned above.
I actually considered using it as my example of a "good design" but chose TechCrunch instead because the NYT does have some "gimmickry" elements (the fixed-position header thing on the top with drop shadows, and javascripted tabbed menus) and I didn't want them to cloud the issue.
But it is illustrative to look at how the NyTimes website has changed over the years. Here's how it looked in 2000:
http://web.archive.org/web/20001110001700/http://nytimes....
Notice that the "borderless <td> with background fill" style elements have been replaced with div blocks with fine borders and very light (or no) background. In some places solid backgrounds have been replaced with very light gradients. Rules have been heavily subdued, into thin gray lines, or have disappeared entirely.
> Frankly, the kind of person who would eschew LWN's high-quality journalism because it doesn't look as modern as Slashdot or Digg is exactly the kind of person who wouldn't appreciate it anyway.
Part of me agrees with this. Another part of me observes that Corbet posts this type of article with disappointing regularity so clearly the business of the site is less than ideal for him.
And anyway, the people I tried to get interested in the site are not digg trolls. They are people who, had they given the site a chance, would have appreciated the quality of reporting and would have participated fruitfully in the discussions.
But the truth is that even intelligent and insightful people tend to make snap judgments on the internet. They took one look at this place and thought "archaic and irrelevent to me" without giving it due consideration (in my opinion). Is that wrong? I think so, although I admit I do the same thing all the time.
For Corbet's business though, it'd probably be smarter to ignore the question of right or wrong and figure out how to get it so people quit making the wrong snap judgment about LWN.
Good news / bad news Posted Sep 8, 2009 11:57 UTC (Tue) by yodermk (subscriber, #3803) [Link]
> ISTM that LWN's biggest problem is that only a very small fraction of the Linux community is interested in this site, so it's leaving a ton of potentially convertible readership on the table.
Yeah that has always confounded me. Linux has, what, millions or tens of millions of active users. Last time Jon gave a subscriber count IIRC it was hovering just over 3000. From my impressions it hasn't gone up much since then.
It just can't be true that only a tiny fraction of a percent of active Linux users would benefit from LWN. Frankly, a whole percent seems like it should be an attainable goal.
Somehow LWN is not getting the slice of the pie that it should have. Seems to me like simply some more aggressive marketing should be in order. That along with some of the other ideas presented.
Maybe that could include a price *decrease*. If it goes down from $50/year to $20 a year but you have 5 times the subscribership, you double your revenue. (And frankly to me $50 seems on the high end ... it's OK for a trade mag but enough that I do have to think about it before renewing, and do sometimes delay a little while.)
Anyway, this site and http://conquerclub.com are the only sites I pay for. Keep it up!
Good news / bad news Posted Sep 5, 2009 0:24 UTC (Sat) by cras (guest, #7000) [Link]
Wonder how much of a difference it would make if people in Europe would pay using direct bank transfers? Apparently it should be completely free within EU nowadays. But then again I've no idea what it would require for you to be able to receive those money transfers in EU and then move the money to US.
Good news / bad news Posted Sep 5, 2009 9:05 UTC (Sat) by henning (subscriber, #13406) [Link]
Paying by bank transfer is a good suggestion, as the credit card company charge me also some money for the processing of this "foreign" transaction.
With regards to the increased cost (like credit card fees on your side), i'd think its just common sense if you increase the subscription price for the same percentage. Here in germany many businesses did it this way, as we had a VAT increase some years ago. As it was done more or less transparently, there was not that much to complain.
Good news / bad news Posted Sep 7, 2009 11:56 UTC (Mon) by appie (subscriber, #34002) [Link]
Maybe a (paid for) "hire a hacker" ad section ?
I'm aware of the current economic situation and a tendency for lay-offs as opposed to hiring new people, but the LWN readership clearly comprises of a set of technically skilled people with an interest in and knowledge of Linux & FOSS and I reckon a much broader span of IT expertise as well. I'm not sure if it's feasible to implement a hourly fee for when someone get's hired through LWN, but well, let's throw it in here as well.
A subscriber-only knowledge base & forum ?
Cheaper gift certificates Posted Sep 7, 2009 20:07 UTC (Mon) by ClaudeRubinson (subscriber, #11921) [Link]
I'm currently subscribed at the "starving hacker" level and have been considering upping to the next level to support the site. But then I figured that it's better to buy a subscription for somebody else. Except that the price point of gift certificates is fixed. So it's actually more expensive for me to buy a subscription for somebody else than for myself! Any possibility for a fix here?
Good news / bad news Posted Sep 9, 2009 13:48 UTC (Wed) by utidjian (guest, #444) [Link]
I have kinda drifted away from reading LWN.net regularly. In fact, I rarely read it these days. Just added it to my "Usual Stuff" bookmark tab so it will come up every time I open my web browser.
I would not have even known about the current situation at LWN if I didn't get a subscription reminder. The reminder email came this morning. I re-subscribed and bumped from the "Professional Hacker" level to "Project Leader" which doubles the cost. I also maxed the months out to 23.
For those not interested in why, read no further.
- I have been reading LWN (on and off) for about 10 years.
-DU-
Good news / bad news Posted Sep 10, 2009 18:09 UTC (Thu) by Marvin (guest, #43331) [Link]
I would appreciate a payment option for the LWN subscription that doesn't require a credit card or PayPal (for those of us who live in Europe).
Good news / bad news Posted Sep 14, 2009 13:48 UTC (Mon) by nye (guest, #51576) [Link]
What's the problem with PayPal for those in Europe?
For me the only problem using PayPal without a credit or debit card in the UK is the time it takes to do bank transfers because they do it by setting up a one-off Direct Debit and that takes about a fortnight. I was under the impression however that the banking systems in Europe were more sanely regulated such that making payments via bank transfers is far simpler. Does PayPal not take advantage of that?
Good news / bad news / new idea Posted Sep 11, 2009 13:16 UTC (Fri) by kragil (subscriber, #34373) [Link]
I know the editor is a busy man, but how about making articles purchasable? I would be interested in a option to buy early access to 50 articles for $25.
Generally I can live with with waiting one week, but sometimes there is that one article that I want to read really bad and I don't really know anyone with a subscription to ask (and being a shy geek I probably wouldn't anyway ;) This year it was Valeries history of BtrFS and the new article about BFS would be worth 50c to me .. maybe even more, but compared to $2.5 a month I think that would be fair.
And this debit model will bring money to LWN right away from people who only want to read a few articles a year early and maybe once people have paid some strange human behavior will make them buy more than they intended.
Worth to try I think.
Good news / bad news Posted Sep 12, 2009 14:14 UTC (Sat) by njwhite (subscriber, #51848) [Link]
I just upped my subscription to 'Project Leader' and extended my payment for 23 more months. Just got my first job in free software (web development, so not explicitly, but in practise for me essentially free software). I'm not on a high income but have the freedom that comes from being young with few attachments (mortgage, kids, etc.)
Personally I use an aggressively configured privoxy everywhere, and see ads as a non-sustainable long-term economic model. I'd suggest you don't go too crazy with them - it gives the impression of just another google-ads-bait 'content-heavy' website.
And I have no desire to buy lwn branded stuff. I have too much stuff already.
Just keep on writing great articles and you'll make it through alright. There are a great many people who feel strongly about the great work you do.
Good news / bad news Posted Sep 14, 2009 21:43 UTC (Mon) by Jorgen.Fjeld (subscriber, #1038) [Link]
I just replaced my project leader subscription with a new corporate
subscription for my company, to increase the monetary support for lwn, while providing our employees with a good source of news.
In that process we discovered that corporate subscriptions provide access
By request to lwn they offered a premium corporate subscription, that does
We at Veridit are now the proud subscribers of the premium corporate
If you have access through a corporate subscription and see advertisement,
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