The end of the road revisited [LWN.net]

It has now been one year since we posted, in the July 25, 2002 Weekly Edition, the notice that LWN.net was to be shut down as a result of its financial problems. The staff had been working without salaries for months, and nothing we had tried seemed to work. It was a hard thing to face, but the only option we seemed to have was to pull the plug. As we said:

This has not been an easy decision to make, to say the least. But, barring some sort of last minute miracle (do contact us if you have one, please!), we do not see any alternative.

What happened then, of course, can only be described as a last-minute miracle. LWN readers started making donations at levels we had never seen before, and we decided to rethink things one more time. What we came up with is the subscription scheme which has supported LWN over the last year.

It is hard not to feel good about how far LWN has come. It is paying its bills (as long as we keep the bills small), and we are answerable directly to our readers. We have managed to make a number of improvements to our content and to the site; traffic is at an all-time high. In some ways, LWN looks more healthy than it has ever been. Certainly, we are glad that LWN did not shut down after all.

That said, it is important to note that the problem is still not completely solved. Salaries remain low, and money for things like travel to trade shows (important in this line of work) remains scarce. We also very much need to bring in one more editor to fill out the content and make it possible for the rest of us to take an occasional vacation. That editor remains a distant dream for now, however.

What we need to do, of course, is bring in more subscriptions. Recent changes have helped in that regard; the number of subscribers has been going up after a few months of little change. We are working at actively promoting the site - for the first time in its history - as a way of bringing in more readers. We'll get there. Meanwhile, we are glad to still be here. Many thanks to all of LWN's readers; your support for us over the last five and a half years has been amazing. Miraculous, even.

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The end of the road revisited

Posted Jul 24, 2003 1:44 UTC (Thu) by lonely_bear (subscriber, #2726) [Link]

I am wondering whether it is possible for you to open up a little bit of your operation process and show us the subscrition numbers. Like, how many individual and coporation subscribers do you have, etc. I think it is good for the readers to know. I have the feelings that it may help to increase your subscrition numbers, just a feeling.

Wish all the best for all staffs at LWN.

The end of the road revisited

Posted Jul 24, 2003 9:56 UTC (Thu) by nix (subscriber, #2304) [Link]

Er, subscription numbers are (intermittently) reported. (Every month or so; I can't see any point in reporting them more often than that, myself.)

A big thank you from me to LWN for giving me a reason to go through with the (in the UK, fairly annoying) process of getting a credit card :)

The end of the road revisited

Posted Jul 24, 2003 1:59 UTC (Thu) by twiens (guest, #12274) [Link]

I am very pleased that the LWN is still operating. I read LWN for some time before I finally subscribed and I'm very happy to have immediate access to the weekly edition. I can now keep up on the news quicker and easier than I could before. I would encourage others who read LWN regularly but haven't subscribed to do so. LWN is a great resource and thus worth paying for. I look forward to the time that the weekly edition will be mailed out directly. Keep up the good work.

The end of the road revisited

Posted Jul 24, 2003 2:42 UTC (Thu) by showell (subscriber, #2929) [Link]

Its time also to revisit our thanks for the site.

Our relationship has changed a little. I now pay so I expect something in return. As I continue to pay, you already have my affirmation that you do deliver.

Please keep ginving us this sort of article. I feel some pride to have been a small part in helping to keep this site "on the air." This builds a community feeling that reflects well on the whole OSS movement.

Content worth paying for...

Posted Jul 24, 2003 3:09 UTC (Thu) by arget (guest, #5929) [Link]

After a year of going month to month, I finally upped for a year in advance just a few weeks ago. Your detailed reports on kernel development, the wide lens of Linux and OSS issues covered, and the frank commentary are just a few things that make me read the site not just every week, but every day.

Thanks!

The end of the road revisited

Posted Jul 24, 2003 3:35 UTC (Thu) by euvitudo (guest, #98) [Link]

I would like to thank LWN (and all the subscribers) for keeping such a great site alive. Just as another poster stated, I also find that my search for Linux news is made much easier. I would also have to say that without the original content, LWN would be just another (howbeit more specialized) slashdot. In other words, I appreciate and look forward to the original content. Keep up the good work!

I would also like to ask if there is a way that we subscribers can provide free "official" advertisement for LWN (e.g., "For the best Linux news, subscribe to...LWN" or something, with a logo) on our own sites? Given that my site hardly gets any traffic, I think that providing the option for other subscribers' sites to provide free advertising may help the effort.

I know that I could already do something, but I think that an official endorsement would be nice. Just being able to say "I subscribe to LWN" on my site, with an official logo would be "cool". :^)

Any thoughts?

Thanks again!

--Phil

The end of the road revisited

Posted Jul 24, 2003 7:49 UTC (Thu) by beejaybee (guest, #1581) [Link]

Great idea.

Maybe anathema to some users, but I do occasionally sell stuff using eBay. It'd be great to have an "official" button which could be posted into the auction web form. i.e. so far as LWN is concerned, zero cost zero effort advertising into a wider market.

"Official" advertisement

Posted Jul 24, 2003 16:00 UTC (Thu) by amdias (guest, #6441) [Link]

Maybe we could use the LWN.net logo (the one that appears at the top left of every lwn
page) with a link to the main page and a phrase below that (like "subscribe LWN") with
a link to the subscription page.

LWN guys: do we have permission to use that image to that end?

Congratulations

Posted Jul 24, 2003 4:08 UTC (Thu) by jneves (guest, #2859) [Link]

Congratulations for the quality of reporting. It's unique in terms of quality and reliability. You've been a great content providers in a world where linking is the norm.

By the way, I received the August 2003 issue of LinuxJournal where LWN is part of the Editor's Choice.

The end of the road revisited

Posted Jul 24, 2003 6:13 UTC (Thu) by ekj (guest, #1524) [Link]

Thank YOU. It's been a pleasure having you around, and I certainly plan to do my part in making certain you stay for many years to come.

That said, I too would welcome more openness. It's nice to have an idea where the money goes. Some statement along the lines of:

We've got X subscribers, paying in total aprox $Y a month. We reckon for hiring the new much-wanted editor we would need to bring this up to atleast $Z a month, would be nice.

Nicer still would be some continously updated statistics on subscriptions and readership.

The end of the road revisited

Posted Jul 24, 2003 7:20 UTC (Thu) by ortalo (subscriber, #4654) [Link]

I'd like to have some thoughts for the other contributors who had to leave LWN staff last year (Dennis, Forrest, etc.). Surely, you must have some news of them, how do they do?

BTW, IMHO, there was absolutely no miracle in the LWN resurrection. Hard and good work sometimes pays, it's probably just that. And you did the work.

As a long-time LWN reader, I surely still owe you more than you owe me! As it seems that debt will keep going, so I won't forget to pay my bill this year. :-)

Rodolphe

Why we need to support LWN

Posted Jul 24, 2003 8:15 UTC (Thu) by tomsi (subscriber, #2306) [Link]

The recent events (ie. SCO's antics) has shown clearly why we need LWN.
Until recently, I was only reading LWN for free, but the good coverage done
by LWN on the latest development on SCO prompted me to become a subscriber.
I then found out that I also read the Weekly Edition more thoroughly than
before. I guess the reason is that we work in a field where one week old
news is no longer interesting...

Thanks for the good work.

Tom

Why we need to support LWN

Posted Jul 25, 2003 8:36 UTC (Fri) by pauly (subscriber, #8132) [Link]

> I guess the reason is that we work in a field where one week old
> news is no longer interesting...

??
We use to print the weekly edition and pass it around; it ususally
keeps circulating for about 3 weeks before someone finally dumps it ...

Cheers, Martin

The end of the road revisited

Posted Jul 24, 2003 8:18 UTC (Thu) by PhilHannent (guest, #1241) [Link]

Can I make another suggestion, increase the period that you can subscribe for, 12 months is OK but 24 or 36 would be better.

It would help you out as you can see long term subscribers and help me out as I will not have to worry about checking up on it each year.

Great site by the way.

The end of the road revisited

Posted Jul 24, 2003 11:55 UTC (Thu) by lacostej (guest, #2760) [Link]

I completely back up this idea. I would definitively pay upfront for 24 months.
And you may also define a lifetime subscription worth let's say 6-8 years (or perhaps less).

I am sure some companies would be happy to make that investment.

The end of the road revisited

Posted Jul 25, 2003 2:41 UTC (Fri) by zander76 (guest, #6889) [Link]

Ya don't thanks us. You guys who have worked with or without salaries to deliver the best site on linux deserve all the thanks. Infact the best resource i can think of.

Many thanks to everybody who have made LWN possible.
Ben