Is it really The End? [LWN.net]

Is it really The End?

Posted Aug 1, 2002 8:04 UTC (Thu) by pointwood (subscriber, #2814)
In reply to: Is it really The End? by jcurious
Parent article: Is it really The End?

Yearh, where is that subscription page - I can't seem to find it anywhere? :p

Why release the latest newsletter each monday? Why not release it when the next version is released. That will also make it more attractive to pay subscription - just like reading yesterdays newspaper - it's just not as interesting as todays newspaper.

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Is it really The End?

Posted Aug 1, 2002 14:11 UTC (Thu) by fdesloges (subscriber, #291) [Link]

I totally, 1000%, agree with this.
Delaying for 1 week (or 2) is the right balance:

- There is still value in the weekly edition after a week or two
for people who simply can not afford to subscribe (thanks to its
unbelievable editorial/analysis quality).

- The reader definitely feel it would be worth to subscribe if he knows
that he could be reading _this_week_ edition instead of last week.

- It maintains Thursday as the greatest day of the week, whether you
subscribe or not (do not underestimate the power of that ritual :-)

An other point to never forget: the other goodies that you plan for the
subscribers may be cool, but your readership keep telling you that they
come back week after week and are a willing to pay for a single thing:
high quality editorial and kernel analysis that you already do perfectly.

Please do not commit the mistake of diluting your talent on something
you're not certain your readership will value. Concentrate on your
acclaimed core skills, your readership will support you forever.

Thanks for the unbelievable work

:-)

Hmmm, by the way, you keep saying that we guys are the best. I personnaly
think that we are just a bunch of weak bastards in fear of seeing our main
source of reliable information disappear. And this is perfectly Ok ! What
_would_ have been outstanding is donating you so much money just because
you're great, that you would never had the chance to threaten us !

But I think this a good lesson in socio-economy: the same way the GPL
forces us behaving in a unnatural way for our own benefit
(natural == immediate self-interest), a good subscription model
forces us to give you the ressources needed for our own benefit too !
Dumb human beings like me are way too short-sighted to do it
free-willingly...

Is it really The End?

Posted Aug 1, 2002 20:30 UTC (Thu) by shaddai (guest, #1662) [Link]

If they delay the weekly edition for non-subscribers to one week late, but keep it on the same day, it may not upset the non-subscribers' schedule enough to make them actually subscribe. If they have to read it on a different day, it just might convince them that Thursday's just aren't the same with out LWN.

And count me in for a subscription, no matter how expensive it is (I'll find a way to go all the way up to $120/year).

-shaddai

Is it really The End?

Posted Aug 1, 2002 17:25 UTC (Thu) by stonedown (guest, #2987) [Link]

I think delaying the weekly edition to nonsubscribers for a week is a great idea. And it needs to be made clear to the reader that they are reading last week's edition. If they want the current one, then they can get it by subscribing.

Also, I think you need to make it clear to nonsubscribers that subscription revenue is what keeps LWN.net going. That their support is needed, in order to ensure the continuation of the web site. So not only does subscribing get them some additional bennies, but it's the *right thing to do*.