Comments on: New York Times Will Go Out of Print…Eventually

By: Alison W.

Alison W. — Fri, 10 Sep 2010 14:25:50 +0000

Most libraries don’t hold onto physical copies very long, they subscribe to databases for back issue access. Online access gives better search capabilities anyway.

By: marais

marais — Fri, 10 Sep 2010 04:00:32 +0000

I’m reading the NYT routinely these days precisely because it’s on my iPhone. I would have paid for the app, too, because I enjoy it so much. The articles, categorized, are easier to browse and select, IMO, compared to the cluttered website. Ads are creeping onto that tiny screen, however and I would be willing to pay for a subscription and have the ads go away.

And if you think you’re missing out on the full article when you read it online, the truth is that the printed version is limited by the physical dimensions of the paper. Online, there are no limits, only your willingness to scroll or click. It’s interesting to devour an engaging story online and then see it in print (days later) only to realize how long the story actually is. I think there is honestly more hope for long-form journalism online. In print, ad sales dictate the number of pages that get printed. If the ads don’t get sold, the pages (and stories) get cut.

Also, how cool is it to have all of that information in your pocket, at all times, whenever you have a minute and need to feed your brain?

Not missing printed newspapers at our house. Recycling is a lot less work these days.

By: Parker Cross

Parker Cross — Fri, 10 Sep 2010 03:11:25 +0000

I download the NYT crossword. The crossword subscription gives you access to about 20 years worth of puzzles, and since I specialize in Thursday puzzles, with occasional forays into Friday territory, it works great.

By: No Decaf

No Decaf — Fri, 10 Sep 2010 02:57:33 +0000

I can’t quite figure out what makes me uneasy about this. It’s got something to do with the absence of a set reference point. If there’s never a fixed, printed copy, how can I be sure in the future that the article I’m reading is the same one that first appeared? How will libraries hold copies?

By: karass

karass — Fri, 10 Sep 2010 02:54:43 +0000

The screen is too small for me! I know I can zoom in but then only part of the width of a line is in view. My human-powered hands and eyes can zoom a printed page in and out or scroll it back and forth faster and more accurately.

I’m fine with small screens for work or superficial reading but I don’t think they will ever bring me the pleasure of the printed page. I feel the same way about movies–the pleasure of seeing a movie in a theater is not duplicated for me on a living room TV, on a desktop monitor, on an airplane screen, or on a laptop. Newspapers have always been a pleasure I could count on, anywhere, anytime.
I’m doomed. I’m already mssing the old, longer, more in-depth versions terribly. If newspapers disappear entirely, I will mourn them forever, like home delivery of milk, diaper services, and the real Mr. Potato Head that used a real potato, not a plastic one.

By: No surprise

No surprise — Fri, 10 Sep 2010 01:11:56 +0000

Karass- get an IPhone. You can read in all those places. Especially the bathroom!

By: JB

JB — Thu, 09 Sep 2010 22:49:48 +0000

I’m excited to see what fills the void once print media goes away. Staring at a screen still has that negative ‘separation from real life’ connotation to it. You hear “get off that computer” much more than “put that magazine down”. Tablet devices seem to be the next step but I bet something more suitable for daily life is around the corner.

By: Tom L

Tom L — Thu, 09 Sep 2010 21:40:08 +0000

“We will stop reading the New York Times sometime in the future, date TBD,” he said to attendees of the International Newsroom Summit.

Here, fixed it for you.