Here is a link to the full story , and I could not resist putting an excerpt from the story here, “”We’re starting small, so if this really turns people off, we’re not playing with a huge chunk of our readership,” Schreiber told the Times, reflecting a commonly-held fear among publishers of scaring away readers and losing advertising revenue.  

This small start will only involve charging readers outside the local area and only for reading obituaries, as these are unique to the paper, Schreiber said, adding that local sports might be the next area targeted.”

A green “Press+” logo will appear next to each obituary headline, and after reading a certain amount of such articles, a user will be prompted to pay a flat fee to continue.

Here’s my question, how long are most obits? Is it really a good idea to charge folks who already might be a little bit down about the loss of a friend, family member etc. to read the full obit? Are we really so monetarily driven in this day and age that we have to charge for someone to read a full obituary to help print newspapers stay alive?

Question: Are people going to be creating Twit-obits to save loved ones the expense?

The bigger question is also whether overall this will even work since so much information including news etc. is so freely available on the Web?

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• Some News Outlets Ready to Try Charging Online Readers (nytimes.com)
• Meet the Elite Vanguard Attacking Free Content [Print Is Dead] (gawker.com)
• Memo: Journalism Online To Publishers: ‘No Longer If But When And How’ (paidcontent.org)

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As a print journalist from many years ago I can tell you that had it not been for newspapers I would not be a working writer today. The chops you get from working on a very tight deadline and with very stringent editors leave you with a writing practice that is unassailable for the rest of your life.

Not everyone is ever going to be online and it’s short-sighted to just think we can continuously do away with print media. What’s really happening when we’re doing that is we’re also increasing the ever-growing digital divide in our country and this hurts everyone. Access to news about your community, your state, your government should be available to everyone and should be well-vetted and written by journalists who write because they love the truest part of being a journalist.

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1. Your reticence to join the conversation.

2. Your scarcity-based fear that if you contribute to the conversation, something bigger and better will steal it away.

3. The real need for you to occasionally put one foot in front of the other, and step outside in the real world to see how utterly amazing and unique people can be.

4. Your insecurity about whether or not your thoughts matter. (Tip: They do.)

5. Your fears of being too old to learn new tricks and too old to keep up with the young folks. (Tip: You’re never too old to learn new things and the young folks will make the world a better place the more they learn how to use social media for good. And there is a place for everyone on the Web – check out sites like TeeBeeDee.com or BoomerCafe – you’ll find your crowd too.)

6. Your need for instant gratification. (It’s a marathon on the Web 2.0 track, not a sprint.)

7. Your insomnia unless you find fellow insomniacs on Twitter (which make the sleepless nights go by faster.)

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One of the goals of all these Web 2.0 tools should really be to initiate, uplift and enlarge the world at large. From a technology journalist’s standpoint, that’s where the real stories are still to be found,  how we can reduce the digital divide everywhere and lift us all to deeper understanding of how to tap all these tools for real purpose in the world.

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Here’s an excerpt from the article, “The ultimate demise of the campaign demonstrates either how quickly social media can galvanize a groundswell of opinion or how much power over online discourse they can give a few vocal tastemakers with outsize weight.”

See this link for the Motrin response.

The two reporters on the story really did a superb job of capturing what all “the tweets” were about!

While Moms are at it, can we do something about the Volkswagen Routan TV campaign with Brooke Shields that implies women are purposely getting pregnant just so they can own a Volkswagen van? Did one woman beside the spokesperson work on this campaign? The humor falls flat and after awhile it just seems utterly offensive.

Not to mention the van is actually a joint venture between Volkswagen and Chrysler, will be built by Chrysler and is based on Chrysler’s Town and Country Minivan.

We actually did drive a Ford Windstar when my kids were young, but wanting to own a van is not what inspired me to have my first child!

Speaking of vans, I’m smiling as I type this because my favorite skit on Saturday Night live was always the one where Chris Farley did his “van down by the river” schtick.

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“Popular business blogger, entrepreneur and author most recently of the bestselling TRIBES, Seth Godin’s new book (the title and subject are not being disclosed yet), again to Adrian Zackheim at Portfolio, for publication in early 2010, by Lisa DiMona at Lark Productions.”

I have to say I really like the Web, blogger, social media focus that Portfolio is at the forefront of publishing. Superb and savvy.

When I leave the Web completely I’ll be working on a book titled, “Un-Netted” but here are the problems I will have in getting it published:

1. No platform if I leave the Web
2. No expert thought leadership notability (if I leave the Web and this blog behind.)
3. No dutiful followers on Twitter, Facebook, and whatever will come next – because I will leave all them behind as well.
4. Book Expo America – nope, I’ll skip the trip to New York and the crowds. Just will be hanging around Austin, TX.
5. Social media friends – nope! Will have to learn how to sell the book to other PTO moms who haven’t seen me at a meeting in five years.
6. Online glamour pics and snarky commenting on other blogs – nope. Won’t miss it.
7. Climbing the social media clique wall – nope. Pretty much scaled it and found it littered with folks that weren’t even on the Web in 1996. Hmm, Seth was though.
8. Vanishing ego and all hope of fame. Priceless!
9. Taking your kids to school without twittering. Joyful. (ok, I probably can work on this one now and not Twitter as often.:>)

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For three months add all those newsletters, ezines, YOUR NEXT BIG Chance in Publishing Teleseminar offerings to your junk mail list. Let me be clear, I’m not targeting any particular teleseminar, I’m just telling you – urging you – pleading with you to get off the tele-merry-go-round. There is nothing they can tell you that you won’t be able to find out once your book is written. If your book is written – there is nothing they can tell you about how to start pitching it to agents.

If your book is published, you can spend two really fruitful hours on the Web by finding a book that is most like your book and doing Google searches for every place that book is featured. Voila – you’ve just built your first media target list, so you don’t need that teleseminar to tell you how to build your outreach list. Ah, another hour saved for you to spend pitching your book instead of listening to the “masters”.

STOP THE TELESEMINAR MADNESS.

In the summer my family puts our TV in storage for one month in the garage. You cannot imagine the time we have to ponder our navels, a great literary work, or just spending that time with the sheer joy of hearing one another breathe.

I’m urging you for this New Year to stop scurrying around from teleseminar to teleseminar and spend some time just pondering your work, your creativity and how you’re going to successfully blaze your own publishing trail.

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Kayser also recommends Carol Dweck’s book “Mindsets”. “She has an interesting take on this – attributes it to a Fixed vs Growth mindset. Fixed mindsets have a “no-go too much effort mindset.

And then Steve went on to detail brilliantly below the differences in Fixed vs. Growth. Kayser, “I know someone like that — and will use his responses an an example.”

1. Yes, I’m happy to send several review copies out and allocate money in my marketing/pr budget to do so.

FIXED: NO, sorry. Too much work. My work speaks for itself. If you can’t see that… then you’re dumb because, of course, I’m smarter than you.

2. Yes, I’m happy to learn more about the Internet and authentically converse with other book enthusiasts via web forums, listserves, blogging (your own or commenting on other blogs), and online book clubs.

FIXED: NO. I’m not happy. That requires too much effort. You want me to participate … as in be a real human and converse? HOW PEVERSE!

3. Yes, I understand there is a long road ahead once the book is published and great authors are committed to running a marathon with their book, not just a sprint.

FIXED: Uh … Long road? Obviously you don’t understand the gravity, nor have the gravitas of a discerning reader. (Besides, Marathons are really long and hard … I ran one once.)

4. Yes, I know that often it’s more valuable for me to reach out to people personally and let them know about the book instead of hiring a giant PR firm to fax blast or e-blast a ton of folks and hope something sticks.

FIXED: Uh… No. Again. I’d have to get down into tactics, hands-on stuff. I have more important things to do – like polish the Ivory in my tower.

5. Yes, I can talk my Mom into at least two copies and my company or board or golfing pals to buy 500 more books.

FIXED: Could you show her my book? Or could you show my Mom my book – so I don’t have to … it’s undignified.

6. Yes, I’m willing to do interviews at the time that works best for the journalist or reporter interested in my work (even if it’s not the most convenient time for me.)

FIXED: No. I’m too important for that. MY time is the RIGHT time. Any other time is an inconvenient time

7. #6 – Read it again.

FIXED: No thanks. Too hard.

8. Yes, I believe in my book and after many months of labor I commit to the care and long-term sustaining of this new addition to my life.

FIXED: Who said I was going to labor for months. I was thinking more like days

9. Yes, I will commit to getting folks on my enewsletter, relatives in Alabama or people I ride the train with to review my book on Amazon (and yes, I’ll remember when asking to still convey that I want real reviews, not inauthentic ones.)

FIXED: I’ll take the inauthentic ones as long as they’re good. I’ll delete the bad ones and then have bloggers surreptitiously and Strumpette-dly attack the reviewer. (MY FAVORITE OF COURSE)

10. Yes, I will be a published author, but I still will be kind, and recognize that my book does not mean I can be a pompous ass to others who have not published books.

FIXED: NO – be kind? Then someone would think I was a schlepp and the world doesn’t revolve around me … and they’d be wrong!

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