The Inherent Silliness of Paywalls
Newspapers, in particular, adore erecting paywalls. Like their broadcast colleagues’ we were first to report mantra, they miss the mark. If it’s news, it’s reported elsewhere.
Add this open secret. These days, many / most headlines appear first in Twitter’s Trending section. Hours or a day later, traditional media gets a clue.
Some newspaper sites seem to believe their alleged top tier journalism merits fees as a reading requisite. These same clowns persist in gifting the national discourse with brutally idiotic phraseology, e.g.
racially insensitive- racially offensive
- racially charged
The truth mandates “racist.” When you can’t figure out that rudimentary reality, against a background of blatantly ignorant columns about Blacks, you guarantee this woman’s determination to avoid your paywall. Top it off with stagnant (!!) diversity numbers dwarfed by Trump’s cabinet, and you ensure my eagerness to spread paywall-avoidance tips.
What about other paywalled sites, without a history of obvious racist scribblings? Do I see moral implications in ducking the desired effects of a paywall? Nope. No one came to me when the site was under construction. Folks chose to go forward with the website, without my input. If we made no agreement on the front-end, I owe you nothing on the back-end. You chose to feed Google and other search engines. All you, boo.
Bottom-line: up to you to earn my patronage.
Conquering a Paywall, withOUT Hassle
A paywall, as implemented by most gimme-money sites, remains easy to circumvent. Switch browsers. Erase cookies in the current browser. Activate the browser’s incognito mode. And those are just the top three avoidance techniques. Turns out, the easiest mechanism of all remains stubbornly unknown to most. This one is best explained from a you-on-my-shoulder perspective.
I click a Google link, landing on an info-as-hostage screen. The text demands I subscribe if I want to read the article promised by Google. My curative response takes longer to describe than to implement. I:
- move the cursor to the URL address field (where you see the http:// or https://)
- situate the cursor BEFORE the http
- insert → outline.com/
- tap the return or enter key, or “go” button
The full article appears, absent distractions. In other words, ads and cruft disappear as pure eyeball-friendly text fills the screen.
Before the Conquer-Paywall Fix
Applying the OUTLINE.COM/ Fix
After
Paywalls Gifted this How-to Post
It’s never a good idea to antagonize your target audience.
This reader subscribes, with a smile, to worthy resources. Despite the service and product variations, all have one thing in common: each treats me with respect.
No popup punches me when I arrive at the site. That suggests security / confidence sourced in unique quality content.
No armed guard tries to prevent my nuanced review of the site.
An easy-to-locate Contact form invites my feedback, thanking me in advance.
Neither cliche nor stereotype infiltrates the writing. This suggests a diverse review board, Exhibit A of a commitment to excellence.
Treat me like you have good sense, and you’ll get my cents. Act like a no-clue ogre of privilege, and you’ll take center stage on a day’s ToDo List, e.g. 🔲 ?how to conquer paywall @ xyz.com?
No one bullies their way into my wallet.
What you give, is what you get.
Your view?
Very good blog post. I definitely love this website. Keep writing!