Online Newspaper

It was only natural and expected. When nearly every product or service known to man has gone online, it was only a matter of time before we started seeing online newspapers. After all, the newspaper is nothing more than an informational resource. And the Internet is probably the very best (not to mention fastest) information delivery channel ever invented by man. So an online newspaper, far from being a strange concept, is actually a very justifiable one. One wonders why it took so long for them to begin making a presence in the first place.

In the earlier days of the Internet, when the reach of the technology was limited and when websites cost a great deal more to set up and maintain, online newspapers were considered to be an unviable option. Which is why most newspapers had just a nominal online presence. There was also the gloom associated with the threat that online newspapers would spell the end of printing as we knew it. Since most newspaper publishers made their money from the offline versions of their newspapers, they were unwilling to embrace online newspapers. But the transition was inevitable. Once more and more people started going online, they demanded newspapers that they could access online. Most of the news was already available online in some form or the other. And unless newspapers too went the online way, they would lose their readers to more adaptable competitors. Which is when there was a flurry of activity and online newspapers made a big entry.

Since then, there has been no looking back. Online newspapers are as much a part of our daily lives as the Internet and e-mail are. In fact, some e-mail service providers like Yahoo and MSN provide their own versions of online newspapers, delivered right to your inbox. And although publishers of newspapers are still loathe to provide free news, online newspapers have ore than begun to pay for themselves. All of this started with the emergence and steady acceptance of transactions on the internet. Once people started getting used to the idea for paying for information and content, they found no harm in paying for an online newspaper subscription. And once publishers realized that people were willing to pay for online newspaper content, they began promoting it in a better manner. Online newspapers also offered publishers the option of reducing their costs. For each offline newspaper, there was a substantial printing and raw material cost. By comparison, online newspapers could be distributed almost freely and the profits were greater.

I personally subscribe for at least four online newspapers. And going by the depth of coverage, speed to market (or my inbox) and the value for money they provide, I am pretty sure that I will continue to subscribe to them for some time to come!