While the web site and the print version of the New York Times both
fundamentally share the same mission of seeking to inform the reader,
the methods of use enabled by the technologies employed are quite
different. As a result, at least at the present time, the reader's
use of the versions are typically distinct.
The print version provides the news for a particular day that a set of
editors judged was worthy of being printed that was available at a
particular point in time. It is extremely portable, disposable, and
readable under a wide range of circumstances, including the absence of
electrical power and a variety of lighting conditions. The print
version can be held in many different ways, and take on various shapes
as the user manipulates it. It can be obtained in a variety of ways,
including by home delivery, at a newsstand, and in newspaper boxes.
Assuming it is not purchased via subscription and is paid for in cash,
usage can be anonymous. It is not possible to read headlines from
more than one to two pages at a glance, so it is essentially
impossible to rapidly gain a sense of the complete contents of the
paper quickly. No additional technology is required to read it, it is
easily recyclable, and can be readily shared among individuals in
close proximity to one another.
One can tear out articles to save them and make notes in the margins,
but such captured text is not machine accessible or searchable in
paper form. The web site allows users to e-mail articles to other
users, facilitating the dissemination of their contents in a way that
is much more difficult with their paper version. Furthermore,
articles are typically segmented across at least two separate pages
and mixed together on a single page, whereas one views a single
article at a time on the web site and the text is not deliberately
separated across multiple pages unless there is simply too much to
display on a single screen. In addition, color is much cheaper and
more frequently used on the web site than it is in the printed
edition.
The web site offers a number of advantages compared to the print
version while also having some disadvantages. The web site can be
updated continuously, and can "publish" material much more cheaply
than the print version, allowing both more news and "fresher" news to
be made available to the reader. Unlike the print version,
corrections and additions to articles can be made easily, whereas
corrections must be made in a future printed edition. A device is
required to view the web site, which requires a power source and often
requires specific lighting conditions to function well. An Internet
connection is also required at some stage in the process, either
real-time or as a method for downloading the contents of the web site
to a device.
Currently available devices lack the tactile and readability benefits
of the print version. They are generally not considered to be
disposable, and in many cases are quite expensive. Their displays
cannot be folded or otherwise manipulated in the way the print version
can be. On the other hand, devices create the potential for storing
annotations and searching for articles with specific subject matter,
along with capturing articles in a machine accessible form for future
use.
The web site allows the user to quickly gain access to any part of the
"paper," and allows the user to link from one article to other
articles with related content. An online archive allows the user to
view articles from many time periods, not just a snapshot of time
contained in the print version. Most of the advertising present in
the print version is absent from the web site, or can be blocked using
appropriate software. Access to articles requires the reader to
login, and at least captures an IP address even if a fake login is
used, so reader anonymity is much more difficult to maintain.
For many readers, the printed version is viewed as being more formal
and serious than the web site, and perhaps is viewed as being more
authoritative, particularly among readers that view the Internet with
a certain amount of disdain. The design of the web site is intended
to allow the user to quickly identify specific articles that might be
of interest, whereas the printed version is better suited for complete
immersion in a day's news. Although one could accomplish the same
goal using the web site, today's devices have sufficient shortcomings
that few people would want to attempt to read an entire edition of the
New York Times on them.
As devices improve and wireless Internet connections become more
ubiquitous, it may be possible that a web site version that more
closely matches the printed version while maintaining the benefits of
the web site version will emerge. Such a concept was presented in the
movie "Minority Report," where breaking news materialized on the front
pages of the "newspapers" carried by commuters.
Sincerely,
Wonko |
