15 Minutes in the Morning:
From all I’ve read, it sounds like Wirecutter and Sweethome were steadily increasing their revenue over the years as the ad-supported content business has been slowly burning down. Brian doesn’t lose money if readers use ad blockers to protect their bandwidth and security. His team of writers are paid well for their work. Even the NYT is reporting losses year after year from advertising so it’s a smart move to bring Brian’s sites into the organization and explore other options to support great tech journalism.
I don’t think anyone gives Brian the credit he deserves
I think the sites are amazing, using them on a regular basis, but I don’t think the sale itself is. Actually, the sale makes me worry what The New York Times will do to make changes to suit itself, rather than its readers.
Agreed that it is a worry what could happen to the site, but then I look at something like the Cooking section of the NYTs and I think, “Yes, they can do good things on the net.” http://cooking.nytimes.com
I’d fear that all recommended products will now be from companies with advertising at the NYT.
One piece missing from the article — and it points to the trust readers have with the writers on his site — the comment section of each article. It’s one of the few places where the comments are actually usefully and many times, insights provided by readers get folded into the article. Rare in this day and age to avoid a troll war, let alone get ideas/content from readers to further make your brand better.
They still have advertisers?
Agreed.
The sites will be fine, otherwise they’ll be worthless. The Times knows this.
I’m more interested in how the Times will use the approach on their own products where applicable.
I wish I was as optimistic as you.