a bad move
after so many yrs of free online publication, vikatan publications is becoming a paid service. I don't know why they want to do this, after the zillions of ads and popups they have. given their existing reader base, I'm sure revenue generation through ads would be lucrative enough. instead of trying to utilize and expand this existing viewer base, they are getting more greedy and inturn shutting their doors on many people. and not all people are that interested in their stuff either, given to their pro-DMK stance.
I read some of their articles, simply because they are free. and many times I have clicked on their ads for online purchases, like calling cards. Now what do they expect, me becoming a paid member.... nice try. and I'm sure they ads are still gonna exist for the paid members too.
business model should be growth oriented, not money oriented.
atleast I'm happy that I can save some time by not visiting vikatan again. instead I find the blog world to be more informative and complete :)
10 Comments:
Pay-site is OK. But the timing isnt.
They have never offered anything other than what's normally found in the paper edition (correct me if I am wrong). Web offers certain benefits. Without exploring such avenues or even introducing non-regulars to their plans, to jump in on the paysite bandwagon is ridiculous.
My take is that they have seen enough NRI's registering that they think its worth a shot. WSJ runs a very succesful online subscription model where content is almost the same as the paper edition (of course with regular stock updates and stuff).
I think Vikatan will initially find takers aplenty and then the well will dry up and theyll introduce a dual-plan with some content free for all and premium content for paying customers.
the last i checked there were already 10,000 registered members- including yours truly(yeah that is correct, 10,000 paid members).
that comes to around 100,000 US dollars. not bad in two weeks,if you ask me.
vikatan for one has never been greedy. editor S.Balasubramanium would have thought many times over before deciding to go the subscription way.
I still remember his humble letters describing a mere 50 paise raise to anadha vikatan(print) due to a increase in the price of newsprint.
a year around subscription costs less than three starbucks grande lattes - i will take that without a blink.
hellboy, yeah you are right. 100,000 USD isn't bad and the subscription costs are less than $12 per yr, which is nothing. But what I think is, they can make even more, by not offering the service for a premium.
and I have also read those "humble" letters for cost raises.
hey, do you have a blog.
Pradeep, thats right. payment for an online service is justified only if they can offer some extra features.
Ranga, if vikatan maintains its current standard, paid users are going to soon complain. and what you predicted might come true too.
Saranyan, I agree with you. I used to read vikatan and kumudam on and off. Maybe it is a good move from their business standpoint, and I dont know if there would be many takers. I, for one, am not hell-bent on subscribing and reading it at any cost. But then, there would still be some folks who would'nt mind paying the small fee every month [especially people who bring their parents here]. Like you said, there are a lot of other interesting things to do on the net!
Archana
No paran, I don’t have a blog of my own. It is much easier for me to leave a comment here (either objecting or criticizing the post – this is very less though) and a comment there (appreciating –this I do most) with a masked identity than to come out and start, run a blog 24/7.
Something tells me that I wouldn’t do justice to the blog I start, like the way you guys do (effort, dedication wise…)
P.S:- Those letters sounded pretty humble to me. hope you didn't sidea odify me ;-)
When Hindustan Times can offer "premium" content after having to close multiple Shaadi.com windows (which never ever features me), I dont see a reason for Vikatan to hold back.
Hellboy, thanks for the compliments. give blogging a shot, we will support you :)
where are you and what do you do by the way. and I wasn't teasing you on the humble letters :)
Harish, how popular is hindustan times? try a premium membership on shaadi, that might do the trick :)
i was abt to blog abt this today... i never miss any vikatan articles, but that is just to get their view pt. and nothing else...
though the subscription is cheap, as u said, I think I can save lot of time by not reading that.. its becoming a decent version of Murasoli..
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