The New York Times

The first thing I noticed on the New York Times Homepage was the fact that “All the news that’s fit to print” was missing from the site. It’s such a small detail, but something that I have come to expect when reading the printed paper.

The main headline on the page was “Sprinting So Far, Kerry Faces a Marathon”. I clicked on the link and discovered that you have to be a member of nytimes.com in order to access any of the stories. I was sent to a page that informed me, it is free to be a member, and it’s as easy as 1-2-3. Plus, for members there are exclusive Web-only features, etc.

Thankfully, I am already a member, so after logging in, I was sent back to the homepage. At the top, I have my member center. One of the benefits to being a member, I was able to access archived articles, which I have gotten prompts to pay for before.

The site had an interesting banner ad for the NY Times Knowledge Network. College students could write an essay on civic engagement for the “Student Perspectives” essay contest, and win a $200 gift certificate to Barnes and Noble. (Would this be considered cross-promotion?) Since this was an interesting topic of our online discussion, maybe someone from class should apply.