I’ve been reading The Wall Street Journal for years, before it was online, in color, or ad-supported. It’s been fascinating to watch this grand old paper change with the times, and I’ve not yet had any negative reactions to the things it’s had to do to stay competitive.
But there’s a new man in charge at the Journal now, and I got my first real taste of the new rule this morning when I went to wsj.com for the first time. There, before I even hit any content, was a full-page, click-through Flash ad from HP. Ugh. It feels like the beginning of the end, but in reality, the writing’s been on the wall for a long time now. There’s no such thing as a free lunch, and if Rupert wants the Journal to ditch paid registration, it’s full-page ads (and worse) from here on out. I just wish there were a better way to monetize these things….