Should I Be Paying To Read Content?

Journalism's Business Model
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It's a bit discouraging to click through to a promising article, and find it's behind a paywall.  I could fork over the subscription, or I could move on.  Save for one laughable accident, I've never signed up for a subscription after hitting a paywall.  But, I subscribe to publications that have recently implemented paywalls.  What, then, would it take to jolt me into clicking the 'subscribe' button?

First, here's the media I pay for, in countdown format:

10. My local newspaper -- News, but does have some opinion I find distasteful.
9. Time -- I usually don't read a lot, but occasionally I do more than skim.
8. The New York Review of Books -- Exposes me to tastefully written, deeper reading.
7. The Atlantic -- (my brother pays for this)  I read most James Fallows material.
6. Mother Jones -- (online donations); I read most everything Kevin Drum blogs about.
5. PBS - (anonymous subscription via United Way) -- I watch the occasional program.
4. Radio Paradise -- (occasional donation) the music station I like.
3. NPR - (anonymous subscription via United Way) - Informative, entertaining.
2. The New Yorker -- Sophistication; and stylistic perfection.  Follow the cartoons.
1. The Washington Monthly -- Innovative public policy that's usually fresh and on-point; online, I read most everything by Nancy LeTourneau and Martin Longman.

So, what would it take to get me through a paywall?  Well, a sense that not only is the information vital, but that I identify with method and content.

'Content' will, of course, appeal to some and not others.  Innovative 'method', though, is something that could possibly enable a brand new journalism.  Here's what I mean:

What if you felt passionately about online media?  Like you do about your favorite musical group?  That's content.  But what if you were a fan of the Grateful Dead, for example, as much for their music as for their openness to fans recording concerts, or for their life philosophy?  That's method.

If I were an online publisher with journalistic tendencies, I'd be looking into methods that excite my readers.  Maybe:

 * Promoting volunteer content generators to full-time employees; a pipeline to generate content, while making readers and commenters feel included.

 * Sharing soon-to-be-published stories with volunteer readers, who'd sign up for posted topics, then be part of a closed social media give-and-take the day before publication, followed by a few hours to craft interesting comments.

* Comment curation done by volunteers competing to advance up an influence 'ladder'.

Coupled with fresh, thought-provoking content, this outreach to a more participatory reading experience would begin with the promise of possible earnings (graduated, to encourage a long-term presence).

Instead of mere acknowledgment and swag (see this story about a college-age quiz master volunteering for BuzzFeed; also, this overview), content providers would feel they were helping construct something unique, with a very high ceiling if they applied themselves.

Use an algorithm to promote talent that most consistently identifies group 'consensus' as well as publisher's 'final say' opinion.