Newspaper's online edition - how to make it better?

One never knows when something which we take for granted can so easily disappear from your life. Few years ago, I had the luxury of holding a newspaper in my hand every morning and poring over it. Now I don’t. Sometimes I hold the newspaper in my office but only can see the pictures and relate to the news. The only time I get a newspaper in a language which I can read is when I go out of country. The online editions of newspapers have become my lifeline so it is only proper to devote one of my posts to online newspapers.

Almost all print newspaper/magazine have their internet version as well. They seem to have very happily integrated both the online as well as print edition in their business model. But sometimes I feel that there is lot more to be desired from those wonderful print newspapers in their online avatar. So, what is the difference between an online version and print version for those newspaper companies? What should be their USP for online version?

If we look at customers then they are not always mutually exclusive. There are people like me who read only the online version and people like my father who would never check the online version and there are people who do check both the online and print version. For a country like India, I think people who read print version would be far more than those who read online version.

From the business point of view advertisements appearing in print edition would have far more reach and hence more valuable. But online version doesn’t lag far behind this. It is only the online version which gives the leverage of targeted customer. For example, when I open the website of any Indian newspaper the advertisement are of money remittance facility, air fare deals, calling card or hotel reservations. The same space would be used for different advertisements like government advertisements, etc for a reader in India. So though the reach is less, I am pretty sure the advertisements are more effective in online version.

By above, we can say that a newspaper company can't afford the online version to play a second fiddle. I think there are many ways to make the online edition more effective.

For start the online version should contain all the news items, analysis, reviews, op-ed pages in full. It may not be possible to keep everything in the main page but neat, easy and clear links could be given for those pages. Most of the newspapers don’t put the local news in online version which is found in print edition. This is wrong. I would very much like to know what is happening in my home town everyday, irrespective of whether I am visiting that place or not.

Secondly for the newspapers to attract those who read their print edition to read online edition as well, updating the site with latest news would work wonders. The news in print edition can be updated only once per day, but no such limit exists with website. I have found many newspapers severely lacking in this aspect.

Thirdly an online version gives easy method of searching for some particular news and also the archives. This greatest advantage of internet adds more value to online edition and also enticing for readers.

Fourthly, the online versions give the unique advantage of putting comments for each and every article and thus lead to a healthy debate. This could also become one of the star attractions of online edition. Most of the present online edition fare very badly on this count.


There can be many other ways to make the online edition more attractive but then this post has already become long.