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diff --git a/build/news-websites-are-dumpster-fires/index.html b/build/news-websites-are-dumpster-fires/index.html index 34b4ec3..55dc00b 100644 --- a/build/news-websites-are-dumpster-fires/index.html +++ b/build/news-websites-are-dumpster-fires/index.html @@ -1,44 +1,58 @@ <!doctype html> -<html lang="en" id="top"> +<html lang="en"> <head> <meta charset="utf-8"> <meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1"> <link rel="icon" href="data:,"> <title>News Websites Are Dumpster Fires</title> - <link href="https://bt.ht/atom.xml" type="application/atom+xml" rel="alternate" title="Atom feed for blog posts" /> - <style>*{box-sizing:border-box;}body{font-family:sans-serif;margin:0 auto;max-width:650px;padding:1rem;}img{max-width:100%;}pre{overflow:auto;}table{text-align:left;width:100%;}</style> + <link href="/atom.xml" type="application/atom+xml" rel="alternate" title="Atom feed for blog posts" /> + <link href="/rss.xml" type="application/rss+xml" rel="alternate" title="RSS feed for blog posts" /> +<style>*{box-sizing:border-box;}body{font-family:sans-serif;line-height:1.33;margin:0 auto;max-width:650px;padding:1rem;}img{max-width:100%;}pre{border:1px solid;overflow:auto;padding:5px;}table{text-align:left;width:100%;}.footnotes{font-size:90%;}</style> </head> <nav> - <a href="#menu">Menu ↓</a> + <a href="#menu">Menu ↓</a> </nav> <main> -<h1>News Websites Are Dumpster Fires</h1> +<h1 id="news-websites-are-dumpster-fires">News Websites Are Dumpster Fires</h1> + <p>2019-05-29</p> + <p>Online news outlets are a dying breed and many users have decided to consume information elsewhere. Why? Because the news industry has become a cesspool of anti-consumer and blackhat practices that has eroded trust for the sake of money.</p> -<h2>What news sites get wrong</h2> + +<h2 id="what-news-sites-get-wrong">What news sites get wrong</h2> + <p>I could write up an entire essay about all the shady practices that <em>most</em> news sites are guilty of, but here are just a few top level issues:</p> + <ul> <li>Clickbait headings with misleading information</li> <li>Disabling the user from reading if ad-block is present</li> <li>Tracking the user with 3rd party scripts</li> <li>Taking massive performance hits (specifically on mobile due to huge JavaScript blocks)</li> <li>Pop-up ads</li> -<li>Fixed headers or footers which leads to harder readability / accidental element interactions</li> +<li>Fixed headers or footers which leads to harder readability / accidental element interactions</li> </ul> -<h2>But they need ad revenue!</h2> -<p>If your business is solely dependent on tracking scripts, tricking users with clickbait titles and using archaic ads - then you're destined to fail regardless. These practices create an unsafe and unhealthy web for everyday users - not to mention most browsers have announced that future updates <a href="https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/kb/content-blocking">will be blocking ads by default</a>. <em>News outlets need to adapt or die</em>.</p> -<h2>What's the solution?</h2> -<p>I don't have a <em>fix all</em> band-aid to replace current revenue streams for news websites. I'm sure someone much smarter than I can come up with better ideas, but just off the top of my head:</p> + +<h2 id="but-they-need-ad-revenue">But they need ad revenue!</h2> + +<p>If your business is solely dependent on tracking scripts, tricking users with clickbait titles and using archaic ads - then you’re destined to fail regardless. These practices create an unsafe and unhealthy web for everyday users - not to mention most browsers have announced that future updates <a href="https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/kb/content-blocking">will be blocking ads by default</a>. <em>News outlets need to adapt or die</em>.</p> + +<h2 id="whats-the-solution">What’s the solution?</h2> + +<p>I don’t have a <em>fix all</em> band-aid to replace current revenue streams for news websites. I’m sure someone much smarter than I can come up with better ideas, but just off the top of my head:</p> + <ul> -<li>Switch over to a monthly subscription plan (if no one pays for it maybe you weren't as useful of a source as you thought)</li> +<li>Switch over to a monthly subscription plan (if no one pays for it maybe you weren’t as useful of a source as you thought)</li> <li>Partner with brands to create sponsored articles (without ruining the user experience of course)</li> <li>Place a larger emphasis on user donations or promotions</li> </ul> -<h2>The News Shouldn't be Spam</h2> + +<h2 id="the-news-shouldnt-be-spam">The News Shouldn’t be Spam</h2> + <p>Most traffic flowing into news websites are there for one thing: <em>the content</em>. News outlets should not be spamming their main revenue supply (<strong>the users</strong>) or misleading people with false information.</p> -<p>If you're a regular consumer of news and you happen to run across a platform that is guilty of any of these practices, shoot them an email explaining why you won't be returning to their website (unless they change their ways). These anti-consumer practices will only stop when these organizations start losing money.</p> + +<p>If you’re a regular consumer of news and you happen to run across a platform that is guilty of any of these practices, shoot them an email explaining why you won’t be returning to their website (unless they change their ways). These anti-consumer practices will only stop when these organizations start losing money.</p> <footer role="contentinfo"> <h2>Menu Navigation</h2> <ul id="menu"> |