From 14d227d46a2177a8928333894252d6299f531097 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001 From: Bradley Taunt Date: Mon, 27 Nov 2023 12:25:51 -0500 Subject: Trying to render posts all at once --- posts/news-websites-are-dumpster-fires.md | 34 +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ 1 file changed, 34 insertions(+) create mode 100644 posts/news-websites-are-dumpster-fires.md (limited to 'posts/news-websites-are-dumpster-fires.md') diff --git a/posts/news-websites-are-dumpster-fires.md b/posts/news-websites-are-dumpster-fires.md new file mode 100644 index 0000000..e16e99a --- /dev/null +++ b/posts/news-websites-are-dumpster-fires.md @@ -0,0 +1,34 @@ +# News Websites Are Dumpster Fires + +2019-05-29 + +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. + +## What news sites get wrong + +I could write up an entire essay about all the shady practices that *most* news sites are guilty of, but here are just a few top level issues: + +- Clickbait headings with misleading information +- Disabling the user from reading if ad-block is present +- Tracking the user with 3rd party scripts +- Taking massive performance hits (specifically on mobile due to huge JavaScript blocks) +- Pop-up ads +- Fixed headers or footers which leads to harder readability / accidental element interactions + +## But they need ad revenue! + +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 [will be blocking ads by default](https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/kb/content-blocking). *News outlets need to adapt or die*. + +## What's the solution? + +I don't have a *fix all* 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: + +- 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) +- Partner with brands to create sponsored articles (without ruining the user experience of course) +- Place a larger emphasis on user donations or promotions + +## The News Shouldn't be Spam + +Most traffic flowing into news websites are there for one thing: *the content*. News outlets should not be spamming their main revenue supply (**the users**) or misleading people with false information. + +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. -- cgit v1.2.3-54-g00ecf