From dc6db80fa72286704849ef61ee0e5ccb5841cb09 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001 From: Bradley Taunt Date: Tue, 2 Jul 2024 14:28:49 -0400 Subject: Conversion to barf for testing purposes --- .../2019-05-29-news-websites-are-dumpster-fires.md | 37 ---------------------- 1 file changed, 37 deletions(-) delete mode 100644 _posts/2019-05-29-news-websites-are-dumpster-fires.md (limited to '_posts/2019-05-29-news-websites-are-dumpster-fires.md') diff --git a/_posts/2019-05-29-news-websites-are-dumpster-fires.md b/_posts/2019-05-29-news-websites-are-dumpster-fires.md deleted file mode 100644 index 3edb0ba..0000000 --- a/_posts/2019-05-29-news-websites-are-dumpster-fires.md +++ /dev/null @@ -1,37 +0,0 @@ ---- -layout: post -title: "News Websites Are Dumpster Fires" -date: 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