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An experiment in local news publishing

By Howard B. Owens

You know us over here at The Batavian, we're always willing to experiment.

There's been a few publications recently, such as Wired Magazine, that are offering versions of their online editions without ads, or with fewer ads, to paid subscribers.

We thought we would give that idea a try.  

Here is a version of The Batavian without ads for you to try.

You can take this survey and let us know what you think.

If you have any questions, you can e-mail me at howard@thebatavian.com. Also, let me know if you run into any technical glitches.

Anticipating one question I know the will come up: The main site, The Batavian, will remain sponsor supported and free.  

barb king

I have no problem with the ads on this site. It REALLY irritates me when I visit The Daily News and have to deal with that survey question. That forced survey just makes them look petty.

Feb 18, 2016, 6:42pm Permalink
Ed Hartgrove

I agree with you, Barb, about the ads on this website.
As for the "forced survey" on the Daily News site - Who, pray tell, do you believe is forcing you to deal with it?

Feb 18, 2016, 9:06pm Permalink
Kyle Couchman

The style of ads here on the Batavian aren't as intrusive as some I have seen, and they are all local and My personal belief is they are great in promoting LOCAL business rather than non local. I would vote to keep them if any survey was considered...

Feb 18, 2016, 11:57pm Permalink
Howard B. Owens

I appreciate the feedback ... keep it coming. It's nice to read comments from people weighing in, especially confirming what we've believed to be true.

Kyle, we're not going to change the model for The Batavian. We do get a lot of positive feedback about the ads. We often hear from our sponsors about the great response they get from their ads. It's definitely a model that works. The fact of the matter is though, I could use more help. So I'm always experimenting on trying to find ways to make more money. We can only go so deep into the well asking local business owners to support this venture, so I keep trying experiments -- like we did with The Batavian Club -- around generating reader support. That's what this experiment is about, jumping on trends I see going on elsewhere in the industry.

Meanwhile, support our sponsors and let them know you do. Thanks.

Feb 19, 2016, 6:10am Permalink
Ed Glow

Everybody also has the option of installing a free add-on to their web browser to control the ads they see. "Adblock Plus" is the most popular one and it can be configured on any browser easily to block or allow ads at each individual website you visit. Ad blockers even got a mention in the survey if you chose to participate in it.

It doesn't cost me a penny to view "thebatavian" or any other website without ads if I choose to, and "thebatavian" I see using Adblock Plus looks entirely different than the ad-free link provided above. What I see looks exactly like the original site except it shows links to all the ads on the sides instead of graphics.

Nothing wrong with trying to make a buck but providing a link to what I'd call the worst case scenario as an example seems a bit underhanded. Yes, it was stated that the link is "one version"... revenue guided journalism at its finest. Called an "experiment".

Feb 19, 2016, 6:49am Permalink
Ed Hartgrove

Howard: You wrote, "So I'm always experimenting on trying to find ways to make more money."

Not for nothing, but, there's always "pizza delivery".

Feb 19, 2016, 8:25am Permalink
George Richardson

Boy Ed, you are a fine example of a good Christian Republican Soldier. Keep up the good work and vote for Trump, the man who asks: "Who da hell is Jesus Christ to tell me I am not a Christian? A looser, dats who."

Feb 19, 2016, 9:07am Permalink
Lori Silvernail

I also like the look of the current version of The Batavian much better. Like someone above said, I too, click on the advertiser's sites quite often looking for deals, menus, and such.

Feb 19, 2016, 11:30am Permalink
Tim Miller

Ads in the current layout, as already noted, are very unobtrusive. They are still very useful and available, but nothing obnoxiously in-your-face.

The ad free version of the site was less interesting from a visual sense. I suspect that is due to the current version having years of visual layout adjustments while the ad free version is, well, Version 1.0.

I pay for a Batavian membership even though I do not live in Batavia, but I doubt I'd pay for the ad free version.

Feb 20, 2016, 8:03am Permalink

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