Newspapers' Failures Online

Pity the poor papers! With more people than ever claiming to receive their daily news via the Internet, is it any wonder the papers have gone online and experimented with every available electronic gimmick? Some are successful, although the last bastions of subscription-only services are falling soon with the NY Times and Wall Street Journal opening up. For an online look at online flops by papers, read this special article at the Editor and Publisher website.

I like the attitude shown by one paper's editor:

Still, veteran Web spinners such as Jim Brady, washingtonpost.com's executive editor, understand the need for online operators to hit some snags and stumbles if they truly want to succeed. "Failure isn't to be feared on the Web, it is to be embraced," he says. "If you are not failing, you are not stretching as much."

It's a good example for today's celebration of Positive Thinking Day!