The Quote
“People are paying on the Web (for publications such as) The Wall Street Journal; it has established value….We believe people will pay for content and experience that they value.”
Editor John Temple, as his Pierre Omidyar-funded Hawaii news start-up names itself Honolulu Civic Beat — and announces it’s a $20-a-month paid community-focused site.
“….that ignores why people pay for the Wall Street Journal, which is not just that ‘it has value,’ but that it has scarce value that helps people make money now. I don’t recall similar information being covered in the normal civic square. In the meantime, I’m sure there are plenty of local community sites for Honolulu already. Why would people want to pay extra to join just one of them?
Mike Masnick, Techdirt