Ads on mobile news sites can be ugly and annoying. Just look at these examples. With iOS 9 and a recent enough iPhone you can install ad blockers. I expect that a similar solution is available for Android. I have no idea about Windows phone users. However, many sites now detect ad blockers and prevent […]
Category: Paid Content
07
Jun 2014
Why services like Gaana will lose to Apple
Sushil
Content Distribution, Internet, Paid Content, User Experience
No Comments on Why services like Gaana will lose to Apple
Gaana, an Internet music broadcasting service based in India, recently added videos and lyrics to songs available from the service. Shazam, a music identification service, also integrates videos and lyrics for songs that people identify, or “tag”, with the app. The two services have implemented these features in different ways, and one of them is […]
28
May 2014
I want the news, and I’m willing to pay for it
Sushil
India, Internet, Newspapers, Paid Content
No Comments on I want the news, and I’m willing to pay for it
Recently Times Internet Limited (TIL) updated its music streaming service Gaana, adding features to the Web and mobile apps. TIL put out a press release about this change, and what happened next says everything that is wrong with Internet news today. As articles started showing up in news feeds, after the second or third one a […]
04
Sep 2012
It happened! (For real, this time)
Sushil
Content Distribution, India, Internet, Paid Content
No Comments on It happened! (For real, this time)
Back in May there was a lot of talk about the what and the why of the rise of mobile versus desktop Web usage in India. But then people seemed to stop paying attention. Well, it went from a flirtation then to full-on penetration now, as the chart below shows. Does this mean desktop is f**ked, or […]
Sushil
Newspapers, Paid Content
No Comments on Not news: news sites plagiarize press releases verbatim
Very often I read a news article and I’m struck by the writing style or language in the story because it is so out of character for the site. Now it’s not news to me or to you that mainstream media and bloggers often republish press releases as an original news article, but one recent […]