Last Updated on June 19, 2015 – 12:31 PM CDT
You’ve probably noticed we’ve added something new to the Moore County Journal. As of Thursday, the website now has a paywall in place that requires readers to subscribe after reading two posts for free each week. We hope our readers will consider the product we’re providing is worth $7 a month and subscribe.
So why did we do it? The Moore County Journal is a business, and as a business it has to generate revenue. We’ve been in operation less than a month, and the page views are in the thousands each day, an indication that readers like the product we’re delivering. You keep coming back, and new readers join us every day.
It takes a lot of work to gather the news that goes on our website, and it’s a seven-day a week job.When a fire destroyed a warehouse just outside Dumas’ city limits, we were the only ones to cover it. It was a Saturday, and other news organizations took the day off. Unfortunately, news doesn’t take the day off. Also, it’s our goal to do more than regurgitate the minutes of a government meeting because who wants to read that? We hope to explain what the various governing bodies are doing, and that takes quite a bit of time asking questions and tracking down the answers. We also want to feature the people who make Moore County an interesting and great place to live, so you’re given features alongside the hard news stories.
The Moore County Journal isn’t a bulletin board. It’s a news site that is developing into a product where you can access all the information you need about what’s happening in the county. In the three weeks we’ve been in operation, we believe we’ve proven the quality of the work we’re putting out for public review is consistent. The thousands of page views each day tell us people are enjoying the product.
So, frankly, in order to continue to provide this news service, we have to generate revenue. We will sell advertising, but we hope you’ll consider subscribing, And we hope you’ll understand how much time goes into researching and writing each story that’s published on the website.
The numbers show we’re moving quickly toward our goal of being the No. 1 source of news in Moore County. As we generate an income, we’ll be able to provide an even better product. Our web designers charge $125 an hour, and the law forbids us from selling our kidneys, so we have to cover those costs somehow!
Thank you to every person who reads the Moore County Journal. We’re overjoyed when we see the page views go into the thousands each day. We’re grateful each time someone goes to the site to check us out.
We hope everyone keeps coming back — with $7 in hand!