To the point: quality costs
Even after the initial media hype has died down, everyone is talking about the iPad. In publishing circles, there is a firm belief that Apple's new gadget will make it possible for the first time to earn money with editorial web content. I believe this too, but there are still some important points to consider.
The first danger is that free apps are thrown onto the market in a rush - just to be part of it - in the belief that they will then be charged for at some point. Do the publishers really believe that this is realistic? The example of the Internet should actually show everyone clearly enough that this is not possible. Once free - always free, it's as simple as that.
If you look at well-made, paid media apps like Spiegel, Iconist or Paris Match - to name just three examples - you quickly realize that the effort required to regularly feed them with content is very high. I'm not talking about the technical effort here, that's actually within reasonable limits. I'm talking about the editorial effort. It's not just about having good stories, they also have to be optimally prepared if you want to charge money for them. The quality has to be right. The traditional Internet picture gallery for clicking through with any stock photos or blurred reader photos does not meet these requirements. Blurred films and shaky news reports may work in the free world of the Internet, but in the higher-quality world of the iPad, they just seem clumsy and cheap. Nota bene, this also applies to the text. Online texts that are unfortunately often very sloppily written in the daily battle for time may be appreciated in the fast-moving Internet world, but they are immensely annoying in the relaxed media usage environment of the iPad.
It is naïve to believe that such high-quality content can be produced on the side at low cost. Only media companies that already have access to good photos and moving images will be able to develop apps that media consumers are willing to pay for. Let's not forget, the free world of the Internet is just a finger's touch away.
But all this costs money. Depending on the case, even a lot of money. To be able to refinance these costs, the corresponding number of buyers is needed. Finding these in the small Swiss market will only be possible if the content is really good and cannot be found anywhere else for free. Not an easy prerequisite.
Pierre C. Meier, Editor-in-Chief
[email protected]
If you look at well-made, paid media apps like Spiegel, Iconist or Paris Match - to name just three examples - you quickly realize that the effort required to regularly feed them with content is very high. I'm not talking about the technical effort here, that's actually within reasonable limits. I'm talking about the editorial effort. It's not just about having good stories, they also have to be optimally prepared if you want to charge money for them. The quality has to be right. The traditional Internet picture gallery for clicking through with any stock photos or blurred reader photos does not meet these requirements. Blurred films and shaky news reports may work in the free world of the Internet, but in the higher-quality world of the iPad, they just seem clumsy and cheap. Nota bene, this also applies to the text. Online texts that are unfortunately often very sloppily written in the daily battle for time may be appreciated in the fast-moving Internet world, but they are immensely annoying in the relaxed media usage environment of the iPad.
It is naïve to believe that such high-quality content can be produced on the side at low cost. Only media companies that already have access to good photos and moving images will be able to develop apps that media consumers are willing to pay for. Let's not forget, the free world of the Internet is just a finger's touch away.
But all this costs money. Depending on the case, even a lot of money. To be able to refinance these costs, the corresponding number of buyers is needed. Finding these in the small Swiss market will only be possible if the content is really good and cannot be found anywhere else for free. Not an easy prerequisite.
Pierre C. Meier, Editor-in-Chief
[email protected]
