Bangkok Post Goes Pay Site?

[george]

The Bangkok Post Makes It Inconvenient to Read Its Online Edition

From: BangkokAtoZ.com

I was surprised today when I accessed the newspaper's web site and clicked on a story to read, only to be sent to a fairly lengthy registration page.

I was at first suspicious I was going to learn I would have to pay from now on, which I wouldn't do. So, after stidying the form, I went ahead and filled it out.

"So," you ask, "what was the story about?" But I can't tell you anything beyond the introduction because when I tried to log in -- repeatedly -- I kept getting a message telling me my username or password was incorrect. I finally clicked on the "New password" button -- and got sent right back to the registration page. Irked, I filled it out again anyway.

"Ah," you're no doubt saying, "so now you can tell me about the story!" Wrong.

It was the same thing all over again, except when I clicked the "New password" button and got sent back to the registration page for a third go at it, I thought "To heck with it, and with The Bangkok Post." And I closed the window.

I'm frankly suspicious of this move. For one thing, one question asks you what features you normally read -- and the choices include Bernard Trink's axed-for-six-weeks+ column, "Nite Owl." That doesn't speak well for competence. I last accessed the paper's web site within this last week and read some stories without having to do anything other than the previously normal click on the story link, so this is new, and someone should have caught that before putting the page into use. Now, as far as my own difficulties are concerned, the most likely explanation -- most likely by far -- is technical. But a remote second possibility nags at the back of my mind: censorship. I know the paper hasn't published but 2 letters from me in a long time -- and one of those had nothing to do with Thailand, while the other was a praising one. It wouldn't be technically difficult to have a database of names to block from registering. Again, this is a faint possibility -- but even faint possibilities are possible.

Whatever the explanation, this lowers my opinion of Thailand's leading (by circulation numbers) English language even further than the depths to which it had already sunk, especially after the axing of Trink. In my opinion, it's poor marketing to make it more difficult to access the web site; just think about how many people in other countries access it if for no other reason than the paper isn't available wherever they are, other than through an expensive foreign subscription. I know I'm strongly disinclined from ever even attempting to register again. There was an option to e-mail the web master, but I asked myself, "Why should I have to do that? I've already wasted enough time on a paper that has become largely pabulum, to my taste, anyway."

--BangkokAtoZ.com 2004-02-06

[Dah fahrang]

Same experience.

Irksome registration, simply to scan the next layer down from headlines.

No 'payment' window though. So, without credit card details, like you, I filled it in, and had same re-log on details.

So, another reader lost. B*ll*cks to 'em.

[davidm]

I had the same experience, so after registration, I went back to the regular front page, clicked on an article and was able to read it. This is probably preparation for charging people to read the Klong Toey Trader's articles. Waste of money, whatever they charge.

[joebuzzard]

The Nation is still free, and the archive goes back to 2001. The search engine is a bit wonky, as you can't use quotes as delimiters, which means you might have to sort through several articles to find what you're looking for. The Nation has a PDA channel, too, which I've set up to run on my Palm. If the Post were that convenient, I'd read it too.

[lamphun]

I gave up on the Online Post ages ago as the news stories were very selective. Gone to the dogs I'm afraid. It's a waste of time.

The Nation website is a bit slow but the journalism is much better.

If the nation would drop those boring American sports features and concentrate on football then I'd subscribe to the paper as well.

[Rinrada]

Just had a go at registereing on line with the Bangers Post and although a little bit of a dra....g its OK.Funny how you can miss the "old fart" Trink?

[markt]

Somewhere Bernard Trink is smiling methinks.....

[dr_Pat_Pong]

Somewhere Bernard Trink is smiling methinks.....

Old Bern is getting his punters to pay a subscription to read his contributions to world knowledge

[markt]

The Post's pension pretty lousy then?

[samran]

Prefer The Nation anyway...

[Pepe']

Same experience for me as well.

I know the Post is just "feedingpablum" but it interessting to see what the "children" are eating...

[Webby]

Ditto on the registration.

That’s my daily update out the window then, looks like I'll be going back to the snail mail system and picking my out of date paper from the local Thai shop.

This is truly a step backwards..... Are you listening BK Post?

Webby

[plachon]

I didn't even bother trying to register for the Post, as they did this without any consultation or pre-warning, as if readers' loyalty and opinions mean nothing to the autocratic suits on high in Post Publishing (revoltingly snuggled up close to the TRT gods, if you ask me). But I suspect, their real motive behind this move is to try and reverse flagging sales of the hard edition, by making it so hard to log on and register locally, that they imagine people will start paying 20 baht again on the newstands. Wrong dudes, at least as far as I'm concerned. They also, no doubt, want to use the opportunity of registering to "share" the details of subscribers with other commercial organisations who are often willing to pay top dollar for reader's email addresses to spam them. Was there any specific clause protecting subscribers from this loathsome practice?

[Axel]

Seems to be the trend of the time. Around the world newspapers and magazines switch to member- or paid-mode.

Perhaps understandably, they do invest a lot of money and people like me are reading for free.

Some publishers keep everything free for the current issue, should you wish to recall an older article however, you have to pay for.

Only one thing irritates me, friends send me articles from overseas, using a link 'send to a friend' and I do receive the link, not the article. Klicking on this, like South China Morning Post in Hong Kong, you are at the newspaper and requested to register. Nonsense!

[plachon]

Yes, Axel, you are reading for "free" up to a point, but like being handed a freebie newspaper in a European city, the publishers make their money from the advertisers, whose products and services you are then tempted to buy whilst trying to filter out some "news". There's no such thing as a "free lunch", but there are many convenient and open-access websites offering "free" news on SE Asia and the world, which the Post and their advertisers would do well to remember. I'm just using Thaivisa for local news and BBC/Guardian for UK / global news more now. Problem solved.

[marquess]

In my four years here, I have tended to read the post only for local news. The world pages are just a tad out of date. Once I have read the local news, it is straight onto the letters page; and on Fridays, it used to be Trink. Alas now there is little to recommend in the paper. It may well have fallen under the censorship axe

[mrentoul]

But I suspect, their real motive behind this move is to try and reverse flagging sales of the hard edition, by making it so hard to log on and register locally, that they imagine people will start paying 20 baht again on the newstands

I hope it doesn't last. No point in annoying loyal readers.

Sales are doing fine, as far as I know. Post Today, the Thai-language paper published by the Post company, is also doing surprisingly well.

It's not written in the style of other Thai dailies, which do not know how to write news stories yet (important stuff up the top please - save the guy's vehicle registration number, if we really need it, until the end).

In fact, one day I hope Post Today becomes a runaway success, big enough to employ everyone who works for the company (minus the farang, of course). When that day comes, they might think of retiring...

Oops. Can't say that. I'll be out of a job.

[alanw]

As of today you can still access the Post by going to www.7am.com.

I use this to access both The Nation (my favorite) and Bangkok Post.

Has a load of other newspapers as well, from all over the world.

Regards

[dr_Pat_Pong]

As of today you can still access the Post by going to www.7am.com.

I use this to access both The Nation (my favorite) and Bangkok Post.

Has a load of other newspapers as well, from all over the world.

Regards

Thanks for that link Alan. Very helpful.

[Up2U]

Will go that (7am) route.

tried to register - had to fill in form - was given my password by e-mail, as they refused to accept my usual one.

Then faced a price list that started at 990 baht, for which I had the privilege (?) of downloading about 20 articles. Can't remember the exact figures, 'cos I slammed the whole thing closed in disgust.