It's been one of the most innovative U.S. newspaper experiments I've seen in recent years and certainly one that has been extremely successful in getting its community involved:
Bluffton Today, Morris Communications' free home-delivered daily newspaper and citizen journalism Web site in Bluffton, South Carolina, about three years ago.
However, the weeks following Dec. 1 will show how strong the bond between the paper and its readers really has grown: Bluffton Today just announced that it will start charging for the printed paper as well as its digital replica edition. The other parts of the site (such as blogs and headlines) will remain free.
On Nov. 4, Joe Michaud or Aimgroup posted an analysis pondering whether this experiment is over, and whether Bluffton Today will become like other newspapers -- including its struggle to survive.
Perusing reader comments on the decision online, I noticed that the first reactions, predictably, were very negative. But there were also some encouraging comments from readers who are convinced that this approach works, and who urge their neighbors to support the paper because they want to keep it.
Whether the site will be able to maintain its role as the center of the community discussion without the free home-delivered paper is an open question. which just means that, once again, Bluffton Today is experimenting. The newspaper community worldwide will be watching.
From a European perspective, the broad discussion about how to price Bluffton Today is especially intriguing. The currently proposed price (25 cents Mon-Sat, 75 cents on Sundays) would be considered a bargain in most European countries. Over here, we typically pay 1 Euro (currently $1.27 USD) at the newsstand, or 25 Euros per month or more for home delivery.
