As many avid readers of AdelaideNow would now have discovered, the 'so called' new era of news being bought to Adelaide is simply a load of crap to make us pay for crappy news stories, and shit loads of bloody advertising.
I could put up with the advertising, and the endless boring stories that sit on the pages for one or two weeks, but I will NOT pay to use this sub-standard news service.
Don't get me wrong, I don't mind paying when you get value for money, but I don't think AdelaideNow rates as a number one news service. Apart from the odd main stories - complete with woeful spelling errors and incorrect grammar - AdelaideNow had progressed into a mish mosh of New Idea / Woman's Weekly with a bit of news thrown in. In some sections, stories stayed there for one or two weeks.
Well, there is a light at the end of the tunnel.
The 891 ABC on-line Website supplies an excellent news service with heaps of local content WITHOUT all the crap advertising and cheap tabloid bullshit about what Kym Kardashian said to her hairdresser last Thursday.
The website is:
Give it a go, I think you'll like it.
Get Real
I've found the use of this icon varies day to day. Between Monday to Friday, it tends to be used on popular national news stories, but it really hits hard on Saturdays and Sundays, when there are obviously, more readers. In fact, I counted today's "icons"; so for Sunday 16th August 2015, there are 35 icons. You can't view these premium stories unless you've paid the associated cost to become a premium member. Another strangle hold on News Corp customers. What will we have in a years time? A double premium icon where you have to have a double premium membership fee to see some stories? I think I got the icon count right, because as I've mentioned before, stories (or links to the story) appear more than once on the "home page". You'll have a headline near the top of the page, then further down, will be a "most viewed stories" area, and likely on the right hand side, will appear some minor headline taking you to the same story. I sort of understand the idea of doing this, but in the end, it's a filler to take up space and make the physical news service page "bigger" than what it actually is. To make it look like you're getting better value for money, if you're a paying subscriber.
And can we please get rid of the crap "gossipy" sections of supposed "news". I don't care about Kim Kardashian and her hairdresser, or whether Sean Penn has broken up with so and so. If I wanted gossipy stuff, I'd go visit my parents and borrow my Mum's Woman's Weekly. I want news! And if good quality news was served up and didn't appear multiple times on one page, I might actually consider paying for it, but until then, I'll find ways of getting my news without any cost.
PS: I've found something new as well. If like me, you refuse to pay to receive news, go to the top right hand corner of the old Advertiser/Sunday Mail site, and you'll see NETWORK, click on this and it'll show you all the papers that come under the brand. You can actually click into say THE TELEGRAPH, and read news stories and it's not affected if you've read your limit of 5 news stories, so I read all the local stuff in my limit of 5 stories, then switch to The Telegraph to get Australia wide stuff, then maybe go to the Herald Sun for international stories. It's a few extra clicks, but hey, it beats the system. I use the Google Chrome Browser (and it probably works with Firefox as well), but if you highlight the headline of the story and right click, one of the options in Google Chrome is to search for that story (in a new tab). Usually within the first few results, you find the story on an alternative site. OK, it's a little more mucking around, but many times the new sites don't have all the full page 'splash' advertising that is now the norm with The Advertiser site. It may seem like a lot of mucking around but I find it so easy. I have my brekky and coffee and get to read all the news before going to work and in reality, the extra clicks and stuff add a minute to my searching. And like I said previously, I have no qualms paying for a decent news service, but AdelaideNow / Advertiser is not that. If you filter out all the 'filler' stuff thrown in to make it like like it's an exciting website, there's really not a lot of news in there. I know Adelaide's a small town .. err.. sorry.. city, but surely they can muster up more than they serve.
Also, another tip. In Google Chrome and Firefox, highlight (or select, it's the same thing), the story headline, right click to pop up a list of options, and you'll find Search for .... (whatever you selected/highlighted), and a new window or tab will open up with news stories from other tabloids that have that headline. In fact, I do this most of the time now. It's so easy, and I get all my news with very little effort.
I've tried the NineMSN and Yahoo7 sites, and they're OK, but they're filled with junk stuff .. well, junk to me anyway. If you want to follow the Royal Baby and other stuff relegated to weekly magazines, then they might be good for you, but I'm plain and boring. LOL, I like my news and want it plain and simple.
Get Real
Update 16/08/2015
AdeladeNow / News Corp have introduced a relatively new "Premium Story" option... for the want of a word. You will find that stories with a small coloured icon (usually on the bottom right hand side) can't be accessed with standard 'membership'. You have to be a paid member to view these stories. The icon looks like this example.
I've found the use of this icon varies day to day. Between Monday to Friday, it tends to be used on popular national news stories, but it really hits hard on Saturdays and Sundays, when there are obviously, more readers. In fact, I counted today's "icons"; so for Sunday 16th August 2015, there are 35 icons. You can't view these premium stories unless you've paid the associated cost to become a premium member. Another strangle hold on News Corp customers. What will we have in a years time? A double premium icon where you have to have a double premium membership fee to see some stories? I think I got the icon count right, because as I've mentioned before, stories (or links to the story) appear more than once on the "home page". You'll have a headline near the top of the page, then further down, will be a "most viewed stories" area, and likely on the right hand side, will appear some minor headline taking you to the same story. I sort of understand the idea of doing this, but in the end, it's a filler to take up space and make the physical news service page "bigger" than what it actually is. To make it look like you're getting better value for money, if you're a paying subscriber.
And can we please get rid of the crap "gossipy" sections of supposed "news". I don't care about Kim Kardashian and her hairdresser, or whether Sean Penn has broken up with so and so. If I wanted gossipy stuff, I'd go visit my parents and borrow my Mum's Woman's Weekly. I want news! And if good quality news was served up and didn't appear multiple times on one page, I might actually consider paying for it, but until then, I'll find ways of getting my news without any cost.
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PS: I've found something new as well. If like me, you refuse to pay to receive news, go to the top right hand corner of the old Advertiser/Sunday Mail site, and you'll see NETWORK, click on this and it'll show you all the papers that come under the brand. You can actually click into say THE TELEGRAPH, and read news stories and it's not affected if you've read your limit of 5 news stories, so I read all the local stuff in my limit of 5 stories, then switch to The Telegraph to get Australia wide stuff, then maybe go to the Herald Sun for international stories. It's a few extra clicks, but hey, it beats the system. I use the Google Chrome Browser (and it probably works with Firefox as well), but if you highlight the headline of the story and right click, one of the options in Google Chrome is to search for that story (in a new tab). Usually within the first few results, you find the story on an alternative site. OK, it's a little more mucking around, but many times the new sites don't have all the full page 'splash' advertising that is now the norm with The Advertiser site. It may seem like a lot of mucking around but I find it so easy. I have my brekky and coffee and get to read all the news before going to work and in reality, the extra clicks and stuff add a minute to my searching. And like I said previously, I have no qualms paying for a decent news service, but AdelaideNow / Advertiser is not that. If you filter out all the 'filler' stuff thrown in to make it like like it's an exciting website, there's really not a lot of news in there. I know Adelaide's a small town .. err.. sorry.. city, but surely they can muster up more than they serve.
Also, another tip. In Google Chrome and Firefox, highlight (or select, it's the same thing), the story headline, right click to pop up a list of options, and you'll find Search for .... (whatever you selected/highlighted), and a new window or tab will open up with news stories from other tabloids that have that headline. In fact, I do this most of the time now. It's so easy, and I get all my news with very little effort.
I've tried the NineMSN and Yahoo7 sites, and they're OK, but they're filled with junk stuff .. well, junk to me anyway. If you want to follow the Royal Baby and other stuff relegated to weekly magazines, then they might be good for you, but I'm plain and boring. LOL, I like my news and want it plain and simple.
Get Real
Yep totally agree "Adelaide Now" is "Now" Crap, may as well just go to yahoo7 at least that's free, I've made the switch to ABC also.
ReplyDeleteFirst thing i would do in the morning was to read adelaide now. Not anymore some articles i can read for free, others i can't. Very frustrating clicking on a heading not knowing if you can access it our not without paying. With all the the choices that can be googled for news, adelaide now website will be driving away customers in hoards. ABC looks the go!
ReplyDeletetrying to get me to sub and pay now, not using it anymore!
ReplyDelete