I'm not only a newspaper journalist but, not surprisingly, an avid newspaper reader. That said, there is a pile of unread weekend newspapers sitting in my living room. In those all too brief moments of total down time, I find myself gravitating to the Web rather than picking up a newspaper. I'm still reading but it's blogs and various Web sites (including those of newspapers). But I'm also blogging, checking e-mail, listening to music and finding the answers to all those mysteries that pop into my head during the week (i.e. is Walter Matthau still alive, how many goals did Cam Neely score with the Boston Bruins; can I get a cheap pair of Crocs on eBay). Have, heaven forbid, newspapers lost their appeal? Probably not but I think it suggests they must change to adapt to the Web's growing presence. Whether it's blogs and podcasts; stories and features that leverage print and the Web, or print-only stories that cover what something means rather than what happened, newspapers must change their stripes....and soon. Of course, the Web has been an ongoing conundrum for newspapers because they have yet to find a financial model that can let a Web site successfully co-exist with the print product. Is the right model online subscriptions that such as the Wall St. Journal provides? Can advertising/AdSense provide newspapers with an online ROI? Do newspapers need to get into the business of providing customized and targeted news services to individuals willing to pay a subscription fee for timely and relevant information? Lots of questions and lots of answered questions.
 
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