Friday, September 5, 2014

Considering a Newspaper

The downside of the internet are the speeds available for downloading data. Most of that data is graphics, video, podcasts, movies and annoying ads in the side bars. And a few words. Then there are a few sites where a voice starts chatting or music starts playing when landing on the site. For those developers there is special place in hell.

The internet has become my source for news. I have several news apps on the iPad. One of those was the USA Today app. It is now gone. Why does every story have to have a video attached. Occasionally it is simply a photo. It was rare when there wasn't some graphic associated with the article.

I remember the days when words were the way to communicate via the internet. I understand the occasional need for photos and graphics, but most times words will relate the news -- or the information.

I am considering going back to reading a real newspaper rather than getting the news online. The positive about reading a newspaper is that the ads don't get my attention. On the internet sites, the ads pop up and interfere with my reading. I have no idea what the pop up ad is telling me that I need. I just search for the cancel/close button so I can continue to read the story.

I want words. I don't want pictures. Perhaps the direction of video and graphics is symptomatic of the education crisis that is bemoaned by many people. Could the advertisers and sellers be appealing to the intelligence and education of the audience. Might they be addressing an elementary school educated audience. In those early grades it was picture books with few words. Just saying.

Then there are the up or down icons to click if the reader likes/dislikes the internet article. The "clicker" doesn't have to think about their click. If they had to put their thoughts into words (less than 140 characters), they might not be so sure about their decision to like or not like. Or is it even worth the time typing a few words.

Enough of this ranting. I am off to find a newspaper.



Regarding who uses the internet bandwidth. According a CNET article Bots now running the Internet with 61 percent of Web traffic.

4 comments:

  1. I go to the local library to read a paper. It gets me out and about as well as sometimes meeting somebody fun to visit.

    ReplyDelete
  2. I seldom run videos to save on my Verizon data totals, and hate it when I open a site with things running, blinking, etc. Also, I recently read that every time you "like" something, it's logged onto your cyber file (or wherever they put these things). I don't like all this tracking of our activities. No more "likes" for me.

    Lucky you, enjoy your paper! :)

    It's really nice to spread out the paper on the kitchen table with coffee cup nearby and read the local news, too. And do the crossword. Not living in a specific area, local papers aren't attractive to me right now, but when I settle somewhere, I'll subscribe again, too.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Ever try readability? Gets rid of those pesky things, like adds and you can choose a font you like etc. I can't do without it!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. My choice for an RSS collector is Feedly. There are no ads while reading the Feedly presented material. Sometimes heading off to read the site is when I end up seeing ads popup.

      There are a couple of online Front Range Colorado newspapers that I read. That is where I frequently see ads popping up in the middle of an article.

      Delete

Anonymous comments are no longer allowed. Regardless, comments are appreciated. Sometimes there may be a response from Wandrin Lloyd. Sometimes not. Regardless. Thanks for stopping by to share your thoughts. Leave a comment or send WandrinLloyd an email. Note: Ads disguised as comments will be deleted.