The newspaper is expected to announce in coming weeks that it will institute a metered pay plan in which readers would have access to a limited number of free articles before being invited to subscribe, according to a report in New York magazine that cited sources close to the newsroom.

I can tell you right now that their circulation will sink like a brick if they actually go through with a plan like that. I consider the NY Times to be one of the better newspapers, so I’m not happy to predict their downfall. Unfortunately, I believe that will be the case if they implement a pay wall.

I propose a much more consumer-friendly strategy, one built to survive the gauntlet of internet publishing.

1. The New York Times must cease production of their print version. This move alone would save a significant annual sum by taking printing and distribution costs out of the equation.
2. Unique content, quality unique content is the most important key to the paper’s success. This means they need to stop running syndicated stories from sources like the Associated Press, in favor of content produced in-house. They need to hire more reporters, columnists, the whole nine yards.
3. The third and final step is to move to a model similar to the one Envato uses for their Tuts+ sites. Much of the content, such as news articles, should be freely accessible, with additional content available for a nominal fee. One idea would be to charge for some of their editorial columns. Another would be to cover more local news, and charge for the access.

Well, that’s the approach I would take in their situation. Unfortunately, traditional media companies rarely see things with the same wisdom as digital advocates.

My major complaints are:

• No comments. I often disagree with articles (or find errors), and I like to leave a note. “Dead-tree” publications rarely allow you to post comments on their sites, and in the rare cases when they do they tend to be heavily moderated.
• Bad design. The web is not paper. You can’t treat a website like a newspaper/magazine. That means no “between-page” ads, and no newspaper-style front pages. Print design is not the same as web design; so if your publication is going online, hire someone who knows how to design for the web.
• Subscription content. You’re not going to get very far online if you make people pay a subscription to view your content.
• Lack of links. When “traditional” publications sites mention websites, they pretty much never link to the actual sites. Often they don’t even list the URL. Hoarding PageRank is just stupid.