Web 3.0 & NYT (Part 3)

Web 3.0 Framework discussion

Context
Some NYT sites have very good contextual nuances. If you want to know how much calories you are taking in when you are having your favorite chocolate ice-cream or how much calories you have burned by jogging for 15 minutes in the morning or if you are looking for some low calorie diets then Calorie-Count.com is the place.

If you are looking for doctor comparison reports or nursing home comparison reports then UcompareHealthCare.com is the place for you. If you are looking for an antique poster or some news clip then NYStore.com could be of great help.

If you are planning to buy the latest plasma TV this Christmas and are confused about which one to buy, don’t lose sleep just read up on the great product reviews and comparisons on ConsumerSearch.com.

Content
New York Times and NYTimes.com have the distinct trademark of the absolute highest quality content in most categories it covers. Boston Globe and Boston.com also have good content. About.com’s content is, relatively speaking, of lower quality.

Community
NYT was slow to start integrating Community features in its sites but it has made-up lost ground and some of its sites have decent community features. Calorie Count has forums and allows users to participate in discussions and network with friends with similar tastes and interests. NYT has introduced a number of blogs like ArtsBeat, Bats, Bits, The Caucus, DealBook, Screens, etc. However, the community features are nothing outstanding.

For example, the Company could consider integrating forums, reviews and ratings by users or networking among users to decide on the best products or services. Similarly, UcomparehealthCare can also add community features wherein users can “rate” or “grade” physicians, hospitals, and nursing homes. Discussion forums can be added to make it more interesting and users can express their opinions and advise other users.

Commerce
NYT earns transaction revenues on products sold through NYTStore.com, Boston.com and https://www.about.com/shopping/. The Company used to earn subscription revenues from TimesSelect, the fee-based product on NYTimes.com but recently it has made the service free. Times Reader, the offline digital version of the New York Times, is available for a subscription of $14.95 a month or $169 a year.

Personalization
Calorie Count Plus has some personalization, but otherwise, the portfolio is pretty thin on personalization features.

Vertical Search
Calorie Count Plus enables users to search by food, activities, recipes, forums and opinions. UcomparehealthCare allows users to search for doctor by name, by specialty or browse doctors in different states. UcomparehealthCare allows users to search for hospitals, fertility centers, nursing homes, etc. About.com in partnership with Indeed.com allows users to search for jobs by job titles, key words, city, zip code or state.

Business Model
NYT earns revenues from advertisements, subscriptions and transaction revenues. Majority of the advertisement revenues comes from the three sites NYTimes.com, Boston.Com and About.com. NYT earns subscription revenues of $2.99 per month for its mobile news services. Times Reader subscription charges are $14.95 per month. The Company also earns revenues from various products and services sold through NYTStore.com, Boston.com and https://www.about.com/shopping/. Partnerships such as that with Monster.com are revenue sharing deals.

(To Be Continued)

[Part 1] [Part 2]

This segment is part 3 in the series : Web 3.0 & NYT
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