Daily Sun online

[dewilson58]

Can you sign-up for online only?


Cost?


What do users think??..................Easy to move around?? All stories?? Advertising on the pages like the paper version??


Thanks




(haters need not reply)

[M2inOR]

In a word, no.

I met with a manager/editor of the newspaper asking why there isn't an online edition of the newspaper.

I travel a lot, subscribe to several newspapers, and all have a complete online edition. There are web formatted stories, and even a replica edition, showing each page of the newspaper as it appears on print.

This is something the Daily Sun has discussed internally. The manager even asked if I would speak to the issue with a video request. At one of the lifestyle expos in December, I did exactly that, and the video and my contact info was circulated within their business office.

In that video I showed how the New York Times, the WSJ, and my local Portland Oregonian all did that. Print subscribers get both digital and printed papers with their subscriptions. Some get digital only, which saves the newspapers money since they don't have to deliver the newspaper. Printing and delivery are some of the highest incremental costs.

Who knows, someday it may be offered.

All that said, the subscription cost for the paper is extremely low.

[dewilson58]

In a word, no.

I met with a manager/editor of the newspaper asking why there isn't an online edition of the newspaper.

I travel a lot, subscribe to several newspapers, and all have a complete online edition. There are web formatted stories, and even a replica edition, showing each page of the newspaper as it appears on print.

This is something the Daily Sun has discussed internally. The manager even asked if I would speak to the issue with a video request. At one of the lifestyle expos in December, I did exactly that, and the video and my contact info was circulated within their business office.

In that video I showed how the New York Times, the WSJ, and my local Portland Oregonian all did that. Print subscribers get both digital and printed papers with their subscriptions. Some get digital only, which saves the newspapers money since they don't have to deliver the newspaper. Printing and delivery are some of the highest incremental costs.

Who knows, someday it may be offered.

All that said, the subscription cost for the paper is extremely low.




Thanks for the info.


I'll drop them a note in support of online.

[Velvet]

I asked also. I get my newspapers, all of them, online. When I called The Daily Sun I was told there is not enough readership at this time to warrant the cost. I use the paper version under my canvases after reading.

[champion6]

This is an interesting discussion. Keep this factoid in mind ... the Daily Sun is building a new printing plant in the new industrial park near Coleman. Hmmm, they seem to be focused on print, not digital.

[tophcfa]

I hope they never go on-line only. I really enjoy going out in our birdcage and sitting in my lounge chair, next to the pool and reading a printed paper. The glair from the sun makes it very difficult to read my iPad when sitting outside. I also very much look forward to the Recreation news in print every Thursday. That sits right next to my chair in the house until the next weeks version comes. I check it almost daily to determine which sports pool has good lap swimming times available so I can schedule my days activities. An online version would be nice when not at the Villages, but I really like having a printed version in my driveway when I wake up each morning.

[RandyS]

As a long-time subscriber to 'E' (Electronic) USA TODAY (over a decade) and former subscriber to (electronic editions of) AZ Republic / Seattle Times and even little ones like the Sumter Co Times, The Villages Daily Sun is an ideal paper for an electronic subscription.

The low subscription price has no bearing on not wanting an electronic edition.

There exists two software programs for electronic newspapers:
1 - Olive - used by USA TODAY & Seattle Times
2 - TECHNAVIA - used by AZ Republic
(Olive is superior in my opinion)

Randy S Mitchell
The Villages, FL

[Drdoug49]

Most newspapers offer both versions. For a snowbirds it offers an easy way to stay on top of things during the time they are away and would be a bonus to the newspapers advertisers as well

[Bridget Staunton]

Sun is a paper with nothing more than advertising. Worse paper I have ever read

[Michael Charles]

The Daily Sun employs many individuals. From the executive staff to the folks that bag the papers and sometimes double bag for delivery (they arrive at the plant around 3a.m.) in inclement weather. I briefly worked there and I was very surprised how much work goes into the production and the distribution. Writers submit the articles, editors edit, salespeople sell ads, staff work to place those ads in the pages, shipping & receiving staff work hard to receive 50 plus rolls of paper M-F, they also receive all of the many pallets of inserts that go into the paper, the staff that sort those inserts then the printing staff who actually run the massive printing presses, the maintenance staff who keep those presses running, they used 2 warehouse with 4 forklifts, they recycle lots of various paper products from the entire process, they have 4 small trucks to deliver various other publications that are delivered from Palm Coast down to Melbourne, over to Sarasota, Tampa and Land 'O Lakes. This is a very large yet small newspaper/printing company. The ads they sell pay ALL those wonderful people. IMHO if The Daily Sun goes digital, a lot of wonderful people will lose their jobs. One more thing, the owner of the paper makes a decent return on their investment while providing a lot of decent paying jobs with very good benefits.

[CFrance]

The Daily Sun employs many individuals. From the executive staff to the folks that bag the papers and sometimes double bag for delivery (they arrive at the plant around 3a.m.) in inclement weather. I briefly worked there and I was very surprised how much work goes into the production and the distribution. Writers submit the articles, editors edit, salespeople sell ads, staff work to place those ads in the pages, shipping & receiving staff work hard to receive 50 plus rolls of paper M-F, they also receive all of the many pallets of inserts that go into the paper, the staff that sort those inserts then the printing staff who actually run the massive printing presses, the maintenance staff who keep those presses running, they used 2 warehouse with 4 forklifts, they recycle lots of various paper products from the entire process, they have 4 small trucks to deliver various other publications that are delivered from Palm Coast down to Melbourne, over to Sarasota, Tampa and Land 'O Lakes. This is a very large yet small newspaper/printing company. The ads they sell pay ALL those wonderful people. IMHO if The Daily Sun goes digital, a lot of wonderful people will lose their jobs. One more thing, the owner of the paper makes a decent return on their investment while providing a lot of decent paying jobs with very good benefits.
I disagree with the last part. I believe the people who get the printed paper would stay with that, while those of us who travel so much would pay to subscribe to the online paper, adding more jobs.


You can't even sign up for or suspend the paper online, and that would cost little or nothing to provide.

[dewilson58]

IMHO if The Daily Sun goes digital, a lot of wonderful people will lose their jobs. One more thing, the owner of the paper makes a decent return on their investment while providing a lot of decent paying jobs with very good benefits.




If companies don't evolve, they die.


Blockbusters
Polaroid
Toys R Us
Borders
Compaq

[Tall4mom]

Really love the Daily Sun! Well organized. Lots of local articles. I enjoy the puzzles etc too. Just a good read!
Have never like online newspapers.

[aallbrand]

Can you sign-up for online only?


Cost?


What do users think??..................Easy to move around?? All stories?? Advertising on the pages like the paper version??


Thanks




(haters need not reply)

I would not support this paper. They charge advertisers rates that are 3 time higher then need be and that results in higher cost to readers who buy those products and services .

[dewilson58]

I would not support this paper. They charge advertisers rates that are 3 time higher then need be and that results in higher cost to readers who buy those products and services .


Two things:
(1) (haters need not reply).....................you missed this.


(2) advertisers must see value, they keep spending their money.


:clap2:

[WindyCityzen]

The Sun is not a newspaper. (I was a journalism minor.) It’s a marketing tool that reflects the personal biases of the owners. That’s their right, but I won’t abet their work. I too have online subscriptions to three true newspapers. Print news is dying. They must either evolve or die.

[ColdNoMore]

Sun is a paper with nothing more than advertising. Worse paper I have ever read


YEP...:agree:

[TheWarriors]

The Sun is not a newspaper. (I was a journalism minor.) It’s a marketing tool that reflects the personal biases of the owners. That’s their right, but I won’t abet their work. I too have online subscriptions to three true newspapers. Print news is dying. They must either evolve or die.

Just please don’t say one of your unbiased subscriptions is to the New York Times.

[tophcfa]

If companies don't evolve, they die.


Blockbusters
Polaroid
Toys R Us
Borders
Compaq

Don’t forget the post office, but they are surviving with the support of taxpayers.

[CWGUY]

Don’t forget the post office, but they are surviving with the support of taxpayers.

:ho: United States Postal Service - Wikipedia (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Postal_Service) :oops:

[jh214]

Can you sign-up for online only?


Cost?


What do users think??..................Easy to move around?? All stories?? Advertising on the pages like the paper version??


Thanks




(haters need not reply)

I asked about an online version because I am away from my home in TV for months at a time and they said it wasn’t available. That is why I cancelled my subscription to Consumer Reports, they stopped their online version. Too bad

[graciegirl]

But then it wouldn't be the Sun. I don't fault the placement of all of our activities and the not too rowdy views on the world.

I wish it would be more in the style and the sophistication of the New York Times with the lovely bias that fits this place and most of us..

[M2inOR]

An online edition will not kill the paper version, if, a big if, there is a subscription charge for the online version too.

A big part of the cost for newspapers are the printing and delivery costs. Subscriptions need to cover that.

Advertising typically covers the costs of staff - reporters, editors, salespeople, and other administration.

As for the negative Nellys here, no one forces you to subscribe to the paper. All publications have their faults. I try to find at least some good in everything. If I can't, I don't use, buy, or subscribe.

[Silver Streak]

I don't think anyone was suggesting that The Sun should go to digital ONLY. Just that they should offer a digital option. I'd prefer that, too. I don't get home delivery because there's no way I'll read most of it most days and that's a lot of wasted paper. (And there's not even recycling south of 44!) Also, as has been stated, a whole lot of Villagers are snowbirds and would like to keep up with the news here while away. There IS a very limited online version that's free to view and I check that fairly regularly. I'd gladly pay to be able to access the whole paper online. I'd even be willing to pay for, say, twice a week delivery (probably Sunday and Thursday). They'd make money, not lose it, by offering that option.

[JoMar]

The Sun is not a newspaper. (I was a journalism minor.) It’s a marketing tool that reflects the personal biases of the owners. That’s their right, but I won’t abet their work. I too have online subscriptions to three true newspapers. Print news is dying. They must either evolve or die.

I suspect after your "minor" you never worked for a newspaper. All newspapers reflect the personal biases of their owners. The Sun does what it was designed to do and surprisingly, (I assume in your view) doesn't force anyone to take a subscription or support their biases when they move here. They don't need you or anyone else to abet their work (abet is the wrong word in this context). Also, any reason you didn't share your "true" newspapers?

[Annie66]

Sun is a paper with nothing more than advertising. Worse paper I have ever read

Canceled my subscription over a year ago. Couldn't stand the feel-good stories that are either a blatant advertisement for TVs or have a decided lack of differing political slants. Any national or international news I had read 36 or more hours earlier on line. I now spend my $75.00 a year in a much more satisfying manner.

[tophcfa]

As someone who spends more that half my time up north I really enjoy reading the Dailey Sun when we are at our Villages home. Compared to the politically left biased rags that are our only option up north (with the exception of the Boston Herald), the Sun is very moderate. From a lifetime of reading newspapers in Massachusetts my left arm is way stronger than my right arm because the paper is so heavily weighted to that side. It’s good, and healthy, to get a different and more balanced version of the news sometimes. And yes, the Sun has its daily feel good stories, some of which I enjoy and others that are just a little too self promoting. But the paper also has some good news stories, local, national and world. And I enjoy their sports and lifestyle sections.

Another thing I love about the Sun is that I can call them each time we are coming to our home and have delivery turned on and off so we never miss a paper when we are there, but never get charged for a paper when we are not. We only have to renew our very inexpensive one year subscription about every two and a half years. And they drop our paper in our driveway very early every morning. Up north we live in a rural area and our carrier puts our paper in a box about a mile up the road and when the weather is bad we usually don’t get a paper. And we don’t get credit for times when we put delivery on hold like the Sun happily does.

[OhioBuckeye]

Canceled my subscription over a year ago. Couldn't stand the feel-good stories that are either a blatant advertisement for TVs or have a decided lack of differing political slants. Any national or international news I had read 36 or more hours earlier on line. I now spend my $75.00 a year in a much more satisfying manner.

Man I wish I had your $75. a yr. newspaper that is worthless. Move here to the Dallas, TX. area & you could get everything thing you want in a paper. You can get it 7 days a week for only $520. a yr. & it looks like the USA Today, now, about 8 to 10 pages. I do agree though, TV does have more advertisements than news. Seriously, $75. sounds like a deal.

[justjim]

Sun is a paper with nothing more than advertising. Worse paper I have ever read

I don’t often disagree with a post but with all due respect the Daily Sun has a good sports section (often with late night sports results)and a strong section on local news. You are correct about lots of ads but that is where a newspaper makes money in order to make a profit and stay in business. Their circulation is second to none when it comes to the percent of potential subscribers. The Daily Sun is not a newspaper with diverse opinion columnists. If a person is looking for that, I would recommend a digital paper from one of the larger “big city” publishers.

Since we go north for the summer, a digital edition would be nice. Could the Daily Sun be better? Of Course there is room for improvement. Bottom line - The Daily Sun in not the worst paper I have ever read.