Rupert Murdoch: The Internet Does Not Exist

[question everything]

Nov 10, 09
Rupert Murdoch: The Internet Does Not Exist
by Michael Wolff

Rupert continues his war with the Internet. Over the weekend, he told an interviewer (the interviewer, on Sky News Australia, works for him) that as part of his campaign to charge users for reading his content, what he plans to do is to block Google from indexing his newspapers. As of a year ago, Murdoch had never used Google — never once, by himself, run an Internet search — and so it might be reasonable to assume he doesn’t know what’s involved here.

It is quite possible he doesn’t realize — and can’t fathom — that removing News Corp.’s newspapers from Google means that, in the largest part of the information market, they would cease to count, cease to be a factor, that their absence would not register as a hole. Nor, it is possible, does he realize that as much as 90% of his traffic comes from Google and other search engines, that even if his goal is to sell content, there is really no other way to direct people to it than through search engines. So his idea is something like wanting to sell newspapers but not wanting to let people see them on the newsstand where they might read the headlines for free.

As it happens, Murdoch’s campaign to put content back in the tube and to have consumers pay to get it out is proving, in one sense, curiously successful. He has publishers all over Britain and America who say they are ready to back him in his plan. Of course, they all have nothing to lose by encouraging Rupert to lead this charge and have his papers disappear while their papers remain free a while longer and scoop up his online readers.

Rupert, in other words, doesn’t have the most rudimentary know-how about cause and effect when it comes to building an online news business, paid or otherwise. He is not, in this regard, quite compos mentis. He gets to sound off this way, to embarrass himself and confound everyone else, because of the rare nature of his company—he can’t be fired or even corrected (he doesn’t really listen). And he is not ridiculed by his fellow publishers because many of them too are vague on the business basics.

(snip)

http://www.newser.com/off-the-grid/post/329/rupert-murdoch-the-internet-does-not-exist.html

[and-justice-for-all]

1. Does he not realize that he is just doing us all a big favor?!

he is such a piece of shit.

[Electric Monk]

2. The sooner the better.

The internet doesn't like you Rupert. We think too much.

[sandnsea]

3. Well boycotting Google is stupid

Especially when you're in the real news as a matter of routine.

But it's not true that there is no other way to direct people to sites. If you rely only on search engines, you're not going to do very well online. Most traffic comes from links from quality sites, not search engines.

Somebody in the Murdoch empire knows where their traffic comes from, and it's probably 10% from Google.

Still, 10% of your traffic is entirely too much to toss out the window.

[Egnever]

4. Those damn tubes!

My prediction in ten years murdoch is either dead or broke.

[Historic NY]

5. I think we should prove him wrong.

[question everything]

6. Already have.

I got this link from the... WSJ's Best of the Web..

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704402404574529513061187736.html

[Jamastiene]

7. What a dumb ass. n/t

[hunter]

8. Most critters don't become fossils 'til after they're dead.

Rupert Murdoch is ahead of his time.

[Octafish]

23. Well stated.

An alien fossil, at that.

[dmr]

9. I guess someone over at NewsCorp will have to bite the bullet & tell him

Personally, I'd love him to charge for his content. Who'd buy it? Tea-baggers?

:rofl:

[Downtown Hound]

10. Come on don't tell him!

Let him do it and fall on his ass. I would love nothing better than for Mr. Goebbels, I mean, Murdoch's stories to disappear.

[eppur_se_muova]

11. "he is not ridiculed by his fellow publishers because ..."

they don't mind watching him hang himself ? :shrug:

[Turborama]

12. Oooh, we should be scared! The Financial Times in Britain has done the same thing

Excuse my unusual profanity, but seriously. So. Fucking. What?

MSNBC & Al Jazeera (just 2 examples) will still have their news (video & written) free to view online, as will Reuters and AP/AFP no doubt.

[tavalon]

13. Go for it Rupert

cut that nose off.

[moondust]

14. He must despise the Internets.

He's spent years investing a fortune in a propaganda empire that relies on one-way communication. I'll bet he thought he'd rule the world! Billions of little Rupert clones!

Then along came the Internets and ample opportunities for people to turn elsewhere for their "news" and entertainment and...discussion of his propaganda empire.

:rofl:

[question everything]

26. One has to question his business... shall I say savvy?

How can anyone goes through his business not realizing the power of the Internet? And especially when that business is media?

[Tabasco_Dave]

15. In my home Fox News doesn't exist.

[Hubert Flottz]

16. My home too...

I have FOX on ignore.

[lonestarnot]

17. Me too!

And if I stumble into it, I puke a little and move on.

[santamargarita]

18. No Fox anything on my Telescreen either

[Turbineguy]

19. He could start his own search engine

"False Propaganda Search"

[Lyric]

20. Works for me!

The sooner the better. I find it hilarious that the Freeper idiots will have to pay to read his crap. :)

[donco6]

21. The world would be better for it.

Go Rupert, go!

[Mari333]

22. blathering old fool

hahahahaha

[no limit]

24. Bravo! brilliant idea there Rupert.

[Bitwit1234]

25. Truthfully

who would really miss online newspapers if you had to pay. There is so much news in other context that you can search and read. Rupert is only hurting himself. The people who pay for internet content are those who are interested in that particular subject. And people who read and watch Fox sure aren't going to pay to watch and read. He screwed himself. He thinks Fox is so good, and truthfully I think the numbers are inflated, so let him charge and then see how fast it goes down. Some greedy idiot is feeding him wrong info.

[ellie]

27. Jesus, what an idiot

I work in publishing. Every meeting is about how to maximize our web presence by building the brand and making it as valuable as the print version.