Dear Commenters,

A few weeks back my newspaper fell in line with what most newspapers are doing these days: going to paid digital subscription … I mean, giving our readers an exciting opportunity to read the paper online and get a package deal with the print edition.

It makes sense. We’re not going to make money if we’re giving our product out for free.

The reaction of anger and negativity was expected, but to be perfectly frank some of the comments are just plain dumb.

I refuse to comment, reply to emails or speak negatively to those who complain in regards to the paper or my work in general.

I don’t need to condone that behavior or regard their negativity.

But since this is my blog and I live in America, I’m going to take a few moments to respond to some of the comments we’ve gotten.

You create a Facebook page to post articles of interest and ask people to like your page. And now we’re limited to viewing 5 articles in 30 days??? I discontinued my home delivery subscription of 18 years because the quality of reporting had become terrible and you discontinued many of the special features that held my interest. I’m about to “unlike” you on Facebook as well.

Please do “unlike” us because you are clearly not the sharpest tool in the shed any ways. You complain about our reporting but whine because you can’t read our paper. How does that make sense?

Stop being a cheapskate and just spend $10 a month for all the news we provide – which is a lot because we are a daily newspaper.

I understand you trying to sell subscriptions to the paper to the point of not allowing people to view it for free on line. However, if I am a fan of your Facebook page and receive a link to a story, it kind of aggravates me that I can’t even view that link. I just tried to post this on the Spout Off link I got on my page, and I couldn’t even to that! Bwaaaaaa

How dumb would we be to allow you to read stories from our Facebook page and still want people to buy a newspaper. I didn’t go to business school, but it seems pretty obvious. Stop being dumb.

I don’t understand the point of Northwest Florida Daily News posting articles they want us to ready if they are not gonna let us read them! Taking them off my Facebook page because it is pointless to tell me about something, get me interested then put a big “Buy A Subscription” block over the story! Can it be Daily news if I can’t read it!?

If a tree falls in the forest and no one is around to hear it does it make a sound? Yes it does. And if you don’t read our paper it still has daily stories.

Duh.

I just visited your website was a pop-up box appeared notifying the that I have viewed my 5 Complementary Articles for the month. Have you all imposed new limits on your website!? Genius way to lose an audience, thats for sure!

I’m sorry for the inconvenience of having to pay for something that does, in all actuality, cost money.

Do you think the news just creates itself?

Do you think that the newspaper’s employees are happy floating through life with no raises, little benefits and whiny people like you.

Geez, Louis.

So I live in Holy and I don’t get the paper out here, also I work from 3-midnight and don’t get to watch the news so I think it’s ridiculous that we have I pay for the news online!! A lot of people depend on this page for information and by charging us its going to cost you a lot if business!!

This one might be my favorite.

We are going to lose business by charging people to read the newspaper?

Do you hear yourself?

The paper cost money to create, operate, gather news, post news. The newspaper is not a nonprofit organization here.

We are a business. We require that you pay for our services just like any other business.

Personally, I’d like to see reporters with tip jars in the future. You like my hard hitting journalism? Then give me a buck!