How The New York Times Does Digital

Credit where it’s due, The New York Times is a newspaper many would consider at the forefront of investment into its digital content.

One of many ways to read the NY Times online is via Rayogram, we wrote a post about them some time back. Rayogram is not a news search engine, it is literally newspapers – large images of the front pages of the world’s leading newspapers, every morning, and for free. I feel that this type of display is very important because it lets you see the arrangement of the front pages: the headlines, the font sizes, the pictures, all of the elements that come from a professionally edited front page. Stripping out the text alone destroys this benefit which will soon be a lost art.

The first paper that you will see on Rayogram is The New York Times. If you want “All the News That’s Fit to Print,” then you might want to turn to the venerable NYT as a news source and reduce some of your clutter. Rayogram will show you the front page, let you download it as a .pdf file, or click through to the online edition www.nytimes.com.

But there’s more, much more…

A very different choice that you have is The New York Times Electronic Edition. “The Electronic Edition is an exact digital replica of the printed paper. It’s not a web site, but a digital reproduction of the newspaper. The complete paper including every article, photograph and advertisement even the crossword. You have to pay for this.

So that’s it right? Not hardly! I have downloaded and installed The New York Times Reader on my PC. Please follow closely:

What is the difference between the Times Reader and NYTimes.com? The Times Reader is organized more like the printed newspaper, with the articles and order mirroring the printed edition. It also allows for offline reading and has a unique page-turning/browsing capability. NYTimes.com is a Web site, with constantly changing content and a full archive of published articles.

What is the difference between the Times Reader and the printed newspaper? The Times Reader is a unique digital experience that leverages Adobe technologies to provide a highly readable, portable news experience, similar to what you expect from the printed newspaper. Times Reader 2.0 is organized like the printed newspaper and includes nearly all articles and images with a few exceptions, such as real estate listings, stocks, weather and sports scores.

One more thing: You can get the free version of the Times Reader like I have, it’s very slick, or you can upgrade to the paid version for even more features. Clear as mud, right?

This calls for a recap:

The New York Times offers:

*The real, tree killing paper newspaper delivered to your door.

*The free Rayogram image of the front page with .pdf and nyt.com link.

*The Electronic Edition, an exact digital version of the whole newspaper.

*www.NYTimes.com – an online website with all of the bells and whistles.

*The Times Reader – a download that gives you a stripped down digital copy.