Micropayments | featured news

One of the biggest dilemmas for print and mainstream media today is how to transition from a free-for-all model to one where its users actually pay for the content they consume. Should each site enact its own paywall, forcing users to purchase a subscription to just that site? How about a pay-per-article solution, which would still require a separate login for each publication?

According to a new Forrester survey, almost 80% of Internet users in the US and Canada would not pay for access to newspaper and magazine websites. Those users who would consider paying for content are mostly interested in subscriptions. Only a very small number of consumers is interested in making micropayments (3%).

Electronic Arts’ acquisition of Playfish in a deal worth up to $400 million signals that Facebook’s virtual goods economy is thriving. Meanwhile, Facebook Connect has been implemented on CNN.com, NBC.com, WashingtonPost.com, The Huffington Post, ABCNews.com and numerous other media sites.