John Temple, the former editor and publisher of the now-defunct Rocky Mountain News, has an idea for newspapers trying to get people to pay for their content online: Borrow a page from Costco.
Meaning: Charge a fee up front to join a service that provides a range of valuable content and services, everything from access to valuable advertising to school-selection information to road closures.
For some time, others have advocated an approach of defining service by identifying knowledge needs of the community and addressing them. Temple's blog is a good addition to this body of work.
