Many people still prefer print to the online reading experience, especially when it comes to newspapers. Europeans, in particular, seem to love their morning paper. The printed medium is tactile — you can touch and feel it. You don’t have to plug it in. Research shows that newsprint users retain more of what they read than their oft-distracted, online counterparts.
How much would you pay to have a “personalized†newspaper delivered to your doorstep? The MyNewspaper pilot project is making ink(jet)-on-paper newspapers tailored to readers’ interests a printed reality. For the past nine months, Swiss readers have been creating their own customized paper online, choosing daily content options from a dozen national and international publications. Logistics firm Swiss Post Intl. delivers the German-language newspapers the following day. “This means that readers can combine information from different publishers, depending on what they are interested in and their reading habits,†said Carsten Vossmeyer, head of press/publishers at Swiss Post, which successfully tested the personalized paper concept three years ago under the name Personal News.
During its yearlong pilot trial, which ends in late November, the MyNewspaper product is available in the Zurich, Basel, Berne, Lucerne, and Aarau areas of Switzerland. (The same service is available anywhere in the world as an e-paper for iPad and other tablets.) Pagination options are available in 24-, 36-, and 64-page formats.
Photo by NS Newsflash.