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The Local _ Feedback _ Is The Local committing suicide?

Posted by: Uncle Fred 20.Nov.2017, 05:10 PM

It seems that advertising is not enough to pay for second-hand translated news. The Local wants you to pay 500kr per year for a five-day service that contains a handful of articles a day.
Note other editions of The Local i.e. Germany, Spain etc are not subject to this cost.
I wonder how many here will sign up or just read Aftonbladet etc. MS Edge and Google chrome both have built in translators if needed.

Posted by: rouet 20.Nov.2017, 05:36 PM

I, for one, will not sign up. I subscribe to several newspapers in various languages online and our local ?stersund news in paper form. The Lokal? NO.

Posted by: Gjeebes 20.Nov.2017, 05:48 PM

Who comes here for "the news"? TL is just an echo-box for various actors who have the ability to pay to get their message "out there".

With the typical Swedish lack of "standards".

If the forum disappeared, well...it won't because this forum is a harvesting platform for the various actors, and is studied beyond belief...

Posted by: Svedallas 20.Nov.2017, 06:25 PM

QUOTE (Uncle Fred @ 20.Nov.2017, 05:10 PM) *
It seems that advertising is not enough to pay for second-hand translated news.

The TL is CLEARLY not news. Far from it.

Posted by: intrepidfox 20.Nov.2017, 07:20 PM

TL has never had news.

It is a crap site advertising crap, information like 10 things you hate bla bla bla.

Even their FB side has less comments now. They have probably banned them all

Posted by: Bsmith 20.Nov.2017, 07:35 PM

Someone's gotta pay for all this shit.

Posted by: Gamla Hälsingebock 20.Nov.2017, 08:05 PM

What if TheLocal charged us forum people by the word???

I think it would be very quiet here...

Posted by: Svedallas 20.Nov.2017, 08:16 PM

Yeah, without the Community, it would be dead.

Posted by: Gamla Hälsingebock 21.Nov.2017, 12:31 AM

And then again, would the resident Swede bashers pay to vent their anger and frustration here???

Would new "bashers" pay to vent also???

We all know that the happy immigrants would not miss this place because they rarely post their contentment with Sweden and their choice to live in it...

Posted by: Gjeebes 21.Nov.2017, 07:09 AM

QUOTE (Gamla H?lsingebock)
And then again, would the resident Swede bashers pay to vent their anger and frustration here???

And what about you, old Gamla? Would you pay to provide guidance for desperate people here, to kill themselves??? Or do you prefer a strictly quid pro quo approach???

QUOTE (Gamla H?lsingebock)
Would new "bashers" pay to vent also???

And would you pay, to continue the privilege shit stirring, on a forum, in a country in which you have never lived???

QUOTE (Gamla H?lsingebock)
We all know that the happy immigrants would not miss this place because they rarely post their contentment with Sweden and their choice to live in it...

Yep, get all that shit stirring out before they start to charge you for it!

Posted by: hoodrat 21.Nov.2017, 09:42 AM

I can get better quality content for free by using the national and local newspapers and either getting by with my basic Swedish knowledge or by using Google Translate.

If the content on this site was of such a standard above the main news publications I think a subscription might work, but not now, especially when the site is so broken from a usability perspective.

This is a stupid move.

Posted by: Svedallas 21.Nov.2017, 05:14 PM

Yup. If the new format is terrible, and they do not cover "regular" news.
Why would anyone pay? There is no added value here.

Poor business model.

Posted by: intrepidfox 21.Nov.2017, 06:12 PM

Why on earth would i subscribe to any news site, especially TL. All the news is already on the internet or TV FREE

Posted by: Gamla Hälsingebock 21.Nov.2017, 06:50 PM

Exactly...My first stop in the morning is Google News, a compilation from worldwide sources...

However, if TheLocal sees fit to charge for their services, I wish them luck...

Some are willing to pay for "specialized" news, some are not...

Posted by: intrepidfox 21.Nov.2017, 07:39 PM

QUOTE (Gamla H?lsingebock @ 21.Nov.2017, 06:50 PM) *
Some are willing to pay for "specialized" news, some are not...

Like this:

- Six things they don't tell you about the snow in Sweden

- How to talk about the weather in Swedish

Seriously. Many of their journalists have worked for national papers. Is the above the best they can do?

Posted by: Gamla Hälsingebock 21.Nov.2017, 08:22 PM

People with no experience/knowledge about Sweden will not know the difference...

TheLocal, then would look like a good starting place...after all it is "Sweden's news in English"...

When I was looking for English versions of Swedish news, I came here, and would have paid for the privilege...

Like it or not Sweden has it's own mystique and is well thought of and considered to be a very interesting country...

I have not read the news since they stopped the comment section...

Again, good luck to TheLocal...

Posted by: Gjeebes 21.Nov.2017, 09:43 PM

"Like it or not Sweden has it's own mystique and is well thought of and considered to be a very interesting country..."

No it doesn't, no it isn't and no, it certainly is not. These things you would actually have discovered by now, if you had ever lived here.

Time to put the crack pipe down, and go clear your head. You just don't make any sense.

Posted by: Uncle Fred 22.Nov.2017, 03:54 PM

So half way through the week and here is the news so far from the Local

1. Snow, snow and more snow.
2. How to talk about the weather in Swedish
3. Traffic chaos arrives with first snow in Stockholm: in pictures
4. 12 untranslatable Swedish words
5. Sweden's 'Christmas gift of the year' is an electric bike
6. Two men sentenced in Sweden for human trafficking
7. Danish divers find arm in search for Kim Wall's remains
8. Why The Local chose to cover the Kim Wall case the way we did
9. Five top tips if you don't have a personal number in Sweden
10. Sweden cancels Santa world cup.
11. Swedish business boss steps down in 'what do I get for my taxes' row
12. And a further weather warning of even more snow.
Plus 12 sponsored articles that are not subject to the 500kr demand.

Yes it took these 13 wonderful people to produce this for you in 3 days



Not to forget James Savage.

Posted by: Gamla Hälsingebock 22.Nov.2017, 04:05 PM

Obviously you are not signing up...but some will, and that will determine TheLocal's success...

Posted by: intrepidfox 22.Nov.2017, 05:37 PM

QUOTE (Gamla H?lsingebock @ 22.Nov.2017, 04:05 PM) *
Obviously you are not signing up...but some will, and that will determine TheLocal's success...


Anybody that signs up is in need of a lobotomy.

Posted by: intrepidfox 22.Nov.2017, 05:39 PM

QUOTE (Uncle Fred @ 22.Nov.2017, 03:54 PM) *
So half way through the week and here is the news so far from the Local

1. Snow, snow and more snow.
2. How to talk about the weather in Swedish
3. Traffic chaos arrives with first snow in Stockholm: in pictures
4. 12 untranslatable Swedish words
5. Sweden's 'Christmas gift of the year' is an electric bike
6. Two men sentenced in Sweden for human trafficking
7. Danish divers find arm in search for Kim Wall's remains
8. Why The Local chose to cover the Kim Wall case the way we did
9. Five top tips if you don't have a personal number in Sweden
10. Sweden cancels Santa world cup.
11. Swedish business boss steps down in 'what do I get for my taxes' row
12. And a further weather warning of even more snow.
Plus 12 sponsored articles that are not subject to the 500kr demand.

Yes it took these 13 wonderful people to produce this for you in 3 days



Not to forget James Savage.



Apparently these people are journalists. Were they employed to write death notices as they have killed The Local.

Posted by: Gjeebes 22.Nov.2017, 06:16 PM

Uncle Fred, you forgot, "Six things they don't tell you about the snow in Sweden".

Although granted, it is a re-run from the beginning of the year.

It would seem then that the "paid" "news" "stories" have become too expensive. That, or "they" now find it pointless to pay to pretend Sweden is the "goodest".

I would say this year, Sweden fell out of its DIY flat-pack ivory tower, immodestly showing its ankles, for all the world to see.

And it wasn't as flattering as they might have liked.

Posted by: Gamla Hälsingebock 22.Nov.2017, 06:41 PM

I just added Sweden to my Google News profile as a personal interest...

There were 20 articles from all over the world and 7 were from TheLocal...

I believe that proves that people really see value in what TheLocal provides...

And I believe that being in English is it's key to success...

Hey, 7 out of 20...no other source had more than 1!!!

Posted by: Uncle Fred 22.Nov.2017, 06:52 PM

QUOTE (Gjeebes @ 22.Nov.2017, 06:16 PM) *
Uncle Fred, you forgot, "Six things they don't tell you about the snow in Sweden".


Correct, was from 5th Jan 2017 not in the last 3 days.
I actually found it and read it, most boring piece of reporting I have ever come across.
I though I might have seen that snow is not white but clear, its only light reflection that makes it appear to be white.

P.S. I have found a way of stopping the member banner from appearing so I can still read the news for free.

Posted by: Uncle Fred 22.Nov.2017, 06:54 PM

QUOTE (Gamla H?lsingebock @ 22.Nov.2017, 06:41 PM) *
I just added Sweden to my Google News profile as a personal interest...

There were 20 articles from all over the world and 7 were from TheLocal...

I believe that proves that people really see value in what TheLocal provides...

And I believe that being in English is it's key to success...

Hey, 7 out of 20...no other source had more than 1!!!


Have you ever thought that The Local may be selling it to them.

Posted by: Gamla Hälsingebock 22.Nov.2017, 06:54 PM

OMG!!!

Hide, quick!!!

The "Theft of Services Police" are on the way... rolleyes.gif

Posted by: Mib 22.Nov.2017, 06:59 PM

TheLocal is a business. It has costs, employees, office rentals etc etc. So, it's trying to monetise its website. Nothing wrong in that, but it's tough. Even thesun.co.uk owned by a multi billion dollar company removed its pay wall after a while. To try to monetise information that is available on the internet elsewhere won't work. So they're going to need to work hard to offer exclusive and unique content and keep doing it to get renewals on subscriptions. Good luck to them.

Learning Swedish with common issues raised by new learners
A 'How to Guide' for new immigrants
Indepth interviews with celebrities or well known people
Exclusive special offers to events
Etc, etc.

Posted by: Gjeebes 22.Nov.2017, 07:05 PM

Well, actually, water is blue. Absorption of photons promotes certain types of motion that is characterised as vibrational motions giving rise to the colour (photons are absorbed in the red part of the visible light spectrum, and the colour complement observed, is blue).

That's why when you see pictures of ice (i.e. ice shelves in Antactica, for example) they are a vivid blue (or, when you look at oceans etc, a white bathtub full of water, etc).

Posted by: Gjeebes 22.Nov.2017, 07:12 PM

"I believe that proves that people really see value in what TheLocal provides..."

Haha, you really are a moron with a bad case of wishful thinking!

Yes, TL being essentially the only English language source of anything to do with Sweden, has a bit of a monopoly. But having a story "listed" means nothing, as it is no warranty anyone actually bothers to look at it.

It is exactly for this "monopoly" of bullshit unicorns and rainbows reports, bought and paid for, by nefarious "sponsors" and other actors, that I have made it my mission to shine a light on the "real" Sweden (you know, for people who can still think) via this forum.

And based on the hits of my posts, I would say, I have saved many a soul from coming here and wasting their lives (or, at least, I certainly hope I have made people think twice).

: )

Posted by: Uncle Fred 22.Nov.2017, 07:19 PM

QUOTE (Mib @ 22.Nov.2017, 06:59 PM) *
A 'How to Guide' for new immigrants
Indepth interviews with celebrities or well known people
Exclusive special offers to events
Etc, etc.

In the right direction, but the Local needs to work a lot harder to attract the right type of advertisers. Translating old news that most people can get for themselves is boring and advertisers see this. We want Swedish news but not translated news. Also many articles are about Stockholm, what about the rest of Sweden. I see on the forum that many people ask whats it like is this town or that town. Why doesn't the Local get to more towns are connect with people and report what sort of place it is.
If you think about it one answer is right in front of them, the forum. Why cant they pick up on things from the forum because this is what people want to talk about.
The Local needs to be more original.

Posted by: Gamla Hälsingebock 22.Nov.2017, 07:25 PM

"Have you ever thought that The Local may be selling it to them."

If they did, that proves that Thelocal is in demand as a source of credible Swedish news...

Posted by: Uncle Fred 22.Nov.2017, 08:59 PM

QUOTE (Gamla H?lsingebock @ 22.Nov.2017, 07:25 PM) *
"Have you ever thought that The Local may be selling it to them."

If they did, that proves that Thelocal is in demand as a source of credible Swedish news...

"Fake news" Google has so much tax payers money they buy any rubbish, the chances are the local is pushing itself onto google as it is the only form of English media about Sweden

Posted by: Gamla Hälsingebock 22.Nov.2017, 09:17 PM

Yes!!! That is the point, it is the only(???)publication in English about Swedish news...

No competition...

Wondering what impact, this will have here...

Posted by: intrepidfox 22.Nov.2017, 10:44 PM

There is NO swedish news on TL. It is rubbish.

Posted by: Gamla Hälsingebock 23.Nov.2017, 01:48 AM

Did you read posts 16&23???

In the old days this forum was a "clique" and posters would likely keep in touch, but probably not too long...

Todays forum is adversarial to the max, mostly all posts become "flamers", no contact there at all...

But TheLocal lives through it's news, no matter what it is called here and will survive as a pay to read entity...

It's unique and is a source outsiders consider worthy...

P/S: If you are such a hot shot hacker, why not PM me with my info???

Posted by: Gjeebes 23.Nov.2017, 06:34 AM

"you cant make money from offering non swedes, Swedish news in English."

That's because outside of Sweden, very few people are interested in what goes on in Sweden, aside from watching its virtue-signalling program crash and burn, or looking for a laugh at its branded "pseudo-socialist" failures.

Before I came to Sweden, I never thought of it whatsoever, never heard anything about it, and had zero interest in anything offered.

And when I leave, for me personally, it will be like it never existed. : )

Posted by: Svedallas 23.Nov.2017, 09:21 AM

QUOTE (Gjeebes @ 23.Nov.2017, 06:34 AM) *
"you cant make money from offering non swedes, Swedish news in English."

That's because outside of Sweden, very few people are interested in what goes on in Sweden, aside from watching its virtue-signalling program crash and burn, or looking for a laugh at its branded "pseudo-socialist" failures.

Before I came to Sweden, I never thought of it whatsoever, never heard anything about it, and had zero interest in anything offered.

And when I leave, for me personally, it will be like it never existed. : )


Incorrect.
Do you know how many real media stories actually quote TL? plenty.

I cannot count how many times, a newspaper from UK or US quotes "from the local".
It is almost embarrassing, knowingly that it a "news" source that really should not be taken seriously...

But radio Sweden stepped up with their news. And has been getting more coverage of late.

Posted by: Gjeebes 23.Nov.2017, 09:34 AM

"Do you know how many real media stories actually quote TL? plenty."

Again, like old Gamla, it is a moronic take. Printing some fodder about what's happening in Sweden, is NO warranty any one person bothers reading it. And by what page count will you find such gems of the literary world? Definitely not the front, or first 10, that's certain, unless tyou are talking about Breitfart or the Daily Fail.

It just does not correlate. And what % of Meatballian content is there? 0.001%? Hardly anyone outside of Meatballia, is buying their news source, hoping to see some boredom report from the "goodest" country.

Trust me. Most people have no idea what "Sweden" is all about. Nor could they care less.

Posted by: wondering_again 23.Nov.2017, 12:34 PM

The Times finds 2m new registered readers but says 'no more than 10' global news brands can support a paying audience

http://www.thedrum.com/opinion/2017/11/23/the-times-finds-2m-new-registered-readers-says-no-more-10-global-news-brands-can

Posted by: Gamla Hälsingebock 23.Nov.2017, 04:16 PM

Todays Google News features 19 stories about Sweden, 9 of them are from TheLocal...

Again it seem that TheLocal is the "go to" source for Swedish news in English...

Yesterday it was 8 out of 20...Hey, they are getting better!!!

Posted by: Uncle Fred 23.Nov.2017, 05:32 PM

QUOTE (Gamla H?lsingebock @ 23.Nov.2017, 04:16 PM) *
Todays Google News features 19 stories about Sweden, 9 of them are from TheLocal...

Again it seem that TheLocal is the "go to" source for Swedish news in English...

Yesterday it was 8 out of 20...Hey, they are getting better!!!

Maybe even google doesn't trust google translate.

Posted by: Svedallas 23.Nov.2017, 05:32 PM

QUOTE (Gamla H?lsingebock @ 23.Nov.2017, 04:16 PM) *
Todays Google News features 19 stories about Sweden, 9 of them are from TheLocal...

Again it seem that TheLocal is the "go to" source for Swedish news in English...

Yesterday it was 8 out of 20...Hey, they are getting better!!!


The only reason is because TL has no competition...
Who would be bothered to really to cover Swedish news. It is not always that interesting.

3/5 of the top articles are on the weather.

Posted by: Uncle Fred 23.Nov.2017, 05:37 PM

QUOTE (Gamla H?lsingebock @ 23.Nov.2017, 04:16 PM) *
Todays Google News features 19 stories about Sweden, 9 of them are from TheLocal...

Again it seem that TheLocal is the "go to" source for Swedish news in English...

Yesterday it was 8 out of 20...Hey, they are getting better!!!

From what you are saying google is a better source of Swedish news than the Local. 19 articles opposed to 9.

Posted by: Gjeebes 23.Nov.2017, 05:57 PM

What Gamla shit stain fails to mention, is that these are some of the titles you can find on google news:

"Sweden's 'Christmas gift of the year' is an electric bike" and "Sweden cancels Santa world cup."

Zero substance, just like the Meatballs like it.

Posted by: Gamla Hälsingebock 23.Nov.2017, 06:10 PM

No argument there, but TheLocal is by far the most used because all the others have only one story posted...

Of course TheLocal has the upper hand because it is published in English and there is no(???)other competition as I stated before...

TheLocal has a unique niche audience...

Posted by: Uncle Fred 23.Nov.2017, 07:10 PM

QUOTE (Gamla H?lsingebock @ 23.Nov.2017, 06:10 PM) *
TheLocal has a unique niche audience...


You can say that again.

Posted by: Gamla Hälsingebock 23.Nov.2017, 07:15 PM

TheLocal has a unique niche audience... laugh.gif

We will wait and see how it goes...

Posted by: browngirl 27.Nov.2017, 04:09 PM

I just got a message when I opened an article asking me to be a member to read the article. 500kr/year? 10kr for 1st month and 50 for the rest of the year?

So, I went to aftonbladet.se, dn.se svt.se and then right clicked > Translate to English! More substantial news and read the same content for free.

Then I went to this thread. If not for this community, I will not even be accessing this website. I am just so bored on a Monday afternoon. tongue.gif

Posted by: intrepidfox 27.Nov.2017, 09:24 PM

QUOTE (Gamla H?lsingebock @ 23.Nov.2017, 07:15 PM) *
TheLocal has a unique niche audience... laugh.gif

We will wait and see how it goes...


The Local has been dead for years. The news site is not news, just a lot of rubbish which is not even readable or interesting.

The only thing left is this page but for how much longer? Probably not much longer as there are no discussions any more, just help me help me

Posted by: Gamla Hälsingebock 27.Nov.2017, 09:33 PM

TheLocal is Sweden's Google...

I have noticed less TheLocal articles on Google News and when you try to read them you only get a little ways in before you are asked to join...for a fee...

What do you think would happen if the Forum was also a pay site???

Posted by: Mib 27.Nov.2017, 11:44 PM

The forum was much more active years ago and has slowly declined. I guess the same questions/answers are repeated, so some of the longer term forum users aren't as frequent as before. If they made it a pay forum, it would die on its knees quickly. Most forums are free and the ones that aren't are related to information that gives real business advice or how to make money etc.

For me the forum was the biggest reason to go the local when I came to Sweden. Strange that they don't seem to have replicated that on other local websites, although I haven't looked for a while.

Posted by: Gamla Hälsingebock 28.Nov.2017, 01:55 AM

Google News...Now:...TheLocal 4 out of 20 stories...Bloomberg 3, Quartz 2...

Quite a difference...

Posted by: somethingbrite 11.Jul.2020, 03:14 AM

Gonna necro this old post because...

You can get a years subscription to The Washington Post for less than $20

Posted by: Grommet 30.Jul.2020, 03:02 PM

Not to mention that you can have all TL "quality" content free, with any half-assed adblocker.

Not sure why anyone would want to though.

Posted by: Gimp 30.Jul.2020, 03:20 PM

QUOTE (Grommet @ 30.Jul.2020, 03:02 PM) *
Not sure why anyone would want to though.


You obviously did! Lol

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