Cooks' Illustrated eliminating subscription-less registration?
On the Cooks' Country website, you can be registered without being either a print or online subscriber. That free registration allows you to use their bulletin boards and a few other features. As I recall, Cooks' Illustrated used to have the same thing. I no longer subscribe to either magazine. When I went to the CI site today, it would not let me log in, the reason being "account cancelled". I saw no place for free registration. Clicking on the "join our website" link at the very bottom of the page takes you to a 14-day trial membership page. You can still register for free on the websites of the two TV shows. But the CI website doesn't seem to have anything to offer unless you pay to use it.
By greygarious
on Oct 6, 2010 09:43 AM
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Yet another brilliant marketing move on the part of the Kimballhead. NOT.
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We pay for access to quality print sources(e.g., magazines and newspapers), so why not quality online content? Welcome to the new reality. Who said it was going to free? Do you work for free?
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I rarely pay for online content, especially if I can get the same quality content just as good or better elsewhere (like here, for instance).
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I agree that places have every right to charge for content and if you don't like it, don't visit the Web site. But I don't think CI magazine subscribers should have to pay the same amount as non-mag-subscribers. That's what bothered me and I think what bothered a lot of others about their system. Not to mention the whole CD-club mentality that dominates their cookbooks, you can't buy just one cookbook without getting others that you don't want.
I think it should be one or the other, subscribe to the mag and get free or discounted access to the site or don't subscribe and pay the full fee on the site.
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I agree with you, there. I'm an online "subscriber" and I get the entire contents of every magazine that way, BUT I can't read it in the tub. <g> My brother-in-law, a faithful print subscriber from CI's beginnings, was gravely insulted that he couldn't access the website. It should be open to any who pay for subscriptions.
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You are absolutely correct. It should be open to any one who pays for subscriptions. I bet if I searched, I could find a lot of their recipes for free. I stopped the subscriptions years ago, on both of their magazines. Quite pricey....but if I was able to access their website I would start them up again. I take copious notes by stopping my DVR, and get the recipes anyways...
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Agreed. But "free registration" is becoming an oxymoron, rather like "free gift," since it will soon mean "paid subscription. Agreed, too, that not allowing paid-up print subscribers access to potentially richer online content is daft. Very soon, "free content" will be worth about what you pay for it--nothing.3G/4G tablet devices here now and coming soon will give you huge access but at a modest price. Live it up now 'cause "free" won't be an operative word in many publications' business plans for long. Why should it be?
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I have subscribed to (and enjoyed) Cook's Country. I thought it was just me being lame about navigating their Web site when I couldn't access all content. I just couldn't fathom that a subscriber wouldn't have unlimited access to the online "supplementary" content. As much as I enjoy ATK, Cook's Country, and the Cook's Illustrated issues of my Mom's that I've perused/borrowed, I'm ready to wash my hands of Mr. Kimball and Co. at this point. Got a sample issue of Cuisine at Home, and am considering giving that one a lookie-lou for a while. I am not expecting to access all the "good stuff" online for free, but I'm not ready to pay for both print and online content of the same entity.
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While I agree that it's no pleasure to pay out, I'm among those who subscribe both to print and online CI (though I am not going for their new editor's choice). I might cut it some day soon, because after close to ten years now, I am learning less all the time, because I've already read so much about basic recipes.
But I don't really fault their business model. I think of it almost like Public Radio: "Is this something I want to exist?" If yes, then I shell out some dough, because it will go away if I don't do so.
I doubt that Cooks Illustrated lies on the highly exploitative end of our current economic situation. Are those folks fat-cats?
Edit: All that said, I'm not sure it's wise of them to eliminate all access to their site unless you're a paid subscriber. Now also with their "Editor's Choice" thing, I'm pulling back.
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