Suggest HN: For paywalled articles, enter the google search for the url

2 pointsby nfnaaron16 lat temu2 comments

I just submitted a WSJ paywalled article demonstrating this:

http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1124281

When you submit a paywalled article, someone will almost always comment "I hit a paywall," and then someone will respond with the google search technique, and sometimes the actual search link.

How about let's just cut to the chase, and submit the search link as the link, and prepend the actual site name to the title, e.g.

NYT: Paywalls greatest thing since sliced white bread.

2 comments

learnalist16 lat temu

Is this being put forward as a suggestion to:

a) Get access to paid content.

b) Highlight the fact that search engines are allowed to see free content.

If its "a)", I disagree with your suggestion.

If its "b)". I agree, I find it highly annoying when you click on a link to discover the part you want to read is hidden from you behind a pay wall. Search engines should show what we see the non paying public, furthermore I believe google doesnt like the addition of words to raise the rank of the page, sites which do this should be penalised for this behaviour. Which is what happens when you give google access to "fuller" data.

nfnaaron16 lat temu

Sort of a). WSJ and NYT (and others) decide and control whether to allow entry to a walled article via google. This isn't a hack or a workaround, it's what WSJ and NYT want to happen (or they'd disallow it). You're not "cheating" when you enter via google, you're going in via a side door labeled "Welcome."

And sort of b). It's just a decision to use "the link that works for everyone" (with NYT/WSJ blessing), instead of the direct link that only works for subscribers.