

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

I just submitted a WSJ paywalled article demonstrating this:<p>http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1124281<p>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.<p>How about let's just cut to the chase, and submit the search link <i>as</i> the link, and prepend the actual site name to the title, e.g.<p>NYT: Paywalls greatest thing since sliced white bread.
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learnalist
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.

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nfnaaron
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.

