Communication Etiquette: If you’re going to share a link that leads to a paywalled article, please let your reader know beforehand. Otherwise, they are probably going to feel cheated or annoyed when they visit your link.
Think of sharing links as an act of gifting. Would you give someone a present that can’t be opened without paying money? Or give a present that would annoy most people?
To all those who keep posting paywalled article links, please read this:
- People will not subscribe to a publication because of that one article that you shared. Even if you work there.
- If there’s something valuable from the story that you want to share, you can share a text excerpt rather than a URL.
- Sharing screenshots of paywalled articles is another option, but I often see screenshots with text so small it’s impossible to read. Please remember that most people look at social media on small screens. Like sharing an excerpt, screenshot the important text, NOT the whole article.
Disclaimer: I have a paid subscription to the New York Times, so I’m not one of those who insist that all online content should be free. However, on social media, I will never share an NYT story that is behind the paywall.