Category: Daily Living
So what happened with NFB news line? I ask because now there are statements about agreeing with terms not to put their articles on chat lines or letting someone use your codes to get into the system. I had to agree to that this morning by hitting six in the menu. Just curious.
Bea
They don't want people who are not members hearingg the articles. It's as simple as that.
Nothing has happened to it, to my knowledge. But it wouldn't surprise me if they're having problems with people getting access to it who are not subscribers. It's kind of like how you have to agree not to share stuff before you download things from NLS BARD or Bookshare.
Can't blame the NFB for this, it's copyright protections combined with special access for the blind.
To expand on this: The NFB only gets to have a Newsline because it can reasonably assure the publishers of newspapers and magazines that its subscriber base is eligible under that act of Congress for blind access to materials.
So they have the responsibility to first ensure their subscriber base is legit, then to ensure the subscription materials cannot be disseminated.
Phone systems sound like a good way to do it, as is also the app and DAISY materials. But doing 3-way or whatever people do to get nonsubscribers access to the material, this compromises the NFB.
In my opinion, this is a kick in the face with a cowboy boot. I know it's not limited to the blind, it happens on any subscription network for any reason. But seriously. That's one way for that service to go away. Even in postmodern society, some things to some extent really are on the honor system.
Except many people, including many older people, simply don't understand the value of one's own personal honor and so do not protect it.
yes, that's exactly why they're having to crack down.
it was brought to their attention that a lot of people were giving others access to it who weren't subscribers, and those people were also spreading it around.
in the email that was sent out, they said that if there's someone who wants to become a subscriber, it's okay to use your account to demonstrate the service for them, or even do a three-way call to do so. however, that's the extent of it.
And it was young folks putting articles out on a chat line. This thing about older people not protecting newsline is a false statement. Why categorize? I never had access to newspapers until newsline came out. Am in my 60s and the seniors I know in my age group enjoy the service from what I read. I believe it's the chat lines that will go away because of abuse by sitting on them 24 hours a day by some folks. Just my opinion.
I didn't categorize only older people. I said *including* because many will say it's only our kids' generation. Including, means, not limited to.
I actually know of some people in your age group, Bea, who spend a lot of time on chat lines. However, I have no idea if they share Newsline or even use it. I just wanted to point out that not just young people use chat lines.
My guess is, also, it is very few who actually share this illegally.
I have no grounds for this guess, except that such privileges as these are few and so most people probably guard this stuff carefully.
But it only takes one or two.
The only reason I'd think very few would share is who the heck would want to waste the time listening to a newspaper when they could consume the print in probably less than half the time?
How is this new? I have never even listened to an article with News Line as I've not actually felt strongly enough about it to sign up for it seeing that the internet is overflowing with articles and editorials. Yet I would imagine that this has been going on since the 90's when it was launched. Even with a loss of print based financial market share for the industry normally, why complain about it now?
I'm guessing someone wrote the NFB about it, telling them this was happening. Perhaps a concerned citizen report. So, as befitting a nonprofit who is smart enough to keep its standing, the NFB responded.
Actually there are publications with information that is not available on the Internet elsewhere, because newspapers and magazines keep some of it for paid subscriptions. Not all of the paid subscriptions are online, either.everything
I have found several examples, even in my local area, of things covered in print that were merely hinted at online.
So there ya go: the NFB is into quantum physics, enough to provide a portal between the parallel universes of print and online media. I don't know if they'll put it that way in their speeches, though.
Now if they'd only stop relying on an emphasis of attitude and charisma as well as individual initiative to be the portal between idealism and pragmatic reality, we might actually get somewhere.