The closure of Wired magazine’s UK edition might be expected to
start alarm bells ringing about the future of the Internet.
If the UK can’t support what is arguably the biggest publishing brand in
the Web market, what chance does the Web have of ever becoming a viable
commercial medium?
In truth, it’s not such a surprise. The Web is an international medium,
and the US parent title was always, frankly, the stronger. When UK Wired
closes, most readers will simply switch to its American big brother.
For all the recent media backlash against the Internet, there’s life in
the young dog yet.
Banner advertising, it is becoming clear, will not be the funding
panacea many site owners had hoped for. In its place will be a complex
funding model including subscriptions, pay-per-view, sponsorship and,
yes, advertising.
The end of UK Wired could herald the beginning of a saner, more rational
approach to the Web as a medium - and that’s no bad thing.
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