Online newspapers not ready for the web

The Boston Globe introduced its HTML5 paywalled edition in October. The paper works well on a variety of devices, including the iPad. It's easy to read and navigate. We have free access to the online version because we subscribe to the Sunday print edition. (Some papers, including the New York Times, are seeing a slight increase in the number of print subscriptions because of the online paywall.)

The content, however, hasn't made the jump. Two stories in today's paper illustrate the problem. Scott Kirsner's Is the price right? Mobile apps can help you find out story profiles several interesting mobile phone apps that let you make quick price comparisons while you're out shopping. The online version would be more useful if there were links to the app's website or to the iTunes Store and Android Market.
Similarly, On the Hot Seat with Martin Romitti by Megan Woodhouse mentions that Romitti, director of the UMass Donahue Institute's Economic and Public Policy Research, was editor of "the UMass journal on the economy" without naming the publication or providing a link. It took a while to locate MassBenchmarks.

A web-first editorial policy could mitigate these issues. Writers and editors would realize that the story isn't complete unless it's sourced with links.

[Full disclosure: I am a part-time correspondent and blogger for Telegram Towns, an online publication of the Worcester Telegram and Gazette. Both the T&G and Boston Globe are owned by the New York Times. ]