It's about business, folks ...

By now, faithful Laredo Morning Times readers are aware that it will cost a few dollars to read parts of our overall content online.

It may not be fair in some people's minds -- after all, there are a gazillion Web sites (OK, maybe less ... but you get the point) available which offer content for free. That's true. Yet those sites probably will not offer stories focused on Laredo, which the Morning Times does each day.

Advertisers want to know they are receiving their money's worth.

Newspapers are a business. Needless to say, if you've read my print "Coffee Talk" column in the past, then you will know I've made this point.

We are in the business of making money, too.

I believe recent online entries by Editor Diana Fuentes make this point real clear.

If you are an avid reader of Que Pasa (and, according to statistical data, there are many people reading Que Pasa Online, too), then you'll know Arts and Entertainment Editor Kirsten Crow wrote a stellar column on this issue recently.

Charging for content is another income stream for newspapers, specifically the Laredo Morning Times.

I don't believe real estate agents, insurance agents, restaurant owners, etc., are offering all of their products and goods for free. Walmart hasn't decided to open up and give away flat-screen TVs all the time. No, paying for services rendered and products offered is business.

So ultimately, all of this is about business.

For those of you who avidly read LMT Business Journal, I greatly appreciate it. My intention is to keep LMT Business Journal relevant, informative and interesting. Also, LMT Business Journal Online is up and running, too. Its content is free to view and see. I invite you to check it out.

-- Joe Rutland