The New York Times has recently announced that a number of their journalists will be acting as teaching staff for the paper’s online adult education courses.
Readers can pay from $125 to study for a week under their favourite columnists – discussing topics like the changing lives of women or the finest Californian vintages.
I love this idea.
It’s a much-needed new revenue stream and effectively (and sympathetically) leverages the expertise of the columnists and the trust built by the brand.
The Time’s three year old Knowledge Network, also offers courses provided by educational partners like Stanford and NYU’s continuing studies departments – but this would appear to be the first time that high-profile journalists will be directly involved in delivering course content.
Here’s the pitch:
The New York Times Knowledge Network offers a wide range of distinctive adult and continuing education opportunities, including online courses, programs and Webcasts. Some of our programs are offered directly by The Times, while others are presented in collaboration with universities, colleges and other educational institutions.
Students in our online continuing education classes benefit from the expertise and experience provided by the faculty of renowned educational institutions, and from the full resources of The New York Times. Some courses are supplemented by Times articles and multimedia. Others have Times editors or reporters as guest speakers or instructors, sharing their timely insights and informed perspectives.
In areas ranging from art to business, writing to politics, journalism to science, online programs from The New York Times Knowledge Network are as rich and varied as The New York Times itself.
So Teaching Really Does Sell
Which all sounds a little similar to the business model suggested in Teaching Sells, the online training course from Brian Clark of Copyblogger fame.
The Teaching Sells model suggests that while online publishers may struggle to earn a crust from advertising revenues alone, developing effective online training courses is a solid business model – especially if you can leverage profile and expertise (often of others).
The New York Times has both profile and access to expertise in abundance. But so do many other organisations – and not just in the media.
So …
Should more papers adopt this model?
How could your own business do the same to either (a) generate new revenues or (b) attract interest in your core products and services?