5 ms·

OK - The 'web' search/link isn't working for me anymore. Maybe it's time to start rethinking WSJ submissions. Based on the first paragraph, this is the exact s

by rch 10y ago

OK - The 'web' search/link isn't working for me anymore. Maybe it's time to start rethinking WSJ submissions. Based on the first paragraph, this is the exact same article: http://www.msn.com/en-us/money/realestate/loan-boom-echoes-subprime-crisis/ar-BBy7eg1?li=BBnbfcN http://www.msn.com/en-us/money/realestate/loan-boom-echoes-s...

JumpCrisscross 10y ago
AMP version worked for me through the 'web' link.
- stevenmays 10y ago
  Didn't work for me.
  - Bartweiss 10y ago
    Changed within the last hour.
    - lllr_finger 10y ago
      Even with blue-green deployments and a separate AMP solution, it's unlikely that they did a during-business-hours release just to prevent paywall workarounds for a tiny subset of their pageviews.
      - jedberg 10y ago
        The WSJ is more agile than you think, and some of their devs read HN. It wouldn't surprise me at all that they built code specifically to break the workaround just for things posted to HN.
      - Bartweiss 10y ago
        Agreed. But by observation, it did change during that timeframe. Possibly they simply updated their AMP solution to better consistency with their non-AMP delivery, and this happened to be the effect we saw.
- jffry 10y ago
  For lazy desktop-browser users: http://www.wsj.com/amp/articles/americas-fastest-growing-loan-category-has-eerie-echoes-of-subprime-crisis-1484060984 http://www.wsj.com/amp/articles/americas-fastest-growing-loa...
  - Bartweiss 10y ago
    They've broken that link since.
    - DennisP 10y ago
      Just worked for me. Maybe because I'm blocking javascript.
  - cestith 10y ago
    For users who'd rather support a site that didn't paywall it: http://www.realtor.com/news/trends/americas-fastest-growing-loan-category-eerie-echoes-subprime-crisis/ http://www.realtor.com/news/trends/americas-fastest-growing-...
- rch 10y ago
  I think it works if I use the web link first, before trying the direct approach.
mikeash 10y ago
It should work if you use the "web" link in an incognito window. WSJ remembers if you visited it directly and then shows the paywall even with a Google referer, but incognito mode defeats that. I agree it's getting to be something of a pain. Thankfully this article seems to be republished in many places.
- gautambay 10y ago
  Didn't work for me.
  - mikeash 10y ago
    Huh. I just tried it on this article and it failed for me as well. It worked recently but they must have closed off that loophole.
    - underdown 10y ago
      Now to see if Google penalizes them. Not holding my breath.
      - joosters 10y ago
        Why should they? There's a paywall, it's no secret.
        mikeash 10y ago
        Because Google wants to provide people with useful search results, and "you can't read this article unless you pay us" is considerably less useful. If you have a paywall, Google will still crawl and index your site, but they'll only do so based on what's available outside the paywall. If you try to trick Google by showing Googlebot the full article but throwing up a paywall for everybody else, Google will penalize you. Details: https://support.google.com/news/publisher/answer/40543?hl=en https://support.google.com/news/publisher/answer/40543?hl=en
  - 10y ago
snarfy 10y ago
From the FAQ: > Are paywalls ok? > It's ok to post stories from sites with paywalls that have workarounds. What about sites that don't have workarounds? The workaround for WSJ no longer works.
- JumpCrisscross 10y ago
  Note that the Wall Street Journal always works for me, without subscription, through the Tor browser [1]. [1] https://www.torproject.org/projects/torbrowser.html https://www.torproject.org/projects/torbrowser.html
- Filligree 10y ago
  > What about sites that don't have workarounds? The workaround for WSJ no longer works. The exception proves the rule. It's not allowed to post such stories.
deleted 10y ago
[deleted]
cestith 10y ago
http://www.realtor.com/news/trends/americas-fastest-growing-loan-category-eerie-echoes-subprime-crisis/ http://www.realtor.com/news/trends/americas-fastest-growing-... looks similar.

by rch 10y ago

JumpCrisscross 10y ago

AMP version worked for me through the 'web' link.

stevenmays 10y ago
Didn't work for me.
- Bartweiss 10y ago
  Changed within the last hour.
  - lllr_finger 10y ago
    Even with blue-green deployments and a separate AMP solution, it's unlikely that they did a during-business-hours release just to prevent paywall workarounds for a tiny subset of their pageviews.
    - jedberg 10y ago
      The WSJ is more agile than you think, and some of their devs read HN. It wouldn't surprise me at all that they built code specifically to break the workaround just for things posted to HN.
    - Bartweiss 10y ago
      Agreed. But by observation, it did change during that timeframe. Possibly they simply updated their AMP solution to better consistency with their non-AMP delivery, and this happened to be the effect we saw.
jffry 10y ago
For lazy desktop-browser users: http://www.wsj.com/amp/articles/americas-fastest-growing-loan-category-has-eerie-echoes-of-subprime-crisis-1484060984 http://www.wsj.com/amp/articles/americas-fastest-growing-loa...
- Bartweiss 10y ago
  They've broken that link since.
  - DennisP 10y ago
    Just worked for me. Maybe because I'm blocking javascript.
- cestith 10y ago
  For users who'd rather support a site that didn't paywall it: http://www.realtor.com/news/trends/americas-fastest-growing-loan-category-eerie-echoes-subprime-crisis/ http://www.realtor.com/news/trends/americas-fastest-growing-...
rch 10y ago
I think it works if I use the web link first, before trying the direct approach.

mikeash 10y ago

It should work if you use the "web" link in an incognito window. WSJ remembers if you visited it directly and then shows the paywall even with a Google referer, but incognito mode defeats that. I agree it's getting to be something of a pain. Thankfully this article seems to be republished in many places.

gautambay 10y ago
Didn't work for me.
- mikeash 10y ago
  Huh. I just tried it on this article and it failed for me as well. It worked recently but they must have closed off that loophole.
  - underdown 10y ago
    Now to see if Google penalizes them. Not holding my breath.
    - joosters 10y ago
      Why should they? There's a paywall, it's no secret.
      - mikeash 10y ago
        Because Google wants to provide people with useful search results, and "you can't read this article unless you pay us" is considerably less useful. If you have a paywall, Google will still crawl and index your site, but they'll only do so based on what's available outside the paywall. If you try to trick Google by showing Googlebot the full article but throwing up a paywall for everybody else, Google will penalize you. Details: https://support.google.com/news/publisher/answer/40543?hl=en https://support.google.com/news/publisher/answer/40543?hl=en
- 10y ago

snarfy 10y ago

From the FAQ: > Are paywalls ok? > It's ok to post stories from sites with paywalls that have workarounds. What about sites that don't have workarounds? The workaround for WSJ no longer works.

JumpCrisscross 10y ago
Note that the Wall Street Journal always works for me, without subscription, through the Tor browser [1]. [1] https://www.torproject.org/projects/torbrowser.html https://www.torproject.org/projects/torbrowser.html
Filligree 10y ago
> What about sites that don't have workarounds? The workaround for WSJ no longer works. The exception proves the rule. It's not allowed to post such stories.

deleted 10y ago

[deleted]

cestith 10y ago

http://www.realtor.com/news/trends/americas-fastest-growing-loan-category-eerie-echoes-subprime-crisis/ http://www.realtor.com/news/trends/americas-fastest-growing-... looks similar.