Do yourself a favor. Print this out and post it above your keyboard. My favorite is checklist item number eight:

Aside: the definition of permission marketing: Anticipated, personal and relevant messages delivered to people who actually want to get them. Nowhere does it say anything about you and your needs as a sender. Probably none of my business, but I’m just letting you know how I feel. (And how your prospects feel).

The NY Times Reader is now available for the Mac in beta form. If you can get past the fact that it’s built with Silverlight, and allow the installation of yet another crappy proprietary Microsoft technology, you will be rewarded with an enjoyable and readable electronic newspaper experience. Once installed, the underlying technology is transparent and you will forget all about it.

Reading text on the web of any significant length can be difficult, but I have been enduring the awkward experience of reading my favorite newspapers on the web for these reasons:

• The online incarnation of most newspapers is free and immediately available. Daily home delivery of the Times is $12.80 a week. 
• I enjoy the interactive features. It’s a huge time saver when you can see a list of the most read stories. I also frequently use the “email to a friend” links.
• It’s a more environmentally responsible way to get my news. (I’m going to assume that the energy and resources spent producing the printed version of the paper far exceeds whatever energy it takes to operate my computer)

I could go into some detail about the flaws of the web versions of most papers, but it really just boils down to readability. It’s just easier to read the printed version. The Times Reader is a nice compromise between the printed and online versions. It has many of the interactive features I’m used to from the site: email to a friend, printer friendly versions and the ability to save the article. There is also a more logical implementation of text-size adjustment in a slider tool. But what really stands out to me (and not just because I’m a designer) is the columned layout and typography inspired by the printed version. The narrower columns of Cheltenham are much easier to read than the single-column CSS-styled text found in the web versions. And, adding to the whole newspaper-y experience, it just looks more like the Times. Also quite useful is that the program automatically syncs and keeps seven days of content for offline viewing. The interface is simple and usable. Navigating to different sections is easy with a grid of large buttons at the top. 

It isn’t without its flaws, though I’ll go easy since it’s still in beta. The most glaring issue is that you can’t highlight and copy text, something present in the PC version. I have no clue why that would be so difficult to implement. The Reader includes accompanying photos with stories, but there is no video. Perhaps because the current implementation on the Times web site is with Flash. 

The only thing that may keep me from using the Reader in the future? Once out of beta, access to it will be restricted to those with either a paid subscription to the Times or a Reader-only subscription for $15 a month / $170 a year. That’s a little steep for something I can get for free, even if free means tolerating those web readability issues. But if you’re a hard-core news junky or former New Yorker, it might be worth the expense.