The Nut Graph needs your support

By Jacqueline Ann Surin

Comments are now closed for this article as per our policy

mister james Posted: 1 Aug 09 : 1.53PM

The Nut Graph,

My suggestion is not to beg for free money as it will damage your credibility and status.

Come up with a simple business plan and share it with the public, on how to generate sustainable income for your own company.

In any profession, you have to think like an entrepreneur, and how your work will create value in terms of monetary reward.

Begging for money is considered the lowest status in any promotion regardless of whatever situation that you are facing. It does not show the competency in your management. No doubt, the journalism has to be accurate in reporting and balance. It is nothing special as it is the norm in any developed society.

Good luck.

aiyo Posted: 1 Aug 09 : 1.57PM

Ya, everything is expensive.

As you are looking for public funding, is it possible to give prospective funders some figures to look at?

Chong Sin Posted: 1 Aug 09 : 8.23PM

Yes, I will definitely try to support within my capacity. As a Malaysian who has been based overseas for years, TNG is one of my frequently visited sites which provide me with insights and keep me abreast of what is happening in Malaysia. And, thank you for your hard work, professionalism and perseverance! Cheers!

Joe Fernandez Posted: 2 Aug 09 : 4.43AM

I am not surprised that this has happened although I am sorry to get this news. But I am more surprised that this did not happen sooner.

Basically, your editorial approach is naive and needs to be changed. An online news portal will only succeed if it gives space to issues that are denied space in the mainstream media. This is particularly true of political news. Read the various Acts that govern the media in this country and that's where your Business Plan and Business Model should lie. For this to happen, you must come off your high horses and give the readers what they want to read and not what you think that they should be reading. Frankly, I didn't even bother to read The Nut Graph until just recently when I was curious to find out how low you have fallen and wanted to make some comparisons with other online news portals.

I remember getting an email once from Surin in which she pontificated sanctimoniously on The Nut Graph's editorial philosophy, policy, concept, product mix etc and I knew immediately that this website was in trouble. It's not enough to be idealistic unless you are Bill Gates and can do what you want. Generally, the problem with The Nut Graph is that it is run by people tainted by a long association of apple-polishing in the mainstream media. The truth hurts but if you can accept the truth, it will set you free.

You are not the first to bite the dust. I remember that agendamalaysia, similarly run by very naive people, folded up within a year and the people there are now back with the mainstream media.

If you seriously want people to contribute money to keep The Nut Graph going until you can stand on your own two feet, you must change your editorial content. Otherwise, any donation will be like throwing money down a bottomless pit.

I will be very surprised if you publish this comment.

Azizi Khan Posted: 2 Aug 09 : 8.45AM

Jac,
Would it be possible to provide SWIFT code for the account so some of us who live overseas can do electronic transfer.

Thank you

AK.

Janne Posted: 2 Aug 09 : 10.27AM

The Nut Graph,

Well, journalism is expensive but to make Nut Graph keep going by begging for donation, I don't think it's positive.

If this is the way, then lots more out there can be better than 'The Nut Graph'. The way [The Nut Graph] acts just like many Malaysians - asking for "Tongkat".

What a shame!

Regards
Janne Ramon

Nicholas Aw Posted: 2 Aug 09 : 6.37PM

Don't give up. The Nut Graph has to find ways to keep it going. Nonetheless, seeking support through donations should only be a short-term avenue simply because donations are temporary in nature.

Perhaps a better idea is to turn The Nut Graph into a subscription based newspaper along the lines of Malaysiakini. Also, form a publicity and advertising committee (if it has not already been formed) to draw advertisers to The Nut Graph website.

In the meantime, donations could be used to offset business expenditure. I'll be issuing a cheque for a small amount that a pensioner can afford in the next few days.

Good luck to one and all at The Nut Graph.

khairi Posted: 2 Aug 09 : 7.16PM

Deposited rm50 into your Public Bank acct. Small amount, but with all support, you should be able to continue with your independent news.

CK Ng Posted: 2 Aug 09 : 9.51PM

To Mister James, I don't believe that TNG is "begging" for money. Asking for donations to sustain a public non-profit organization and effort is not begging. It is a call to civic participation and duty. A public operation such as TNG requires money. So long as their list of funders/contributors are open for all to peruse (upon request, and abide by reasonable privacy protections), I would say, if you find value in their work, you should do your best to sustain it.

And to TNG, Mister james does have a reasonable point - you need to look for more sustainable stream of funds, from advertisers to soft-money from civic foundations.

At present there is no good business plan in web-based journalism - even the NY Times and Financial Times (UK) are scrambling to figure out what works and what do not. A model that is being considered by some is the US-based National Public Radio-type funding; people who are interested in the organization will be asked for an annual contribution. It is likely too that the "pay-as-you-read" model (like Malaysiakini but it sure goes into one extreme end) will be common in the coming years with some sections opened up for free accessibility. Then again, you have news agencies like the AP now suing others for linking to their "news".

Incidentally, is there a possibility where folks from overseas can pay through credit card/debit card? It would sure help your cause. And also, you might want to enlarge the "donation" icon - I had a hard time looking for it.

I wish you guys well.

KW Mak Posted: 2 Aug 09 : 11.35PM

New media companies are loss making for the first couple of years. The standard term for a media to turn over a profit is between three to five years.

This could possibly mean:

a) the investors who financed The Nut Graph didn't do their homework properly by providing only enough funding for The Nut Graph to operate only for a year (therefore burning their initial capital by allowing The Nut Graph to shut down) or;

b) the investors got caught in the recent financial crunch and are cutting their losses or;

c) bad management.

My guess would be b).

Ganesh Posted: 3 Aug 09 : 12.52AM

I read with disgust the comment by mister james. The Nut Graph was in absolute no way begging for money. James is unable to decipher the definition of begging. James should apologise for his unreasonable comment.

Jac is a highly competent journalist / editor and is highly respected not only in her profession but also by virtually everyone. The Nut Graph too has grown to be an objective and brilliant source of intellectual news in the very few months since its birth.

The Nut Graph has my full support and I will try to help it in whatever little way I can.

Siew Eng Posted: 3 Aug 09 : 10.51AM

Well, if one can pay RMxx for the junk in the mainstream papers (not the Sun), why can't one pay RMxx for quality journalism?

I don't know how many readers The Nut Graph has, but a donation of as little as RM10 a month from 10,000 supporters can do a lot to sustain them operationally.

If "Mister James" calls this begging, then he should call the mainstream media's subscription scheme a con job, for cheating the public of a forum to exchange information for truth and for serving their political masters instead of the public.

Really, why would anyone want to buy mainstream newspapers for the low quality of reporting? Especially in this age of ITC. I have long abandoned the practice of buying papers even though I prefer to read from the printed version; costs and junk (literally) in my home were other considerations besides the annoyance of finding out what passes as news when I'm forced to flip through the paper page by page.

Hasn't internet penetration improved enough for people to switch to online news to get whatever information they want?

The only service the newspapers provide that is useful to the public are the job ads, especially with the economic downturn now. They don't even serve their political masters well at the rate their propaganda keeps putting people off. Take the latest incident of post-censorship in ntv7. Does the management think it's doing the ruling federal government a favour by apparently wanting only good things said about the prime minister and punishing the host of the "Point of View" forum for the opinion of her guests?

So PA-THE-TIC.

But I've digressed...

Your RM10 a month, please.

Wau Lau Posted: 3 Aug 09 : 12.10PM

No don't go for subscription like Malaysiakini. There are many who just can't afford [it]. Why don't you place Google Adsense (advertisement) etc and readers like myself, who can't afford, can do our part by clicking the ads. Do you know both Malaysia Today and Malaysiakini have ads, too?

A Malaysian Posted: 3 Aug 09 : 12.14PM

Dear Mr James,

[...] What about the many charitable organisations who are constantly asking for money, or "begging" in your own words? I guess, since "begging for money is considered the lowest status in any promotion regardless of whatever situation you are facing", then God bless you. I think you must be the only person who has never asked for any help or assistance (monetary, advice, physical help) in your entire life.

No doubt, TNG is not a charitable organisation, they have run into a financial spot and are now honest and brave enough to share their predicament, publicly with fellow Malaysians.

Most of us constantly admire what our pro-human rights, pro-environment counterparts in the West are doing, but here we shun and are embarassed by our own Malaysians who are doing what many of us would dream of. And is TNG doing it for themselves or Malaysians generally?

They have made a bold move, and the glory, honour, and monetary profits (zero, in fact), was NEVER part of the picture and I really do hope that Mr Joe Fernandez would understand this.

I would invite Mr Fernandez to come down from his own "high horse" and to call a spade a spade and not pepper his comment with many big words. Basically, he was not happy to get a telling off from the editor and now would want this opportunity to spank TNG silly with his big business[person] how-do-make-money lectures.

As much as I appreciate their views, it could do with a little respect, and my comments are in response to their arrogance and blatant disregard for the good work and change TNG have been working on.

And to Jacqueline,

Do not be disheartened with what is happening, no matter what, TNG has made a change in the lives of many Malaysians. What you and your team are doing is simply amazing! People may ask why are you are doing this, to go against the status quo and the powers that be, and I would say: Because it's worth it, and because it's worth fighting for change.

A Malaysian

Kamal Posted: 3 Aug 09 : 12.19PM

To be able to plan (in any context), I suppose you would need money, but not just an amount rather the continuous flow of it. Certainty is also security (i.e. job security). I think as a short term measure (and I mean really short term), asking for support is probably the most ready solution. It is also a good indicator of how well you have done in the last one year. If the response is poor however, perhaps it is time to close shop.

My own opinion, of course, is keep up the good work.

What you do need however, it sounds like, is someone to structure your finance and business. The problem with creating a subcription is you will need to re-focus your target audience. I may think it is a fantastic [news site] that really puts a lot of what I think is important out there, but I wonder if there are enough people who would read such journalism and if the numbers are enough to sustain your endeavour. I hope they are.

I cannot imagine how another Malaysiakini type news portal will improve journalism in Malaysia today (and this is not a criticism of Malaysiakini; rather my opinion is that The Nut Graph and Malaysiakini covers very different niches). We need variety in publication and not just independent news reporting. The Nut Graph reminds me a lot of what the magazine for theSun used to be like in the 1990s. I wouldn't necessarily characterise this as better, but definitely different.

So whatever you come up with, I hope you can keep it up. It is a good read; not just informative, but the arguments and the platform it has provided for conversation is really what should remain even if the format changes to attract a broader audience. Let people subscribe, but allow for at least 1/3 of the discussions and narratives to be public, and allow for discussions or comments to remain accessible without the need for subscription or registration. Leave that as it is, where people can come have a read and leave a comment. It's like how we are, isn't it? A space we can drop in. But apart from that, yes, probably there is need for some sort of re-structuring to include a yearly subscription.

I disagree with the choice of words from Joe Fernandez, I don't think The Nut Graph is naive, perhaps idealistic and rightly so.

Jacqueline Ann Surin Posted: 3 Aug 09 : 12.22PM

Hi everyone,

Thank you for your comments/suggestions/donations and ideas.

Yes, we need to develop a business model that is sustainable. We were naive to think that we could run a media outfit just on online ads alone. That has proven especially difficult, more so because The Nut Graph does not want to go down the route of sensationalist news reporting that draws in readers in droves (and hence ads) but does nothing to help readers understand issues better. Sure, we could give people "what they want" but how would we be any different from the existing traditional and online news sites out there?

Additionally, our investors gave us the option of shutting down operations immediately before we ran out of funds in March 2010. That way we would save ourselves the hassle of raising funds on our own and at the same time, pay our employees fair compensation with the money we had left.

Honestly, that would have been the easy route. None of us need to do the journalism we do at The Nut Graph within the context of uncertain employment. But we wanted to honour the amount of money that had already been poured in. And we wanted to honour the energy, spirit, sacrifice and support that people had poured into The Nut Graph. So, we decided we would try and raise our own funds to keep our site going for as long as we could. Of course, we couldn't have made this decision without our team deciding they would stay on to keep The Nut Graph going. Nearly all of them have decided they will stay, for which I am humbled.

Yes, public donations is a short-term measure. But it's the fastest way to raise funds in such a short time while we try and secure funding from foundations, and come up with a business model that is sustainable.

Do I have all the answers about how to make this work? Honestly, I don't. I've been a journalist all my life and never had to think like an entrepreneur before setting up The Nut Graph. That's just the truth of it. But this also means that Cindy and I have to learn fast about how to make this work. In the meantime, we can only hope that there is enough support out there to provide us the time we need to figure out how to be financially sustainable without depending on donations.

Should people support us if we haven't figured out a sustainable business model yet? That's up to each person. I understand if people find it hard to donate to/invest in something that is uncertain from a business perspective.

I know one thing for certain, though. The Nut Graph does good journalism. And from the endorsements we garnered, I know I'm not the only one who thinks so. We will continue to do this journalism, despite the uncertainty of our business model, for as long as we can because we believe that good journalism matters in a democracy.

There are already people who have deposited generously into our account. For these, I am thankful because it buys us just a bit more time for us to figure out what else we need to do to keep the company going.

@aiyo
If you would like figures to look out, please e-mail Cindy at cindytham@thenutgraph.com?

@KW Mak
Thanks for explaining what the scenario is like for media outfits. But just to be accurate, our original investors gave us money to last for two years. That two years ends in March 2010.

@Azizi Khan
Our bank SWIFT code is: PBBEMYKL
I've also updated my message above to incorporate that information.

@CK Ng
We do have the option of setting up a credit card facility payment but it will actually cost us money (bank fees) to do so. The plan is to see how much demand there is for such a facility before we can decide if paying these bank fees would be worth our while. As you can imagine, we are trying to minimise our spending as much as possible.

Jacqueline.
Co-founder/Editor
The Nut Graph

Andrew I Posted: 3 Aug 09 : 12.24PM

Yes quite, Siew Eng. The unabashedly legitimacy-seeking junk and verbal compost that assaults a brain trying to find its feet first thing in the morning.

Seeking donations from friends and one on the way.

Azizi Khan Posted: 3 Aug 09 : 1.29PM

Hey guys,

Can we let Jac know if we would like to subscribe to The Nut Graph on a monthly basis? It would allow Jac to have some sort of feedback on whether it would be worthwhile to follow Malaysiakini's model.

As per Siew Eng and Nicholas, we do spend much RM on nothing, so to subscribe to an online newspaper is a worthwhile venture. Some of you might even be able to write off the expense.

I, for one, am for a subscription model.

Note: Jac, while I am all for this model, should you decide to consider this can you please ensure that which ever payment facilitator you use allows overseas CC. At the moment, I am not subscribing to Malaysiakini for this reason.

I want to pay - they won't allow me!

a Posted: 3 Aug 09 : 4.28PM

OMG 1Black Day For Malaysian Joumalism on March 2010!

Probably, unless there are enough funds! The Nut Graph has been my daily source of Malaysian news since I [started] living in Brunei. It's really creative to incorporate graphics into serious news analyses/commentary. Thumbs up for The Nut Graph! One suggestion for TNG and Jacqueline, why not engage one of the telcos such as DiGi and have an SMS news alert service for a monthly fee of say RM5?

beg Posted: 3 Aug 09 : 6.56PM

If TNG had the support of the majority of Malaysians, this "begging" would not have happened. Instead Malaysians would be readily giving donations. [But] TNG has to resort to begging. In other words, TNG has not reached the masses yet, just "pretending" that we represent the majority of Malaysians.

going green Posted: 3 Aug 09 : 7.02PM

I suggest that TNG approach people in the renewable energy or green technology sector. In other words, TNG should promote green and sustainable environmental campaigns to garner income. TNG should only focus on giving biased and one-sided stories. They should start public awareness on sustainable development.

Gopal Raj Kumar Posted: 3 Aug 09 : 7.48PM

Joe Fernandez, [...] I am being a bit hurtful perhaps to The Nut Graph. But you are right. They are naive, perhaps not just naive but also immature and too self-centred.

The comments of the likes of one Shanon Shah to me literally said, in an indirect way, go elsewhere if you do not like us. No polish; no capacity to communicate.

I did in the end take a liking to The Nut Graph not only because I went to St Johns under a different name with Kenneth Surin, a relative of this Surin.

She, Surin, represents a new generation and a new vision for Malaysia and beyond. But in order for The Nut Graph and its editors to succeed, they have to be innovators and stop simply being imitators.

They need to stop being simply trendy and blindly associating with an "opposition" that's cosmetic and devoid of substance. They ought to stop relying on rumour and fiction and check their facts first and last.

Most irritating is the fact they "edit" the works of contributors who write a contrarian view to the populist rubbish they often carry on their pages because it is controversial and appeals to a small vocal minority.

Had The Nut Graph genuinely engaged popular opinion in its widest form, the story would be different now.

They do not have space for those who do not subscribe to their ideas of what's right and what's wrong.

Perhaps The Nut Graph can learn from the reaction and from the real measure of success. Revenue. No one is really listening. The [people who endorsed The Nut Graph] pay lip service. And even if they were to contribute in cash, I would be cautious of accepting anything from them.

Perhaps Mr Fernandez, you could make a contribution by writing for The Nut Graph. People like me write on the run. We are not professional journalists.

The Nut Graph needs the services of people with depth, breath and a reservoir of real world knowledge. Not simply trendies with golf caps, earrings and all the trappings of a generation who believe we always had TV, running water and roads. [...]

===========================================================

Hi Gopal,

For the record, I am not related to any Kenneth Surin who went to St Johns. Not as far as I know.

Best,
Jacqueline.

Ganesh Posted: 3 Aug 09 : 9.57PM

Gopal, the fact that you claim to know her so-called cousin itself throws doubt to your credibility and your comments. You sure you know what you are writing? By the way, are you sure we are also not related?

The Nut Graph is a great team of dedicated hardworking journalists. Thousands of people are loyal followers of their portal. Why they are in financial turmoil is plainly due to the economic downturn and nothing else.

But you think otherwise. [Are you] unaware that there is a "recession" taking place?

kahseng Posted: 4 Aug 09 : 3.09AM

I do think The Nut Graph is too cautious and too politically correct (the western politically correct, not the Malaysian politically correct).

I think subscription will not work for TNG's narrow niche. But you can start a "Sponsor's Group" with regular subscription, and give them search and other "premium" or additional functions, so that people who want to pay you perhaps RM100-1,000 a year have a way and reason to do this. This provides a base to cover regular expenses. The additional programming to handle authorization for a subgroup of readers will not be too complicated.

You may need a credit card or Maybank2u transaction option, or people tend not to repeat subscription after 1 year.

I think Maybank2u payment even to individuals is quite easy provided you write out the detailed steps for them.

Try PayPal for overseas supporters. It's easy too.

The letters to the editor section can be opened up more. Faster moderation of comments can get more readers to respond to one another. Reader participation generates enthusiasm and following.

Your tiny news listing needs to quickly have the orange headlines bolded or black, and the list needs to be longer. The headline article also needs the author and category info (news or column, eg).

Another medium term solution is to ask for good-will advertisement as a form of sponsorship (whatever you call it). It is like the high school yearbook, where neighborhood shops place full-page ads at the back of the book, not to sell anything in particular, but to show sponsorship and raise brand awareness.

Use banners to let NGOs place quick ads of congratulatory statements that also raise public awareness of these NGOs, clan houses, merchant associations, etc. Public service ads can better rationalize sizable donations for the NGO directors, who may already have a legitimate budget for such purposes.

tokdalang Posted: 4 Aug 09 : 4.33PM

The Nut Graph,

Seriously, how much money do you need to keep going for the next one year? That would be a start and perhaps a subscription or sponsors system would be the way to go.

Otherwise, check your business plans and perhaps operate out of each other's home through the dodgy Streamyx/Jaring/P1 or the friendly WiFi-enabled cafe/pub/restaurant.

And chuck the Bernama newsfeed as everyone else has it unless you can rewrite it better than anyone else.

Joe Fernandez is right, you guys are naive! As for good journalism, or for that matter good writing, that is really stretching it far. Perhaps your editorial content is different but not quite good journalism.

After all, most readers just want information, news and analysis. Some would rather pay RM150 a year to Malaysiakini for this or go to The Star, The Sun, NST, Malaysian Insider, MalaysianMirror ,to get this for free.

Very few will go for Six Words, which is a great idea but does not add anything to one's knowledge. It's clever, as clever as the guys who wrote in Men's Review but that too died as a concept.

Lastly, check your visitor stats and realistically figure out if you guys can keep The Nut Graph as a going concern or turn it into a low-budget newsblog while working elsewhere.

By the way, don't feel bad if it fails as most journalists are not that good at making money from journalism.

Cheers

Jacqueline Ann Surin Posted: 4 Aug 09 : 7.37PM

First off, thank you to the numerous individuals who have donated money in this short span of time to help buy The Nut Graph a bit more time. We've had donations ranging from RM10 to RM15K from both strangers and friends. That has been both humbling and encouraging.

Secondly, I'd like to say that I understand that we cannot keep depending on public donations to survive. We are aware that this public donation appeal is like a stimulus package -- just to buy us a bit more time to tide us over until we can figure out a business plan that works for The Nut Graph. In all likelihood, this is going to have to be a one-off donation appeal.

Thirdly, yes, I agree absolutely that what we really need is a sustainable business model. Thanks for the constructive ideas that have been posted so far. The reality is that we cannot take on all of them.

@a
A tie-up with a phone company for SMS news alerts would work if we were generating enough news feeds during the day to make it worthwhile for a subscriber. In order for that to happen, we would need to hire a bigger team. Which would increase our cost. Which is not a possibility right now. Also, the question I'm faced with is this: if The Nut Graph provides SMS news flashes, how would it be different from the other media outfits that are already doing that? And how can we compete with the resources bigger newsrooms like The Star and Malaysiakini have?

@kahseng
Thanks for so many constructive suggestions. We have thought about some of these already including making a part of our site subcription-based. But if we did that now, it would mean a drop in our readership which would potentially mean a drop in the ad revenue we currently have. That was what we had to balance. Eventually, that may be the way to go but right now, we're not sure if the risk will be worth it.

And yes, we would love to be able to moderate comments faster and put up news stories faster. The reality is, in a newsroom, each story goes through at least three sets of eyes -- the journalist, the editor and the sub-editor. That means that in order to be faster and produce more, we would need a bigger team. Right now, the comments and columns editor, Shanon, doesn't just moderate comments, he also reports and manages columns. So, his plate is quite full. And when Shanon is on leave, I take over his work on top of the other tasks I'm responsible for. That's why, sometimes, the comments don't go up as quickly as people would like them to. We are trying our best but we are also aware that it would be pointless to run ourselves down to the ground by working 12-hour days. We need to stay alive and healthy!

@tokdalang
I will leave it to others lah to blow our trumpet for us about the quality of our writing and journalism. It would seem rather fake if I did it myself. I would be curious, however, to find out what your role model news outlets are so that I can learn from those to improve The Nut Graph's journalism.

But, I wanted to also say, you're right about Cindy and I being naive! We were SO very naive, hahaha. When we look back now, we think that we must have been crazy to have even taken up this challenge. On my part, I was probably at the apex of my career as a journalist at The Edge/theSun. I had won a prestigious journalism award and had a book in the pipeline. Life was comfortable. I didn't have to raise funds, run an office and a company, and work long hours for a start-up.

Why did I give what I had up? Because I was and am idealistic. And I was also so excited about the possibility of setting up an independent news site that the government could not control in the way that it does the tradtional media. I was excited about setting up a news site that would practise good journalistic standards and report on stories in a way that was critical and made sense of an issue.

So, yes, idealism + excitement = naivete, I guess.

I have no clue if Cindy and I will be able to make this work. But I know one thing for certain -- we would not have any regrets that we launched The Nut Graph, even if it doesn't work out eventually.

Still, we are hoping it will work out, not because we enjoy working long hours and worrying about our next source of revenue. But because we think we are contributing in some way towards journalism and democracy in Malaysia.

So, if anyone out there has any concrete ideas about the kind of sustainable business model we can put in place so we can attract new investors, I'm all ears. You know how to reach me :)

Jacqueline.
Co-founder/Editor
The Nut Graph

Kamal Posted: 4 Aug 09 : 9.07PM

This are several suggestions (bearing in mind that I have no business acumen!):

1. For short to medium term - why not apply to various International Donors that want to promote democratic practices and expanding civil space through the internet? I am sure there are several Donor groups around. And some may even have representation in KL.

2. For long term: you need subscription. There is no better indicator of popularity than the market (or so some people say). But I like your current format. A bigger newsroom would also mean to some extent mainstreaming. Again, nothing wrong with that, but there are others doing it for free and some with subscription. It is becoming a rather crowded scene.

3. Clearly define your niche and expand your products. For a start you can sell news to foreign papers - and this means expanding your base not only to cover Malaysia, perhaps with your available resource and contacts develop thoughtful commentaries on local/regional trends. I don't mean reporting news per se. Rather develop commentaries for professional readership - I would imagine, from your current trend this would be late 20s to mid 40s professionals. Like The Edge, go for a niche readership market that is both cosmopolitan and intelligent. This would also mean engaging a very different sort of business to conventional newsrooms. Have at your core a small dedicated group reporting news, but expand the pool of resources to include writers with specific and regional expertise. Here the people you invite count. Let the readers know they are reading an article written by an expert who is active in the field. For example, get a diplomat to write about foreign affairs. Or a stage director to write about the art scene. Or a chef writing about the delights of eating at restaurants in Malaysia - and writing reviews about good places to go - all over the country (not just KL and Penang). Make the commentaries meaningful and that allow the reader an insider view. In fact, you don't even have to be a daily paper. It can be weekly or bi-weekly. This way there is no need to repeat the same news as 99% of our local news.

There can be more space for commentaries, investigative journalism and reviews. Perhaps even moving away from a KL-centric news angle (for local news); there could be more commentaries from Sabah, Sarawak, and East Malaysia. Open a paper today and we hardly have commentaries anywhere in the English medium of meaningful news from Sabah and Sarawak. There is a recent highlight of a metal bridge being dismantled somewhere in Ulu Sarawak by a logging company that is wrapping up their business leaving the interior people without a means to cross a river and having politicians howling. But what else do we know? There has been no context to the struggles of the people there with logging over twenty years. But my point is, our newspapers in KL, the national ones, do not report much on the ordinary people and their ordinary problems. Reporting in Malaysia is about the ministers or about government policy. We have special reports, but these are hardly sustained. When we talk of practicing democracy and expanding civil space perhaps there are a lot more that our newspapers have not covered. Part of the reason of course is costs; the other is the lack of perceived newsworthiness. But this is if we are reading the news as we are familiar with in conventional Malaysia newspapers. And of course knowing what affects people can relate to business and investment. that is the sort of niche that The Nut Graph can explore.

4. Is marketing. Of course with a clearly defined niche it may be easier to sell advertisement space as a marketing product. And perhaps having a dedicated marketing department in charge of developing and selling advertisement and news articles may be more effective than trying to do it yourself. I think this is often an overlooked sometimes trivialized, but highly important part, for sustainability. So many companies are going online to sell their products, why not entice them to advertise with you as well.

5. Design. While there is a lot that can be commended on writing, perhaps Malaysian newspapers and portals have neglected good photojournalism. What comes to mind immediately are the Times magazine, and National Geographic. But remember Life Magazine? Anyway, there are not too many out there in the world, and as far as I know, none in Malaysia. This might be something to explore. Plus, with all the Malaysian photoblogs and discussion forums, a lot of young professional Malaysians like photography. Why not incorporate this into the format - where people can submit and discuss photography. Again, get someone in the field, people like Eric Peris for instance, or Victor Chin would be fantastic, as commentators and moderators - of course if they are willing. A weekly section talking about the art of photography and commenting on people's pictures plus a really good review of photoblogs, or exhibitions would keep this niche happy (or maybe just me).

Anyways, I think I wrote a little too long. I am no expert in journalism or online anything, or even business. But I am a consumer :-) And these are some of things I notice that are lacking in our local publications. And internet portals can do so much more than conventional newspapers can. And, the ideals of journalism shouldn't limit us to just reporting news fairly. In fact what I like about The Nut Graph is that it is opinionated and it allows for others to share their views. We live in opinionated times and we understand that there is more to the world than black or white. And so I say, bring it on - more colourful commentaries, more satires and comics! Actually, if I may add one more thing, have a dedicated site to political comics. Explore and publish materials from young, energetic and critical cartoonists!

I hope I haven't gone off on too many tangents!

Sean Posted: 5 Aug 09 : 1.53AM

What is everybody's problem with donations? Surely some of you must have heard of wikipedia? Open Source Software? I donate cold hard cash to those two, and support charities (not in Malaysia) with standing orders even when I have no income.

Is a 'print edition' beyond legal? I often wonder if it would be possible to format an 'edition' as 2, 4 or 8 articles / editorials in a fixed format so that it could be printed on A4 by your readers and offered on a paid / subscription basis. Are you responsible for what your readers print?

I think more modern payment methods might suit your online readership too. It wouldn't cost you anything to offer to receive Paypal payments.

I wholeheartedly agree with your sentiments on the prospect of spam-supported news. Perhaps you could offer a supporters' club arrangement that would offer not very much besides a warm feeling for a not unreasonable regular payment? Perhaps you could offer the 'website' field on the comment form only to your members - it does have a value!

Nora Posted: 5 Aug 09 : 8.26AM

Jacqueline Ann Surin said [1] “But, I wanted to also say, you're right about Cindy and I being naive! We were SO very naive, hahaha. When we look back now, we think that we must have been crazy to have even taken up this challenge”

I remember when I started a virtual group with another friend from US, a struggling law journal editor, an internet friend whom I had never met personally but only chatted with online and over the phone periodically. We both shared the same passion for an issue and so we decided to create a group. It was a rocky beginning. Many mocked and belittled us but we remained focused and now after almost nine years the group has grown to have more than 2,000 members from all over the world and is still active while others have died natural deaths.

[2] "On my part, I was probably at the apex of my career as a journalist at The Edge/theSun. I had won a prestigious journalism award and had a book in the pipeline. Life was comfortable. I didn't have to raise funds, run an office and a company, and work long hours for a start-up. Why did I give what I had up? Because I was and am idealistic. And I was also so excited about the possibility of setting up an independent news site that the government could not control in the way that it does the traditional media. I was excited about setting up a news site that would practise good journalistic standards and report on stories in a way that was critical and made sense of an issue."

And I salute you for your bravery. This is my belief: Our life is like a journey ... along the way we meet people and events happen that change us. It makes you want to rethink about yourself and you change accordingly. A person committed to truth and honesty must be brave to make that first step to break away from the parameters that hinder and cripple them. I was also once a successful career woman who gave up her dream of being the future director of nursing in a fast cosmopolitan country: Singapore. The path I’m taking now is totally different but challenging, putting whatever skills and knowledge I have acquired to the fullest. Once you have moved away I don’t think you want to go back into that hideaway even though they promise you security. Security is not what others promise you but what you set to achieve for yourself.

[3] "I have no clue if Cindy and I will be able to make this work. But I know one thing for certain -- we would not have any regrets that we launched The Nut Graph, even if it doesn't work out eventually."

Whatever you do there should never be any regrets. Regrets are only for the weak mind. True fighters learn from their mistakes and move on. It makes them a better person.

[4] "But because we think we are contributing in some way towards journalism and democracy in Malaysia."

Yes you are - at least from this lone Singaporean and I’m sure from others who have been silently following this site. I have sent the link to several friends from India and US and you know what? They love your site. You have made a right choice and yes you will succeed. You will get my support. To let you know I bought your book sometime back. I enjoy reading it. Please do not stop.

tokdalang Posted: 5 Aug 09 : 12.43PM

Hey there

Thanks for the response but don't think I mentioned role models in journalism. I read the Reuters wire/website, NY Times, Guardian, Independent, Daily Telegraph, Newsweek, Economist and perhaps The Times.

Also, detik.com

I can empathise with the need for good journalism but from the explanation given, I think Shanon is stretched.

It is all about news, relevant to your readers unless you have a niche market like those endorsing your site. Human rights perhaps, social issues or economic stuff.

Be that as it may, find the niche and get the funding for it or the ads or the subscription. There is a dearth of good writing but not good journalism.

The fundamentals of news writing or journalism do not change. It is what is new today that wasn't there yesterday. Be it for breaking news, analyses, commentaries or essays - what people want is something new, and bright writing.

Keep the faith! Keep it going where possible. And you have yet to reach your apex, because if you think so, then The Nut Graph is as good as dead!

caravanserai Posted: 5 Aug 09 : 2.08PM

Everybody has dreams
Burning fire ambition rings
Going after it
Crossing oceans, climbing mountains
Puffing all the way
Yet the desires to reach it
To feel the world at your feet

It is as you, turning a project to reality
Along the way dreams get into corners
Filtered out, sometimes block your way
The hardest when it is cash flow facility

Cash flow is the life blood of any enterprise
Without it you are facing the sleepless nights
When dreams will turn into nightmares
Stressing out the juices of creativity

Plan your budget to sustain your dreams
Let the people know when you ask them to help
With the costs established, good supporters will arrive
I believe in dreams especially when one is willing to try it

Let the readers know
We all need alternative news
The main newspapers are skewed to BN
Pampering its political masters
Polishing the newspapers, news hiding the truth

The Nut Graph is on its way
To establishing itself by its birth
So don't let the tumbling fall
Learning the ropes will make you surrender
When a child is learning to walk....

Ganesh Posted: 5 Aug 09 : 4.17PM

I have spoken to several of my friends who donated recently to The Nut Graph and all of them, including myself, do not mind donating on a regular monthly basis. Why? Because we appreciate The Nut Graph's hard work and objective reporting.

You need to also give some projection as to potential profitability as many, I am sure, want to buy shares or a percentage of your company as long term investment. We are all confident that one day, The Nut Graph would be the Malaysiakini of today.

There is no harm selling shares of your company so long as you maintain full control of editorial matters.

kafka Posted: 5 Aug 09 : 5.09PM

Hi The Nut Graph,

I suggest setting up a Paypal account? This would draw more web-based donations.

kafka

Paul Tan Posted: 5 Aug 09 : 10.20PM

You can use services from companies like netbuilder.com.my and ipay88.com to accept credit card payments, they are quite affordable, no need to pay the bank anything, not sure what bank fees you are talking about.

kahseng Posted: 6 Aug 09 : 11.51AM

About subscription, what I mean to suggest is free access for all, but with a small club of sponsors would subscribe to get "Search" function, because archived news are valuable especially to regular users. For example, then I can search to find out the day of a particular protest or first reports of A(H1N1). Whether these sponsors use the search function or not is their own business.

About Sean's suggestion of a reader's own printed version, I think that is valuable for viral marketing purpose. The easiest way to implement that would be to create an automated PDF version, using PHP language's PDF module plus some additional CSS style sheet.

You can present a standard version every day (simpler, easier to understand), or a select-your-own-article version (complicated, more valuable).

The running cost is low, mainly involving initial programming. Unfortunately, I only understand the concept without the ability to program that. Find a tech-savvy community to help, so that they can add this achievement to their resume.

Readers can print it, download to view on computer, e-mail to friends, or fax to friends. Families can leave a copy on the coffee table.

MayBank2U has a lot of users and it may be worthwhile to open an additional account just for donation purpose. However, a corporate web account at Maybank is expensive and complicated (that's why small companies are encouraged to use only phone banking at Maybank).

So in your case, you can consider whether you can let one person open a personal account only to represent The Nut Graph, and whether that will present a governance and transparency problem. Perhaps you can include that dedicated personal account to be audited by your auditor to assure the donors and directors that all amounts are properly channeled to The Nut Graph.

A Malaysian Posted: 6 Aug 09 : 1.56PM

Jacqueline has every right to have some pride in saying that she could have "probably reached her apex career in journalism" in [The Edge]/theSun.

Mind you, that was theSun, but now, she is with TNG. She could bring TNG to a higher apex, if possible.

To naysayers, especially those who think TNG needs "new, and bright writing", my opinion is that TNG is "new" and has more than "bright writing". It has guts, and substance. Period.

I find it really funny people who are very critical of TNG, especially those who lambast them for "begging for money". Try running the outfit yourself and tell me if you can do a better job.

One can criticise and condemn TNG over and over again, but what have you ever done to inspire change in Malaysia?

Sean Posted: 7 Aug 09 : 11.55PM

Just using someone else's computer on which Flash is not correctly installed - there's no sign of your "Needs Your Support" ad, not even a sign that something is missing. Not sure how many of your readers' computers will be like this one, but perhaps there's a significant number of readers who don't know you need support?

=====================================================

Hi Sean,

Thanks for pointing that out. Will see if there's a way around it.

Jacqueline.

tze yeng Posted: 8 Aug 09 : 9.02AM

"idealism + excitement = naivete"

Thanks for keeping this flame alive TNG, a small flicker of moolah amber coming your way. Self-imposed subscription. ;)

PS. I think saying "we're in trouble and we need help to work for what we believe in" exemplifies TNG's courageous spirit. Too many organisations/people running them take the easy way out and morph into shells to keep the work but not the ideals.

Joe Fernandez Posted: 9 Aug 09 : 1.29AM

Everybody is busy talking at the same time and no one is listening. That's evident from the postings.

In Malaysia, the alternative media can be successful as going business concerns because of the various repressive laws and the pronouncements of childish, moronic and racist ministers. What stifles the print media is what is behind the success of the alternative media.

Take RPK for example, the web version of the weekly thrashy tabloids in the West. He is an entertainer.

He takes a little bit of truth and mixes it with a lot of fiction, fixations, pet theories, hang-ups, prejudices and baggage, whether true or contrived, along the lines of the "Elvis is Alive" School of Thought. He should be making movies using his postings as scripts. It's pure art.

There should be a law against prosecuting entertainers like RPK but there isn’t because the authorities frown on art of this kind.

This is just an example to illustrate commercial success. I am not suggesting the RPK-style format for The Nut Graph unless you want to flatter the original. Some people can do an RPK and not bat an eyelid. Others would be bugged by their conscience.

Instead, The Nut Graph should give Malaysiakini a run for its money. A little competition is good. Perhaps, it should consider changing its name to The Truth Graph.

The Malaysian Insider and Malaysian Miror are not competition at the moment but cast in the same pathetic mould as The Nut Graph although it might not be that immediately obvious. MI and MM are trying to be online versions of the print media. Again, except for Francis Paul Siah at MM, these two online news portals are not exactly run by rebels from the print media but Surin-type characters. [...]

The alternative media should be getting down on their hands and knees and praying day and night that the federal fovernment will continue to maintain the Printing [Presses] and Publications Act and the various other draconian, repressive and evil Acts that stifle democracy in Malaysia and the tradition of keeping childish, moronic and racist ministers. The moment such laws are removed from the books and childish, moronic and racist ministers given the boot, the harder it will be for the alternative media in Malaysia to compete with the print media except in terms of real time.

The print media should be lobbying for the liberalisation of the media to save themselves from the alternative media [..]. Besides, if the laws are liberalised, Umno will be history.

There is no reason why The Nut Graph cannot be successful. The reason why it has failed is because it is exercising self-censorship and trying to be goody-goody, God alone knows for what reason. Put it down to being too long with the print media.

I don't know what career Surin’s talking about with theSun etc where you can become a columnist by just foaming at the mouth after spending most of one’s hours at the various watering holes in the city. You call sycophancy and being an apologist a career unless you have a slave mentality and make a virtue out of this?

Please don't moderate my comments for a final version which distorts the big picture that I am trying to paint. The Nut Graph is noted for censoring letters for no rhyme or reason. If you can’t make an exception and publish this in full, don’t publish at all.

========================================
Hi Joe,

All comments are moderated according to our comments guidelines here: http://www.thenutgraph.com/comments-and-columns-policy

Anybody who disagrees with the guidelines can choose not to submit comments to The Nut Graph.

The only exception we make to the guidelines when we moderate is that we allow readers, such as yourself, to make personal attacks of TNG's team (we don't allow that to happen to third parties because we really think readers should attack an argument, not the person). This exception is made so that we cannot be accused of censoring criticisms about TNG and how it is run, and to demonstrate that we are open about criticisms.

For the record, though, I'd like to say that I would usually hang out at watering holes AFTER, not BEFORE I wrote my columns in theSun :P

Best,
Jacqueline.

benny Posted: 9 Aug 09 : 10.28PM

Could you guys please open up a Maybank2u account? For convenience. =)

miki Posted: 10 Aug 09 : 11.24AM

Have you tried implementing a section on classified/online auction panel? Donation is a short-term solution though. Advertisement can be positive if done in the right way, how about sponsorship? A sponsorship does not interfere with the news content. Or probably team up with a marketing research company?

tokdalang Posted: 10 Aug 09 : 11.29AM

Hi all

Joe Ferrnandez has a point about everyone talking and no one listening.

For what it's worth, I can only presume that The Nut Graph is not a going concern because it is not attracting enough readers, hence unattractive to advertisers or investors who want at least to break even.

It's all in the business plans, really.

You need the eyeballs. It is not there. Closing down is one option. Or just set it up as a blog and work on it part-time while earning money elsewhere.

As for the competition, MalaysiaKini still gets grants from various sources like the Open Society to run journalism programmes apart from their subscription model, hence some profitability.

And of course, they don't pay their journalists that well. Both Prem and Steven take home wages that is way below market rates, but they are comfortable.

I am not sure how The Malaysian Insider and Malaysian Mirror are making enough money to survive so it has yet to be seen if they will be successful.

You don't need rebel-types or Surin-types to run a news organisation. You just need journalists with news judgment. Perhaps Joe can offer his services all the way from Sabah.

Remember. News+Eyeballs+Ads=Survival.

Cheers

Awang Posted: 10 Aug 09 : 11.33AM

Thanks for excellent reporting and analysis of news. In my opinion, for once, the title for the portal needs some re-thinking and re-branding. Many of my colleagues do not understand what "The NUT GRAPH" is all about. The name seems to be only understood by those in the circle of journalism.

Another thought is that donation is not a long-term solution to run this portal. A viable business plan, taking into account of online advertising, marketing, sharing of items with other portals are some of the ways to consider.

Jacqueline Ann Surin Posted: 10 Aug 09 : 12.25PM

@Kamal
Thanks for all your suggestions. We will definitely see what we can take on where possible.

@benny
Thanks for the suggestion but opening up another company account with another bank is not on the table right now. Opening up a corporate bank account takes some doing and right now, that would take us away from attending to other priorities.

I believe you can still make an online transfer from Maybank to a Public Bank account since banks, thankfully, allow for interbank transfers :)

@Awang
The nut graph is the paragraph in a story that explains, in a nutshell, the point of a story. It tells readers why a story is significant enough that they should read it. For a fuller explication of what it is: http://www.thenutgraph.com/what-is-the-nut-graph

Yes, we recognise that to many people, it is not a familiar term, not even among Malaysian journalists, mind you. But when we were doing our branding exercise, we decided that we needed to stand apart from the other existing media by NOT resorting to a traditional name that would make it difficult for people to distinguish us from the other "Malaysia-this-or-that".

In any case, every time we get asked what the "nut graph" is, we think it's a lovely opportunity to talk about our brand and to introduce an important concept about journalistic writing to people who are not familiar with it.

Jacqueline.

Karcy Posted: 10 Aug 09 : 1.23PM

I like the comments system here (and I've been edited several times).

Sumat Posted: 10 Aug 09 : 2.30PM

Most of you have [misunderstood] the comment of James. It was an honest and a considerate one. Except he chose one wrong word.

Any way, I will do my bit according to my capacity. Please, don't give up.

muniandy Posted: 10 Aug 09 : 10.45PM

Deposited RM50 in the Insight News Sdn Bhd acct today. Wishing The Nut Graph many future fruitful years of the highest standards of professional reporting.

Nora Posted: 11 Aug 09 : 11.12AM

Reading through the comments submitted suddenly I'm reminded of a sponge. I'm sure we all know what a sponge is. Yes! The same type of sponge we use sometimes for bathing and for wiping the table or surfaces. Sponges are good for these because they absorb liquid beautifully. And that is what they are good for: to soak as much liquid or materials easily and thereafter release them accordingly. Sponges could not retain much. They are not meant to retain anything. Once you’re done with it, you throw it away.

There are people who behave exactly like the sponge. They study voraciously and have this magnificent ability to memorize facts and statistics. They are proud of their ability to do so and like to imagine themselves as the walking encyclopedia. This gives them the ability to ape, to repeat, to duplicate and to reproduce all that they have absorbed. It's all about other people's work, nothing original comes from them because their mind has somehow stopped being creative because of their absorption with other people’s work. They have nothing new to create but can acquire importance by absorbing the works and achievement of others.

Sponges are nothing but just sponges, not a fresh spring.

pl Posted: 12 Aug 09 : 10.25PM

Joe clearly does not understand the TNG team and their ideals. IF the Malaysian print media was indeed liberalised (which would take years because even if you abolish the laws, old habits die hard), I think they would be happy even if it means that there's no longer the need for alternative media such as M'kini and TNG to exist.

If TNG's No.1 priority was "commerical success", which is what I presume Joe thinks a "successful" news outfit should be, then it wouldn't be doing what it has been doing. Correct me if I'm wrong, but TNG probably subscribed to the view that news organisations are not just like any other businesses.

The news media, being the fourth estate, has a special relationship with their readers (aka consumers). Unlike your ordinary businesses (whose No. 1 priority is profit), news organisations have a special obligation to the public, hence good (and ethical, which does not necessary mean popular!) journalism should come before profit.

Is this view idealistic? Yeah, but I'm of the same opinion as Kamal: "Rightly so". What's wrong with being idealistic? Personally, I think the world would be a better place if there were more idealistic and less materialistic or pragmatic individuals and organisations. And idealistic individuals like me and gang will continue to support TNG. =)

Jacqueline Ann Surin Posted: 19 Aug 09 : 8.07PM

Hi everyone,

An update on the funds we have collected so far. As of 19 Aug 2009, we have collected RM27,326.08. Thank you very much for the support thus far. It's been really encouraging.

I also wanted to share a highlight of my week, last week. A supporter dropped a 4D Magnum ticket in our mail box worth RM100 for a special draw on 18 Aug. The number was 1399 and came with a very good "feng shui" argument. However, the number was not drawn and our hopes for a big win were dashed :( Still, we were amused at how very Malaysian the support has been.

Please spread the word around to others about supporting The Nut Graph in whatever way people are able to. We are in the midst of setting up a credit card payment facility and will keep readers posted on that.

In the meantime, Cindy and I continue to send off grant applications to foundations. We also hope to firm up a new business plan soon so that we can hopefully get new investors into the picture.

Jacqueline.

Joe Fernandez @ Fernz Posted: 19 Aug 09 : 8.39PM

You should make The Nut Graph a subscription-based online news portal like Malaysiakini and publish in four languages. Charge RM15 per month for standard subscription and RM20 per month for access to the archives included. Call it premier subscription. This is the trend even in the US.

Readers should be allowed to access only certain sections free i.e. the letters and comment sections and columns. Besides that, they should be allowed to access the first paragraph of the news stories free.

In any case, the subscriptions are not just going to roll in. Appoint a subscriptions manager who should go on to recruit at least four agents in KL and at least one agent in every town in Malaysia. They must be committed. Otherwise, kick them out. Persistence will eventually pay off. This is where you can pitch your editorial mantra.

Those who buy through the agents should subscribe for at least a year. Those who want to subscribe for less than a year should deal directly with the owners of the website.

If readers want to stop accessing The Nut Graph because it's no longer free, so be it.

You can start by selling subscriptions to all those who provided endorsements.

Those who donate or donated to The Nut Graph should be compensated with complimentary subscriptions.

KW Mak Posted: 25 Aug 09 : 5.41PM

Joe Fernandez's suggestion is for a RM15 per month subscription. Let's try to work out how sustainable the idea is.

Assuming the salaries of employees are RM5K each on average, there are presently seven staff (not including the intern) working in The Nut Graph, meaning salaries alone would be RM35K.

Other operational costs would include water, electricity, rental for office space, rental of server space, outsourcing of advertising operations and outsourcing of IT services and maintenance - let's give a conservative RM10K for all that.

Let's add in another RM5K for other unforeseen contingencies per month... and we have a grand total of RM50K operational costs per month.

All in all, you would need 3,350 paying customers to keep TNG running (without profit) at its present quality. This paltry figure of subscribers, however, would be of no interest to advertisers, as advertisers look at readership numbers of 100,000 minimum.

That means more subscribers are needed. But to attract that kind of massive subscription, TNG would have to offer services that would be on par with Malaysiakini, which requires a hefty investment in both staff and equipment.

TNG, in its present form, already has 100K readership, which means advertising money is already pouring in. The issue TNG has now is the insufficient income from advertising alone, as it is still a fledgling company by any standards and may not be fully recognised by advertisers as the preferred choice to place advertisements.

To me, TNG just needs a little more time to consolidate itself. Spread the word and tell more people to read TNG. Donate cash. Click on the advertisements. These are the little things the public can do to help keep TNG afloat.

aitze Posted: 25 Aug 09 : 10.57PM

I know comments in TNG are subjected to the editor's censor, but are they also edited for their English grammar?

If not, then from the comments I have read, I can only congratulate TNG for having the best English educated readers of any news medium emanating from Malaysia.

It's not supposed to mean anything - it's just an observation.
=======================================================

Editor's note: Hi, yes we also edit for grammar just because as readers, we ourselves find it really painful to read bad grammar. We would not want to subject our readers to any such experience on TNG.

Jacqueline.

karen Posted: 27 Aug 09 : 6.02PM

Jacqueline,

I am a sales professional working in media. The key way to earn money and sustain TNG is by getting advertisers. Yes, they would say times are tough etc etc...but if it's a good product, and yours is a damn good one, you will definitely get in the advertising dollar.

All you need is the right sales people with drive and talent, and this website will definetly be flying.

Kam Posted: 31 Aug 09 : 2.06PM

Dear Nut Graph's editors,

In the event of closure, [would you] merge The Nut Graph with Malaysiakini's business, and perhaps adopt their subscription-fee business model? Even Sir Robert Murdoch's massive Fox Network has closed down its free newspaper, and implemented a fee-subscription model.

Considering the niche and the quality of your reporting, I believe there's a market for it.

PS: I will be donating RM100 to your cause, but I hope you are more successful with your more well-off readers.

Jacqueline Ann Surin Posted: 1 Sep 09 : 11.27AM

Hi Kam,

Thanks for the support and your thoughts on how we can keep The Nut Graph going and growing. Yes, I agree with you. Someone has to pay for content. In print and broadcasting, advertisers are the ones who pay for the content but in the online world, advertising isn't doing that just yet.

So, the question we need to answer if we want to keep The Nut Graph going is "Who is going to pay for content?" That will be the basis of our new business model going forward. We're still thinking and consulting with people who understand business models better than we do but we should be firming things up by this month so that we can speak to new investors.

Jacqueline Ann Surin Posted: 4 Sep 09 : 7.42PM

Hi all,

Thanks to JKS who made an inter-bank transfer to TNG and wants to share the following information with others who use Maybank2U who may want to do the same.

Steps to transfer money from Maybank2U account to Public Bank account:

1. Login at http://www.maybank2u.com/
2. Go to "Accounts and Banking", select "Transfers"
3. Select "New interbank GIRO transfer" for one-time payment
4. Or select "Favourite interbank GIRO transfer" to add favourite recipient for repeated payments
5. Click to request a TAC (Transaction Authorisation Number) to be sent by SMS
6. Select a recipient bank: Public Bank

7. Input these details:

* Payment type: Fund Transfer
* Account number: 3145184219 [input without space]
* Recipient name: Insight News Sdn Bhd
* Recipient ID: 805299M [company registration number]
* Input the TAC received via SMS
* Amount to be transferred
* A description for this transfer, eg, "Nut Graph donation"

Maybank will send another SMS to inform you of the transfer amount.

KMWong Posted: 5 Sep 09 : 1.24PM

Sad to read about your financial woes. BUT I think if you want more support from donors, you will have to do your part and divulge what kind of costs and expenses TNG incurs each month. Then the reader can make the decision. Right now you are adopting the "Trust us. Leave it all to us." attitude.

There are so many so-called official charitable organisations around that are more of a scam than anything else. I'm not implying anything but if TNG is open about its finances, then it will subdue doubts. Please consider.

=======================================================

Hi KMWong,

That's a legitimate request. We would be happy to share that information with individuals who need that kind of information if a request is made.

Best,
Jacqueline.

Jamie Posted: 9 Sep 09 : 3.00PM

What about poor people who need money to buy food? Journalism isn't going to help them, so why bother? I can always read Utusan.

KW Mak Posted: 9 Sep 09 : 6.05PM

@Jamie

You can't feed the poor by giving money to ensure that good journalism survives. But without good journalism, you wouldn't know that there were such poor people that needs to be fed in the first place.

Case in point: the abuse and rape of the Penan girls.

http://thenutgraph.com/penan-girls-and-women-sexually-violated

mohd aidan Posted: 17 Sep 09 : 12.01PM

Dear Jac and team,

The main problem here is the economic recession, and the fact that you and your team represent only a minority. However, we are grateful for your perseverance and courage, and it has helped us to develop our own strength.

The least we could do is support you, and we will do our part. Whether you succeed in maintaining The Nut Graph or not, we are forever grateful for all the articles you've published with honesty, and the time and energy you've spent, as well as the sacrifices you've made.

What has made The Nut Graph so interesting to me personally is also the comments from all the readers. Whether positive or negative, they've been entertaining and thought-provoking. Thank you and wishing you and your team all the best!

=====================================================

Thanks, Mohd Aidan!

Jacqueline.

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