Last week, Robert Thomson, editor of the Wall Street Journal stated that companies aggregating mainstream media content without paying a fee are the “parasites or tech tapeworms in the intestines of the internet.” While not everyone at major news sites echo this sentiment, it is understandable to want revenue for original content and for others to not profit on infringing content.

Alan Murray, executive editor of The Wall Street Journal Online, and a good friend to OneSpot, came up with 5 tips on charging for content online. I recommend watching the interview and using the summary tips and commentary below the video as a cheat sheet for your own online business. Below are a few of our favorites:

If you are reporting on a breaking news story, it is virtually impossible to be the exclusive online source for that content. Someone else will report on it, even if you have an “exclusive” deal. If you do not offer the story for free, someone else will and possibly for a lower quality than your original. So why not offer the best of the best and keep the traffic yourself?

Like I previously mentioned, if you provide the best of the best of the popular stories, then people will find your site. If your coverage is great, then people will come back to your site for other popular stories. There is brand preference for papers, even online. By making your popular content available for free, even if only initially until it is archived, people will find your story and likely stick around for more.

Stay tuned to this blog as we provide our take on the “Newspapers vs. Content Aggregators” feud and follow us on Twitter as we cover this topic and more every weekday.