Starting today, readers of the Nevada Appeal online will be asked to fill out a short registration form after the first few visits.
The form will ask ZIP code, area code, birth date, gender, subscription status with the newspaper and an e-mail address. Readers' information will be kept confidential.
Once the form is filled out, it will add a browser cookie to the readers' computers and won't ask again unless someone changes computers or deletes their cookies.
Newspapers make money by providing advertisers with access to readers. The Internet has offered a great opportunity for newspapers to deliver the news without the paper.
However, the newspaper must have some way to give advertisers the information they need to show advertising online makes sense. Having people register to see the Web site gives the Nevada Appeal the numbers needed to show advertisers that their messages are being seen by many people.
