If you wanted to read an editorial piece by Thomas Friedman published by the NY Times on the Internet, you had to subscribe to their service. That all changes today.

The Times dumped their “TimesSelect” service, which would charge users $7.95 per month for the opportunity to read editorial pieces. This move was rumored for a while, and the change is welcomed by the Internet community. In a letter sent to subscribers, Vivian Schiller, Senior Vice President & General Manager of NYTimes.com states:

Since we launched TimesSelect, the Web has evolved into an increasingly open environment. Readers find more news in a greater number of places and interact with it in more meaningful ways. This decision enhances the free flow of New York Times reporting and analysis around the world. It will enable everyone, everywhere to read our news and opinion – as well as to share it, link to it and comment on it.

I subscribe to the print version of the times, and there is often commentary worth blogging about. However, if I can’t link to an article so that readers can view it, I am not going to discuss it. This s a smart move by the Times. I believe the ad revenue over time will make them significantly more then if they kept it a pay service, plus the exposure by bloggers will hep their view rate thrive.

Visit TimesSelect for free starting today. Thanks to James for the update.