Wednesday Buzz: A Prime News Deal

There’s good news for Amazon Prime users who are avid news readers: The online retail giant recently announced a new deal that will allow Prime members to enjoy temporarily free, unlimited access to The Washington Post  (opens in a new tab).

Prime members will be given six months to freely peruse the Post‘s National Digital Edition, according to the company’s announcement this morning.

“Offering free access to new subscribers through Prime allows us to connect with millions of members nationwide who may not have tried the Post in the past,” Steve Hills, president and general manager of the Post, said in a statement.  (opens in a new tab)

After the free trial period, Prime members will be able to purchase subscriptions to the newspaper for a monthly rate of $3.99, a 60 percent discount off the usual retail price.

Tweet of the Day

We’ve teamed up with @Square  (opens in a new tab) to power political donations to US candidates through a Tweet: https://t.co/tOxZ9RjBie  (opens in a new tab) pic.twitter.com/O9ruTcYGXw  (opens in a new tab)

— Government (@Gov) September 15, 2015  (opens in a new tab)

Twitter took to the political sphere this week to announce  (opens in a new tab) a partnership with mobile payment company Square, Inc.  (opens in a new tab), that will let users donate to U.S. candidates via a Tweet. The opportunity to accept donations through social media could become a powerful player for associations and other organizations down the road. In fact, Square has already made online donations easier with its $Cashtag  (opens in a new tab) option, which allows individuals and organizations to personalize a link for donation purposes.

Other Good Reads

It’s a bird! It’s a plane! Actually, it’s a delivery drone, or at least it might be soon. A California bill  (opens in a new tab) that would have cut drone usage is off the table after heavy lobbying from Google and Amazon.

Is this the new age of associations? Chicago Tribune reporter Alexia Elejalde-Ruiz explores the booming Chicago nonprofit sector  (opens in a new tab) [paywall] and what it means for the future of professional organizations.

If you’re having trouble planning this year’s tradeshow, you’re not alone. A recent study conducted  (opens in a new tab) by association management company SmithBucklin found that 81 percent of surveyed associations outsource for tradeshow and event management.