sean - 12:31 am on Jun 16, 2001 (gmt 0)

I think a careful blend of free forums and subscription content would work best. Sounds like there is more than enough content to support both models.

Benefits of Subscription:
The number of banner ads necessary to pull revenue worthy of the "Best of Brett" would be astronomical. There is a reason you don't see the big research houses supporting their reports w/ banner ads. More subscribers = more revenue = more time & resources = more "really good stuff"

Benefits of Free Forums:
The dangers of going completely towards a "pay model" at the expense of the "free model" can be summed up in one word -- Inktomi. From a personal perspective, I shudder to think of the forums losing even one valued member due to cost considerations (and the worldly nature of WmW means a wide array of economic realities). From an economic perspective, having free forums makes good business sense. The subscription model would ultimately benefit from a continued influx of new members. Plus, there would be the option to run additional house ads for the subscription service in the event of unfavorable ad sales.