Anything that s cash-flow positive is obviously a good thing. Regardless of what that number totals up to it s going in the right direction. It s an incremental revenue stream. I think we and other internet content players need to create enough incremental revenue streams that in aggregate help lead us towards profitability. Well, I think that s an advantage for us in going out early.
Consumers do have a finite budget.
If there are 40 online subscription choices, they might be able to only select three. If they are passionate Salon readers we have a good chance of locking them in by offering a subscription option now as opposed to waiting until there are in fact a lot more sites seeking payment. As for the idea of paying for content on the web, I think the whole zeitgeist is changing. Yes, you can only buy so many magazines or newspapers. And people have been conditioned to get things for free online.