From a business viewpoint, the move made enormous sense. Building a quality site doesn't mean you'll build an audience. After all, the Web is at least as much a utilitarian tool as it is a publishing medium. At the same time, as a journalist, I'll confess that it's unsettling to see the commercial aspects of Sidewalk's site move from the background to the forefront, even though I suspected that was the plan all along. Arts and entertainment becomes a supplement to electronic commerce.
Content becomes secondary to the main event of transactions.
In short, marketing is in ascendance, journalism almost an afterthought. Perhaps that's the way it will be on the Web. C'mon, everyone, let's make a lot of money. To a journalist, there's got to be more.