Obviously those of us whose rent checks are at the mercy of the fickle beast have particularly strong views on the matter. Content can be profitable, if it is done right. This isn't an academic debate. Those of us searching for profits have two main tactics. We can reduce dependence on ad revenue through subscriptions, licensing and other potentially lucrative avenues, or we can create new shapes and sizes of advertisements, to lure in more advertisers and hopefully increase ratecards.
Porn sells, make no mistake about it.
I applaud both of these approaches on the grounds of pragmatism. These are the same types of revenue-boosting attempts that one would expect to see at a newspaper, magazine or radio station. Don't complain Accusations abound that content sites are cheapening their brands and creating ever more intrusive ad formats. But for the most part they're making a sincere effort to pay the bills and stay in business. In general, content sites still devote far more space to writing and less to advertising than your average newspaper or magazine.