| April '02: It's sad, but true: it isn't possible to cover bandwidth costs through advertising. That led to a tip jar (Jan '02), and evolved to Premium Access (Feb '02). From 1998 through 2001 Modemsite (formerly 56k=v.Unreliable) was completely "free" - supported by banner advertising. January 2002: Bandwidth approaching 100gb/month! Advertising approaching zero. The modest Premium Access subscription price - starting at $1. - works. But, most access to the site (bandwidth) still is served to non-subscribers. About 50gb/month. The advertising doesn't cover it. The site evolves to limited access for non-subscribers: a number of pages display completely only to subscribers. (Example: the graphics-heavy Check Your Throughput page.) How much of the site remains available "free" with advertising is a balancing act. Currently, advertising provides support for 10-20gb bandwidth. I'd prefer the good old days where ads paid the bills, but those days aren't coming back, and I am not going to have the site look like this. Premium Access at least keeps the site on the net. | PREMIUM ACCESS OFFERS: Downloads - including some hard-to-get drivers Forum56 - ask a question about modems - get help and support Modemsite Complete - access all of the site contents: only a portion of some pages are available without Premium Access. NO ADVERTISING - No banner ads, no pop-unders. |
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