As a prediction, I believe you will see an increased movement from a "free" to either "fee" or "combination" based web sites.  This type of move is extremely risky because it could ultimately mean losing a large number of web visitors, however it could also mean an increase in revenue.  Companies such as Viacom, who own television and music web sites such as MTV and Nickelodeon, have recently been weighing the advantages and consequences of beginning to charge for access to its highly trafficked entertainment sites.  Companies such as Viacom have looked closely at the success of other "combination" oriented web sites such as the online version of Sports Illustrated which freely distributes general sports information, but charges for more proprietary features such as video snippets and its popular Swimsuit issue.

Although not easy, the solution to this dilemma is a careful analysis of your on-line viewers along with the product or information that you distribute.  Is the information unique and in high enough demand that people would pay to access it?  If so, what is the median price that consumers would be willing to pay?  Regardless of the price, it is inevitable that you will ultimately lose visitors, so it is important to understand who accesses your site, why they are there, and what consequences would occur if free access was hindered.  Although an often difficult and risky decision, companies are under increased pressure to show tangible benefits from their web sites, and collecting payments from visitors is the best way for them to accomplish this.