Soon I’ll unveil the new look and features of Elk Rapids Live as well as a funding model that relies on advertising to pay expenses rather than the subscriptions I was considering. So there is some irony in my approach – funding an innovative online publication in the traditional ad-based way. For me, irony is the spice of life, often providing inspiration for many of my Live postings. So perhaps I’ll write about this new and ironic approach soon.

Most of the ads will come from outside sources, because it is easier for me to deal with externally generated ads as a one-person company. But I will be offering readers the opportunity to advertise on Live at very reasonable rates. This approach requires me to develop a fair rate structure as well as to create a policy that divides appropriate free content, such as public service announcements, from commercial materials, which must be paid ads. I’m working on those requirements now.