I love reading your insightful, easy-to-understand columns. I'm a regular joe who has watched this financial crisis unfold, laughed at by friends who call me chicken little, well, you know.

I'm also in the publishing business and understand the need for revenue. As long as Forbes.com doesn't put any pressure on you to change your honest tones, I think it would be wonderful for more people to have access and discover your columns and to get more truth out. MSM has made every attempt to gloss over what is happening in our country, the corporate giveaways, printing of money, the list goes on.

And for what it's worth, you are very deserving of notice and praise, simply for having the courage to state the obvious. When I read your blog, I remember I am not insane and not alone.

Keep up the good work. (a longtime reader)

To explain myself, I must say I am of average at best intelligence in most areas. I struggle to read a book but have had the pleasure of being deeply engrossed in a few. I stumbled upon your site while trying to figure out what in the world is happening to our American economy and I was amazed at how right on you where about the housing crash early on in its demise. Anyhow, I look forward to your blogs every day. I have enjoyed how you word things and feel you do a wonderful job explaining things for even the average minded person like myself. I hope you will take on the advertising because you deserve to get paid for your wonderful work and I suspect you are closer than ever before to obtaining abundance. Anyhow, Thank you for your writings....

Feeling conflicted? I bet you are. Funny how the term conflict of interest is always used to describe the opposite: concerts of interest in which ethical interests are demoted in favor of extra-ethical ends (--thats a mouthful and a can of worms eh?).

Personally, I suppose it does not matter to me if I have to dodge a few ads. There are ads, and then there are ADVERTISEMENTS. It has always amazed me why anyone would pay good money for ads. They are so disposable.

So, as long as you are not opening the site up to MIND CONTROL, which I am sure will fetch you a much more attractive price, then I'm still on board.

As I mentioned in past feedback, your site is exactly what the country needs. In fact, you are a true patriot! No kidding! Keep on doing what you do and if ads are what you need to reach a greater audience, so be it. We need to include as many as possible in the discussion of how we prepare for the future. Because the lifestyle preparations we have made so far are inadequate for the stark resource and global demographic realities in which we suddenly find ourselves immersed.

The Internet is now (commercially) about 15 years old; everyone understands that ads are the price we pay for content. Neither the subscription nor the "street musician" model are viable ways to generate sufficient revenue for a website to survive, let alone thrive.

I doubt very much if any of your current loyal readers or those of the future would feel as adverse to advertising as you do. I read those blogs you referenced in your article and think no less of their principles because of their ad content. Aside from the financial advantage, the Forbes opportunity would open new vistas for your writings. Seems like a win win to me!

The last thing I want to do is to waste your time. But you asked for input and so here I am. I've been a reader for several months. Your observations re the economy, real estate, etc., are first rate!

Go for the Forbes gold ring I say. I'm guessing it may take a little while, but you will surely rise to the top. Don't worry about the ads. The extra exposure of Forbes will bring unexpected opportunity and acclaim (and money) your way I'm sure.

Very tastefully done. Maybe your blog at Forbes gets you a printed article with Forbes one day. Then you can move up to 35.00 a month from the 27.16. The only thing standing between us and success is us.

"And so now I am face to face with this question: have I refused ads out of a sort of intellectual pride, or even snobbery, or was it merely a facade to hide the fact nobody would want to advertise on this site anyway?"

I think you probably did it out of fear that either the ads would change you or somehow mask your work.

My opinion and, as a writer you know this, if your message is good, and it's one that people want to hear, they won't mind a bit of wrapping paper.

On the other hand, I've stopped subscribing to magazines that get addicted to their ad revenues and start making their content nearly impossible to read by breaking it up with ads or putting ads on heavier paper in the magazine or adding more subscription cards into their magazines in order to navigate readers to the ads which surround the subscription cards.

So your only concern needs to be keep your personality coming through so it can connect with your readers much like Martha Stewart and Oprah do with their journalism.

The other points I should make are:

1: I'd say that the way you've worked your website is inefficient; you didn't using something like wordpress to let users publish items directly to your website; thus, by remaining in "middle management," you not only became overwelmed but you stalled your own career by burning up time that should have gone towards growing the business rather than running it.

2: while it sounds exciting to be part of the forbes.com blog ring, remember that companies like forbes are losing readership and those companies will probably laugh all the way to the bank since, for a fraction of what it costs to hire "professional writers," they'll get you for much, much less: you'll get the right to use their branding and a bite of their advertising revenue! so perhaps we'll see more layoffs at forbes because they've found a new source of low wage labor right here in america, the blog writers who will work for "a little more than nothing" and displace the professional writers who expect real benefits and a chunk of economy prosperity. Thus, for all I know, forbes will simply buy advertising on your website and think it's a good deal after they lay off a bunch of employees since you'll not only do the writing but also the customer service, technology management, etc...

As I sit here and think about it, they've struck a goldmine! but you'll think it's a good deal until you start depending on the revenue and then concluded that you need capital to fend off competition by hiring writers, graphic artists, etc... to keep up with the jones!

I have no objection to ads on your site. Yes, I'm not a big fan of the ad business generally. But targeted web ads are not offensive to me. I have been taking and taking from your site without sending you a dime. If ads will help you keep your great commentary coming because cheapskates like me aren't helping, then I say, go ahead! :-)

You put a lot of work into your blog so I say go for it. I know a few people might be upset that you make money over such things but there are nut cases every place. I never click on any of that stuff any way.

I'm happy you decided to take on advertising. I think you should do whatever is necessary in order to continue this blog. It's my first read each day and I would miss it terribly if you ever decided to close up shop. I believe the vast majority of your readership couldn't care less if you run ads. We come here for the exceptional content of your writings. We're not going anywhere! P.S. I hope the Forbes deal is a financial homerun for you.

HI-Charles : As a reader & contributor to your WBlog , I say join the forbes.com link- up & go for the " gold " !!; make a few $ 100 K off your past labors , words of wisdom, & research expertise . I read / visit many sites w/ ads , & just ignore them like I fly past them on a newspaper . I hope that you make $$ MILLIONS$$ !!

chas., had no idea your had such a good readership base. congrats. and don't take it amiss that i rarely write as i am just not willing to add to your load with my chitchat. blog is looking very fit and you are in good form of late. do whatever is needed to stay afloat, e.g. putting rice into the family bellies. if it is ads for ripoff financial services that want to rape us - oww! that was sharp - no? really, i do think if you need to run ads to stay afloat do it. you are obviously a greater part of the free and sensible flow of data online than i imagined. use your power. you're a good guy. you help folks out. do what you gotta do, chas.

Wonderful explanation....Forbes.net...great choice....indirect way to increase readership...you deserve a BIG audience.

I will continue to read your blog whether there are ads or not.

I appreciate your struggle with the advertising issue but we live in a money based world. Everyone's hands are soiled by the coins in our pockets. However, our thoughts can remain untainted.

Go for it, this could be your big break.

A loyal reader--

I've been reading your site for at least two years now, and today's blog entry really touches an issue I've been wrestling with for well over a decade. You see, I've been a participant in this consensual reality experiment we call the Internet for nearly as long as we've had "The Internet". I've seen it grow from a plaything for nerds sponsored by DoD grants and educational institutions to a world-wide behemoth -- a thing beyond characterization.

The issue I've noticed in all this time is that, while money can make great things happen, the real ART is created regardless of, and often in spite of, the availability of money. The best things seem to come from people who create what they create because they are compelled to create it; they must write or paint or craft code or make music or whatever, just as they must breathe. If someone else appreciates it, great, but that's not why they do it. Perhaps that's my intellectual snobbery seeping through?

Sadly, I've watched far too many good things follow the same arc your site is on, where it grows to be too large to manage, and this decision must be made. Sadly, I've watched far too many choose to follow the corrupting influence of advertising to make ends meet--the new ends that were unnecessary earlier--and then the overall 'product' suffers in time.

I've never been able to grasp this decision, though. To me, the answer is obvious: Cut back on the inputs to a manageable level, and preserve the state of the output. Perhaps I lack... a hunger for attention, readership... I don't know what it is. Perhaps I'm unqualified to analyze this decision from the outside. I can accept that. But if I, a humble reader, get any sort of a vote in your personal decisions, let me vote for "stay small!"

If you go ahead with advertising, so be it. I'll still read. The ads won't bother me in the slightest, for I'm one of those offensive content leeches that never surfs without a hypersensitive ad blocker. In fact, I'll personally feel a little less guilty about not sending a donation. (I don't trust PayPal with my data; it's not you, it's them.) But I sincerely hope that the product doesn't suffer. I've enjoyed our time together, and I'll miss your work if it goes away; either entirely because you've quit, or conceptually, because it's just different. But things change, and that's how it is.

One last bit: even athletes must have a rest period, or their output suffers.

Take a break. Do something else for a while. Cut back on the quantity. Heck, write some pure crap for a while. Let the email pile up. Whatever it takes.