&gt;A site that mixes ads in content won&#x27;t be popular for long (it&#x27;s bad content).<p>But what if the site <i>is</i> the ad? For example, a lawyer&#x27;s blog would have lots of blog posts about law, but the whole purpose of the blog is to advertise the expertise of the lawyer and encourage you to buy the lawyer&#x27;s service. Or maybe an artist wants to showcase his portfolio of his work online, in the hopes of later securing juicy contracts or donations.<p>Or what if the site is simply a forum for people to &quot;network&quot; and self-promote themselves (i.e, LinkedIn, HN&#x27;s Show Me, etc.) Those sites can indeed be popular (as people may go there to willingly consume ads), but they&#x27;re all basically vehicles for advertising.