Like some of you who’ve commented here, I also enjoy the ads. It’s great fun to see what advertisers come up with visually – in addition, of course, to the financial support they provide. (As an aside, the current Restaurant Week ad is the exact color of my bedroom walls in fifth grade – Inna Gadda Da Vida, anyone?)

Re. #10: We cap contributions from individuals to $250 a year, which is a rough equivalent to what a subscription might cost for a print newspaper. So there’s no risk of having a single deep-pocketed backer shoveling money our way in exchange for positive coverage. We initially listed on our site every individual who gave us money through our Tip Jar. However, several people objected, pointing out that there’s no such disclosure required for subscribers to other publications. We took their point, and now people can opt out of being listed, if they choose. But again, there’s that $250 annual cap.

I’d also note that the “Subscribe” option (as opposed to the “Donate” option) is a $10/month automatic transfer to The Chronicle – or $120/year.

I ruminate on these issues more than I did before we launched The Chronicle because, as Susan Lackey so aptly noted, if we expect to eat – as well as provide the kind of coverage we aspire to – we can’t ignore the financial side of the business.

As long as we expect our journalists to eat (not to mention take the odd vacation) we’re going to have some kind of potential conflict between dollars and words. Experienced journalists will be aware of the pitfalls and either disclose, work around or take the hit.

I like the articles with the depth of reporting. Sorry to be the only dissenting voice. However, I do not read the ads. I would support some subscription fee.

Arbor Teas and downtown Home and Garden are two great examples.