Can the SDMB ever make a profit?

[caffeine.addict]

I've been lurking and reading some of the threads here and back there, and I've noticed that quite a few people are saying that the management at Creative Loafing ("CL") wants to turn the board into a revenue stream. I've heard similar before, but realistically, how are they going to do that? I can imagine the boards becoming self sustaining, but can't imagine them generating much income.

How does a message board generate revenue other than by selling memberships or perhaps adspace? It seems to me that a message board might work out as a non profit type thing, where it covers the operations cost, but I don't see it as a viable method of generating income especially not enough to support CL. I can't imagine that ads generate that much income especially in light of the fact that most smart users have some sort of adblocking software.

[Tuckerfan]

Now? Probably not. If they'd taken the various suggestions tossed out by posters over the years and done them, maybe.

[Exy]

A big enough board that charges for membership ought to be able to make a profit, I would think. I'd be pretty astonished if SomethingAwful weren't making fairly good money, for instance.

It depends on whether you have enough people coming in, which the SDMB at least used to have, since it's attached to a somewhat well-known brand. I'm sure a lot of people besides me found out about the SDMB through reading the online Straight Dope columns.