[mdorazio]

Yeah this is an important question. A big reason why the internet is the way it is today is because creating and updating quality content takes time and a certain amount of skill, which most people want to be compensated for.

[balls187]

Counterpoints:

* Stack Exchange Sites

* Wikipedia

[srndh]

Compensation does not have to be only monetary. In stack exchange & wikipedia, the contributors are rewards with points & special titles.

[balls187]

While true, this thread was about paying for the "old internet" which implies monetary compensation.

[mdorazio]

Stack Exchange is a private, profitable business. Wikimedia Foundation collects a hundred million dollars in donations each year and spends 40% of it to keep functioning. The contributors are effectively volunteers supporting these companies, which is a lot different than running your own site or channel and pumping content into it regularly.