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Online ad revenue proves enticing

Following in the steps of the New York Times and AOL, The Atlantic removed the subscription barrier from its online content.

Andrew Sullivan, James Fallows, and others have moved to The Atlantic website. With luck, readers will do the same today, and not just the magazine subscribers either.

PaidContent noted the site's departure from the pay wall builds upon the moves that brought Sullivan and Fallows to its domain. The quest for ad revenue follows; Goldman Sachs bought up all of today's ad inventory.

We were promptly hit with a popup survey upon arriving at TheAtlantic.com today. The questions sought the usual demographic information, and asked about awareness of environmental initiatives by Goldman Sachs and other companies.

Editor in chief James Bennet told the New York Times its website had functioned as a "marketing arm" with little support from the publication. With the addition of blogs, video, and an ad-supported approach for content, The Atlantic will seek a profitable audience for its public affairs content.