It seems there is a constant battle between so-called 'free' sites and those that use either an Age Verification Service (AVS) or full membership system to control access and earn money. I won't deal with the actual age verification issue here. See the separate page.
  Is anything really free? I haven't found much over the years. Seems everything has some sort of price tag though it's not always monitary. This is certainly the case with websites, adult or not.
  Broadcast television offers a great comparative example. There is free 'public' television (the so-called free website) that uses commercials to generate revenue. These commercials equate to banner and text advertisements (sometimes in the form of misleading links) on the free websites. If you click on one and/or signup with the advertised service the webmaster either gets a couple of pennies for each click or a % of the membership fee. This inlcuded the little popups you see offering free content via email. Be careful with these as you'll get tons of unsolicited email from most.
  Next we have 'cable' television offering a ton of channels for a small fee. The AVS type access system uses the same concept. Most all services have a ton of participating sites and you will get a lot of quality content. These sites tend to have better quality and quantity of content, often are much faster and will most times have more features. You go to a site and if you have the proper AVS code (there are a couple dozen services) are given full access to the site and the webmaster gets nothing. On the other hand, if you don't have the right code, you will be offered an opportunity to buy one. For each one purchased through a site, that webmaster gets a commission from the AVS. Age verification service memberships usually last 1 or 2 years and there is most always a 'lifetime' option.
  Most all cable or satelite TV services offer top of the line programming on a pay per view basis. The newest movies, sporting events, etc. Hence, the full membership website. You pay a monthly access fee and receive (or are supposed to) more compelling content, slick interfaces, advanced features and often exclusive items. Most of these sites actually scan photos, do their own video captures, include news, games, other fun stuff and many contain exclusive content you can't get elsewhere. As would be expected, there is a much higher cost to create, manage and maintain a full membership site. Seldom can one person do it and provide real quality. Lots of them have a full-time technical, creative and administrative staff along with multiple high speed servers for fast content delivery.
  Just as in all industries though, there are the Charles Keeting's who use any tactics to rip you off. Also, you'll find those sites which don't fit the norm. I've seen some free sites and many AVS sites that knock the socks off well known membership sites.
  All these variables are the reason I do not list whether a site uses AVS, membership or no access control. I think every webmaster should have the opportunity to make money and each surfer make his own decision on "how" to pay for content.