One man's guide for operating a news site

Despite the fact that Jonathan Weber's Web site, NewWest, hasn't made a dime of profit in its four years of existence, he's an adamant believe in the for-profit model. Staying 100 percent exposed to the free market will be the only way he and other Web site operators will be able to survive he says.

In a new post, Weber offers up some basic guidelines on how a community news site could survive and thrive. One key Weber has pioneered: sponsorship of conferences and meetings that charge $150, $300 or $500 for attendance. It's a way to build revenue without having a hand out, as well as a good building block for creating community.