Remember when media providers feared to charge for content online? The only business model for digital content seemed to be the free download (and to entice visitors to pay for add-ons.) If they spent a few seconds reading the ads, that would be terrific! The Wall Street Journal was one of the first to go against that model, but as we see now, the strong online news brands hold their brand assets close to their chest.

The New York Times is now moving that way, so that you have to be a paid subscriber to TimeSelect to read their columnists.

But in a move that shows that the media is still experimenting with content distribution, LA Times has opened up a pay-as-you-go section, and the Christian Science Monitor may follow suit –according to this story from Editor & Publisher.

My prediction is that it won’t be long before bogs that enjoy a growing brand reputation –thanks to word-of-mouth, and syndication—get into the act of having paid and unpaid content. Already Social Networking sites such as Linked In and Fiendster have made some moves into selling paid-for areas, paving the way for the pay-as-you-go model in other digital businesses.