Barry Parr brings together a few useful threads to say that site registration is a marketing error. I think he’s right in the long run, in that advertising against demographics rather than context seems both difficult to do (meaning, execute on) and less effective for the marketer. But I think he’s wrong in the short to medium term (1-5 years) because the market (and marketers) don’t move that quickly. Often enough, marketers are choosing between print and online (or buying both at the same time), and through history and comfort, the print statistics (subscribers, etc.) are the metrics. Online publishers have been unable to change the game without turning to Overture/Google tactics (effective, but often coming out of different marketing budgets). So, if you cannot change the game, and your competition (print) has metrics (i.e., demographics) and you don’t, you (the online site) are a riskier buy. In today’s economy, you don’t want to be the riskier buy.