[Mr. K]

That’s partly because FreeRepublic was doing what facebook is doing 20 years before they did

But the owners and moderators refused to let FR expand and take advertising. Because JimRob didn’t want to “sell out to ‘the man’” or something...

JimRob should have been the Billionaire, but no business sense at all.

[deoetdoctrinae]

I'm sure you are familiar with this part of Jim's mission statement, but I thought I would post it here for the benefit of visitors who are not aware of why Jim does what he does, the way that he does.

We sell no product or service. We have no clients, customers or employees. We do not accept paid advertising.

Free Republic is not a traditional business. We are a political discussion forum and independent grassroots conservative activist group supported by donations from our readers and participants. When and if our participants decide we are no longer needed or viable, we will close down shop and go away.

Jim, if you're listening, I know you'll never be a billionaire, but you are one in a billion to me.

[inchworm]

FR can and should still be home base, but the news needs to get out there somehow.

[daniel1212]

But the owners and moderators refused to let FR expand and take advertising. Because JimRob didn’t want to “sell out to ‘the man’” or something... JimRob should have been the Billionaire, but no business sense at all.

WRONG! Turning a pro-God, pro-country conservative user-supplied news source and forum in a business, and making money by taking advertising does not equate to wisdom, and thank God that FR is not constrained by advertisers "sensibilities" nor plague us with ads and annoying pop-ups etc. like other sites typically do.