Interesting debate. It's all pretty much been said - but I agree there is a need for balance.

Like DB said, it's good to know when someone has been sponsored on a particular component in their build, as that let's us make up our own mind as to how we choose to interpret any comments about performance (although, I don't recall seeing this be a real issue in the logs here). On the other hand, I don't care to see large advertising-like banners in a worklog.

As for having to pay to post your sponsored work log - seems like a great way to keep some of the top builders out of a given forum. There are other ways to handle the advertising issue if that's what the concern is, like allowing mention of sponsors but no large banners.

People who do worklogs are donating their time and talents to helping build a site's traffic. So, if you charge the ones who are sponsored, are you going to pay the ones who aren't?

And - slightly off topic, but I do have a concern with the apparent growing number of sponsorships. It surprises me sometimes when I see relatively new "modders" being sponsored - for some it seems to be a badge of honor of sorts. I'd just hate to see it grow to a situation where people who are not sponsored begin to feel that their builds are second rate. There is a potential downside to companies if they hand out lots of parts to people who haven't "earned the right to race," so to speak - and that's the risk of pissing off many folks who paid full price for their fittings or waterblocks.

Again, there has to be a balance. As the hobby grows, we'll see more sponsorships. I'm waiting to buy my DarthBeavis edition water blocks with matching fittings (and you know I'm serious, DB )