I think this would be a disturbing trend to see... hope it doesn't catch on. One would imagine that enthusiast forums would want to take care of their core/elite modders... not milk them (directly) as a revenue stream every-time they start a build log. These posters are probably responsible for a great deal of the eyeball driven income in the first place. This would likely drive them off and would, in my opinion, only serve to make things worse.

Now, I do have an issue with build logs like the one waterlogged linked. One page ads with no content masquerading as a build log should just be deleted... and the poster warned.

I do think DB may have had an interesting idea with the one-time fee (as long as it's reasonable). If you're good enough to attract sponsors and want to credit them, give the elite modders an "elite" membership option. Might be a decent compromise if a site is struggling a bit to stay afloat.