For example, if you receive advice from a network partner, be prepared to offer your own help in the future.

"The amount of advertising time that we will sell in a good year would end up being a small fraction of what our network partners do."

Lacking the resources to start polling operations without network partners, newspapers became subscribers to the service.

"We have seen the damage that a lockout can do across the board: fans, sponsors, licensing, network partners and the like," Stern said.

How naughty should it get for the ratings cravings of its network partners?

While none of the Web sites would disclose revenues, they said they made money through commissions on sales and profit-sharing with their network partners.

In addition, Meedan has a number of social network partners:

Lippo wants to transcend those limits, and its network partners are a principal way it would absorb the competence to do so.

"It would be our hope and desire to have a network partner locked in very shortly," he said, "so that the plans could continue uninterrupted."

We have to share our revenue with our network partners.