Testament to quiet, constant growth and an example of how ubiquitous advertising — when used correctly — can become a viable business model.  I believe that freely available advertising is one of the many factors allowing businesses to flourish, succeed and launch without loads of capital.

Majority-held by Amazon.com and now boasting six sites, Robot Co-op has quietly grown into one of the most visited Web 2.0 properties in Seattle. The sites are approaching 2 million registered users, and 43 Things — the company’s largest property — attracts more than 12 million page views per month. At last count, just over 25,000 people had posted the goal of losing weight on 43 Things.