More Internet users are showing a willingness to pay for content online -- subscribing to news sites, for example, or paying fees to send e-greeting cards -- suggesting a shift in consumers' expectations that online services should be free.

The growth in these categories suggests that businesses are beginning to figure out how to package their services in ways that appeal to consumers, and that consumers are overcoming the idea that content on the Internet should be free.

"Slowly but surely, people are paying for content."