But what happens to smaller operators with a limited content supply – are there ways in which they can make that content palette appear more robust – or are they doomed to failure in an age of 'tube' sites and other mega-channels of free porn?

While the question of the survival of many small paysites is an open one, operators that are planning for the future need to find ways in which to leverage their content.

Although quality issues are beyond this discussion, the perception of quantity can be impacted through your presentation of the content to the viewer. But not so fast – how that impression is impacted, for better or for worse, may be a matter of preference for each individual member.

For example, consider a small website starting up with 50 galleries, each linked to using thumbnail images: Which would make the site appear more "full" – a single page with 50 thumbs on it, or 5 pages with 10 thumbs each – or even 10 pages with 5 thumbs each?

Your perception may differ from that of many other users.

For example, I personally think multiple pages would look "fuller," but my wife likes the convenience of displaying everything on one page, which allows for easy comparison and selection of desired items.

"I want to see it all at once," my wife said, showing me the Spiegel website as an example, which offers a choice of viewing 9 items per page with controls to navigate the product pages or a 'view all' option that removes the navigation controls and displays all relevant items in a long scrolling list.

"Give users the choice of which they prefer, just like this," she opined, insightful as always.

This brings up the issue of whether surfers prefer scrolling down long pages or clicking through multiple pages – but offering a Spiegel-style choice leaves this up to the viewer.

While we haven't answered the question of which presentation appears more robust, and it appears that there is no "right" answer, offering multiple content display options gives the viewer a level of interaction and choice that can provide a positive impression and suits the needs of all users.

Hopefully the chosen presentation mode leaves the viewer satisfied with your offerings.