Unfortunately it doesn't offer the masses anything they want. The masses aren't that interested in reading blogs out-of-context. They read blogs in the context of that author being important to them in some content, e.g. as author of the s/w they are using or the music they are listening to. And they don't really care if the author is getting paid, unless they've developed that close contextual relationship. And often that context is already paying the author (which can mean no advertising as well).