I can’t say I’m familiar with Elephant Journal, but I definitely hear you on the paywall issue. A writer friend of mine calls it the “paybait paradox.” She argues that you can either use clickbait posts to drive up views and bring in more advertising money or you can publish more meaty and substantial pieces behind a paywall, but you can’t do both. When you do, you end up with the paybait paradox — a situation in which you’re trying to have your cake and eat it too by publishing clickbait behind a paywall, which in turn leads to a massive loss in readership. I’ve seen a few websites go down that path, sites that I used to read all the time, and it’s always disappointing when that happens. I’m sure adblock doesn’t help either.