Could the Times Paywall Actually Work?

That at least is the word from Scout Analytics, a Seattle-based firm which specializes in helping Web publishers maximize revenue per user. The company, whose customers include NASDAQ OMX and Elsevier, claims that a paywall actually creates three new sources of revenue for the Times, not just the revenue that comes from paying subscribers.

In a blog post today making this argument, Scout Analytics analyst Matt Shanahan cited the promotion the Times is running with Ford, which has been giving away free subscriptions to the Times’ Web site to 200,000 users for the rest of 2011.