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Warning: If your favorite free Web service sends you an e-mail that declares itself "Important," open it pronto--and brace yourself for grim news. If my in-box is any indication, "Important" is becoming a cold, hard euphemism for Sorry, pal, the free ride is over.

In just the last month or so, Driveway notified me (and 8 million other users) that it was discontinuing its online storage service. UReach.com told me it was taking away my all-in-one messaging service--unless I started paying at least $5 a month. And Searchbutton, which hosted the search engine for my personal Web site, instituted a $500 annual fee for the service it had been giving away.

There's no denying the facts: Lots of companies that thought they could make a business out of free services can't. Either they start charging, or they disappear.

But I'm not bitter. I'm still a dedicated consumer of Net services--just a more cautious one. Want to follow my strategy for surviving the ongoing shakeout? Keep these tips in mind.

Don't get too comfortable: Think like a nomad, not like a homesteader, and you'll be ready to evacuate a service without undue hassle. For instance, don't stow the only copies of your essential files at a free storage site--local backups are a must. And while Web-based fax numbers are handy, printing up a lifetime supply of business cards with such a number would be a mistake. Chances are the service will expire long before you will.

Research your options: If a service folds or introduces a stiff fee, fear not. For the time being, at least, there's probably a free or low-cost alternative out there. For instance, when Searchbutton raised its annual fee from $0 to $500, I didn't flinch--mostly because I knew that Atomz offered a similar indexing service that remains free.

Even if your favorite free service seems to be in robust health, keep tabs on its competitors. There may be a site dedicated to tracking them, such as All the Free Space, which provides a remarkably thorough list of storage sites like the late Driveway. Similarly, Freedomlist covers free ISPs. (No-charge ISPs are a vanishing breed, so Freedomlist now tracks cheap providers, too.)

Consider a big name: I offer this advice reluctantly, since so many inventive services have come from no-name start-ups. But if you're a cautious consumer, you might want to stick with well-established providers. Microsoft's Hotmail, for instance, will likely prosper long after Free-Mail-by-Sid.com withers away.

That's why I opted for Yahoo's Briefcase when the end of Driveway's service put me in the market for a new free storage provider. Briefcase isn't the most feature-rich contender, but it does the job. And if anyone can ride out the Web's tough times, it's Yahoo--or so I hope.

Get ready for a fee-based future: Okay, so banner ads will probably continue to pay the way for some Internet goodies, including basic stuff like search engines and driving directions. Still, it can't hurt to start pondering just how much you'd be willing to fork over for the services you really value. Would you pay $2 a month for an online calendar? Are digital greeting cards worth as much as their paper predecessors? What if listening to baseball games via Web radio cost $10 a year? (Actually, it does: The major leagues halted free Webcasts, beginning this season.)

Think about how we pay for TV--you get over-the-air channels free, spend a few bucks for basic cable, and shell out $10 a month extra for HBO solely to get The Sopranos. It seems to work for everyone involved. And sooner rather than later, it could be the way of the Web.

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