Are Free MMOs the way of the future?

It seems that if you visit gaming sites these days, there is no escaping the barrage of ads for free MMOs. But really, are they worth your time? It seems like a new game that claims to be free comes out every other day. Then you start playing it. The next thing you know, you have to use your credit card to buy an item to get to the next level. Otherwise you are going to be waiting three days to build up the game coin. It seems there is a way around this though, instead of paying for play when it's suppose to be free, you can stare at some obtrusive ads while playing. No matter what, the game is not exactly free, at least not the way they advertise it to be.

Is this it though? Is this the way of the future? Either endure flashing banner ads as you play, or pay for in-game treats? If that's the way things are going to be, then I don't think so. I'll stick with my WOW subscription. Don't get me wrong, not all free MMOs are horrible, it's possible I've just been tainted by games like Evony. I mean some free games out there are worth playing, and the ads aren't even that distracting. The way that Facebook offers free mini-MMOs is the way to go. And if other companies take a cue from the way Facebook is doing things, than it is possible that free MMOs might have a real future.