At the pace Wink's signing up new readers, Clermont expects to have a base of 150, 000 subscribers by its first anniversary--an impressive mark, even by Time Inc. standards.

FORBES: On A Wink And A Prayer

But others have eventually been outed, or outed themselves, after nudge-and-a-wink media stories have piled up clues as to their identities or what they are alleged to have done.

BBC: Net makes royal rumour spread inevitable

DirecTV, a Wink partner, may also set up its own internal response system.

FORBES: My Friend, My Enemy