I guess what I meant was that using hashbase exclusively over http and not switching to using dat:// clients would be somewhat defying the point, but yeah, it's a good bridge.

Yeah. This is where appropriating existing patterns like pay-walls becomes interesting. Instead of requiring registration and a fee, simply view in a p2p-enabled environment and help offset bandwidth costs. Of course there is more to it that that, but money not spent on infrastructure is money in the pockets of content creators and publishers.