My thoughts on the current political climate of adult entertainment

[Surfn]

There has been tons of speculation lately about the world of porn coming to an end as we know it. I don't see that happening anytime soon so if you want to piss and debate about it with me that won't happen here. Most of what I have to say is in the first person if you have a problem with that click away. What I want to do here is highlight a few of the facts and choices that we as adult webmasters will need to address in the coming months and years.

1. Independence - do we want to remain independent business people or do we want need representation to the government. My opinion is that should be the choice of each individual webmaster. If you want to remain independent you should be able to. If you want to align yourself with a huge co-op that will usurp your rights for the good of the many that is your choice too. A good example here are political parties. If you are a member of a political party do you agree with all the positions of that party? Most positions? A few positions? It has been and currently is possible to be independent and work for change. I find that the more rights I have and the less regulations the easier it is to grow my various businesses.

2. Business Models - there are a plethora of models to choose from. I don't want to see the number of models available to me reduced, I would like to see them increased. Learning and creating new models is what keeps your business alive and vibrant. Being part of a larger collective you have to lessen your options to earn money simply because of others in the collective that want certain pieces for themselves.

3. Networking - this is more important than ever. In order to have long term success you need to establish a good network of reliable friends. You don't have to be a collective with one mind. Debate is good among friends but the underlying tenant of a good network is solidarity. If if there is dissension in a network as long as the entire network holds it's position it will be a force to be reckoned with.


I could go on and on but I know I've lost most of you already. Attention spans aren't what they once were. If you are still reading then you are doing better than 90% of the webmasters out there who just skim and don't take the time to let thought and ideas via text soak in. Communication is the key to setting you free. Learn to listen three times as much as you speak. [/rant]

[Xeno]

Some good insights there Surfn's....I think the one big one will be networking and you are right, this will be more important than ever. I also think that as time goes by, the adult industry is going to get more difficult to run a business and the trick will be to stay independent at best, but to develop strong business and marketing skills. Location will also be a factor as well. I know for myself being in Canada, I don't have to worry too much about American laws and the issues facing those who run their adult business from there.

I have talked with a buddy of mine here who I got into the business as well and we both know the overall industry is changing, and not necessarily for the good. We each have our ideas and gut feelings, and then there's the info we all read in forums, adult news sites, etc....I know for myself, its always good to have a contingency plan in place, and I encourage others to have this as well.

It'll be interesting to see what the industry will be like a year from now.

[Toby]

I'm more or less on the same page. My thoughts on your thoughts.

1. Independence is the biggest reason I've chosen to do this. I think our role with organizations like the FSC is one of education, making sure they understand enough about our side of the business, so they don't unwittingly sell us down the proverbial path.

2. A collective would be the beginning of the end. Eventually only large corporate sites would survive.

3. Ultimately this is a people business. The more people you know well enough to trust, the better your chances for success. I need to get better at this. I'm far too reluctant to approach others. I tend to wait for others to approach me first.

[swedguy]

My profound thoughts on your thoughts:

We are like street whores, independant.
If we want to stay in the same profession but have someone represent us, create a cop-op or the like, it's like ending up in a small room at a brothel.

I'm a street whore!

[Halfdeck]

Originally Posted by swedguy

I'm a street whore!

Just keep your eyes peeled for these guys

[natalie]

Here here Surfn. I think it is important to remain independent but yet it would be good to *try* to educate people about the business: In the way of making them realise we don't want kids on our sites and we do not use underage models etc. I don't think I could join an organisation that would put restrictions on the way I do business, those things are my decision. As long as I stay in the bounds of legality and my ethics I am happy.
Also thank you for reminding me about networking, I need to do more of that.

[Jim]

You know what I think we need here...
A page with simple dos and dont's for newbies.
There are so many people that just don't have any idea what the hell they are doing in this business.

And I agree Surfn...
We once tried to form an organization that had a "code of ethics" for webmasters to use. Of course, since Rick was only in it for the cash, YNOT's members were disbanded.

But, since then, I have found that rounding up webmasters and getting them to agree is like herding cats.

[plateman]

The only bad thing is that the good guys in this biz are always gonna be labled as trash from what the bad guys do...... most all the shit thrown at us has been from what the spammers scammers and crooks has done....

[tigermom]

You bring up some good points for discussion there Surfn. I think the main issue here is that of "change". Now, I'm relatively new to the adult, so I may be way off the mark here, but I think recent changes stemmed from the current political atmosphere in the USA. Things like 2257, like issues with credit cards and paypal, all reflect a change, either temporary or not, in American mainstream politics. I think the future of the industry depends a lot on where America is heading. I am not sure how "the industry" will respond, but I suspect it might have to do with growing unity among "ethical" AWM, trying to set us apart from the crooks and no-goods. A union or sorts? who knows, hard to tell at this point.

Networking is always vital. In any business, especially online, where you don't get to "meet" people unless you go out and seek them on forums and boards.