Non-English Speaking Webmasters

[Jim]

Originally Posted by Greenie

I was actually told at a legal seminar that our industry had 1, maybe 2 years left before the Gov't stepped in & shut us down....that was in 2001

Christ Greenie, I was asked back in 98 when I thought it would be over. I answered the question the same way Marilyn Monroe answered when she was asked what she thought about sex. She thought for a minute and said, "I think it's here to stay". As long as people are interested in sex, making money from it is here to stay.

I agree with Licker4U in one point. To compare online pornography to gambling is absurd and you are comparing apples and oranges. Gambling is not protected by the the 1st amendment. Online Pornography is protected and has been proven to be protected many times.

Hell, look toward your own government as far as trying to stop porn. Wasn't there a Lord that was called Lord Porn because of the way he tried to stomp out porn in the UK? And wasn't he laughed at by his counterparts and dismised as a joke?

[ecchi]

Originally Posted by Jim

Hell, look toward your own government as far as trying to stop porn. Wasn't there a Lord that was called Lord Porn because of the way he tried to stomp out porn in the UK? And wasn't he laughed at by his counterparts and dismised as a joke?

He was laughed at, but he got a lot of companies closed down, a lot of stuff banned, and a lot of people sent to jail.

Until a few years ago we had very strict laws over here. Up to about ten years ago it was still a serious offence to even put a link to a porn site, let alone run one. Even if you ran a non-profit making blog like site where you just talked about your boring life, pets, favourite bar, etc. and one day mentioned a porn site you had seen (and been disgusted by) on the net, you could go to jail if you put a link to it on your site.

And it is only about two years ago that it ceased to be an inprisonable offence to display a photo of an erect penis.

That is why I am so certain America is heading for 'porn prohibition', because the way the American press and politicians are talking is the way our press and politicians were talking in the early 1980s, before we got our seriously draconian anti porn laws.

When I started in online porn I spent a lot of money setting up a fake Japanese identity for myself, so the 'Japanese me' could take the blame. If you don't do something now, you will soon have to do a similar thing. If you sit there saying "We got freedom of speech/it won't happen here" then it will happen. As someone once said "democracy is not a privilege, it is a duty", you want to still be in this business for the foreseeable future, you have got to start fighting to keep that right to free speech now.

But I am getting way off my original point, which was not what Americans should do (its your country, none of my business how you run it, I don't live there). Originally I was saying why I thought it was a mistake for European webmasters to invest more time and effort in American based sites than in sites aimed at their countrymen (my answer to a question posted by Jim), and asking why they did it (sort of repeating the thread's aim).

[Mr Spock]

(2) Thanks to the chimp you currently have running your country, the US dollar is pretty worthless compared with most other countries' currency. This means that if you live outside the US and get paid in $US, you have to sell twice as many memberships to make your money as you would if you sold them in your own country's currency.

Actually the US $ has been trending weaker against most other currencies for the past 20/30 years and has nothing to do with GW.

The bottom line is this: the reason that non-english speaking webmasters target english speakers is the fact that most english speakers have higher disposable incomes and present alarger more viable market.

If China or India suddenly became receptive to porn wm - I doubt whether there would be a rush of wm trying to get into China or India - these people just don't have disposable incomes at this point in time

[ecchi]

Originally Posted by Mr Spock

Actually the US $ has been trending weaker against most other currencies for the past 20/30 years and has nothing to do with GW.

I was not trading outside Britain 20/30 years ago, so I cannot agree/disagree for certain but, yes I think it was stronger back then. However it took another nose dive a few years ago and has been incredibly low since then. This did happen on George W.'s watch and it is his fault. He not only admits it, he claims (probably honestly) that he did it deliberately. His theory is that if the US$ is this far down the toilet, Americans will not be able to buy foreign goods, thus improving the balance of payment. The problem is that if Americans buy foreign goods anyway (eg oil) then it has the reverse effect, and recession happens. That is why it is a gambol.

[Licker4U]

Originally Posted by Mr Spock

The bottom line is this: the reason that non-english speaking webmasters target english speakers is the fact that most english speakers have higher disposable incomes and present alarger more viable market.

I agree. I have no facts to back it up but I would think english speaking people tend to have a higher disposable income. What's the price of petrol (gasoline) in the UK? Here it's around $2.30/U.S gallon, give or take a little. I hear in Italy it's around $6.00/gallon. What's the average income in non-english speaking countries. When you have lower average income, higher costs for goods and services, there isn't much left for porn.

Edit: I guess Mr. Spock and I just answered my original question in this thread

[stuveltje]

Originally Posted by Licker4U

I agree. I have no facts to back it up but I would think english speaking people tend to have a higher disposable income. What's the price of petrol (gasoline) in the UK? Here it's around $2.30/U.S gallon, give or take a little. I hear in Italy it's around $6.00/gallon. What's the average income in non-english speaking countries. When you have lower average income, higher costs for goods and services, there isn't much left for porn.

Edit: I guess Mr. Spock and I just answered my original question in this thread

na i dont believe the income has something to do with it, i do believe the way how they can pay for porn has to do something with it. to my knowledge the usa is the country where all can have several creditcards, here in holland it doesnt work that way, yes you can get a credit card but isnt easy, so several creditcards..you can forget that part only if you are a millionair you get that deal, this is done to prevent to get people in money trouble. And paying prn by check.....we dont use checks in holland