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Interview with adult webmaster Johnny

January 28, 2008

Johnny is the owner of Ragingbucks.com - a fast-rising adult entertainment network. 
In this interview, he shares his experiences with online business in general. 
His experiences can help webmasters across the board whether they are in adult,
gambling, or mainstream fields.

1. How would you describe your job?
 
To sum it up in one word, unpredictable! Most of my days run smoothly but some days
can be pure chaos. I have to deal with server issues, unhappy affiliates, missed
deadlines, and customer support questions. However, I would never trade this job for
anything else. It feels great to know that your hard work has paid off and feels
great to see the profits that you have earned.

2. How did you get into this kind of business?  Did you really see yourself getting into this kind of business?

I believe being at the right place at the right time is the key to success. I was
a high school drop out who worked for an A/C company for over five years.  After
putting in over 60 hours a day and never getting ahead, I decided to look for other
opportunities. I spoke with a local buddy of mine in a Yahoo chat room to discuss if
there was any work available. While I was chatting, I came across a woman’s profile
that stated “Want to make money in the adult industry click here.”  I followed the
instructions and made my first million within three years.

3. What do you think are the turning points that helped make webmastering a money-making business?

Definitely, it has to be technology. Today, there are many opportunities to advertise
and communicate with online surfers as compared to a few years ago. Bandwidth, hardware,  software and url prices have also decreased. These factors have opened the doors for  smaller companies. I still believe it is easier to profit in the adult industry than in  the mainstream industry.

4. What is the most exciting industry-related development of late?

  Currently, I do not see anything that really stands out from the adult industry side.
I do notice the mainstream taking the lead in trend setting.  But in prior years,
the adult industry was setting the trends. But with new technology coming out, trends
also tend to fade. Right now, Web 2.0 social-networking sites are the hottest trends  in the adult industry.

5. What do you think are the essential skills to become a successful webmaster?

Webmasters must be patient, passionate, persistent, and willing to take risks.
The good old days of making BIG money the easy way on the Internet are long gone.
You have to come with a game plan and stick with it. You have to follow that game plan
until you have exhausted all other possibilities. You also have to be willing to accept
criticism, have the ability to network, think outside the box, and be able to push on
through rough times.

6. Webmastering has gone from being a one-person job to a field that allows specialization. Is that a good thing or a bad thing for the business?

For me, it has been a horrible thing. Unfortunately, it has limited my time to what I
can do on a daily basis. You need to have a solid team to run a successful business.
Don’t expect to run a multi-million dollar company all by yourself. You need programmers,  web designers, and customer service representatives that you trust to be successful.  All these additional expenses can cut into your profits. On the other hand, having those  much needed people allows you to focus on maximizing your abilities.

7.  Do you think the industry is regulated enough?  Should the authorities or the
    governing bodies become more strict or less strict?

These days, it doesn’t seem like the online industry can police itself so I have no
problem with the governing bodies intervening. They must do so within reasonable bounds,  without violating my constitutional rights. There are definitely some gray areas that  need to be addressed legally.

8. What are the challenges the industry is facing today?
 
I would say adware and spyware. There are many hard working webmasters who are not  receiving proper credit for the work and time they put in. You have adware which is  doing pop-ups over webmasters’ websites and interfering with potential sales that an  honest webmaster has worked for. Even though most adware is legal, it is very unethical  for me. I think Congressional intervention is needed to solve some of these issues.
These adware companies have BIG money behind them and this will be a tough fight for
the smaller guys to take on.

9. What do you think are the challenges that lie ahead for online businesses?

I would have to say saturation. Online businesses are popping up everywhere these days.  Anyone with basic computer skills and a little capital can start an online business.  The problem with this is, with more new webmasters and fewer new surfers on the Internet,  we are all fighting for the same traffic. Therefore, you need to make your product stand  out even more to catch the attention of the surfer. I still feel that it is easier to  generate profit in the adult industry than in the mainstream. Online security and identity  theft are some of the other challenges. The online industry needs to educate the surfer  on what to look for and how to protect themselves. Once we lose the confidence of the  surfers who enter personal information and discourage them from using credit cards online  for purchases, the whole online business model is busted.

10. What do you think are the new and exciting things ahead for online businesses?

 It is difficult for me to say as I sit back every year and figure out ways to excel.
Only time can tell but I am hoping I can spot the next trend so I can capitalize on it.
Everything moves quickly these days and the windows of opportunity are getting fewer.

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