Interview with Nation-x, well known webmaster in the online adult business community.

Nation-x is a well known webmaster in the community who started his adult career in 2001. He is a skilled PHP Developer and has worked for a variety of adult companies, including AEBN and Slick Cash. He has worked for AdultReviews.net for the last 3 years as TGP Network Manager and now enjoys his position doing in-house SEO, PHP Development and webmaster work. The AR TGP Network is made of over 100 tgps and soon AdultReviews.net will launch 3 new blog hosts managed by nation-x that will help expand the AdultReviews.net affiliate program.

WJ: What experiences prepared you for your current role as a webmaster/online publisher? What did you do prior to your current business?

I started my Information Services career in 1996 as a Software Quality Specialist for a mainstream software company. This was a great experience that gave me an opportunity to learn a lot. The company was purchased by another company in 1997 and I moved on to work as a Web Developer for a number of consulting firms. In late 1999 I accepted a position at Amway Corporation where I was the sole developer in a small team that developed the Amway Business Network (ABN) website. This was my first real taste of e-commerce but the site was doing around $1.6 million in sales per week. Shortly thereafter, Quixtar was released and they closed the ABN site and laid off 450 salaried employees (including me). I went on to start my own consulting firm and did well servicing office furniture manufacturers Herman Miller and Steelcase until the dot com bubble burst and 9/11 when most of these companies really started tightening their budgets and closing contracts. In a pure business sense this experience helped me to get where I am today.

WJ:  What do you think of Web 2.0 and how has it impacted your business? What is the next trend for user interactivity?

Most of the adult sites that tout the title “web 2.0” aren’t actually even web 2.0 companies/sites. This includes tube sites. The basic idea behind a web 2.0 website is not the look of it. It’s about user contributed content and conversation. Too many companies are trying to ruin the web 2.0 idea by turning it into their idea of marketing and I see it as a problem for the whole community because it’s the companies that are giving away all of the free content under the guise of web 2.0… it isn’t the users providing the content.  A “true” web 2.0 site would be like xpeeps.com or even alt.com. I think the impact of fake web 2.0 sites on the industry is negative as a whole and the companies that are pushing it are short sighted. There is a lot of profit to be made in user contributed content if the service the customers are provided allows them to maintain privacy while providing the means to interact with others that share their taste. I think that sexual expression is becoming much more mainstream with every year that passes and the companies that cater to that will profit in a big way. I see a huge trend of people getting their fill of professional content and gaining interest in truly amateur content.

WJ:  Should the Internet be regulated?  Are there any parts of the Net that could use regulation?  Please explain your position thoroughly.

I am totally 100% for free expression and I don’t want to see that inhibited in any way and I am totally against any government being in control of it. That said, I think that we do need user driven regulation in cooperation with government authority. It’s just like anything… people need to get involved and companies and governments need to start being more responsive to combat the evils. Spyware should be outlawed because it’s only valuable to the profiteer and not the surfer. There needs to be a more reasonable way to protect your copyrighted material as well as combat against trojans, viruses and phishing sites. It’s all being half assed at the moment and much too costly for copyright holders to defend their rights. I don’t know what the answer is… I just hope someone can come up with a solution.

WJ:  What is the future of affiliate marketing?  Where do you see yourself in this future scenario?

I think that too much money is being spent to combat affiliate fraud. I would like to see US and European programs tighten up their programs. I personally would like to see a total lockdown that would deny any new affiliates who are from a country that can’t purchase memberships. I know I will get a lot of hate for saying that… but when I see criminal organizations like the Russian Business Network, who have undoubtedly been payed millions in affiliate payouts, that are responsible for as much as 50% of phishing crimes and have installed trojans on millions of pcs worldwide… It seems like common sense to me. The adult industry needs to take this lesson from mainstream affiliate programs. There are a lot of mainstream programs out there (especially in the credit and banking industries) that have stringent standards for affiliate qualification. One suggestion is that programs limit the programs that new affiliates can promote until they prove themselves or unless they can provide reputable references. As far as my own role, I am confident that every program I promote can recognize that I am a good affiliate and that AdultReviews.net is an invaluable affiliate. We will continue to honor that tradition.

WJ:  Please discuss your future plans for your web properties and other future developments.

The keywords here are “maintenance” and “expansion”. I will continue to maintain our current sites and work toward their growth in addition to expanding. I think the key to adapting to the ever changing ecommerce environment is continuing expansion but I see a lot of webmasters spending time on expanding their networks with garbage sites and then they wonder why they get punished by search engines. In order to actually grow a valuable network you need to focus on quality. Stop copying everyone else and think outside of the box. These are my goals and the where the real work and reward can be found.

Why Your Blog Needs Publicity from Magazines and Newspapers

There is no doubt that your blog needs publicity from well-respected magazines and newspapers.  No matter what your field or industry is, once you have been accepted into a magazine or newspaper, you will find that you are instantly an expert in your field and will gain incredible respect, publicity, and credibility.  You’ll find that being published in a major magazine, newspaper, or journal will immediately increase your traffic and help give your blog the reputation of being a leader in your industry.

Choosing an online journal like Webmaster Journal is an excellent way to increase your blog’s notoriety.  Webmaster Journal is a highly regarded online journal that is known by webmasters across the country.  Getting published with a site like Webmaster Journal will ensure that you are recognized for your expertise as well as a professional that is capable of answering questions that your customers may have. When customers are confident that the business they are dealing with is connected with other professional companies and are regarded as experts by leading industry publications, they are more apt to use their services.

Once you create an article that promotes your services and is a true representation of your company, you will want to begin searching for media outlets to publish your work.  One of the keys to increasing your blog’s publicity is to build a lasting relationship with various editors throughout the industry.  When an editor sees you as an expert who is also reliable, you will find that it is very common for the editor to offer you a project if they need something at the last minute.  By building a successful relationship with an editor you can create a lasting partnership that ensures that you will continue to have access to that avenue where you can prove your expertise in your field.

Therefore it is imperative that you take the steps necessary to protect your relationship with your editor.  It is advantageous to reach out to editors and build strong relationships with them that are built on honesty and integrity.  It is also a good idea to keep a record of the editors that you have worked with and do whatever is necessary to maintain a healthy relationship with him or her.

You should take the time to research the magazine, newspaper, or journal that you seek to be published in.  Never attempt to build a relationship with an editor if you haven’t first taken the time to learn as much as you can regarding the media outlet.  You should be familiar with the type of articles that they include with their publication.  Additionally, you should have a clear understanding of who their audience is so that when you write for them, the article will be specifically geared towards their readers. 

There is no denying that once you are published in a successful publication that your credibility will skyrocket.  Also, this type of exposure for your blog is repetitive, meaning that once you have been published in a leading journal you can always use that same article to promote your business and services.

It’s also a good idea to make yourself available to the editor and let them know that if they ever need fresh content that you are ready at the last minute.  Your relationship with your editor is critical to the amount of content that you will publish with them.  It should be your goal to create a relationship that is on the same level as a friendship with your editor.  Send them cards on their birthdays, holidays, and special events. After publication, consider sending them a thank you note to let them know that you appreciate working with them.

You should also realize that any editor that you are working with is an incredibly busy person and that you will most likely find more progress when you contact the editor through email rather than by telephone.  When you send an email, you are guaranteed that the editor will respond to you as their schedule allows, but all editors will read their emails. Telephone messages run the risk of being put on the back burner, as editors may simply be unable to find the time to return your phone call.  Email is an excellent tool that enables editors to save your information and easily retrieve it when needed.  A phone message will automatically be deleted as the editor must have room available on his or her phone to receive new messages, but an email can be stored forever.

If you don’t feel confident writing your own articles or press releases then you should consider hiring a freelance writer who will write your articles for your company.  This is also a great way to ensure that your articles and content are included in some of the most popular magazines, newspapers, and journals.  When you hire a writer who already has an established working relationship with media outlets, the majority of your work is done for you.  You will not need to concern yourself with pitching your story to editors, as the writer will already have a working relationship with the editor.  Once you have found a successful freelance writer to work with you will want to nurture that relationship as you would if you were working directly with an editor.

When looking for content to pitch to editors, it is best to choose topics that are relevant to what is going on in the current news.  Whenever you can create content that is full of recent news items you have an excellent chance of editors and publishers agreeing to publish and promote your content.  The quality of your story is what will either make or break your chances of being published.  It is imperative to ensure that your story is based upon a recent newsworthy item, this will make certain that editors will find your story or piece relevant and worthy of publication.  A very good way to ensure that you receive the latest news as it is breaking is to sign up with news alerts or to subscribe to various feeds that are related to your field.  This way, you will have access to current topics as they break.  By using these various techniques, you can enjoy the publicity that comes with having your blog featured in popular magazines, newspapers, and journals.

Grassroots Marketing is Dandy

Spring has finally sprung here in Northeastern Indiana. The sun is shining, a warm breeze is blowing, and my backyard has been overtaken by… dandelions. I would swear that they appeared overnight. I got up one morning to take my dogs out, and there they were.

So there I am, gazing out upon this sea of golden weeds when all of a sudden it hit me. Yes, I need a good weed and feed treatment, but you know what else?

We can learn a lot about “grassroots” marketing from those pesky little guys.

Think about all of the little “seeds” you could be planting—press releases, article submissions, direct mail, podcasts and more. Each on its own is certainly powerful, but consider how much more impact these little seeds would have if you were to employ them together. This unified marketing approach packs a punch; prospects will begin to notice that everywhere they look, there you are.

There are so many opportunities out there that can be leveraged for big returns, but you need to know where to look. To help simplify your search, here are a few of my personal favorites:

PRWeb
There are a great many free press release distribution services, but remember what your Mother always said: “You get what you pay for.” PR Web offers an array of services at various price points. In addition, they offer some value-added services such as podcast interviews that you can use later as an additional promotional tool.

Big Boards
If you’ve heard it once, you’ve heard it a hundred times. Discussion forums can be a valuable small business resource. Once you’ve identified niche forums of interest, you can set about using them for market research, as well as promotion.

Scribd
Scribd has been referred to as the YouTube™ of documents, and with good reason. Make sure you read their guidelines for submissions carefully, as some overzealous marketers’ abuses caused them to toughen up on what is deemed appropriate to share. You can upload your articles, ezine issues, press releases, and much more.

Ezine Articles
Ezine articles is a treasure trove for publishers in search of content, and this makes it a prime target for your article submissions. All article reprints require that your resource box remains intact, which translates to incoming links each time your article is used.

This is by no means a comprehensive list, but it offers a good place to start your grassroots efforts. And remember, the strength of this approach is in the combined efforts. The seeds you plant today will soon take on a life of their own, spreading all over the net just like those dandelions in my yard.

About the Author:
Traci Hayner Vanover, aka The Promo Diva®, is an author, copywriter, publicist and publisher. As the publisher of Create the Dream! , a bimonthly digital small business magazine, Traci has a highly-regarded and long-standing reputation for offering quality resources, services and support to the small business community.

Interview with adult webmaster Alex from Adult Paysite Index

Since we work in adult business we make larger networks of adult sites. In the past we had 5000 domains and small adult sites optimized for Search Engine Traffic which made us able to gain about 700k traffic daily about 10 years ago, later we made several smaller networks. Our last network of about 150 TGP and MGP Sites was able to gain about 1M traffic daily. Now we work on a 500+ Sites Network containing of TGP, MGP and Text Sites which is noskim to fit the competition of Tube Sites.
Here are  the samples of our sites:

500 Traffic Trades/Link Exchanges  and  Adult Paysite Index  
 
 

 WJ:  What experiences prepared you for your current role as a webmaster/online publisher?  What did you do prior to your current business?

Nothing, when I begun I had zero experience, but common sense made me realize that there is money to be made in an easy way. Prior to online adult business i was a DJ for a long time and while still at school, right after finishing school i immediately got self-employed. Working for myself is my religion since then.
 

 WJ:  If you can only pick one, what is the SECRET ingredient to succeeding in online publishing/the webmaster business?

Common Sense and Logic are the most important things a successfull webmaster should have and use of course. Every other aspect is closely related to it and the product of thinking logicaly and using common sense to put the puzzle together, to forsee things, to understand your visitors and everything else related. Additionally i would say it’s very important to find good and qualified workers/employees if you have to expand your business which realy seems to be a probelm. Currently I’am very happy that i have 3 people working on my projects that I can trust and that give their best over several months now.

 WJ:  What do you think of Web 2.0 and how has it impacted your business? What is the next trend for user interactivity?

It hasn’t impact my business in anyway. We build Sites based on simple html since we are in business and we don’t see any reason to change this. The next trend for user interactivity? Honestly, no idea…

 WJ:  Should the Internet be regulated?  Are there any parts of the Net that could use regulation? Please explain your position thoroughly.

Only in some parts. Generally I’am all for freedom and free speech, but some worldwide regulations could be at least worth thinking about it. For example issues regarding and related to Spam, illegal Pornography, Guns and Drugs. It’s just obvious that the Internet as itself is “exposed”, due to it’s anonymity, to criminals and here I see place and need for some possible regulations to protect internet users.
 WJ:  What is the future of affiliate marketing?  Where do you see yourself in this future scenario?

Affilate Marketing will take a more and more important factor in my opinion. There is a huge competition in place, more and more affilate programs try to get a piece of the cake, so do new webmasters. Logically I prepare myself for my own affilate program in the long run, which again makes only sense if you have your own traffic resources. Other than that, I was and am still satisfied with being an affilliate.

 WJ:  Please discuss your future plans for your web properties and other future developments.

As I said earlier, currently we are working on a 500+ Site Network, about 200 Sites are finished but not yet released for public. Due to huge competition in the normal TGP business and the fast growing Tube Sites it was just logical to look for a new way to be able to compete with these. As a result I decided to make a very large network which covers every possible niche you can think about.  Additionally, it’s time to be as honest as possible to your visitors, the days of misleading them,forwarding and redirecting them against their will and similar practices are over in my opinion. Therefore, we decided to make our new network absolutly surfer-friendly which includes: very fast loading sites due absolute simplicity, no misleading links, and giving them exactly the content they are looking for. Future  developements may include raising the amount of sites for this network to 1000 to cover even every micro-niche and launch an affilate program.

Why Every Company needs a Blog

Today, every company needs a blog.  There are numerous reasons why companies should have blogs, but the first and most important reason is simply the fact that a blog provides easy interaction with your customer base.  Before blogs, websites were the preferred method for advertising your site online.  When you have a website, your company is being advertised 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.  A company website contains information regarding your company, products that you offer, and services that you provide.  It also has detailed information regarding your company profile, contact information, and a place reserved for answering frequently asked questions.  Websites have revolutionized the way companies stay in touch with their customers, however blogs have only served to make that contact more personal.

Blogs offer customers advantages that websites alone simply can’t provide.  First, a company blog may be updated daily or weekly.  Though it’s true you could choose to update a website on a daily or weekly basis, you’ll find that unless you are an experienced webmaster, it may become costly to pay your webmaster to continually update your site.  Blogging is relatively simple and easy to learn.  Your company can create a blog and numerous members of the company can add posts.  This saves money and increases the popularity of your company.  As more of your employees post to the blog, you’ll have greater search engine placement and will be able to provide more content on a weekly or daily basis than you would simply with a website.

Another advantage to blogging is that you can expand upon your websites’s frequently asked question section and allow for customer interaction through comments.  Smart companies understand that developing a thorough frequently asked questions section of their website helps users find the information that they are looking for easily and efficiently.  The frequently asked questions sections of many websites are often indexed in search engines and appear when Internet searchers are looking for the answers to specific questions.  Keeping a relevant and updated frequently asked question section is a great way to improve your customer database, as customers will continually come back to your site for the relevant information that you provide. 

With a blog, you can provide questions on a daily basis, allow customers to post his or her questions, and have direct interaction with your customers.  Every interaction that you have with your customers is increasing your recognition as an expert in your field.  By allowing customer comments and questions on your blog, you will increase your search engine placement and see more customers return to your blog.

Finally, every company needs a blog because blogs allow users to subscribe.  Every time there is a new subscriber to your blog, you have a potential new customer.  When you update your blog, your readers will receive those updates when they choose to read your feed.  This is an invaluable tool that allows you to see how many people are interested in your blog and choosing to sign up.  If you incorporate a newsletter with your blog, you have an even greater marketing tool that will increase your company’s productivity.

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