Have you ever taken a crash course on anything? Well, I have. Porn 101 (The Ultimate Newbie Seminar) and it took place at the Cybernet Expo in Montreal last Thursday morning..Have you ever taken a crash course on anything? Well, I have. Porn 101 (The Ultimate Newbie Seminar) and it took place at the Cybernet Expo in Montreal last Thursday morning.

Okay, so it wasn’t really a seminar on how to be a successful pornographer, but rather the newbie seminar that YNOTMASTERS organized was specifically for all of us new adult Webmasters in this business, affectionately referred to as “newbies,” who are just beginning to cut their teeth in the world of adult online entertainment. If there was something that you needed to know, the answers were plentiful. There was a panel full of seasoned industry veterans including Eric Matis from http://www.adult.com, LAJ from YNOTMASTERS, Albert from http://www.platinumbucks.com, Kathee Brewer from http://www.avnonline.com and Michel Plante from http://www.3XWebdesign.com, with YNOT Bob from YNOTMASTERS as the moderator. The topics discussed ranged from site design, to business models, legal advice, and general mentoring.

As a newbie, it didn’t take long to realize that this business that we are in, is indeed a unique one and not just because of the fact that it involves great looking people, sex, an excessive amount of fun, and often times wild parties that continue on through the early mornings. Albert made a comment, “This is a cutting edge industry, with a unique business model. Your competition is your number one traffic builder. No other business is like ours to the degree with which we do business with our competition.” Building relationships, without vicious competition among your industry mates, was a topic that was emphasized by every panelist. Albert emphatically stressed, “Shake hands, remember names and follow up with what you say.”

Eric went on to say that this is a “fraternal industry” and LAJ added, “There’s not too many businesses where you can go in fresh and start asking executives for all of their knowledge. Find a few mentors and stick with them. Everyone in this business is only at the most, two to three degrees of separation.”

It was made clear to the approximately 100 in attendance that our business is not a business to get into if you’re just in it for the glamour and fun. Michel stressed, “It’s not about the parties, girls and having fun. What’s your business plan? What are your goals? What milestones have you achieved?” Albert drove home the point by saying, “Leadership is needed in every department of your company. Small businesses have faded out due to poor management and the future and trends of this industry will come in the form of good leaders putting solid structure into place.” Eric noted, “Getting started is easy but structure is needed to last. You can’t just be a mess. You need structure or you won’t sell anything.”

Legal topics such as the PROTECT Act were not taken lightly. “If you do not have your 18 USC 2257 forms (valid proof that models are 18) get out of this business right now. You will go to jail. There are some of us in this room right now, and at least a few others in this industry, that will be or already are in the process of being prosecuted for this error. If you don’t have your legal forms, then you are not serious about being in business and you need to get out now,” insisted YNOT Bob.

General mentoring by the panelists came in the form of basic good advice that touched on a variety of topics. Michel offered up advice about site design: “Sex sells, but don’t go hardcore. Try to avoid the trashy road and try to censor images if you are running a hardcore fetish site. Look at Playboy as a model. Keep it very clean and very classy and give enough to arouse the visitor but don’t give away too much. You only have at most 30 seconds to catch a surfer’s eye. Build trust with your site’s image and create a site that you personally would buy from.”

Kathee suggested that the beginning Webmaster should “stay curious and be willing to learn. There are plenty of people in this industry that are willing to teach you. Read as much as you can and tap into free online resources, such as ScriptSchool.com.” She went on to emphasize the need for passion in your work. “Select a niche not just because you think you can make money at it, but make sure it’s a niche that you really enjoy and one that you could spend a lot of time working with because you will be spending a lot of time getting your business off the ground.”

Eric encouraged the audience to “take time to smell the roses. Don’t forget about your family and friends. This business has a way of stealing all of your time, often resulting in 12-16 hour days. Don’t lose your balance. You will need it in this industry to stay sane.”

LAJ opened up the floodgates for the newbies by advising that there is room for everyone in the adult Internet. “Don’t let anyone tell you that there is no room in this business to get involved and make money. We’re still in our infancy.” He also added that it is important to conduct research for several months before spending any money, because profit margins are lower than what they used to be, and the idea of getting on the adult Internet without a plan and making money is over.

So newbies, myself included, it’s safe to say that we should have a plan of attack, learn the names and faces, dive into the vast knowledge pool of resources, take the baby steps, design quality sites, have legal counsel, and my favorite part – enjoy the hell out of your work because toiling for a living is quite a miserable business. Thank God for porn.

Lisa is the Assistant Director of Marketing and Public Relations for TopBucks and OneVerify and can be reached at Lisar@seekio.com.