TRAINING CAMP

Industry saturation is a catchphrase that’s been heard all too often lately, because face it, so much content is leased from the same places. There are many websites that look like clones of each other.TRAINING CAMP

Industry saturation is a catchphrase that’s been heard all too often lately, because face it, so much content is leased from the same places. There are many websites that look like clones of each other. So what to do? How do you separate your content from the tens of thousands of competitors out there? What is the new catchphrase in content? Is the market as saturated as people think? Panelists Mike Rick (Cyber-Synergism), Colin Rowntree (Wasteland, Inc.), Jeff Miller (Content Club (http://www.content-club.com), SunUp Media), and J.D. Obenberger (an attorney with www.xxxlaw.net provided the answers to these questions.

Mike Rick quickly disclosed the new buzzword in content: interactive. He explained that webmasters should have several interactive elements on their websites. Live feeds, for example, provide individual personality to your site, which in turn will hopefully hook the surfers on to your content. Writing can also add an interactive element. Rick suggested posting member submissions on your site – your paying customers will feel like part of the action. Adult sites should have an email address link to every model on the site (if the models are hired by you) so your surfers will become loyal active followers. Games and avatar chats (chat rooms that include images instead of just text) are other ways Rick advocated going interactive.

Colin Rowntree recommended to new webmasters that their sites should include photos, videos, audio, and interactive elements. Free sites include content provided by the affiliate programs, and if you have a pay site, Rowntree said that for photo CDs, the price could range from 20 cents per image to $10 a picture. Expensive images should be reserved for cover art and the tour site, not in the galleries (if you are limited in the expensive content you have). If you have a pay site, Rowntree urged to shoot the content yourself, thus the webmaster will save money and have more individual personality on the site.

So how much should a new webmaster budget for content? If you have a pay site, Rowntree urged webmasters to allocate $2,000 per month, when factoring in the photos, videos, leased feeds, and other content. A free site does not require such a hefty budget, as there should only be 5 to 10 images per page, suggested Rowntree. Leased galleries are of course the fastest and easiest ways to acquire content.

SunUp Media’s Jeff Miller focused on how webmasters can and should develop their own content. First and foremost, he said, the main focus when developing your own content should be to have top quality and exclusive content.

So how does a webmaster go about getting his/her own models? Newspaper ads are a good place to start, said Miller. The headline of the ad should include the terms 18+, no experience necessary, and start immediately. Once you get call backs, explain to the potential models right away what the work requires. You don’t have to mention hardcore but tell them that the job will entail nude modeling. Set up an appointment, and if you don’t have an office, meet them in a public place. If possible, have females first approach the models (assuming of course the models are females themselves) to make them feel more at ease. Don’t bother with strip clubs (you’ll have to face the wrath of not-so-friendly strip club owners), advised Miller. If need be, approach agencies that specialize in adult content, however, this is not the best method to acquire exclusive content.

Other tips offered by Miller included giving the models the release form to take with them so they can digest the information and don’t feel like they are being pressured into signing. Make it unequivocal to them that they are relinquishing their rights to the copyright. As far as compensation goes, Miller said that (amateur) models, that is female ones, receive from $65 to $75 an hour. Amateur male models receive a whopping one dollar, Miller joked.

Miller also said that photographers should maintain a hands-off policy with their models. Another photographic tip was that lighting is the most crucial factor. You can have the most expensive digital camera on the block, but if you don’t know anything about lighting, your content will look inferior. Miller advised finding a quality level that fits your business model. For example, if you have a free site, focus more on niche exclusivity; the images don’t have to be the greatest in the world, as long as the site categorization is appealing.

Perhaps the most engaging of the seminar speakers was J.D. Obenberger. Obenberger offered valuable legal advice to those in attendance. The model release/2257 forms were a hot topic during several Internext seminars, including this one. When acquiring content, webmasters need to be in the know about every possible legal detail in regards to 2257. Obenberger talked at much length about 2257. In summary the four steps are: duty to inquire, which means that webmasters need to document all the aliases of the model; make records in retrievable format; make noticeable the custodian of the content and disclose the information on your site; and make the information available to the Attorney General.

Obscenity of content is also another hot topic. Obenberger mentioned that distributing and linking obscene content could land you in jail. Register your images with the copyright office, be careful with voyeur sites, and take heed that a first time obscenity offense can end up in a 5-year sentence for distributing obscene material.

Trends in content were also explored. Mike Rick said that amateur, fan-club content was rising in popularity. Rowntree suggested putting up fan letters and model biographies on your sites. Miller stated that big boobs and tattoos are not as popular anymore; all-natural girls are the in thing. Also, the freakier the content, the higher the conversion ratios (keep in mind obscenity issues, however).

Obenberger, who advised webmasters to add text to their adult sites, offered in my mind the most important bit of advice. Educational and informative content is one way in which to avoid being prosecuted for having obscene content. Having an array of newsworthy, biographical, statistical, and political text will help protect you from appearing in court on an obscenity charge.