Content was the topic of the third seminar at this year’s winter Internext Expo convention, which took place last week in Las Vegas, Nevada. Adult webmasters and various industry professionals gathered together at the Mandalay Bay’s convention center to listen to a panel of professionals talk about adult content; advertised sub-topics included where to buy content, how to shoot content, reselling content, licensing content and niche-specific content.Content was the topic of the third seminar at this year’s winter Internext Expo convention, which took place last week in Las Vegas, Nevada. Adult webmasters and various industry professionals gathered together at the Mandalay Bay’s convention center to listen to a panel of professionals talk about adult content; advertised sub-topics included where to buy content, how to shoot content, reselling content, licensing content and niche-specific content. The featured panel of experts included Eric Matis from Adult.com, Steve Lightspeed from LightspeedCash.com, Jason Tucker from FalconFoto.net, Steve Jones from WebmasterCentral.com, and James Seibert from HotMovies.com. This seminar was one hour in duration and was moderated by the talented Katie Smith of 3ob.com (THROB).

Asked how many in attendance shoot their own adult content, a sizable percentage of the room raised their hand. Having established that the crowd contained both content producers and content buyers, moderator Smith then proceeded to launch a series of questions at the panelists, each question designed to give the panel an opportunity to discuss important content issues.

The first topic of conversation dealt with a common decision that all webmasters must face: Is it better to lease content or to produce content? Seibert said that it’s a good idea to start small and work your way up.

“If you buy content off a reputable company, it’s a good way to start,” said Seibert. He then pointed out that there are unnecessary legal risks that accompany buying content from an unknown entity. Tucker agreed that webmasters should only do business with companies that pack a solid reputation.

Steve Lightspeed pointed out that there are three levels of leased content: Exclusive content, semi-exclusive content and non-exclusive content. According to Lightspeed, exclusive content is “fairly expensive” but gives the purchaser complete control over the exposure of the content. That can be a key advantage over semi-exclusive or non-exclusive content, since those classifications mean other webmasters can also sell that same content on their websites.

Matis agreed that the right kind of exclusive content can pay big dividends.

“The return on exclusive content is huge,” said Matis. He then explained that his company is a big believer in “viral marketing,” meaning they produce and publish exclusive content that has a high chance of being passed around between online friends. If the content is unique and memorable, it will work as a marketing force that will draw more people to its home website. “The first time it’s seen is huge,” he added.

But not all exclusive content is created equal.

“Make sure it’s something worth having exclusive,” advised Seibert. He argued that exclusive content isn’t especially valuable if it doesn’t have some unique flair that will attract attention.

For those webmasters who choose to produce their own content, Tucker had three words of advice: “Practice your craft.” Shooting good adult content isn’t just a matter of point and click. According to Tucker, it’s vitally important that adult photographers know something about photography as well as the niche they’re shooting.

“We spend a tremendous amount of money making sure we get the niche right from jump street,” said Tucker.

And don’t forget the possibility of hiring models on an exclusive basis. Lightspeed told the audience that his company has had a lot of success both with exclusive content and with exclusive models, though the availability of quality exclusive models might vary from market to market.

Pulling the conversation back to licensing content, Steve Jones pointed out that the average webmaster only has so much free time – and it’s not easy to shoot enough quality content while also operating and maintaining a serious adult website.

“So many people fail because they try to do the whole package at once,” said Jones. “It’s tough to shoot content and do sites.”

On the issue of quality, Tucker argued that there’s a big difference between still photography and screen grabs from video clips. This comment seemed to suggest that not all users will be happy with a pay site’s “image gallery” if it is loaded exclusively with low-quality screen grabs. According to Tucker, there is still a large market for quality adult photography.

The conversation then turned to tips for producing successful content.

Seibert said organization and consistency are vital.

“You need a plan,” said Seibert. “You have to stick with it and work.”

When trying to decide what kind of content to shoot, webmasters should consider the kinds of porn they find most appealing.

“Think of your favorite things,” advised Tucker.

But don’t forget to listen to your members. Lightspeed said his company has been successful partly because it collects member feedback and incorporates member suggestions into future updates.

But where is content headed? According to Matis, online adult content is headed right back to where it started – solo model sites.

“The industry has come kind of full circle,” he said. But what was the cycle? Matis argued that the adult internet began with a lot of “solo girl” sites, progressed to huge mega-sites with a ton of content, then moved to more extreme hardcore sites. Now? Matis sees the “solo girl” site again playing a big role in the online adult industry.

But whether you shoot content or produce content, one thing seems clear – you can never have enough. Jones pointed out that even those people who shoot content still need to lease additional content to fill out their pay sites.

“You can’t shoot enough yourself to fill a decent member’s area,” said Jones.

For more information on Internext Expo, please visit www.internext-expo.com.

Connor Young is Editor-in-Chief of YNOT News. He has been involved with the online adult entertainment business since 1997, and also serves as Editor-in-Chief of The ADULTWEBMASTER Magazine. Connor can be reached at connor@ynot.com.