LAS VEGAS, NV – Collect five adult industry professionals together and ask their opinions about controversial issues and it will surprise no one if they disagree or say things that their listeners disagree with. Such was certainly the case during the second day of Internext Expo’s “Mind Fuck 2006” seminar.YNOT.com president Connor Young proved a smooth and savvy moderator as the seminar’s panelists navigated the choppy and contentious waters surrounding issues including the .xxx domain extension, appropriate industry response to obscenity prosecutions, the value of tradeshows, bad business practices, the proposed 25-percent porn tax, and Visa/MasterCard policies.

The panelists ranged from such diverse backgrounds as Morgan Sommer of CyberSocket.com and Karl Edwards of BedFellows.com, Aly Drummond of TheBestPorn.com, “Spike” Goldberg of New Destiny, and Jay Grdina of Club Jenna. Despite this diverse group, on the topic of the proposed .XXX domain name, there was general consensus that whatever the original intent behind the proposed adult-only domain, as politics and business reality exist today, Sommers was spot on when he boldly stated that “it’s another ghetto.” More to the point: a self-limiting ghetto with no ability to expand or market outside of its virtual locked gates. “I just don’t see how it could be good for business,” Sommers concluded to nods both on stage and in the audience.

Another area of mutual agreement was the value of tradeshows. Although this year’s Internext saw less foot traffic on the tradeshow floor, all panelists shared the opinion that one of the most important elements of the three day event was the chance to put faces to names, meet in person for formal and informal networking opportunities, and reconnect with industry friends and associates. The ever-exuberant Drummond pointed out that on the first day alone, she had passed out 500 business cards. Goldberg confessed that he has come to see Internext as a “fun time” with fellow professionals. “I guess that at the end of the day I’m tired – but tradeshows are cool.” Even with that, however, Edwards admitted that he felt the industry had changed positively since the days of mega trade shows: “But it’s not represented on the show floor.”

Many jokes were bantered between the panelists when asked what bad business practices they felt were hampering the industry. Once jests about the “obscene” availability of straight porn, RealDolls, and build-a-dicks made from chocolate were out of everyone’s system, things began to take a serious turn. Violent and degrading websites, industry professionals that prey upon one another, and the complexity of dealing with incomplete pay-outs were the most unpopular practices mentioned.

A general feeling of relief was felt by all involved when discussing the upheaval felt by webmasters when dealing with credit card companies. The overall view expressed was that the worst is likely over now that third party billing companies have become common, although a resurgence in individual billing might well result in more professional drama in spite of the fact that previous problems made serious professionals “clean house,” as Sommer put it.

Differences of opinion were obvious when discussing legal, taxation, and cross-media topics, however. Although Drummond communicated a general support of taxation, initially with Goldberg’s approval, further consideration of the 25-percent proposed tax earned it little praise, even from Goldberg, who ultimately called it “entirely outrageous.” While Sommers summed up his disgust by saying “good luck getting it,” Grdina’s disgust was unquestionable. “The tax is absurd,” he insisted, pointing out that funds raised would likely be used to prosecute webmasters, adding insult to injury after business owners had paid personal and professional taxes.

The importance of a combined Web and DVD presence was another hotly contested issue, with Grdina seeing it as an essential reality for content providers watching archival material stack up and earning little money while doing so. Edwards seemed far less impressed by the issue, pointing out that without the internet, his “shitty porn” would never have had an opportunity to be shown and thus he felt little compulsion to further distribute and market it. He was joined by Sommers, who scoffed at the idea that the two elements of the industry have ever truly been separate and that providers must embrace both venues in order to survive professionally.

But nothing raised the hackles of panelists and audience members more than the discussion regarding industry support of providers facing obscenity prosecutions. While all five sitting on the stage indicated sympathy for those dealing with legal difficulties, not all felt it was the industry as a whole’s job to provide emotional or financial support. Although Drummond suggested that a clear and definitive standard for obscenity and indecency would be a huge help to the industry, she also proposed that even content providers uncomfortable with edgy subject matter should rally behind those accused of wrong-doing. Sommers, however, was firm in his belief that the industry has no responsibility to do so given the lack of consensus about what material is appropriate. Grdina and Sommers were both especially harsh when referring to the Rob Black/Extreme Associates case, with the latter stating that “we need to make a better standard” and the former expressing a belief that extreme content “tarnishes the rest of the industry.” Several times various panel members strongly stated a wish that extreme content providers would back off on their boundary pushing enterprises during the conservative Bush administration in order to draw less attention to the industry overall. Nonetheless, Grdina was emphatic in his belief that “no matter what it is, whether it’s the degradation of women or fisting or whatever, we need to stand behind our First Amendment rights.”