“I have written letters to our larger newspapers explaining the difference between child porn and Internet porn, and the San Diego Union, for one, is more careful. Now the people of San Diego don’t see headlines reading “Man accused of Internet porn,” when actually the headline should read “Man accused of child porn.” Gives a better picture to mainstream and doesn’t word-associate our Industry with the child pornographers of the world.”I recently had the pleasure of talking with my good friend YNOTBob of the YNOTNetwork and YNOTBob.com. I can honestly say if it weren’t for him, I wouldn’t be where I am today. Bob has been a big help to so many people in this industry from profiling new designers on his site to helping new amateurs get their leg up. Now he has his own radio show, the YNOTBob HumpDay Lunch, which runs every Wednesday at 12 pm PST on Albumside.com.

Nina: Hi YNOTBob. Thanks for taking the time to talk with us. I know you’re super busy with your new project, TriCams, but let’s start at the beginning. How long have you been in the industry?

YNOTBob: Well, after putting myself through the rough curriculum at University of California, San Diego, and working full time while going to school full time, I decided to take a year off to backpack and surf the South Pacific. I was so stressed out from school, work, and life in general, that I needed some time off to focus and find out what life is all about. I tell you what! A year with no plans, just hanging around the islands with nobody else around, surfing and backpacking, camping on some of the most beautiful beaches in the world, certainly gives you time to think, and to realize what is important in life. I knew by the time I came back I wanted to only work in a field that was fun, changing daily, and a challenge. I ended up landing a job working for a man who owned a few restaurants on the beaches of Southern California (this is where I initially met the famous Otto). After a short bit, I became the General Manager and slowly started to turn his restaurants around. Long story short, eleven challenging years later, and eleven successful restaurants later, I decided it was time to make it on my own, and I bought myself a bar and restaurant at the beach.

YNOTBob: My restaurant soon became the hubbub of the local beach area known as Mission Beach. I was getting all kinds of cool people in there, and the business really took off. My food won awards, my margarita was voted “Best Margarita in San Diego,” and we were jamming from open to close. I came in contact with some individuals in the adult Internet business and soon became interested in participating myself. As this was going on, one of the guys in the business asked me if I knew a good lawyer. I said, ‘Hell Yeah!” I recommended Otto, who was my good friend and a top-notch lawyer. Otto got the job working for Rick Meunyeong, founder of YNOTMasters. Rick decided he wanted out of the adult Internet business, so he asked Otto to negotiate the sale with Flying Crocodile. Otto did such a good job at these negotiations, that the President of FCI at the time, Andrew Edmonds, asked Otto to be the new President of YNOT. Otto accepted and moved the company from Diamond Bar back down to San Diego. While this was going on he asked me if I wanted to get involved with the new company. Once again I said, “Hell, Yeah!” So I sold my restaurant and came to work for YNOTNetwork. The rest is pretty much history.

Nina: Wow, very cool. It’s great that you were able to take time to travel and that it gave you a good perspective on life. So many people don’t do that and get stuck in a career or situation that doesn’t make them happy. I love the redesign of YNOT and I’ve read that you’re working on a new look for YNOTBob.com; can you give a little preview of what you’ve got in store for us? When do you hope to have the new site up? Will there be any new features?

YNOTBob: As soon as we finish the entire YNOTMasters site redesign, our programming and design team, led by my talented partner Gary Grigoryan, informed me they plan on giving YNOTBob a brand new look. Streamlining some of the functions, and making it possible for daily updated videos and pictures. I am also working on a section for Webmaster games, where Webmasters can play [against] one another. We should have this done sometime late spring.

Nina: That sounds awesome. It will be great to be able to play a few games and blow off some steam. I can think of some Webmasters I’d like to challenge. I’ve been enjoying your new radio show every week; the response seems very good. How did that all come together? Whose idea was it? Tell us a little about your goals for the show. What can a Webmaster expect when he or she tunes in?

YNOTBob: Well, I was sitting there with the President of Verdant Marketing, Mike, a.k.a. “Flash,” listening to a radio show where they basically all sounded like idiots. They were talking smack about people that weren’t even there, they were getting high on the air, and they were basically complete jerks. Mike and I looked at each other almost in shock. I couldn’t believe these people could sound so moronic. I was wondering why the heck anyone would even be listening to this, and I realized that I could do it better. People need a break from their day – they do not need to be burdened with who the DJ du jour doesn’t happen to like that day. People need some humor, good music, and a great atmosphere. They don’t need to be downtrodden by negativity. My whole deal is we should be grateful for what we have, and we need to experience life as best as we can. So I called my good friend LAJ, editor of the YNOTNews, and talked with him about it. We agreed our show would be fast paced, positive, and people would feel better when they left the show than when they came to the show. I then talked with the master of the adult Internet airwaves, my good friend DoKK. He liked the idea, and he was the one who pushed me to do a format I believed in. DoKK has been very supportive and helpful, and the smoothness of the show is because of his help. Now the HumpDay Lunch has a very loyal crowd. We have such a good time some days, I cannot believe the show is already over. We have two great sponsors now who believe in us, ProAdult and LightSpeedCash, and they allow us the freedom to do what we want and how we want it. We are already working on some new things for the next few shows that I can guarantee will keep you in stitches. But our basic goal for the show is to take your mind off of work and daily anxiety, even if it’s only for a short time. Our guests are enlightening as well as humorous, and our music is some of the best out there. We stick to our motto, work hard, play harder, and I consider the radio show part of my playtime.

Nina: That’s great. It definitely is a great way to break up the week and to chat with other Webmasters. I’ve made some great contacts in the chat room for the radio show. Here’s a question that’s on everyone’s mind, what are your thoughts on the future of the adult industry?

YNOTBob: In the last couple of months I have seen a few solid adult companies sway and falter. I don’t feel this is the sign of the times, more so it’s the tougher competition out there. I have also seen smaller companies get much, much larger within the last few months. One such company is LightSpeedCash.com. Steve over there has done it right. He offers a kick ass product with great content, and it shows. He also markets his company differently than others, and that is another reason for his success. I love the fact that this industry has been around for a while and he still brings something new to the table every week.

Nina: Yes, it’s great to see something new, especially with all the sites out there doing the same old thing. So what is your favorite part about being in this industry?

YNOTBob: My favorite part is the people of course. Some of my closest friends are in this industry. For example, I work with, and am partners with, Otto and Gary, who are two of my best friends, and in the office next to mine is my oldest friend, Mike of Verdant Marketing. There are over 35 years of friendships here in this office alone. Not to mention the friends I have who I interact with on a daily basis, including people such as Oz at TheAdultWebmaster. I also make new friends every week. Shoot Nina, I consider you one of my good friends, and I remember when we first met.

Nina: Thanks Bob. I’m proud to say you are one of my good friends too. You certainly helped me a lot. Unfortunately, everything in this industry isn’t perfect. What would you like to see change?

“I have written letters to our larger newspapers explaining the difference between child porn and Internet porn, and the San Diego Union, for one, is more careful. Now the people of San Diego don’t see headlines reading “Man accused of Internet porn,” when actually the headline should read “Man accused of child porn.” Gives a better picture to mainstream and doesn’t word-associate our Industry with the child pornographers of the world.”

YNOTBob: I would like to see, as would many people, the fraud and misinterpretation removed from this industry. There are people out there who are just basically the worst people in the world, and because they know how to market themselves, people believe them and fall prey to them. There are also people who I have trusted out there who turn out to be scumbags. Just last week alone I had quite a few negative experiences including a certain somebody come into the chat room anonymously, on the HumpDay Lunch show, to just basically call people names and try to ruin the good vibe there, and another person trying to bail out on some of their fiduciary requirements to our accounting department. Things that we just don’t need, there are no good reasons for, and gives our Industry a bad name. Believe me, I have a folder that is very thick with all this type of information. I would also like to see changed how mainstream America views our industry. This needs to come within our industry because no one else will help us. I have written letters to our larger newspapers explaining the difference between child porn and Internet porn, and the San Diego Union, for one, is more careful. Now the people of San Diego don’t see headlines reading “Man accused of Internet porn,” when actually the headline should read “Man accused of child porn.” Gives a better picture to mainstream and doesn’t word-associate our Industry with the child pornographers of the world. Not much, but it is a start.

Nina: That’s very good. Not enough people want to get involved and try to make changes. As I’ve said already, you’re such a big help to other Webmasters, especially amateurs. Do you have any advice for girls who are just getting started?

YNOTBob: Sure. Before you spend a dime on getting involved with this Industry, be sure to have a solid business plan. You need to treat this as a business and as an investment. Another thing, be sure to read everything. Get as much information as you can on every aspect of this industry. Become an expert at what you do. This will save you time and a lot of money. If you need help, don’t be afraid to ask. I have no problem helping out people every single day, especially if they are committed.

Nina: Thanks again, and as always, good luck with everything.

Nina Marachino is an a contributing writer for The ADULTWEBMASTER Magazine, an amateur Web girl, and an online hostess for TrueCash megasites.