Here is a common scenario that I run into: I’ll get a phone call from a newbie (let’s call him Bert) and Bert tells me that he and his wife (let’s call her Ernie) want to put up a paysite, something never seen or done before.[Part 1] [Part 2] [Part 3] [Part 4] [Part 5]

The Meek Shall Inherit the Earth

Here is a common scenario that I run into: I’ll get a phone call from a newbie (let’s call him Bert) and Bert tells me that he and his wife (let’s call her Ernie) want to put up a paysite, something never seen or done before. Bert says that he’ll videotape himself having sex with Ernie and then he’ll sell the videos on the Internet.

Before that first sentence is even finished, I know that Bert and Ernie are neo-newbies (the newest of the new type of newbie). First, I can tell because Bert thinks this is a new idea, and secondly I can tell because Ernie thinks it’s a good and fast way to make A LOT of money.

Well, I let Bert and Ernie tell me exactly what they want, and then they fire away with a list of questions:

How do I upload the movies to my computer?

How do I get the money that people will pay me?

What is FTP?

And so on…

Again, as they are firing away with these questions I remember the golden rule of marketing: “Be honest, use knowledge to help.”

When Bert and Ernie are finished giving me the details of what they want, I start informing them about the stark reality of the adult world. I tell them how hosting works, how content needs to be updated, how marketing and driving traffic to a website costs money… A LOT of money if you’re not careful.

I also tell them the steps it takes to be listed on search engines, directory listings and link exchanges.

By the time I’ve finished, I’ve turned a potential “big sale” into an adult business conference for newbies, where not only do I lose potential business, but I end up doing some free work by putting together a list of resources that Bert and Ernie can check out.

The WHY of it

Listen, I’m no saint, however I don’t like to see people getting “jacked” by nefarious no-gooders. We’ve all been newbies and we’ve all been ripped off once or twice in our lives, so why do it to someone else? When I help out people like Bert and Ernie, I figure that I’ve done a good deed. I’ve helped someone out, and maybe Bert and Ernie will refer Big Bird to me.

So here is something that I’ve put together for all newbies to use as a checklist before they go out and start purchasing the bare necessities for their new paysite. Mind you, it may not be complete, it may not be perfect, but it will at least arm you with the ammunition that you need to stay on your toes.

The Bert and Ernie List – What you’ll need to get started:

Hosting

1. Bandwidth (Don’t go overboard when you get started… try to keep it low)

2. Storage (Get 25% more storage than you’ll need to get started)

3. E-mail (Make sure you have access to POP E-mail via your hosting provider)

4. Cgi-bin (make sure your have access to a cgi-bin via your hosting provider)

5. Shared vs. Standard (For most newbies, you’ll only need shared hosting to get started)

Design

1. Find a good design firm, one that is listed in Webmaster resource directories and one that has good samples of their work.

2. Price is important, however it’s not the only thing to consider. Obviously you don’t want to pay 10K for a site, but always remember that you get what you pay for.

3. Listening Skills – make sure that the person that you’re communicating with at the design firm is listening to you. Make sure that you’re not getting a cookie-cutter site, and that in fact you’re getting a site that you helped design.

4. References – ALWAYS ask for references.

Legal Content

1. There are two types of content (plug-in and custom).

2. If you are using plug-in content, make sure you research the various providers out there, check out their price / bandwidth ratio, talk to them on the phone and ask them for references.

3. If you’re shooting or purchasing custom content, make sure it’s legal. Understand 18 USC § 2257 and make sure that you have visual and written age verification from the models. Two copies of legitimate ID are mandatory.

4. Rights – Make sure you have rights to the content that you’re using. A big mistake is purchasing content and then finding out that you don’t have the right to use it on your own site.

Traffic

1. Know your market (who, what, when, where, why).

2. Know who offers traffic for your specific market (TALK TO THEM ON THE PHONE).

3. Build traffic yourself – List your site on link exchanges and directories and search engines as often as possible. Its lots of hard work, but the results are worth it.

Business Entity

1. Have either an accountant or a lawyer help you organize the income you’ll make from your business.

2. Pay your taxes and know what taxes to pay.

3. Be one with your accountant (for he holds the key to your kingdom)!

Hell, we could go on for days or even weeks with this, but for now I think this is a good list to get all you Bert and Ernies started up and ready to deal with all the different factions of owning your own adult website.

PREMIER SPONSORS

SiteAlien – Incredible Web Site Design/Development and Optimization Services

DWHS Web Hosting – Reliable and Secure Web Hosting Services

UCumSeeMe – High Quality Adult Traffic, Affordable Prices

If you’re interested in sponsoring the MODENA Group LLC., feel free to send an e-mail to sponsor@modena-inc.com. If you’re interested in web design, content feeds, or hosting plans please visit them at http://modena-inc.com.