Barry is the owner of studnextdoor.com, a site targetting gay and bi-curious traffic. Online for over a year now, the Stud Next Door features amateur guys, pictures and streams, and is generally a site for guys who “love stroking their dicks and talking about sex with each other.” Let’s meet the man behind the scenes and hear about his rise up in the industry as well as his thoughts and views for people getting involved in the gay Webmaster community….Barry is the owner of studnextdoor.com, a site targetting gay and bi-curious traffic. Online for over a year now, the Stud Next Door features amateur guys, pictures and streams, and is generally a site for guys who “love stroking their dicks and talking about sex with each other.” Let’s meet the man behind the scenes and hear about his rise up in the industry as well as his thoughts and views for people getting involved in the gay Webmaster community…

LAJ: Greetings Barry! Great to have you with us this week. This interview is long overdue

Barry: Hey LAJ – I can’t tell you how honored I am to be talking to the Internet’s most popular Webmaster! I just hope some of it will rub off…

LAJ: Hehehe… never mind the pun, right? Alright, let’s get started here!

Tell everyone about studnextdoor.com and what you do over there!

Barry: I’m the owner of the Stud Next Door, which is a premium offering targeted to gay and bi-curious traffic. It features amateur guys performing live from their own homes as well as additional static content and video streams – and also homemade clips. The site has been up and running for about a year and is really working great. In fact, we have developed a number of really loyal members who keep coming back, not only because the site is great looking (shameless self-promotion) but also because the guys who are performing on the site are friendly, smart, and fun in addition to being sexy.

LAJ: That’s great to hear! I remember when you guys came to YNOT to let us know you launched it last year. Is this your first site?

Barry: Yes, the Stud Next Door is my first foray into the adult Internet and I’ve been part of this community for the last two years – going to as many shows as I can, and getting as involved as I know how to be in whatever discussions are going on. I really love the YNOTMasters site, by the way – it’s like my textbook – “Adult Webmastering for Dummies…”

LAJ: Well, we love having you over here, and as a moderator on our Gay Chat board. Now c’mon! This interview should be all about you!

What were you doing before you got into the industry?

Barry: Before I got into the adult business, I was in consumer marketing and public relations, and then I was an Internet marketer (not to be confused with a Mouseketeer) for mainstream products such as nutritional supplements and athletic clothing. That was back in the time when mainstream affiliate programs were just catching on – before you used to get 10 pop-ups even on non-adult sites! (Remember those days?)

LAJ: How was the transition for you?

Barry: Well, I must say that of all my favorite pastimes, beating off was top of the list – so when I was approached about entering the adult Internet arena, I was very intrigued.

LAJ: Hahaha… must have been a relatively easy one for you then.

Barry: What I’m finding out is that this business seems to be much geekier than it is sexy, and although you spend a lot of time around pornographic images and ideas, I spend a lot less time beating off than I used to!! That’s probably a good thing, and my mother would be so proud!

LAJ: Ah yes… the geek factor in this industry is much higher than anyone from mainstream could imagine. Any other trends in our industry that you are surprised to be discovering?

Barry: I’ve found that the folks in this business seem to be a lot more – I don’t know – I guess “normal” is the word I’m looking for – than I had expected them to be. I had had images of these porn parties with all kinds of seedy characters with open shirts, slipping each other “mickies” and pulling runaways off buses in downtown Hollywood – like in Boogie Nights with Marky Mark in it… do you think his dick was real in that last shot?

LAJ: LOL! When that movie came out I used to jokingly tell people that I played Marky Mark’s stunt double. (He wore a prosthetic for that last shot, by the way.) But yeah, I think most people have a preconceived notion of what adult Internet gatherings are like. Yes, there certainly are the stereotypical crazy parties, but often times most everyone is just standing around.

Barry: Well, I can’t say I’m disappointed to find that there are people like me – just normal folks with normal desires, and a healthy attitude towards sex, and a healthy desire to make a buck, and a desire to do so without disrespecting themselves or others. It’s been quite a nice discovery actually.

LAJ: That’s cool. Okay, so let’s get more in depth with Stud Next Door. Tell us more about it and why someone would use it…

Barry: The Stud Next Door is really a site where horny guys who like to hang out with other guys can get that need fulfilled. The whole idea is that the guy online could literally be performing from next door, or across the hall, or down the street. It could be that sexy college kid mowing the lawn with his shirt off, or your hunky older neighbor hosing down his car on the driveway on a hot afternoon. I’m certainly interested in the gay market here, but also really interested in creating a place where guys who are bi-curious can go to have an outlet for their feelings without feeling like they’re threatened or going to be labeled.

LAJ: And that’s something I would think quite a few guys are afraid of?

Barry: I’ve been chatting a lot with a couple of members who aren’t out-of-the-closet gays but who have been exploring their feelings with the site, and have found that they really like coming to the site because of the masculine feeling to it. It’s not typical queeny boys or the kind of guys you see on Will and Grace or Queer Eye – it’s normal every day dudes who just love stroking their dicks and talking about sex with each other.

LAJ: Hmmm… You should almost create a forum for straight guys who perform in gangbang content if you haven’t already. I don’t think I’ve really heard of another adult site that is in direct competition with yours.

Barry: Really – at this point there are no other sites like it. There are tons of sites that have hired models who go to a studio – but this one allows anybody who’s of the correct disposition (and of course, age) to set up a profile and show it off with their buddies – from the comfort of their own homes. The Stud Next Door uses streaming video technology (as opposed to jpeg push) that lets folks do about ten frames per second with their broadband connection. Also, unlike some other sites, we mirror all the streams off our streaming server, so performers’ computers aren’t bearing the brunt of serving all these streams.

This means that one guy can be broadcasting to several viewers at once, without any degradation on streaming speed or quality – which is a real shift from some other sites. By the way – it doesn’t cost the performer anything to use the system – all the software we use is a free download, and is easy to install and use.

LAJ: Very interesting! How does the site work then? Can you give us a peek into the technology and business model that you employ?

Barry: It’s really pretty simple. Members and guests come into the site via a multi-paged tour, which then leads them to the content area of the site. From the main page members and guests both have access to performers’ profiles, schedules, and non-nude pictures. Also, everybody has access to live preview streams when a performer is broadcasting from home. These preview streams are full-sized, full-bandwidth streams served up in 20-second “bites” and are streamed using the Windows® Media Player embedded in the browser window. After 20 seconds the stream automatically cuts off – but refreshes automatically after two minutes. There’s also Java chat for members and guests, though most of the performers are streaming audio as well as video.

Members of the site automatically get ten free minutes of uninterrupted live performances every month, and additional minutes thereafter are seamlessly billed to their credit cards at clearly posted rates. In addition, members get unlimited access to each performer’s video teasers, which are one to two minute video files as well as still galleries and other goodies.

LAJ: You’ve made leaps and bounds in progress over the last year. Have you had a lot of help along the way or perhaps are you where you are strictly due to your own research and due diligence?

Barry: Well, up to this point I’d say several good folks have been helpful. For starters, you guys at YNOT have been really helpful and free with your information and introduced me to tons of folks too. I have a lot of respect also for the folks at TrafficDude who have been extremely supportive and helpful. Of course, Cybersocket and Bionic Pixels have been critical partners in getting us where we are today, as well as Darren Austen (AEBN) and Twinkley (Truecash/The Adult Webmaster).

Really, I could kiss ass for HOURS, but I’d have to say it has been and will always be a group effort, and I don’t really think it’s feasible to try and succeed in this business without forming strategic partnerships with like-minded folks (unless you have more money than God, that is). Of course my domestic partner has been a great help and very supportive as well and has contributed immensely with his ideas, his support and as a performer on the site.

LAJ: You are surrounded by good people. I’m sure that falling in with the right crowd is also due to your cheery disposition.

How do you prefer your working atmosphere? Any favorite networking methods?

Barry: I’m amazed at how many great people I’ve been meeting through the Webmaster radio programs on TAWRadio – I’ve been listening in for about six months and I’ve met so many great people who have been really helpful, and fun friends. Since I work at home, I have my IM program going all day – it’s like my tie to the outside world. It kinda keeps me from going insane – and I have so many friends whom I’ve never met!

LAJ: Crazy huh? LOL… I sometimes have to turn mine off to keep sane. Well, I’m really glad that the radio shows on TAWRadio have helped you meet people that have been good for friendship as well as business.

There’s been plenty of talk on YNOT’s boards recently regarding “gay vs. straight” in that some gay Webmasters out there feel that straight Webmasters for the most part have no business getting involved in the gay arena due to not having knowledge of the market, and are simply looking to capitalize on various niches and taking business away from gay Webmasters. Do you have any thoughts on that?

Barry: Well, I think if gay Webmasters know gay marketing so much better than straight Webmasters, than they should have nothing to worry about. Honestly, I look at this as a business, and fully expect to be exploring the launch of heterosexual-interest sites in the future. I think that if a Webmaster is interested in providing a good product with compelling content – gay or straight – then he or she should do so in good conscience. I have a problem with homophobic Webmasters cashing in on one hand and gay-bashing on the other – but I’ve not seen any of that in my experience.

LAJ: Is there still a big opportunity for Webmasters of straight sites to promote gay content?

Barry: I believe there’s a huge “hidden market” that exists for straight Webmasters – the pre-queer or closet-case market. I know that a much larger percentage of the population is homo-curious (including women) than would actively type in gay-oriented queries on Google. By having gay-oriented banners on straight sites, I believe these Webmasters have a huge opportunity to tap into an untapped niche. The key is in the banners – making them homoerotic without being overtly gay, and then sending traffic to sites that don’t scream “GAY” or “QUEER,” etc.

LAJ: Got any newbie advice for Webmasters gay or straight looking to get involved in the gay side of the business?

Barry: Get involved in Webmaster chats and events. Meet the people and ask the questions, and don’t think you know better than everybody else. There is a lot of business out there for everybody, so don’t take it all so seriously. Stay away from overly competitive thinking and keep your mind open to new ideas.

LAJ: I do think many of us realize that there are plenty of “straight” surfers out there with a bi-curious side to them. Many Webmasters and surfers would tell you to keep the two markets completely separate so as not to “turn off” traffic, but it seems like the Stud Next Door might be able to bridge that gap?

Barry: I absolutely think I can bridge the gap by having the site being about real guys – masculine, fun, friendly, and down to earth – who just like hanging around online with other guys. Some of our best clients right now are guys who are just coming face to face with their interest in men, and find the Stud Next Door to be a real safe place to explore those feelings and fantasies, as well as to totally get their rocks off. And they spend the money to prove it!

LAJ: Well there you have it folks. Be sure to check out studnextdoor.com and work out a deal with Barry if you have gay & bi-curious traffic!

Do you know a Webmaster or company with a great story to tell? Someone innovative, unique or perhaps even entertaining? Tell us about this them for future consideration to be “In The Spotlight” here at YNOTNews!