| Be Prepared For Disaster |
I know that almost every Webmaster out there is sick and tired of hearing about all of the evil forces that are threatening the online adult industry. We all live in fear of what will happen next. We dread each new rule and regulation that comes along that we either abide by or risk losing our business. We stand by with feelings of trepidation, wondering when someone will come along and demand money from us for a technology that almost every site on the Internet uses. Well, I am here to tell you that you can rid yourself of any apprehensions and get back to what counts – making money.
Instead of worrying about what is going to happen or what new bomb will be dropped on this industry, why not be prepared for the worst? By anticipating the worst and being prepared for any sort of disaster that may strike, you will be able to weather the storm and stay in business. Many of you that live on the eastern seaboard can attest to how important it is to be prepared for anything that could happen, due to the immense power outage that happened last Thursday. I know that here in Toronto, there was complete chaos. People did not have enough gas in their cars and therefore ran out and there were people without food, water, candles and batteries. Many people wished that they had just stocked up on emergency items prior to the blackout happening.
It’s simple enough to tell people to be prepared, but how do webmasters actually put that concept to work? To anticipate the future, we first have to examine past events. What has happened in the past year that has caused webmasters to feel uncertain about what is still yet to come? Well, let’s see. There have been strict rules and regulations put upon webmasters from Visa. We have seen billing companies go out of business and PayPal refuse to process adult transactions. A company called Acacia has come out of nowhere and has started demanding royalty fees from websites that use their patented technology, which almost every adult site does. Last but not least, the government has once again struck at the online adult industry with their Amber Alert bill, which restricts wording and content of adult websites.
By studying the events of the past year, we can come to a few conclusions as to what direction this industry is going in. First of all, it looks like the online adult industry is headed for a scrubbing. No longer will any borderline material be tolerated. Anything that can be construed as misleading or at all related to child pornography will be history. Already, many teen sites have been targeted as being “against the rules” and have been asked to change their name and offering or be forced to shut down. If you own a site that has material that is teen in nature, you may want to re-think your site’s name and image before someone tries to haul you to court. The best suggestion I have for almost any site owner, whether your site is teen-related or not, is to consult a lawyer that is an expert in these matters. They will be able to tell you if your site complies with all regulations and laws. Your attorney should also be able to keep you abreast on the Acacia situation, and what you can do to protect yourself. The little extra money that you will have to shell out for the legal advice could be well worth it in the long run.
Also, we have seen another type of scrubbing, or cleaning of the industry, so to speak. It seems that we are doing a bit of a 360 and going back to the way things were when this industry was in it’s prime. Due to the extreme regulations that Visa is putting on webmasters, things such as free trials will be a thing of the past, and webmasters will see a drop in their sponsor payouts. In my opinion, we have not heard the last from Visa, or any other threatening forces. Before they come out with their next wave of rules and regulations, you can be prepared by ensuring that your site is restructured so that your charge back rates are almost nil and that your content, wording and domain name are by the book. There are other ways to keep chargebacks down other than getting rid of free trials. Try overhauling your content and keeping it up to date, as well as add new content on a regular basis. This will keep people interested longer, and there will be less reason for chargebacks.
Finally, with the string of billing companies that have either gone out of business, are on the brink of shutting down, or have stopped processing adult transactions, webmasters have been in a panic. Once again, with these types of companies going under, it is best to be prepared for the worst. If people used multiple billing solutions, then instead of these situations being catastrophes, they would merely become bumps in the road of business. Also, when choosing a processing company, do not just pick one based on their low fees. It is also good business acumen to look at the companies’ reputation as well. Things like how many years they have been in business, how many large clients they have in the industry, their reputation amongst other webmasters, are often more important things to consider when choosing a processing company.
By being prepared for any type of crisis or situation that may affect you or your business, it could mean the difference between staying afloat or going under. It is especially important in these uncertain times to be ready and waiting for the next threat, that may just be around the corner. |
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| Article Details |
| Author: Muffy |
| Date Posted: June 8th, 2004 |
| Topic: Adult Industry News |
| Reader Rating: 0.0 / 5 |
| Comments Posted: 0 (see below) |
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