INDUSTRY NEWS

I have just returned from the Great Lakes Webmaster gathering (http://www.greatlakeswebmasters.com) in Windsor, Canada. This was my first time attending this event, which was held July 27-29 at the Windsor Casino.INDUSTRY NEWS

I have just returned from the Great Lakes Webmaster gathering (http://www.greatlakeswebmasters.com) in Windsor, Canada. This was my first time attending this event, which was held July 27-29 at the Windsor Casino. In only it’s third year, I was impressed with the turn out.

The first evening was a networking mixer in the hospitality suite. When I came into the room, it was packed. I was immediately struck by the fact that there were many faces I did not recognize, and as a sponsor this pleased me. The food was plentiful and attractive and the open bar was nicely stocked. The room was full and at times a bit over crowded, making it a bit uncomfortable with all the smoke and heat. Even so, it did not stop the networking among the webmasters and sponsors that attended. I was to discover later that the hotel had made an error and a lager venue had been booked. I think this would have helped a great deal. One note to the organizers: I think the information packets would have been better received the next day at the conference room — many attendees did not pick them up at the suite.

The next morning, I arrived at the conference room and was greeted by a very nice breakfast spread and a beautifully set up conference room. There were plenty of tables with seating for 8 at each table, making it very easy for people to sit together and discuss ideas. As with most webmasters gatherings, most of the attendees and many of the sponsors arrived later in the morning, some a bit worse for wear after an evening of partying! Unfortunately due to this fact, the organizers were forced to push back the starting time for the scheduled panel discussion and legal briefings. Which for those that had arrived earlier made for a rather long morning. I think perhaps starting the panel on time might have been better.

The sponsor panel was comprised of eight representatives: Bestat — EMG (http://www.exclusivecontent.com); Shawn — ARS (http://adultrevenueservice.com/); Jim — Oculus (http://adult.oculus.net); GQ — Plr Radio (http://www.plrradio.com/); Chris — Pornication (http://www.Pornication.com); Michel — Ultracash ; Mike — Ultrapartners (http://ultrapartners.com/upws_loader.php) and Aly — Python (http://pythonvideo.com/). The panelists started off with a brief description of who they were and what the companies they represented were all about. I think this was very helpful to the attendees, since it gave them the opportunity to put faces to the sponsors they wanted to talk with. After the introductions, the floor was open to anyone who had a question, and the response was excellent. The attendees had done their homework and had some very valid questions for specific sponsors as well as general questions about the industry as a whole. Topics of discussion included: Free websites and how to try to control the amount of free content on them; conversion ratios for the various types of niches; what sponsors were doing to keep their member retention high, and price points for membership sites. The interaction between the sponsors and attendees was one of the best I have seen at a gathering. Many discussions occurred after the seminars as well. I think it was an excellent forum for sponsors and webmasters alike.

In regards to the issue about free content, the following question was posed: “Is there some way, as a sponsor, to control how many images are being given away on freesites?”

The panelists (myself included) pointed out how it would be impossible to police and mandate how much content is used. For example, there are many people on the ‘net that are not adult webmasters; they are not making money from their sites, they just put up lots of porn. Shawn made a good point in saying the adult community could not even agree on price points for paysites, let alone police free sites. Shawn also wisely stated that if people were there because they thought they were in the “porn” business they were wrong; what they are in is the marketing business.

Another important issue (posed by Voltar) involved link lists. Voltar stated there was a group of link list owners who have adopted a webmaster-friendly set of rules and these people realize that getting back to the basics is how it should be. After all, webmasters need to make money off of their free sites as well. Do the sponsors back this sort of movement and would they lend their support of these webmaster- friendly link sites?

A resounding yes was heard from all the sponsors: They were glad to see that some people are getting back to the marketing of the porn paysites and not feeding the surfer more and more free porn.

Another key issue discussed: Would more of the sponsors be looking at alternative billing in the future, such as dialers? Sponsors stated some were coming out with it soon, and others said they were staying away from dialers.

The sponsors also shared their insight as to how they are keeping their member retention rates high. The panelists said that it was imperative to add more unique content by staying on the cutting edge of technology such as Flash, interactive streaming etc…. All the panelists agreed that targeted niche sites seem to convert better overall than general sex sites.

The legal panel was next. J. D. Obenberger (www.xxxlaw.net ) and his associate Reed Lee discussed code 2257, how it came about, and how it pertains to webmasters and content providers.

Reed headed up a discussion of legalities in Canadian law regarding the Canadian Constitution and the Charter of Rights and Freedoms, with most of the issues relating to child pornography. One of the most interesting facts to come out in regards to the difference between U.S. and Canadian obscenity laws is that Canadian obscenity laws are “national” (individual provinces and communities have to abide by the national law), whereas U.S. obscenity laws differ from state to state and community to community.

Overall, from a sponsor’s point of view, I think this was an excellent gathering. There were approximately 100 webmasters, many of which had never attended a gathering before. There was ample time and space provided for networking and socializing. Also, the structured schedule that gave sponsors the opportunity to speak worked rather well. I think the organizers did an excellent job and should be commended for putting this all together. One last note to the organizers for next year: some kind of transportation from the airport would be a great help! Even if a cost was involved I think many of us would gladly pay it.

As a sponsor, I attend a many shows throughout the year, from the small gatherings like the Great Lakes Webmasters to the large Internext shows, and I find both types of gatherings have their strong points. For any webmaster, I would strongly suggest attending a show such as Great Lakes, or one of the other smaller shows that are held throughout the year. The opportunity for one-on-one discussion with sponsors and your fellow webmasters is priceless. And since so many of these smaller shows are free for webmasters to attend, you really cannot afford not to go!

The discussion of problems, coming up with solutions, the exchanging of ideas and sharing of information and techniques etc … sure, it’s all done on the boards, but much more is quietly discussed when webmasters get together face to face as colleagues. It’s really a beautiful thing to see.

With additional reporting by Sharon (Circes) (http://www.ynotmasters.com/wm_directory/profiles/Circes.html) of Oculus, Inc.