Today’s adult Internet is much different than it was last year. It is worlds apart from where it was five or even three years ago. Remember back in the day when we all thought Microsoft had finally outdone itself with the introduction of Windows 95? Most people weren’t even on the Internet back then..I am often asked, “What is it like being a straight man and president of an Internet company marketing to the gay and bi-curious surfer?”
Today’s adult Internet is much different than it was last year. It is worlds apart from where it was five or even three years ago. Remember back in the day when we all thought Microsoft had finally outdone itself with the introduction of Windows 95? Most people weren’t even on the Internet back then.
Back in the earliest days of the adult Internet, it seemed some strange taboo existed among adult Webmasters. Webmasters of “straight” sites seemed to be more separated and divided from Webmasters of “gay” sites. And at that time, no one could possibly conceive in their wildest dreams that a straight Webmaster would even attempt or want to put together or promote websites with gay content, and visa versa.
If you were around in the early days and just getting your business off the ground, think back to the mindset of most adult Webmasters. A gay Webmaster attempting to promote straight sites?! It was just something that rarely happened, if at all. I mean, what in the world would a straight Webmaster know about selling porn to a gay man? Nothing… right? In those days, that was how narrow the general mindset was. It still exists today in some circles but isn’t what it used to be, thankfully.
There is, however, much room for improvement, and as we move into the spring months of 2003, things have in fact changed tremendously.
Starting out in the business in the reverse role of most straight adult Webmasters, I began with putting up gay sites. As any good salesman knows, to be successful at whatever it is you are trying to sell, you must first get to know your market. And that was exactly what I did. To be brutally honest with everyone out there, I will openly admit that I was homophobic growing up and into my adulthood. Once I decided that I wanted to learn more about the homosexual person, lifestyle and attitude and ways of daily life, educating myself opened my eyes and helped me to overcome a belief that is still far too prevalent even in the primarily open-minded world of the adult Internet.
This took a bit of adjustment for me as I learned the lifestyle, slang words and way of life of not only gay men, but homosexual people in general. It was difficult the first two years or so to try and keep an open mind at all times and battle my homophobia but once I began having business dealings with various Webmasters and site owners in the gay adult world, I quickly learned that it was easy for me – completely contrary to what I had previously envisioned.
Being a straight man and owner of a company focusing on gay content certainly has its benefits. It has been my experience that gay Webmasters welcome straight Webmasters very easily into the gay adult business world. I think that gay Webmasters / operators of gay websites like to see straight Webmasters getting involved in the gay adult industry. Perhaps in their eyes it helps show other straight Webmasters who may have been thinking about promoting gay sites that there is a huge mass market out there that still has room for others to join and help it grow. Even more importantly, I believe it helps close the gap of separation that has existed for so many years in regards to discrimination between straight and gay people.
Oscardate.com’s affiliate program brings gay, bi-curious and bi-sexual men together. They welcome all single gay adult males seeking one-to-one relationships ranging from companionship to friendship, romance to marriage. The sole purpose is to use a fun, secure online environment to provide the members with fast, relevant and lasting results. What could be more rewarding than fulfilling the needs of today’s single men who are searching for convenient and effective ways to meet other quality men?
To find out more, please contact Edward, Director of Affiliate Relations for V.M.I. Marketing and Oscardate at webmaster@oscardate.com or via ICQ# 12949280.
