SAN FRANCISCO, CA — Few erotic websites have the combination of moxie, style, quality, and heat that those within the Kink.com family of sites possess – which is probably one reason that they – and the company’s riggers – have received multiple nominations in Stage 2 of this year’s Bondage Awards. An annual celebration of writers, models, photographers, websites, riggers, comic artists, and other professionals associated with fetish and BDSM, The Bondage Awards employ a multi-phase process that begins with write-in votes. The nominees selected from recommendations made at the Bondage Awards website resulted in Stage 2 nominees, announced this month – and including Kink.com and its staff.

Competing for Best Pay Site are Kink.com properties DeviceBondage.com, Hogtied.com, MenInPain.com, TheTrainingofO.com, WhippedAss.com, WiredPussy.com, SexAndSubmission.com, and the parent site, Kink.com.

In the Free Website category, Kink.com’s representatives are Free-Hardcore.com and BehindKink.com, a continuing documentary series focusing on the reality of the Kink.com world.

Riggers being honored for their work include WaterBondage.com’s director Lew Rubens, TheTrainingofO.com and MenInPain.com director James Mogul, Hogtied.com director Matt Williams, WiredPussy.com director Princess Donna, and Kink.com collaborator Claire Adams.

For those unfamiliar with the term, a “rigger” is the person responsible for restraining models safely with rope – an activity vital to the success of any bondage shoot.

In addition to a nod for his work as a rigger, Rubens has also received a Stage 2 nomination for Best Photographer.

Kink.com models acknowledged include Sarah Jane Ceylon, Harmony Rose, Bobbi Star, Amber Rayne, and Madison Young, among others.

In the category Best Toy Store, Kink.com associates Extreme Restraints and JT’s Stockroom received nominations – and Kink.com has been nominated for Best Fetish Company.

According to Kink.com publicist, Thomas Roche, “Erotica is about creating a fantasy, but in our case, it’s also about the reality of bondage and the human body. The work of riggers, directors, and actors is to bridge that gap; and I think we do it admirably.”

Innovations such as the ability of visitors to browse images on all Kink.com sites in a tactile, three-dimensional manner after a free download from PicLens.com are part of the admirable job that has made the company’s family of fetish sites so beloved by fans. After installing the utility, visitors using Internet Explorer, Firefox, and Safari can view galleries in the new format. Instead of thumbnails viewed in a traditional browser window, PicLens users can drag, click, and zoom into images for greater clarity and detail, providing a more immersive experience for enthusiasts.

Final voting at BondageAwards.com will come to a stop at midnight ET on April 13th, 2008.