The second day of the GAYVN Summit kicked off with a seminar on Internet traffic. Moderated by Scott Rabinowitz of Traffic Dude, panelists Brian Grabowski (Wildline!), Mark B. (Suite 703), Michael Branvold (Gamelink.com) and Michael Stabile (TheSword.com) discussed traffic, how to get it and how to keep it.
Stabile said that having an exclusive interview that no other site has will definitely earn you more traffic. He said, "Anybody can put pictures, pictures, pictures, pictures [on their sites], so if you don't create something original, write in a different voice, give readers news they can't get anywhere else, you've going to have a hard time making a go of it."
Branvold advised, "You need to track conversions to customers, conversions to orders. You need to understand the traffic source and the type of traffic. There are a lot of variables, but if you get them lined up upfront, your job will be so much easier."
Grabowski summed up his thoughts as, "At the end of the day it comes back to the uniqueness and the quality of the content."
Branvold said, "Get to know your affiliates, their business, their likes and dislikes. In the end that brings you more traffic."
Stabile said, "You want to generate organic sales but also make it affiliate-friendly. If we do an interview and post it on TheSword, they can then post it on their own sites."
Search engines were another hot topic, with Grabowski pointing out that the word "twink is not OK on Google, but it's OK on the Yahoo! search engine."
The following seminar, hosted by Sister Roma, allowed consumers themselves to take to the stage and tell the industry what they liked, what they didn't and, most importantly, why. The consumers were Barry, a photographer and self-professed "lazy masturbator"; Clancy, an actor, who had varied tastes in porn; Gary, who works at an adult theater; David, an independent filmmaker; Hunter, an HIV prevention worker; and 20-year-old Anthony.
When asked whether they prefer amateur or studio porn, the men were overall open to both, though Clancy said one of his problems with amateur stuff was that it rarely lived up to the packaging.
The DVD vs. Internet topic was a hot one, with two men saying outright that they didn't watch much streaming video and instead relied most heavily on renting.
The response was mixed when the panelists were asked if they paid for online porn, and when the reasons for choosing what to purchase came up, Clancy asserted that the cover art entices him to take a chance, and Gary said the back cover was often a deciding factor. David said the quality of the brand meant something to him, and Hunter said, "It's all about creativity. I like something different, not the same regurgitated stuff." Anthony testified his purchase-power was "definitely consistency."
Barebacking, of course, came up, and Hunter said, "I think it can be really hot, but I also think bareback studios need to step it up a little more in terms of doing more HIV prevention work. Or if it's with negative actors, put that disclosure in the film."
David called barebacking "a double-edged sword. It's natural, but it's also promoted as sleazy or nasty or dirty or risky. It's not bad, it's just sex. Explain the risks that come with it."
Gary said, "My thoughts on barebacking and selling or promoting barebacking - I'm not for it. A lot of kids watch porn and they'll think it's OK to do it with whomever, without knowing that person, without feeling they need to be protected."
Clancy said he was cool with both bareback and condom flicks, but did add, "The good bareback porn I've seen, my enjoyment comes from the fact that the actors are really enjoying themselves. I think the action is more authentic. I think the appeal really comes from that they're really enjoying themselves, they're not acting, it's not fake."
Barry said his biggest problem was diffentiating between reality and fantasy. He also said, "If [studios] could combine the backroom stuff with high production values, that would be the best of both worlds. I like the suggestion of a storyline. Just enough reason to know why they're fucking."
David wants to see more bisexual porn, while Hunter said, "I'd love to see more kind of kinky porn that features younger actors. I think it would expand the market a little bit. I'd be really turned on by seeing a porn that involved men of color either with its editing or title that isn't too fetishistic. So it looks like it's made for men of color."
Brand loyalty was not something most of the panelists subscribed to, saying it was mostly about the advertised content of the film, though Clancy added, "If I see something horrible, I'll make sure not to see anything from that company again."
The third and final seminar of the summit was unconventional in the fact that, because the moderator had to bow out at the last minute due to the flu, each panelist took a turn speaking on legal issues. Clyde DeWitt, a lawyer with Weston, Garrou, DeWitt & Walters, discussed obscenity, and cited a case in Pensacola where a company is being sued for prostitution for filming a porn flick.
Gill Sperlein with Titan Media spoke of the importance of registering copryights, saying, "If you don't register, it's very difficult to prove infringement of your property. If you're registered, you can get statutory damages. You can also get reimbursed for attorney fees when going after sites that steal your works." Dewitt added, "You must register copyright before infringement starts."
David Dempsey of PlanetOut moderated, in a sense, when he brought topics like 2257 and tube sites to the table.
David Adelman of Greenberg & Bass gave lessons in legality in a list of outwardly moving layeres, comparing them to anatomy: the skin, the musculature, etc. He warned that the changes in the Internet are always one step ahead of its regulations, saying, "By the time new regulations hit the street, they're still litigating the old ones."
He also spoke about shielding yourself from personal liability, and stressed the importance of filing tax returns, making sure licenses are up to date and having a written privacy policy.
Thus, the summit wrapped up and the awards began. Click here to read about the 10th Annual GAYVNs.
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