Editor's note: This is the final installment in a 12-part, "hands-on" series about the wonderful world of adult Website building. The resulting site will have been built by real people who have no Web-building experience and no inside experience in the adult industry.
When the first in this series of articles was published in April 2001, the world was a different place. President George W. Bush and his cabinet had taken office only about 3 1/2 months earlier, amid a storm of controversy. The Justice Department, headed by legendary right-wing prosecutor-cum-politician John Ashcroft, was still trying to find its footing among its party's benefactors, promising to adhere to a hard-line agenda while avoiding stepping on friendly and powerful toes.
The dot-com bust of 2000 had taken a heavy toll on mainstream sites, but the adult Web continued to thrive - proving the old adage that "sex sells" is true even for new media. Internet smut peddlers had little to fear from the new Justice Department, because so many things remained undecided after the previous administration's "hands-off" policy in favor of other law enforcement issues. Three cases now before the Supreme Court, probably none of which will be decided by the time you read this, represent the current administration's attempts to set standards that will allow the adult Web to be reined in, and it's still anybody's guess which way the decisions will fall.
During the run of this series, the United States has undergone some major changes. Internet site operators have been arrested on obscenity charges, primarily involving child pornography. High-profile civil lawsuits have erupted between adult site operators and between mainstream and adult sites. Credit card companies have changed the rules of engagement for payment processing, and more changes loom just over the horizon. A national recession has affected all quarters of business and industry, and not even the adult biz has been untouched.
And of course, Sept. 11 changed the world forever, and in ways that were inconceivable before religious zealots killed thousands of people to make a point that's still not clearly understood.
One of the most potentially insidious and disastrous after effects of the terrorist acts in New York, Washington, and Pennsylvania on that day was the passage of the so-called "Patriot Act," a piece of legislation that allows law enforcement to search and seize property without judicial intervention. That means just because someone suggests an individual might have done something not exactly adherent to the letter of the law, federal, state, and/or local officers can enter that person's home or place of business without a warrant and seize everything he or she owns under the aegis of a "terrorist investigation." Because a tentative connection has been suggested between images on adult sites and terrorist communications via steganography (small images hidden inside larger ones), law enforcement already has the only excuse it needs to begin cutting a broad swath through the adult Internet industry any time it chooses.
Still, it is possible to run adult Websites profitably and in compliance with applicable law. Attorneys who specialize in the industry say it's just more important now than ever before to consider carefully every action one might take and every piece of content one might display. They also suggest that adult Webmasters who are unaware of the tribulations experienced by the adult video industry in the 1970s and '80s research the period. It was not an easy time for the adult industry, but it has survived - and there are lessons in that survival for the new adult entrepreneurs on the front lines.
The adult Web game is not the cash cow it once was, but if you still think it might be for you, get yourself a good attorney and keep these things in mind.
Business is business: Unlike brick-and-mortar establishments, Websites exist in virtual space, but that's where the dissimilarities end. Successful Websites are approached like the businesses they are. Develop a plan and stick with it. Sites that are run as hobbies seldom go very far, and they can become financial drains faster than one might imagine.
Pick and choose: Websites can fall into any of several categories: free sites, pay sites, and hybrids. Free sites finance themselves by sending traffic to sponsors, who in return share the wealth they gain through membership sales. Pay sites generally offer a softcore tour, then give interested users the opportunity to join in order to see "the good stuff." Hybrids mix components of their free and for-pay brethren, either offering a large free area that is supported by sponsors and additional explicit stuff behind a members-verification gateway, or by offering collateral materials (like custom videos, autographed photos, worn panties, etc.) for sale.
The host with the most: The equipment and services required to host a Website oneself is cost-prohibitive. Fortunately, there are a multitude of hosting companies that make it easy for a Webmaster to get a site reliably, efficiently, and economically online. Research all of the ones that make your short list, and don't be afraid to ask tough questions. After all, hosting fees will be one of the primary expenses associated with your site.
The wizard of OS: There is no hard and fast rule about what operating system is best for running a given Website. The two most popular choices are Unix- and Windows-flavored. Talk to your hosting provider about the options available and how your decision will affect your ability to maintain your site yourself.
Strike up the bandwidth: Bandwidth is quite likely the largest expense associated with running an adult Website. There are mathematical rules of thumb to help Webmasters figure the amount of bandwidth they'll need each month, but at best these figures are only guesses until the site has been up and running for several months. To avoid unnecessary bandwidth fees, optimize everything: images, banners, HTML, etc.
Tools of the trade: Very little has to be done "the old-fashioned" way anymore, including HTML coding, and most current-generation image-processing programs have been updated to include tools that make optimization for the Web almost automatic. The basics for a Webmaster's toolkit include some sort of HTML coding package, an image processor, a file transfer program, and telnet software. There are untold numbers of these on the market, and thankfully most of them offer "try-before-you-buy" versions - so take advantage of that to determine what works best for you.
Design over matter: Keep it simple, stupid. Also keep it brief. Sites don't have to be slick to be effective, and the longer a page takes to load, the more likely it is that a surfer will pass it by for another site that may not be as gorgeous, but is less frustrating to use. Watch trends, but don't be a slave to them, and redecorate when things get stale.
A helping hand: Ask for help and guidance from other adult Webmasters. Haunt discussion boards and Webmaster resource sites, and read everything you can find about adult Website design and running an adult business. It's all there on the Internet or in your local library or bookstore, and it's not difficult to find.
TP the place: Never, ever underestimate the importance of traffic and promotion. Server logs can tell you all kinds of interesting things about your traffic. Use that information to your advantage to strengthen your marketing reach. And promote, promote, promote at every opportunity, even those opportunities that don't seem all that important at first glance. Massage your META tags, get your site listed in search engines and directories, and trade banners and links with other willing sites.
Never say die: Never lull yourself into a false sense that your Website is as good as it ever will be. It isn't. There always are minor changes that can be made to a site to give it a pick-me-up. Add or change content frequently. In short, don't sit back and rest on your laurels just because the site looks good and seems to be performing well today. Tomorrow that might change.
Above all, don't get discouraged. Rome wasn't built in a day, and most successful Websites weren't either. If your first attempt isn't successful, change some things and try again. Eventually, with a little luck and a lot of hard work, you'll have a site you can be proud of - and hopefully one that generates at least enough income to carry its own weight, as well.
