In 1995, the Net was still in its infancy, relatively speaking. That same winter, University of Washington student Russell Brunelle and some of his fellow Huskies created a modest, free Web site to publicize their student organization, the Society for Human Sexuality. The not-so-modest goal of the Society was to improve the quality of sex education in the United States. The word spread, and soon the students were sponsoring monthly on-campus workshops and lectures, which they would also announce and review on the site, Sexuality.org (www.sexuality.org).
After graduating, Brunelle decided to maintain the site, which remains a free resource for sex-positive information and adult education to this day. "I was unhappy with the low level of maturity that was characterizing our cultural discourse on sexuality," said Brunelle, explaining the motivation behind his work. "As part of our biological heritage we've been given a gift that has the potential to be a tremendous source of joy, intimacy, and personal growth, and I was tired of seeing it crushed under the weight of misinformation, judgment, random guilt and poor taste. I also wanted to serve as a sort of chronicler for this country's emerging sex-positive culture and to provide a safe haven for people who like to have sex and who like to read."
Brunelle handles most of the Society's business himself. He also takes care of the Web site's layout, navigation, organization and CGI programming. "We have three columnists who contribute monthly articles, but other than those articles, I'm responsible for everything including writing new material and maintaining the event calendars and resource guides," he says.
The site offers diverse information and services. Specialty sections such as "Books and Resources" link to adult toys, erotic fiction, video rentals, and matchmaking services, to name a few. Another section of the site is devoted to "Learning More," and includes instructional articles on safer sex, erotic massage, erotic talk, erotic events and various forms of sex play. The main section of the site is devoted to Seattle's Sex Positive Community Center, also known as "The Wet Spot" (www.wetspot.org). Brunelle is on the board of directors for the nonprofit group, which hosts various sexually-orientated activities.
Brunelle says he's run into relatively few problems with the site, except for Web hosting. "If I could give only one piece of advice to someone who is thinking of starting or managing a sex-related site, it would be to select your Web hosting service with care. I have found that only a handful of them are both technologically competent and supportive of sex-related businesses. These are important considerations, because working with professionals who are actively okay with your business, who have an in-depth familiarity with your business and who actively want your business to succeed can yield a tremendous technical and psychological advantage," says Brunelle.
Brunelle chose sponsors and associate programs with great care, selecting those he felt would "complement [the Society's] core mission": www.condoms.net, www.bluedoor.com, www.amazon.com, alternativeconnections.com and www.match.com.
In his five years online, Brunelle has developed strong opinions, particularly on the adult Net's love for raw traffic. "I personally feel that raw traffic is being overemphasized by the adult Web industry and that your conversion rate and customer retention level, considered together, are a much better indicator of your site's overall health and growth potential," he says.
He's also developed a great affection for the privacy afforded by the Web. "The fact that you can get information anonymously is a boon for people who aren't comfortable taking a workshop?[or] going into a store buying a book.
"The Internet is an excellent medium for conveying many types of basic sex information... the quality level of the best sites will continue to rise," he says.
