...looking for a few impoverished noobs...

I see the lineups and speeches but is anyone making money yet?

what are the results so far?

interesting idea. good luck with that

Thursday, July 14, 2005:

$ -- Bread & Butter Affiliate Management -- $

2HP

Hey Jack, thanks for allowing me the time give a bit of helpful info out to some of the webmasters out there!!

Being an Affiliate manger requires you to really focus on the aspect of Customer Service! As some of you may or may not know, I came from the mainstream world of advertising and marketing. Now coming into the Adult world as a full time career a couple of years ago was a huge shocker! I started with and am still with SEXMoney.com as the Marketing & Webmaster Relations Manager. Now what that means in plain English is I make sales and help webmasters and wear many hats around the office ...lol

So in the beginning I was getting into the grove of things and contacting webmasters & I found out very quickly the adult biz was ?lacking? in the customer service arena. Too me this is very strange. This is a Business correct? And in business there are certain ways you must handle yourself, so with that said? Why do many of us not do this? It hurts your business and mine in the log run.

My Feelings on Webmaster Etiquette?
I found that as a rep, being courteous to everyone, regardless if they have traffic or not is of utmost importance. There have been many webmasters that are just starting out that I have spent time with giving advice and so forth, that I may or may not see sales... But the bottom line is you never know. There are certain people in the industry that started out as nothing, and well now make a great deal of money. You can just never tell. So it is better to treat everyone with the same respect you would like to be treated with. I have seen way too many reps say ?got traffic? no well ok hey I?m busy go to go? This is not the right way. Granted we are all here to make money, but you know that extra effort may just pay off.

My feeling on ICQ/Messenger Etiquette?
If someone messages you and you do not wish to chat with them, don?t be rude and just ignore them. Be professional. Try replying with one of the following:
?Busy, Sorry can not chat? Hit me up later
?Thanks for the message, but at this time I am not interested!
?I appreciate you pitch, but not interested, please take me off your list
?What you are offering is not for me at all? but thank you
?Not interested right now, hit me up in a few months.
?I am busy right now, Can I contact you later? If so would you like me to call, email or ICQ?
?Can you give me just a little bit of time and I will be right with you, just finishing up some tasks

These statements are just a nicer and more professional approach of handling things, then pretending you never got the ICQ. My opinion is never close your doors to anyone? You just never know what will happen in the future. This industry has a funny approach of ?what comes around goes around?.
People have a habit of only remembering the bad or rude, not the good or gracious.

My feeling on Phone Etiquette?
Now when you get on the phone to contact a client or webmaster, the person on the other end of the phone has no idea if you are having a bad day or a good day. And to be honest if you are having a bad day, no reason the other person needs to know that. Many times our voices can tell a story, even though are words do not. Now this is going to sound strange for many, but it works! Go purchase one of those little mirrors from an auto parts store (the ones you stick onto your outside driving mirror) and mount it to your phone base! Now every time before you pick up the phone to make a call or receive a call for your business, look at the mirror, smile and then pick the phone up! It will make the world of difference I promise you! You need to be sort of a light switch to turn it on and turn it off. Now some of you may be saying that sounds so fake? Well it?s not that its fake, it is good customer service skills!

My feeling on Board Posting Etiquette...
I have to say too many reps out there ?See Sig? does not cut it. I mean come on guys and girls when you go to buy a car do you want the car salesman to say ?See Price? and that?s all? Off course you do not. Why not go that extra mile and discuss why someone should use your program! If someone is giving you the opportunity to ?spam? your program, why not take full advantage of it. It?s all about giving that extra bit of customer service! And with the industry as competitive as it is, that may be what separates you from the rest. I know this is what it has done from me and I am very proud of this fact!

A couple of months ago I was reading a thread about who admires who in the industry. Low and behold to my surprise I was mentioned by someone! It truly was a kind and touching thing to say! The thread said this: ?Chipmunk from SEXMoney. He is a classy all around great person to work with. Very knowledgeable in all aspects of the industry. His dealings with folks, from the newest newbies to established players, he treats all with respect? This just re-confirmed my beliefs about Customer Service and treating those the way you would like to be treated.


In the end it is up to use to preserve our industry as a business. Just because we are dealing in Porn does not give us the right to treat it any less like a business! All I ask is that you ponder my points and perhaps take some of what I said and apply it to your business! You will reap the rewards for sure!


-=Chipmunk=-

Wow! Good post Dude!

Could not have said it any better

Very nice writeup chipmunk, Thanks and Ive learned a lot from you, cant wait to hang out in florida with you again

He wears garters and heels around the office too.

Great post Chipmunk.

you forgot about his butt plug

Awesome read there chipmunk. You've nailed some issues right on the head. I must say I agree 100% with the CS issue.

amen totally agree

?Thanks for the message, but at this time I am not interested!

Just Kidding, great post and we see why you have held a steady job in a industry where people change companies ever so frequently!

Modern Day William Shakespeare

Bro....I couldn't agree with you anymore!

Great post Chipmunk! I couldn't agree with you more especially in regards to customer service and webmaster Etiquette...

very well said chipmunk

This is why Chipmunk is such a stand up guy! I will totally take every word of this post and hope to apply the things i am not already doing!

Way to go Matt!

xoxox,
Megan

Wow Matt.. Very good post ... I wasmt surprised to read such a nice "article" coming from you...

Thanks to everyone that is showing support...
I will give my gratitude in just a bit to everyone personally...

But I have more to say for now..lol

On the topic Of International Traffic
I am often asked my opinion on the international market and how you can monetize your traffic best. As you all know, the internet is growing by leaps and bounds every day! Now contrary to popular belief, there is Adult website business done outside the US?lol Yes?beyond US borders! What this means for you? It means new international markets are opening for e-commerce, and you now have the opportunity to cash in on this booming market!

Now for all those pay site owners that are saying ? ?Mmm this sounds interesting? What do I need to do to get into this?? I have some helpful hints that will guide you in the right direction!

First of all simply translating your pay site into other languages is not going to do the trick alone! It is a wise decision to have your sites translated by a local linguist from the country the language is in. There will be many terms and way of saying things that is only known to locals (slang)! If you have a non-native speaker translating, it will most likely not be in common tongue, but rather text book style. It would not behoove you to translate this way as it will ultimately cost you sales! In addition, your Members Area should also be in the native language of the user. If the user can not understand the language of your Members Area, they can not make up-sell purchases ?and we all know that up-sells generate a large amount of income!

Well ok now you have your surfers understanding your site and getting all worked up and ready to join but then they hit your sign up page and BAM! Billing Dilemma! Unlike here in the states, the average Credit Card penetration is extremely low. In countries such as Germany, The CC penetration is between 25-30%! That is a far cry from here in the US. So now you are asking, ok if Credit Cards present a problem what do I do? ...Send them to dialers? Well in the not too distant past, dialers were a feasible and profitable way of billing international users. In 2005 however, the dialer has been outlawed and or severely regulated in places like Spain & Switzerland. Ok so now what? Well from my personal experience here at SEXMoney.com I see the primary method of payment for many countries as Direct Debit. However there are definitely alternative forms of payment other than Direct Debit that can be used, such as Reverse SMS billing, Web call, etc., just depends upon the country or origin.

Ok Now that you are rocking with the site in native tongue with native billing methods, you may hit another snag! Content! What some countries may like, others may loathe. In other words, not every one likes blonde hair blue eyes. You must keep your content preferences geared towards the countries' preferences.

Setting up the above steps is a gigantic project and will require a good amount of time to do correctly! However the rewards and the cash you will generate if done correctly will far outweigh the effort!

It is a big world out there! Take advantage of it!

very well stated and explained

this link/thread should be a point of reference for both those entering the industry and for those that have been around a while... a good check list....and should leave you asking yourself and the end of the day 'have i been the exemplary contact/salesperson'....? as is Chipmunk

Isn't that an "office secret"??
Forest you snitch!

Great Post Matt! Never seen ya so wordy but it's definately the text book way to handle things in that arena.

My man Matthew is one of the best people in the biz. Sexmoney needs to untie him from his desk so he can come steal coffee from us upstairs ;)

Preach it Chipmunk....

Customer Service Guru

Now there is someone we dont see post very often!

Hey Mayor, long time no talk! Cant wait till the florida show i had a kick ass time hanging with you last year. Hope we can chill at this show too.

GREAT information from Matt thanks for taking the time to post your feelings and thoughts. XOXO

This thread is shaping up nicely. Very nicely, some well-written stuff here.

Kind of reminds me of another great learning thread for helping newbies I have bookmarked :D

How do you find time to be an affiliate manager when you're writing such a long-ass post???? lo Just kidding!! You definitely know you're shit!

Yes, as a matter of fact. For those who have waited -- GOOD THINGS -- !


2HP

Great post, Chipmunk!!!

!!!

Bravo, Chipmunk! Lasered right in on t

NICE post Chipmunk!!!!

Saturday, July 16, 2005





2HP

Dear impoverishedNOOBS (and the millionaires who love them),

It?s tough to be a NOOB! But remember, we were all NOOBS once and even those of us dinosaurs who have so far avoided extinction had to start somewhere. It can be daunting being a new kid in the playground and that analogy certainly rings true within the online adult marketplace, where new kids are all too often ostracized for their newness, for their low post-count, for not knowing who I am? ;) Well allow me to be one of the first to greet you with open arms and point you in the right direction. (Oh, but lose the tie and un-tuck your shirt a little, or you just won?t fit in.)

Now, over in the far corner of the playground on the seesaw are the Processors, they like to spend their time keeping that plank in motion without falling off. Of course, occasionally they get a little carried away and someone goes flying but there?s usually someone else standing by, ready to take their place.

Right next to the seesaw we have the swings. It?s pretty crazy over at the swings, isn?t it? Those guys are the AffiliatePrograms. They?re in a constant battle to see who can swing the highest without getting killed. Naturally, they have a rather high casualty rate, infact - DUCK!? there goes another one! Ouch, that looks like it hurt! (The bodies are put behind the shed over there.)

The people pushing the swings? Oh, those are just the affiliates?

The guys walking around in the blue overalls are called Hosts; they try and keep everything running smoothly. Of course, some are a little better at it than others. See that guy adding oil to a swing? Well, apparently yesterday one of the swings jammed up, sending an AffiliateProgram flying straight across the playground and into the seesaw, knocking one of the Processors right off! Of course, I saw nothing.

Now, the crowd of cute girls over there? Oh look, they?re waving at you! Well, they?re the whole reason for all this fun! The higher you swing, the longer you stay on the seesaw, or the smoother you can make things run, the more they wave. And we like that.

The grumpy looking guy in the window? Well, he?s the Principal and he?s fundamentally opposed to people having fun. He?s about to ring the bell because apparently play time?s over? We?re unlikely to comply.

;)


--------------------------------------------------


?but I digress?

Here?s a little wisdom I can press into that NOOBile mind of yours when it comes to pressing for success. ? Manage your perception! I?m not talking about managing how you perceive things (although I can do that, too, and would be happy to do so at a different time), but about managing how you are perceived. On the supposed level playing field of the online adult entertainment business, the reasons people have for doing business with eachother are often not ones that are all that familiar to the average MBA. It?s extremely valuable to get your name out there, use the media to your benefit, and develop strategic relationships, not just with those you intend to do business with, but with those with the biggest mouths, too!

And you don?t need a Sugar Mama to make this happen?

A brilliant man called Jonathan Lieberman once gave me some great advice. He suggested I go to every Internext (IA2000) seminar simply for the purpose of standing up during the question period to say my company?s name. Eg: ?Hi! I?m Aly from Python, and I was wondering?? In that way, another room of people became aware, or more aware, of the company?s name. If they hadn?t heard the name before, they now had, and if they were already aware of the company it now returned to the front of their minds. The more I did that (and I did it consistently for years), the more the word ?Python? sunk in and stuck. Funnily enough, the same can be said for the word ?Aly?, too, which has been very amusing? (Thanks, Jonathan!)

Now, assuming you have a product or service to offer that?s actually of value, that practice of spreading awareness can be applied in many different ways and at minimal expense. For example, whenever I meet or see someone in the industry that I personally or professionally like I remind him or her to send me press releases. Consistent weekly, or bi-weekly press releases to the many different media outlets in this industry provide those running new businesses with the opportunity to get known. Throw in strategic board posting, networking at events, and repeating your product name over and over and over again? and you can build awareness of your product very efficiently.

Now of course, as a matter of managing your perception it?s crucial that you get known for good things rather than bad. The statement, all press is good press is bullshit, at least in this industry. You could be offering the best product on the market, but if you?re not managing your perception properly the fact that you know it?s a good product becomes irrelevant and you can sink very quickly.

Once people are aware of your product, and of you, especially in a positive light, you?ll find it relatively simple to develop strategic relationships with key people in the industry. But remember, in this industry more than in any other I?ve witnessed it?s a very good idea to build relationships first before aggressively trying to sell someone something. The only aggressive people we seem to appreciate in this business wear stiletto-heeled boots and corsets and carry riding crops. ;)

I hope that gives some of you something to think about.

Contact me anytime. [email protected]

Good luck, and thanks!

~Aly.

Great post, i liked the playground metaphor. Thanks to everyone who has contributed so far. Much appreciated.

Are impoverished noobs making coin with this yet?

I'll leave it to the NOOBS themselves to answer what effects they've enjoyed for receiving the information shared thus far on this thread and on our sites. But the launch this week of the NOOBS Showcase, the aim of which is exactly that -- to make coin for the NOOBS -- will certainly increase their tangible rewards and offer many NOOBS the visibility opportunities to gain a foothold in the industry. I am quite pleased with these results and consequences.

REMINDER: The first NOOBS Showcase will be a contest for best TGP gallery design. The winning NOOB gets a top-spot gallery on Sleazydream.com -- courtesy of AVN's own Jeff Random.

REMINDER #2: On Wednesday, we will have a TGP Submission discussion from MikieMike of BiminiBucks -- don't miss it!

2HP

wow, took me awhile to read the whole thread but some excellent info and sponsors stepping up for this. Although im not quite a "noob", Anything I can learn and work with Im always willing to listen. Email sent.

Aly rules....AVN is luck yo have someone of her talent, tenacity, vision and especially her professionalism. Awesome post Dah-ling!

Bump ^^^

bump

again another great read for the noobs like me..keep it up !!

Wednesday, July 20, 2005:
Special Guest Discussion Announcement:






2HP

Wheeeeeeeeeee! Any details on the competition yet, luv? Deadlines or anything of the sort?

"MikieMike", presenting...

2HP

TGP Submitting

# 1 point to remember when working with TGP?s & MGP?s: Think like a surfer. You were once a surfer

looking for porn. And yes I will admit I have bought site memberships through TGP?s.

I came to this side of the industry about 3 years ago. The first thing I learned was how to encode

HTML and do hand submitting. I still submit to this day.

TGP sites have lots of traffic, but some people say it?s not very good traffic. There are lots of

webmasters and submitters making a good living. Something must be working. Let?s focus on the

basics for getting listed which is the most important thing.

Rules, rules, rules. Each TGP site will ask for different things from you the submitter. Do what

they ask for. It should not be anything strange. Here are some basics.

All TGP galleries have different rules?Some let you submit one gallery a day others let you submit

5 a day. Make sure to follow the rules or you will be blacklisted and will not be able to submit. I

would start off with 2 submissions a day. Make sure they are different niches this will give you a

better chance of not being blacklisted.

Here?s an example of a "Rules" page


Quantity & Quality of Pix

There?s no one right number of pictures to include in your gallery, but more is better.

Galleries should contain at least 15 images and no more than 19. Examples:

Link http://www.phxwebmaster.com/tgp/ch-nn4/index.html
Link http://www.phxwebmaster.com/tgp/a5/index.html

Think like a surfer, who would want more pix, right. Also the reviewer will like the gallery

better if it has more pix, because he?s thinking of his surfers.
Images:

The quality of the pictures is also very important. Many low quality pix won?t be acceptable. But

too few of even great pix neither. You want a balance of the two if you hope to get posted. Also

the thumbs must be clear not full of artifacts, which are those squiggly lines you sometimes see.

Keep the thumbs looking good, or the surfer will not even click in the first place. You would be

wasting even good full-size pix if no one ever saw them.

Thumbnails should range from:
120x90 to 120x160
Large images range from:
480x640 to 537x720

Make sure to have a link to the 2257 information on the gallery page

Examples of thumbs in common sizes:

88x88:

94x94:

100x100:

90x120:

100x120:


The size of the full-size is pix important as well. About 600 pixels is a good minimum width.

It?s also a good time to say avoid content that has been around for a while. The reviewer will

probably have seen it before and so will the surfer. Free content gets quickly over-used on TGP

sites, FYI. Another thing to look for is pix that are in series, to tell a ?story?.

Even good quality pix may not be accepted because they are too common. Think surfer! Something

different makes the surfer happy and makes the reviewer happy, which makes the submitter happy.

Linking

Have two links with your affiliate id on the gallery
One button or images link to the paysite

One text link

Make sure to add a little text the galleries for SEO?.
Have keys words describing the gallery


Choosing an affiliate programs:

The most important thing is to pick a niche or content category you like or know something about.

This way you can tell what?s hot or fresh, what models or scenes have been around and can give the

content the woody-test ? lol.

The choice of payout is a personal decision, but TGP traffic may give a lot of clicks and a poor

click to sales ratio, which could put you over the conversion limit.

Be sure to contact your affiliate manager. Unless your rep is an idiot, he or she should have

something to offer if you have any questions about the program.. Don?t be shy most affiliate

manager don?t bite?..lol


Partnership accounts:

Most TGP?s offer partnership accounts.
What is a partnership account?
You will get accepted quicker that a normal submitter
Some partnership accounts will let you submit more than one gallery a day

How to get a partnership account:
Most TGP?s have a section like this http://www.18amateurs.net/application.htm or an

e-mail address for the webmaster.
Fill out the form or e-mail the webmaster requesting a partnership account make sure to include

sample galleries, username, password and e-mail address


TGP2

TGP2 limits the number of full-size images to only and is supposed to give a better surfer

experience, reduce free porn amounts internet and reduce bandwidth cost bills. It is also

supposed to improve conversions. The idea is that a regular TGP has about 10 full size images and

links the user to other free sites, so they are less likely ever pay for a membership.

You cannot send your TGP2 traffic to or link with a regular TGP as that defeats the purpose. The

purpose ultimately is to minimize the amount of free content to get the user to join thereby

increasing conversions to sponsors or pay sites


The TGP Submitting Kit (what you will need)

NOOB, this is what you will need to get started:

I personally use Chameleon submitter and have been very happy with the results. There are many

other submitting programs out there such as Advance submitter and Russian submitter which I would

also recommend.

Most affiliate programs should be willing to work with you to help promote their sites.
Usually they have galleries already built ready for you to promote. I would personally contact the

affiliate manager to start a relationship with them.

2 affiliates sponsors to start out with in 2 different niches?

Chameleon Submitter

Chameleon Confirmer

Basic html and html editor like dreamweaver or notepad

Photoshop

FTP client

Domain: Some affiliate programs offer domain names and free hosting to promote their sites.

E-mail address

1 to 2 hours a day EVERYDAY

This is a great way for any NOOB to start in this industry, especially if you don?t have a lot of

time or money to invest. It?s also a great way to see if this is the industry for you.

What I have learned with TGP submission is constancy and a routine is key.
Plan on submitting everyday and get into a routine.
I think the biggest pay off is checking your stats page and seeing a sign up.

TGP submitting can get boring once you get the hang of it and in your own routine. One or two

hours/day is all it should take, once you know what you?re doing, and on you way to making good

money.

If any of you NOOBS have any questions about submitting, partnership accounts, paid submissions,

chameleon, and sponsor (affiliate programs) please feel free to hit me up on ICQ 197 216 193.

To help in the impoverishedNOOBS cause, BiminiBucks have contributed a

copy of Chameleon Submitter and a month of my time to teach the lucky NOOB and get them on the road to making money in the TGP game . For details, please contact 2HousePlague at biminibucks [@] profitLABINC.com

nice post Mikie

Aye, nice one Mikie.

Thank you baddog....

That's hot! *thumbs up* Thanks!

Thank you....I also would like to thank 2HousePlague for all the help, support, and the chance to share a little tgp knowledge...

hook it up over here