Tony, this is where I think folks misunderstood the very premise of what was going on and things snowballed from there: Sure, we invited Lawley to speak because there's two real issues facing the online adult industry right now: 2257 inspections (which we're bringing in the inspectors to discuss) and .xxx (which we're bringing in the principals to discuss).

There was NO "XBIZ demands that you move to .xxx and here's how!"

It was just "Here's the two main players in the two main issues impacting us, let's hear what they have to say..."

This is important stuff, whether you like it or not, and XBIZ is the only one bringing it to you, because, as you said, we're "the paper of record for the adult industry" – and now "the show of record for the adult industry."

As far as ICANN goes, that's another story. They're not worried about what XBIZ is writing; they're worried about the Bush administration, the United Nations, all the family groups and everyone else that's against "legitimizing" porn by giving it its own TLD.

As a side note, many of you bitch about the religious right trying to close you down, but they are dead set AGAINST .xxx – Have you ever considered the issue deep enough to wonder why your enemies don't want you to have it?

I haven't checked out their arguments. It's almost enough that they're against it!

Now the way you just said it makes it a very different thing. Im confused Im done posting on .xxx. What happens, happens I cant stop it one way or another. This is causing too much stress for me. I have something unique I feel we offer the market and I will just focus my energies on that.

To be honest, that's where I'm at now: The wheels have been set in motion but the fat lady hasn't sung yet – the decision of whether or not we have a .xxx TLD won't be up to the industry at this point, IMHO, but up to the commerce department – even if it's done behind the scenes.

The question is "IF .xxx passes, then what next?" and "How do I respond / adapt / profit?"

That's all we're trying to address, including the concerns over domain pecking orders (I believe that current dot-com owners have first rights for the .xxx version of their names), traffic redirection, and other ancillary factors that Lawley can sit in the hot seat over.

You're a reasonable guy, Tony, I'd hope that you'd make it to the show and put in your questions / opinions.

of course because the people at the top got there mostly by scammy methods and continue to stay at the top by fucking more people over. when the laws stop them from fucking the surfer over, they move on to the webmasters.

xxx is total bullshit and is nothing but a way for a handful of people to fill their pockets. if it wasn't domains wouldn't be 75/piece. which makes no sense at all, do they just assume adult sites make more money than mainstream? give me a break. and protecting the kids, hahahaha. yeah, please protect the children but pay 10 times more per domain for no reason at all because of it. these guys are nothing but theives and selling out their own industry, cannibals.

Alec is about to get a royal assreaming compliments of mikesouth.com

The responses on this thread are pointless.

We got a "friend" (not an employee, but someone who gets paid) to speak for an ass who can't speak for himself (Helmy) and who entertains another ass (Lawley) and gives him a platform to spew his irrelevant crap to an audience of those who actually pay for the privilege of listening to it.

I thought some threads on GFY were pointless, but the concept of paying to listen to garbage from another greedy wannabee (and his friends) is something Xbiz and Helmy have excelled themselves in. Congratulations to all involved - you make good partners :pimp

First, I?m appalled at the hypocrisy demonstrated by some so-called ?businessmen? (and women), that despite making a living from an industry dependent upon tolerance and an all-inclusive acceptance of differing viewpoints, demand that this person not be allowed to speak. It reminds me of the disgusting displays that are commonplace today on college campuses where idiots shout-down speakers whose viewpoints they disagree with.

What happened to freedom of speech? What happened to your ?no censorship? ideals? Or do these ideals only apply to you and your porn-peddling needs? Hypocrites! Seriously, what do you have to fear from listening to a service provider explain his wares? If you think that your position is so superior, you should welcome the opportunity to debate him ? not adopt the methods of the book-burners trying to squelch dissenting ideas.

Beyond that, I believe that much of the furor has been caused by a misunderstanding of what the seminar is about. Whether or not you agree with a .xxx TLD, or have misgivings about its implementation, efficacy or expenses, it remains a very distinct possibility that despite the opposition of the U.S. Government, the United Nations, many family groups and indeed, many adult webmasters, that .xxx will be passed.

If .xxx is passed, and I believe it will eventually be passed, it will have a profound impact on the online adult landscape. What then? How will you respond? Having a discussion on this subject is vital, in the same sense that fire drills are conducted in schools; just so everyone knows what to do in case the ?what if? scenario plays out.

Businesspeople account for predictable contingencies; they develop mitigation plans and respond to the changing market conditions before them. For these planned measures to be effective, accurate intelligence needs to be amassed and questions need to be answered. XBIZ is providing a venue for those questions to be asked and information disseminated, allowing businesspeople to gain an advantage over the ostriches that would rather bury their heads in the sand.

And that, in the end, is what this is all about: businesspeople gaining an advantage. I?ve said before that the have?s need to shed the have not?s if we?re to continue operating into the future, and this is one mechanism by which this process will progress. But regardless of the politics, patrons, publicity or possibilities of .xxx, it is a matter that professionals need to discuss ? whatever the outcome. Will you be part of that discussion, or will you be one of the kids making noise in the other room while the adults are trying to talk?

i'm not gonna get into all this, but the bush administration and everyone else knows that .xxx is not going to stop anything that lawley says it will. :)

the only TLD that can even remotely help to keep kids off of adult sites is .kids

any computer a child uses could be configured with software to only allow .kids domains to resolve.

MONEY is the motivator here. Lets not forget that. ICANN likes money too. The issues arising here are because people feel that there are cogs turning behind the scenes, and they are. I myself talk to people who do know some of those that are going to fuck us if they can get this pushed through. Fortunately for them, they are smart enough to not give me the names or details because I wouldn't hesitate for one second to blow a hole in this thing bigger than the one that sank the Titanic.

i do not intend to argue with anyone, I just want to make sure everyone stays aware, Stuart Lawley can give two shits about kids, and I just might tell him myself at the seminar.

i personally do no think that xbiz is pro .xxx, if i did i wouldn't support them like i do.

carry on all.

:winkwink: :2 cents:

It never was about listening to greedy wannabees expounding their theories and plans for this industry Stephen. I'm sure most involved have better things to do than listen to crap which is supported by XBiz and, of course, the quiet Mr Helmy in the background who is unable to utter a two or three character word.

If anyone needs to be heard, it's Alec - not the messenger boy. At least Alec is in this industry which is more than can be said for the righteous Mr Lawley - the protector of the world's children - at a price.

It's also not an issue of "this person not being allowed to speak" - let him pay for his own propaganda bullshit. Why should this industry enable him by entertaining his views and webmasters having to tolerate sitting thru his slippery money-making spewage disguised as a effort towards righteous aims of protecting children ad nausea?

This whole issue is based on total hypocracy and greed - and that extends to those who associate with swamp life.

(1) Why would anyone be against '.xxx' ?
If you don't like you don't buy.
.tv is expensive is well, still people buy.
.mobi is a joke still people buy the domains

(2) If you want to block access for kids simply buy vista, built in feature to allow X amount of sites for user Y

->

This aint news mike.. his organization the asacp gets 1-10 dollars per domain. I think it's 1 dollar, but dont quote me. This is why I called out tom hymes. hes talking out of both sides of his mouth like Ike from south park.
How can you be against something when the person signing your check is for it. If you look back at a few mergers recently and hymes going to xbiz, it starts to make sense. At least from a Ducovnian perspective.
Duke

Nobody has to attend the seminar. Nobody is being forced. For those serious operators that would rather hear the facts from the source, rather than relying on second-hand board gossip and speculation, this is a great chance to clear the air. It's a Q&A session, not an ad for .xxx.

Also, and not to cause more problems for some of you, "the industry" IMHO supports .xxx ? and when I say "the industry" I mean the name-brand players that are actually making money and not the wannabes and small operators ? even though there's tens of thousands of these "little guys" that might be opposed to it, combined, their total revenue likely falls below that of the 'smallest' player behind the scenes.

Stephen, you seem to know the "big names" who are behind .xxx. Could you share that information? That way, those who are against it can deal directly with them. If someone's 100% against .xxx (and I'm one of them, and like you, wish to have a Plan B in case it goes into effect) and they are promoting a program of someone pushing to get it implemented, I'm sure they'd want to know.

And who appointed your punk ass spokesman for the industry you self aggrandizing little turd?

I think "The Industry" can speak for itself and has on numerous occasions. What i am seeing here is further indication that XBiz is IN FACT supporting the .XXX domain.

I think the advertisers should be well aware of what their money is being spent on.

I agree with you and if Xbiz is paper of record they should be writing about those people

Mind explaining why you believe it will be passed?

Re.. first para.. Painting pictures of the perception of "serious operators" is in your own mind - it's a simplified label. There are no questions and answers where Lawley can help - information on .XXX TLD's is already published - other than the backroom deals and don't expect him to answer these.

Re.. second para. You think? Why on earth would you think that??? News for ya Stephen - this industry is based on everyone in it and not "name-brand players". It is totally irrelevant what these people earn or don't earn - they buy domains and that is as far as the .XXX TLD issue relates to them. Obviously the mass market in domains are assigned to the "average webmaster" or small company and these are the people who are relevent in this issue - not the extreme ends of the scale, "brand name players" or newbie webmasters.

The "average webmaster" is the person who would be filling Lawley and his "associates" pockets - and this has nothing to do with any purported aims of .XXX TLD's, such as concern for children. It's a money grab in it's simplest form.



PS The arrogance is still seeping thru the woodwork :pimp

i've said it before... i'll say it again. luke ford was more honest, original and wrote better than those people and he is a fucking idiot by his own admission.

"XBIZ" was not told about those people, *I* was, and I promised not to say what I heard; but if you read through my posts on this thread, I did name (or at least hinted about) three of those players ? all three of which are involved with this board in one way or another ? and I don't mean that they're just kids coming by to post.

A good reporter knows info and outs the bastards, you think they care about you. They would sell you out for 5 bucks lol

Because of the people ($$$) behind this initiative and I don't mean Lawley.

I'd tell you what else I know in Hollywood over a gin and tonic, Lloyd, but I sure won't spill the beans here in print at Romper Room. If I did, I'd get banned from this board and have a bunch of people shut me out – and I like the company I keep, so...

I'll see you next week :)

As it turns out apparently XBiz only THINKS they speak for the adult industry I have been contacted by an organization that is enlisting my help in efforts to stop this before it happens as well as a contingency plan to stop it after the fact if need be.

Thats far more to my liking than allowing Stuart Lawley to tell me exactly how he plans to fuck me

Fuck XBIZ

Maybe so, but I'm not a reporter. That's the guys in the news dept. :winkwink:

Still a shill for AVN, Mike?

WRONG GUESS Idiot but feel free to keep trying


and I bet Fishbein would beg to differ about my being a shill...

see my muh fuckin sig bitch

I dont think you would get banned Lens supporting it wouldn't be no surprise. He post along time ago, a thread like .xxx could be a good thing and got attacked .Then he never bought it up again.

Mike when was the last time you got a flaming call from Fish not that long ago if I remember correctly lol The difference is Stephen, Avn probably doesnt love Mike but has respect for the audience Mike reaches because in the porn world its a very big one.

That is the most patronizing garbage I have yet seen from anyone on either side of this "debate". If the people behind XXX, proponents or supporters, had the slightest interest in communicating with the industry at large, they would not restrict their output (the value of which remains to be seen) to a seminar at a trade show.

That statement is again patronizing and also accurate, but were it neither of those things, what comfort should we take from it? Most of those you refer to as "the industry" will be gone within 10 years, as inertia proves to be ultimately more powerful than momentum. It is typical of many to whom this applies, that they would support something which is of short-term benefit to a few, regardless of the long-term damage it may cause everyone.

You are a fool if you believe the landscape of this industry will not change, because the landscape of every industry constantly changes. Business history is littered with once-major companies which ignored that and believed they were strong enough to make their own rules. Among those you so sneeringly refer to as "little guys" may be some of those who replace those who still believe we are in the 1990's. You had better hope they have short memories...

Was there a loveaffair that went wrong Mike? :winkwink:

Sure.. agree - XBiz is another operation run for a profit by Helmy - it has nothing to do with speaking for the adult industry, most of whom have only had a fleeting glimpse, if that, of XBiz.

It is obvious, as in most things, where there is a dime to be screwed, there will be a queue of takers waiting to line their pockets at any cost - including using kids as an excuse to do it.

Slippery would be an understatement.... greedy bastards.

you call yourself and XBiz some form of journalists/journalism while at the same time YOU claim to have information, to quote you 'names and details', as to who is behind the .XXX 'deal', implying that we would be shocked by their identities. and you haven't taken this information and tried your best to find more more sources and publish this story? pretty shocking and pathetic i think.

Ok so it's been suggested that the "biggest money makers" including possibly Lensman (or even Playboy?) support .xxx

would be funny if Playboy supported .xxx and Hustler opposed :winkwink:

as for Lensman, he made a thread one year ago which seemed finding some good points about .xxx (give us a seperate domain and stop the prosecutions) but is that really a true, well thought off position of him and all the "biggest players"?

It's hard for me to jugde Lensman or anyone else on that level... but a believe that having .xxx will actually solve such problems seems a little naive to me... not to mention that if this .xxx gets in fact approved, it will probably have a marginal impact and market share at the very beginning... I don't see Playboy changing from Playboy.com to playboy.xxx immediately on their own, I don't see the RealityCash paysites changing names etc...

the main risk in .xxx in the risk of it becoming mandatory (either the govermnent or f.e the credit card processing companies could switch porn from .com to .xxx) and yes, it would change the adult scene... but at the same time it would put everyone in this biz at risk of losing huge traffic, because of being filtered by default by browsers, ISP's etc...

I still see no advantages of having .xxx for anyone (other than an organisation like ASACP getting a share of each domain(?)...but well, Lensman is not ASACP)

Somoene also said .xxx will kiill the affiliate biz but that arguments doesnt make much sense.... the affiliate biz got even stronger recently with companies like Realitycash offering free content and free hosting to every n00b who can send 1 sale daily....

arhh just some thoughts... I don't have access to the insider info anyway

Yes, the "main risk" is that it becomes mandatory.

Of course, the only way it will "work" is if it does.

Not "everyone" ? as I understand it, the traffic deals were made two years ago. Some of you keep screaming about the money; why not look at the traffic? Then you'll know what's really going on behind the scenes...

But Stephen that is so dumb that they cant realize if it becomes law say good bye to at work and college traffic( at work is when alot of people sign up). We are not even talking about a couple of isp's shutting it off and who is going to complain no one. There is going to be alot less traffic to be had.

oh my what a shit storm. this is nothing. wait till it all goes through.

this board will be unbearable as will others as it comes out who is for and against .xxx

my oh my.

i can't wait. thank god i got my other foot firmly planted in mainstream finance and so forth, if it gets too whacky and it holds me back from making money i'll tell everyone to fuck off and work from home.

:1orglaugh

i can't wait for this show.

Your smart same with me, my old headhunting boss would love to be partners with me and for me to go back to headhunting since now the dotcom bullshit has gone away and real money can be made again. I hope adult still works if not its dialing for dollars lol

Um. Without going into details, I will tell you for a fact that as soon as something like that happens, the "complaint" will be filed in court and there are parties just waiting for it to happen. I know one guy with a great legal team just hoping that McAffee or sumtin' will block .xxx by default...

As I said before, the question is "what do we do next to make money?"
? a question that has many answers, including "initiate a class action suit"

This is chess, not checkers :2 cents:

Well, since people are stealing pieces off the board before the game it may be harder to do that than it appears. Chess is a game of honor and integrity. Something this industry knows little about.

:winkwink:

Man your in the know, they will go to court and they will lose. Your boy W has been putting in a ton of right wing judges dont ya read the papers , for this is going to come to roost.