Originally Posted by Shap
(Post 13780189)
I've been in this business for 10 years. I'm sure that I'm one of the most outspoken webmasters around - I've never backed down from any conversation or topic. Me and my partner run our company like an open book. When a question about our company comes up, I am always more than happy to address it. I say this because yesterday our name was being tossed around with regards to RedTube. So here I am to comment on the situation, explain my feelings and answer any questions you may have regarding it.
As it was mentioned in another thread, RedTube is an affiliate of ours. RedTube came to us and asked to be an affiliate several weeks ago. I told them there are rules and these rules must be followed in order to get paid and remain in good standing with TwistysCash. With regards to our video here is what we asked of them:
- They could use 2 - 3 minute clips to promote Twistys.
- Banners and advertising in and around the clip must be for Twistys and Twistys only.
- We do NOT accept traffic from any links that have stolen content on them.
Now, we've kept a close eye on RedTube and so far they've been an ideal affiliate. They are doing what we ask and they have been very pleasant to deal with. They are following the rules that apply to all our affiliates.
Tube sites are notorious for content theft. Ok, point made. Now, I do not believe there is a single person on GFY that has more content theft problems than we do. Twistys is the biggest babes site on the web and along with this status comes the problem of people constantly ripping off our content. We know what is like to invest MILLIONS of dollars a year in to content only to see it being ripped off by various sites and have other individuals profiting from it. For the past 2 years I've seen our content on HUNDREDS of user boards and blogs - all without a single Twistys ad. Believe me, it's hell to see my content being paired up with AFF banners and banners to the most popular PPS adult sponsors.... but not Twistys. We have worked hard at protecting our content and it always feels like a losing battle. We've spent large amounts of money on lawyers fighting content theft and spent endless hours DMCAing websites. Here we are in 2008 and the situation is WORSE than ever. Year after year we sit back and continue to get ripped off with each new board, blog, and tube site that is born. This is why we are taking action. Action to attempt some theft control- to turn the tables in our favor at least SOME of the time.
Understand that our relationship with RedTube is very different from what AFF and other sponsors are doing. Why? Because of our rules. Again, Redtube is sending us traffic from pages that have our content & ads, side by side.
Here's something I want to share with you - it relates to how our industry is changing. Tube sites are indicative of HOW people surf for their porn today. Tube sites have changed surfing habits as well as consumer expectations because the word 'tube' is now synonymous with FREE (and user-driven videos.) As a result of this transition to tube sites, they are forcing all of us to work harder. They are forcing all of us to produce a better product and to be better at what we are doing. In an industry known for quick and easy money, the idea of having to work our asses off to make a quality product is a scary one. What's scarier is the idea that you might even have to change your business model to get with the times. The truth is, things are not going back to the way they were. The web is changing. As a result, the 'free sites' and other traditional means of traffic pooling we used to rely on, are slowly dying. With this in mind, we should not only be worrying about stolen content; rather, we should be focusing on building a higher quality product. Wouldn't you agree?
In much the same way Napster changed the music industry, Tube sites are changing the adult industry. Google is without a doubt the most powerful web company around. What is their company built on? It is built on providing nearly every product you can imagine, for FREE. Google is teaching everyone that the tools we used to pay for - the video, television, entertainment, maps, spreadsheets, mail etc. are all available on the Internet for FREE any time we want it and it's only a click away. I cannot think of any company that is pushing the fact that copyrights are non-existant online as much as Google is. Take a look at the start date for all the largest tube sites... You will notice that all of them start AFTER Google acquired YouTube.
Now take a look at the music industry over the past 8 years. They are much bigger and much more powerful than we ever were as an industry prior to this time. Despite this immense power, appeal, reach and frequency - the record industry is dead thanks to Napster and other file sharing sites. The record industry spent all its' time and energy the past few years trying to preserve the way it had always existed - high profit margins on products that were not always what the consumer wanted (ie $19.95 for a record, tape or CD that had 3 or 4 good songs). Their industry was forced to change when file sharing became big - they had to embrace the new landscape that has been presented and make the best of it (ie: iTunes @ 99 cents a song.) Nobody is getting rich off albums anymore, if anything it's just forcing artists to produce one hit song after another and NOT put out filler songs to make up an album. AND, on top of unique chart topping songs, they also have to be able to perform on stage too. If they can't entertain and perform live, they die before they even debut.
I believe a similar thing is happening in our industry. While I am 100% against tube sites using illegal/stolen content, you guys have to realize tube sites are a part of our industry right now (and the near future) whether you like it or not. They are here and happening now and surfers are flocking to them. With dying options for traffic, what choices do we really have for promotion? So while the situation is not perfect, we CAN group together and set some rules for these sites to follow. Until everything is policed and enforced by a higher order, adaptation is what we have to embrace in order to survive.
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