What this industry needs more than anything...
 

What this industry needs more than anything is to start working on its public image. Right now, most people still see us as sleazy lowlives. Because of that, many social moderates who might sympathize with our rights otherwise don't give a flying fuck about what governments do to harm our business.

Why don't a bunch of programs and people in this business team up to do something about this? Improving our public image among those not fundamentally opposed to porn would not be all that hard at all.

Two ideas:

# Starting up a porn-supported charity fund. Many people here give to charity, why not do good and support our cause at the same time? Many charities might not want to accept small gifts from porn-related businesses, but if the gifts are big enough, some prominent ones might be more flexible. With the right PR, something like that could cause some real improvement in the public perception of porn.

# Setting up a foundation or something like that to monitor basic ethical guidelines for the porn business. These could be quite simple, and would not have to change the way honest programs and individuals already do business. Simple concepts, like "no underage content", "no unsolicited spam", "guarding customers' privacy", etc., could look quite well if we subscribed to them in a very public, obvious way.
Aside from that, it would also make it possible to work on "online child protection" on our own terms, rather than on those of ambitious politicians. Like it or not, sooner or later we will have to start worrying about how to prevent children from watching adult content. Now, this can either go the hard way - .xxx or something similiar shoved down our throats by governments - or the easy way - setting up something reasonably effective ourselves. For example, a simple "adult" metatag (rather than the complicated ICRA one) could become widespread quite easily if just a few of the bigger programs demanded their affiliates to use it.
Releasing a free, effective piece of software to block sites containing this would be both cheap and easy, and it would greatly help our argument that we can police ourselves and thus don't need government interference.


Just some random thoughts...

It's been done....the public will never see us as anything more or less what their perceptions are...

There are plenty who think it's really cool...most of the people who are at my gym know what I do and constantly want pictures....

Then, there are those who think I'm a sinner...

Personally, I no longer give a fuck what people think....

Heathen.

Who gives a fuck what people think....The truth is 99% of the people are amazing people. There are a few that ruin it for everyone, but thats true anywhere.

What? you mean we're not sleazy lowlifes?
Damn, someone invited me to the wrong party!


;)

Raven is right, these have been done before. Many organizations won't accept money from a porn associated charity, and beyond that, getting everyone in adult to agree on anything is simply impossible (re: "ethical guidelines")

Things like this have been done before, yes. All of us know what ASACP used to mean. However, PR is an ongoing effort.

People will never see us as anything other than their perceptions of us, true. However, we can change what they perceive. For example, if they see (perceive) us giving money to charity or helping in blocking children from adult sites, some of them may just think we are not entirely irresponsible.

There are plenty who think what we do is cool. There are plenty who think it isn't cool, but who believe we should have the right to do it anyway. Very few of those will stand up for us in public, though. By showing our social responsibility, we can give those who do stand up some ammunition in debates. For example, when a government debates the issue of child protection, it simply helps our cause if we have shown that we take measures to prevent children from viewing adult sites.

Your not caring what people think is fine and well, but don't forget that what people think influences political decisions. And, obviously, not caring about political decisions which may cost us millions or even put some of us out of business is sheer foolishness.

Actually, you'd get farther doing what the porno cable channels do.

The do PSA's explaining how to safe guard the adult channels with the VChip and passwords, etc.

If you had a coallition for the porn industry with a warm fuzzy name that would do this kind of stuff about the internet but talking about how to set browser permissions, programs available, and so forth. Then it would be educational to the dunce cap parents who really would configure their PC's by themselves, and solve it on their own.

One of the biggest problems about porn they bitch about online is that they say it pops up everywhere. It does on search engine results, spam, and some other things. But if you did PSA's explaining how to configure search engine results, programs, security settings, and so forth. Then parents would actually KNOW how to do it their fucking selves.

You have to face the facts a lot of the older generation, and even a lot of the online users do not have the first fucking clue about computers, much less that they can actually CONFIGURE THEM to block shit they do no want.

All you have to do is go into any computer store, and ask them how many computers they get a month removing spyware, and shit. Or what the records are for the number removed from PC's. A lot of them have print out's on their walls for the highest amounts removed.

If they knew anything about computers, THIS kinda shit would not be happening. If the adult industry was actually proactive in teaching people how to block the shit they do not want. Then you might get a better image.

However, there is are a number of reasons why this doesn't happen. The biggest being greed. Unless it effects you? Why do you care? This seems to be the mentality out there.

But it's a good idea all the same. If the industry actually had one association that was lobbying, proactive, and did something to promote a better industry on the whole. Then we would have a voice, and could water down the resentment. However, this includes policing the C.P., spammers, and hijackers amung other things.

It comes down to the industy as a whole thinks, and "is there any money in it".

:2 cents:

Like I said above, what people think influences politicians, who influence our livelihoods.

As for most people being amazing people and only a few ruining it for everyone, why not get the majority to stand together and show clearly that we disapprove of the actions of these few people?

next thing you know rock stars will start up a charity fund and foundations to monitor their ethical practices....cause everyone knows they are drug abusing womanizers

LOL....

get real, we sell sex for a living in a country/world that is taught to be scared of sex

Many organizations won't accept money from a porn associated charity, but a few will. These, we can use.

Getting people in adult to agree on things is quite simple, as long as they aren't controversial issues. What we need to do is to show that we stand together on the issues that aren't controversial, those that all of us (or at least, almost all of us) agree on already.

Fuck the charities and other horse shit.

Just get some people organized, get a well spoken and visably appealing person to give counter points to the press every time a story breaks, and if that fails we all should go over our member databases looking for politicians and then let the blackmail ensue.

hypocrisy is obscene...

Great post, and I absolutely agree with you. However, I think this can actually happen, since there is money in it. Or rather, there is lost money in not doing it. This isn't really a possibility, but a certainty - as the internet evolves, governments will start implementing more regulations. Only by showing responsibility can we prevent these regulations from being draconian ones.

Every fucking rockstar in the world has a PR agent, and almost all of them work for charities at one point or another to improve their public image.

free porn for the FEMALE webmasters. 90% of the sites out there are targeted for men. I want the "perks" of being in this biz too, ya know!! :helpme

I live in a really conservative town, a few years ago after many problems a sex shop managed to open up to the public.. at the time everyone was saying that it is the fall of the town and it was degrading blah blah blah..

Since it opened it has become actively involved in the community, it's sponsors soccer teams and is invloved in many charity events. Not only that but many people who would never have normally visited a sex shop before found themselves being dragged along to it by their partners..

There are many towns close by that are not nearly so conservative that have multiple sex shops but these are seedy and conseidered dirty and the 'old mans hangout'

The reason the store in my town has prospered is because, even though it's ideals are the same it has changed it's image and managed to promote itself for what it is... a fun shop for all..

It's a sad hypocrisy, isn't it? The people that slam the adult industry the most are often the same ones surfing them in the wee hours.

But a big problem I see is the industry itself: The mentality of a closed world that seems to not want to be accepted. Perhaps a result of being vilified, certainly, but there is a perceptible feeling of being a small, tight-knit community that rejects anyone that hasn't been in it since the golden days.

If you want to change the image, the adult industry has to start with themselves first.

:2cents

exactly, thanks for making my point even more....they do it on an indivual basis and don't rely on others to do it for them through some "group" or "organization"

if you wanna clean up your image, then do it, don't sit around waiting for someone else to create some group that you can join

bottom line is, rock stars create something the world is proud of....porn peddlers are creating something the world is taught is bad and evil...no matter what anyone does, it will always be looked on as bad and evil to sell sex

:thumbsup

Rock stars are strongly branded individuals, most of the online porn industry lacks a globally recognizable brand. Thus, while rock stars profit from working on their personal public image, porn companies' public images are strongly determined by the actions of their competitors.

i think this industry could use some lobbyists in washington but you won't ever win over the religious, who are the ones who demonize us to the rest of the population for the most part.

also on the other hand of it, the more socially acceptable our profession is, the more competition and involvement by big business.

The people you want to win over are the moderates, the ones who don't have any fundamental objections to porn, but think we engage in unethical business practices (underage, credit card fraud, drawing in underage surfers, etc).

I don't want to change anyone's perception...just join my sites and shut the fuck up....

Those who denigrate us as low lives will never change their minds..there IS no spin.

It isn't about changing people's minds so they'll like you and you'll feel all warm and fluffy inside, it's about making people aware that porn is business like any other, so they won't pressure politicians into implementing ever harsher regulations for us.

The religious nutjobs won't change their minds, but the open-minded people who just keep hearing bad stories about our industry just might. And since most people aren't religious nutjobs, those open-minded people are the ones who count.

I am what I am and nothing will change that. If is was not for internet porn

I would be back to selling snake oil

The religious nutjobs are more vocal, though. Most of us are too level-headed to shout at the top of our lungs like they are willing to do.

http://www.reconnections.net/The-Evil-Empire.gif

"The System that organizes citizens of the United States into groups and communities in the year 2005 (call it Government, if you like) is alike all prior iterations of human ?government? in one essential way: It acknowledges that Cohesion is desirable, and further, it acknowledges that Cohesion is a condition for which the majority of people ?under rule? are prepared to sacrifice some degree of personal freedom. We?ve already discussed how strange it is that pain and discomfort are community-building forces. No answer yet to why that is, but there it is. It being already known by the architects of government, for much instructive experience throughout history, that the imposition of behavioral standards upon the people is an effective means to achieve ?discomfort?; it being also known and well understood that the threat of Alienation from the Community (especially when the alienating mechanism is Moral Shame) is a potent inducer of self-recrimination, which has the handy dual benefit of enforcing compliance (from within, sans police force) and of keeping those under rule in a perpetual state of discomfort, which gives you that nice cohesion effect... more

2hp

Would i fit the stereotype if i just said that this industry needs me for a stunt cock ?

What this industry really needs is......








http://www.sayheymusic.com/images/Ineedmorecowbell.jpg

Most of never even open our mouths, except in private. Almost every industry protects its public image, but online porn, which arguably needs it more than most, does not. To me, that is strange.

Just think of the enormous difference it would make in sales if, say, people trusted online porn companies just a little bit more with their credit card details.

It's really a tough battle fighting the bible thumpers.also the people need a scapegoat for all the sick shit out there..good ideas though

All the adult industry in general is doing is giving more and more ammo to those wanting to dispose of it..

Tgp's throwing up more free porn everywhere...

More and more affiliate programs offering more and more free pic and video galleries for anyone at any age to view..

Free explicit samples on many of the pay sites.. again.. for anyone at any age to view..

No.. we're not babysitters.. Yes.. the parents need to keep a closer eye on their kids.. But things are what they are and we as a whole are at risk of losing it all just to try to prove that porn is part of free speech..

Bush looks at the constitution as a, "God damned piece of paper".. so the 1st amendment means dick to him...

All people need to do is look around at what's happening, what's being proposed.. yada yada...

If we all don't band together and SHOW society that we CAN self govern.. and that we CAN keep porn away from kids, then we're all screwed.. even the big boys..

But this won't happen because there are too many non-business minded greedy folks that will make sure the U.S. based adult internet will be fedexed to Hell in a handbag...

It WILL happen in the not too distant future..