Password Protection OR Not! Your help is needed.
 

MY SITE: My new site will give users access to an area of the site with bags of free porn, once they've submitted their details, as it stands this area is not password protected (if you know the URL you can gain access). On one hand this defeats the object of submitting your details in the first place, I'm working on the premise the site will receive lots of new traffic that does not know the private URL as it were.

PP AVANTAGES: Site security, only authorized users gain access.

PP DISADVANTAGES: PP may limit traffic, people forgetting passwords all the time, more work for me.

Please vote in the pole!

You may get extensively hot linked and burn serious bandwidth. I just saw a guy hit about
30 Mbps with something like this. So long as you are getting their details anyway,
I'd have them log in. You can easily automate a "lost" password feature.

i second that.

If you don't have password protection you'd better have a 100mbs connection because the Chinese surfers will linkhotten you to holy hell.

Many thanks so far for all your comments guys!

I have decided that initially I won't use password protection, but it will be a serious consideration as something to implement when the site is more established.

The reason I have chosen initially not to use PP protection is becuase the additional unauthorised traffic will still earn me money through hosted galleries.

A few months down the line I can always say 'In an effort to better serve our users we are implementing password... etc'

Again, feedback on this will be very helpful.

Dude, Password protection doesn't take any real effort. Do it. You are about to be ass raped.

Seriously. I have seen peaks of 40mbs from the hotlinking of certain movie galleries. If you leave all of your "Bags of porn" open they WILL have a field day with you.

Very interesting and very worrying at the same time. As I'm a beginner, I've no doubt your absolutely right, OK! I may well implement password protection. I'm a little hesitant as the site is 2/3 built and cost me thousands of dollars aleady, I'm sure PP is easy to implement, but not when your technical knowledge is non existent.

Thanks for your comments pornwolf!

Password protection makes your site looks secure and increases the confidence of the visitors (just like the shopping carts). As earlier said, auto "lost-password" can help you!

Anyway, others have given you much better responses! Cheers to all :)
Good question with good answers!