Yesterday I had the task of counselling a new webmaster who was just about to exit the industry. This person had come in with high hopes of making a lot of money very quickly and after just three months their hopes were dashed, their working capital was gone and they were on the skids.
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"You don't have to struggle on your own, you don't have to lurk in the shadows trying to pick up any information that might be helpful." |
I walked that person through the details of what their situation was like and I suggested some ways that they might recover and move on. Unfortunately, their situation was not good and they were worn out and too depressed by their failure to see any hope of success.
That person had got into that mess because they had made several fundamental mistakes. This webmaster had always enjoyed surfing porn so they felt that they knew how to build sites that would sell. They had lurked on webmaster boards, read articles like this one and even read a few tutorials to be certain that they knew all that they needed to succeed. They had never actually asked anyone for help until it was too late to recover.
Undoubtedly there are some people who can and do succeed without any contact with anyone else in the industry but they are definitely a small minority. The techniques of marketing porn goes way beyond slapping up a few pics and banners and watching the money roll in. It is almost an art that most of us have to acquire with time.
You can pick up a lot of information from tutorials and from lurking but you will develop the talents you need to succeed a lot more if you actually get involved in the life of a good message board that is focused on new webmasters. You can find one right here at:
Lurking is not good enough, you need to jump in and ask questions on the board. If the person I was talking to had done that, they would not be in the mess that they're in at this moment. The mistakes they made were very basic. They made them because the answers they were getting were based on other people's experiences and no two people are the same. They also didn't ask the right questions from the start.
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When they started asking the right questions it was too late, the damage was done. If they had asked those questions at the start they would have received advice that fitted their situation. Instead they took answers to questions that were asked by more experienced webmasters and applied them to their own situation where they just didn't fit.
You have to keep in mind that every webmaster is at a different level in their development in this game. What is a great answer for me might not apply to a very new webmaster needs to know. For example I might ask a question about paid TGP listings and get an answer from someone on the board who knows where I'm coming from and where I'm at because I always hang out on that board. On the other hand a new webmaster might see that answer and apply it to their own situation which might be entirely different to mine and ultimately waste money.
This is a very unforgiving industry if you try to go at it alone, without support from more experienced people. It is also an amazing industry because there is that support available for new webmasters. There are experienced webmasters over at Cozy's Newbie Help forum who are prepared to give new webmasters all the advice they need to succeed in this industry.
You don't have to struggle on your own, you don't have to lurk in the shadows trying to pick up any information that might be helpful.
Everybody has down times in the adult on-line industry. It happens in every industry so expect it on the adult web as well. If you're lurking then you struggle by yourself - if you are part of the community then you get all the support and encouragement that you will need to get you through the rough patches.
In an industry where we work from our homes we can become very isolated. The communities that develop around newbie boards help each other overcome that feeling of isolation. Some communities are more friendly and supportive than others, some communities are aimed at webmasters who are more advanced and are probably not suited for newbies at all.
The community on Cozy Campus is warm and friendly and provides help and support for a wide range of webmasters. If you're a lurker, why not come out of the shadows and get the support, encouragement and help that you need before it's too late.