When I first started to mess around with the adult Internet I was foolishly stubborn. Disjointed visions of my future in cybersmut clouded my ability to listen to the sage advice of others. I was so sure that my way was the highway and I would ride it to riches and fame.
|
"They [TGP Owner] have the income possibilities of a paysite owner while still having the freedom of an affiliate webmaster." |
All the other webmasters told me that gallery building was where the money was. I ignored their counsel when the getting was good. By the time I came around to the benefits of gallery submission, I found I was just another TGP whore in a sea of TGP whores. I do not mean to say that there aren’t quite a few adult webmasters who make nice livings from building and submitting galleries to Thumbnail Gallery Post sites. When I say I lost out on the TGP phenomenon I mean to say, I lost out on making the big bucks when it was easy to do.
Today the gallery builder has to contend with enormous competition. They have to create gallery after gallery after gallery. They can’t get anywhere without using auto submission software, paying for top listings and delving into traffic trades. Money can be made from gallery building/submitting but is by no means easy money. Gallery builders and other webmasters who have seen the market’s profitability decrease over the last couple of years have taken the next natural step by creating their own Thumbnail Gallery Post sites.
In fact, there are so many individual TGPs out there; one has to wonder about the sanity of anyone who builds a new Thumbnail Gallery Post. The market is flooded with TGPs and logic tells us that a new one would not be able to compete. So why build yet another damned Thumbnail Gallery Post? Is it possible to create a financially solvent TGP when there are so many others already in existence? With all the talk about the scourge of too much free porn, what good would it do to add fuel to the fire? Why build a TGP?
While I am not sure about the future of free sexual imagery on the net, I am sure that there is still money to be made by creating a Thumbnail Gallery Post. Here’s why:
The wrench that VISA recently tossed into the machinery of online porn has and will be affecting our industry on a grand scale. Any one who has been entertaining the idea of opening their own paysite or affiliate program now has to contend with these new regulations from VISA that concern third-party processors. This new climate of confusion and oppressive regulations has got foreign and small vendors scrambling to meet a compliance deadline they never bargained on. Those who wish to climb the next rung on the smut ladder are looking up to see their way blocked by sudden fees and issues of geographical presence.
Anyone who thought they were finally experienced enough to jump from selling for others to selling for themselves is probably filled with a paralyzing caution right about now. The great thing about TGP ownership is that building one will expand horizons without having to deal with VISA.
The TGP site owner has more credibility than the average affiliate. They can sell gallery spots while still generating money by pushing sponsors. They don’t have to deal with shopping carts or residency. They TGP site owner has the best of both worlds. They have the income possibilities of a paysite owner while still having the freedom of an affiliate webmaster.
A TGP is Yours to Control
Untitled Page
Who says you have to fill up your Thumbnail Gallery Post with the submissions of others? A lot of adult webmasters have discovered the benefits of the faux TGP.
That site you build and run is yours to do with, as you like. You don’t have to worry about cheating webmasters who mess up the relationship you have with your surfers. You don’t have to suffer with a mailbox full of crappy submissions, viruses and spam from nefarious types if you don’t want to. You can make sure that every gallery on your TGP will sell for you by making your own galleries. You can make sure that when surfers enjoy your content, they only leave your site when they click on the banners of YOUR sponsors.
Filling a TGP with your own galleries gives you control over your traffic and over your finances.
Those who operate regular TGP sites still have tremendous control over their realm. They can sell listing spots to webmasters while at the same time marketing sponsors. They can garner traffic by making trades with other TGP owners. The TGP owner decides the who, what and how of their domains. For anyone who wishes to expand his or her reach on the adult Internet, opening up a Thumbnail Gallery Post is a great next step.
To be realistic, a new TGP will have a hard road ahead of them. They are going to have to pay for hosting and spend money for ads on resource sites and for traffic. The new TGP owner will have to be more diligent than their predecessors. The new TGP owner will have to be more clever with marketing and will most likely have to buy preferred listings on search engines. The new TGP owner will even face resistance from other webmasters and TGP owners.
Just the same, the TGP is far from dead. The brave soul who starts a new one faces a lot of challenges but with diligence, intelligence and cash they can make it work. Actually with diligence, intelligence and cash you can make almost anything work.
I didn’t miss out on TGP. What I missed out on was when TGP was easy. Nowadays, nothing in the adult net is easy. No matter what we do, whether it be gallery building, paysite owning or TGP running, it’s all hard. And I’m afraid in the future, it’s only going to get harder.
** Check out the Gallery Macro Classroom on Cozy Academy.