I remember when I first got into this business. I built the kind of site I (as a porn surfer) wanted to see. I liked those sites with the clickable icons that led to bigger pics. I enjoyed the anticipation I felt as the resulting image slowly materialized before my eyes. I got my free-hosted account and free content in trade for banners. I found sponsors I thought would sell well, put their banners in the HTML mix and constructed my page. I joined the message board of my free host and after introducing myself, asked for a review of my site.
"Webmasters and site owners everywhere were bewailing the glut of free porn on the net." |
The responses were less than enthusiastic. I was told I would never make money. I was informed that no one would list my site because my free content images were over-used and were on individual HTML pages. Adult webmasters asked me why did I not build thumbnail galleries?
Even though I eventually succumbed to the status quo of gallery building and submitting, I still feel now what I felt about thumbnail galleries then: They give too much free porn to the surfer. If I could get off on just a couple of gallery pages why should I need to buy a membership at a paysite?
About a year ago, I saw my sentiments expressed by many in the Internet Porn industry. Webmasters and site owners everywhere were bewailing the glut of free porn on the net. Long discourses on who was to blame filled BBS systems and met with ineffective solutions and tirades against new thinking.
Then one day, a guy named Andy proposed an idea on the Go FuckYourself Webmaster Forum. What if a bunch of webmasters got together and started a new kind of TGP? What if, instead of begging existing TGP owners to change their methods, these brave entrepreneurs started their own TGPs? What if these new TGPs had different rules than the standard 15-20 hardcore thumbnails leading to images only? I watched in amazement as this band of resolute porn slingers took this idea and built a new generation of Thumbnail Gallery Post. I saw the birth of TGP2.
A TGP2 Gallery Is This:
Five Clickable Thumbnail Images
While some of the TGP2 sites will allow a thumbnail gallery to serve as much as 20 thumbnail images on their galleries, only five of these thumbnails can be clicked on while the others are unlinked. The purpose behind this method is to entice the surfer and to save the precious bandwidth eaten away by a 20-thumb/20-pic gallery.
Softcore Images Preferred
One of the main intentions of a TGP2 gallery is to tease. Some of the owners of TGP2 sites might allow hard core images, but it's best to use high-quality, softcore pictures for a TGP2 gallery.
Thumbs Lead to an HTML Page
In direct contrast to the rules of a TGP gallery, when a surfer clicks on a TGP2 gallery thumbnail, they will see that image on a separate HTML page. On that HTML page, the gallery maker is encouraged to put a text-link to their sponsor under the image. The text link is another edict of the TGP2 philosophy of saving bandwidth.
Exit/enter Consoles, Redirects and Autobookmarks are Forbidden
Aside from the irritation to the surfer when these tactics are used, pop-ups and the like are yet another unnecessary strain on bandwidth. This rule is common on TGP sites, but the intent to encourage a gallery maker to sell sponsor programs is unique to TGP2.
Other types of galleries are welcomed at TGP2 sites. A movie gallery should have 10 maximum thumbs and two clickable ones. A story gallery should need only one complete, clickable story.
Untitled Page
Even though the TGP2 movement is only seven months old, there is already a strong and organized group of programs and resource sites available to the potential TGP2 site maker or gallery builder. Already, members of the TGP2 organization have had articles written about them in several Adult Internet oriented publications.
The last Cybernet Expo hosted a TGP2 seminar and another seminar is planned for the AdultDex show this coming November. The TGP2 movement has already hundred of followers and is growing every day. Here is a list of places you can go to learn about, find tools for and discuss this new and exciting way to save bandwidth, gain traffic and make money:
TGP2 BBS
(http://www.tgp2board.com)
The official message board for TGP2 webmasters. This is where you go to learn and network with the originators of the TGP2 movement.
TGP2.NET
(http://www.tgp2.net)
A portal site featuring links to TGP2 gallery submission pages, tools for the webmaster and news about the TGP2 movement.
MIDNIGHT SUBMITTER
(http://www.midnighttgp.com/submitter)
The home of the official submission tool for TGP2 gallery makers.
THE TGP2 WEBRING
(http://www.tgp2webring.com)
A traffic generating ring of TGP2 sites.
TGP2 gallery makers have claimed click-thru rates of 1 in 10 on their galleries. Reports of sponsor sales conversions are just as glowing from these webmasters. While any success in the Adult Internet is directly tied to perseverance and hard work, the TGP2 movement can only help to reduce bandwidth costs and the amount of detrimentally free porn on the Internet.
Thanks to Robert A. Cristello for help with this article. Oh, and thanks to Andy.