For all the years I pissed away on trying to be an actor, the experience taught me some very important lessons. One of those lessons was how to accept criticism. Most actors never make it to the point where they're so "bankable" they can do whatever they want. We listen to our directors and follow their critiques or we get fired. A good actor understands the value of an outside opinion because a good actor realizes that a better performance enhances the project. Having said that, I never encountered a director that was cruel or treated actors crappy in order to feed some dysfunctional ego. I've heard horror stories but I guess I was lucky.
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"We're also all business people. Doling out free advice takes time and time is money. Adult webmasters can be harsh and curt but that doesn't mean their advice isn't golden." |
When I showed my very first website to my very first adult webmaster message board, the experience left me quite singed. Mind you, I got some helpful advice but the preponderance of unhelpful put-downs was just too much hostility for me. It's one thing to be told your work is bad but it's downright mean to tell you your work is bad and not tell you why it's bad. I came expecting criticism but what I got was responses like: "Quit now", "You call that a porn site?" and the one that is absolutely forbidden here on Cozy:
"You have no business being an adult webmaster".
Fortunately, after a period of butthurt, I went in search of other adult webmaster boards and found one that was helpful, fun and more in keeping with the finer qualities I now attribute to the adult Internet industry. Mind you, adult webmasters are rarely gentle with newbies but there's a huge difference between cold, hard critique and being a useless asshole. I learned a lot at that board but that's because so many fellow adults webmasters were willing to take the time to show me the ropes and point me in the right directions.
Now, I work for Cozy. The Cozy mission is all about helping adult webmasters without belittling them. Our message board, Cozy Campus has one, prime directive: Stay Cozy. While we will not tolerate name-calling, taunting or general dickness, we're all adults here and we work in an indelicate profession. We're also all business people. Doling out free advice takes time and time is money. Adult webmasters can be harsh and curt but that doesn't mean their advice isn't golden.
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Probably the most frightening time for a new adult webmaster is when they ask other webmasters to view and critique their site. Our websites are reflections of our abilities. It's not easy letting strangers assess the worthiness of our soft underbellies. At some adult webmaster boards, the experience can be positively brutal. At Cozy Campus, we have a forum dedicated solely to website review: Cozy Critics.
If you want a review of your adult page, be it blog, gallery, pay or free site, we are here for you. Just because Cozy has a "no asshole" policy, that doesn't mean you aren't going to get truthful feedback on the merits and/or flaws in your effort. In fact, we promise it's going to hurt a bit because - trust us - the majority of first attempts at an adult site are fraught with mistakes. We've all been there. All of us cringe when we think back to our virgin pages. Some of you might wonder if you're going to receive nothing but pats on the back from a forum so nice. We guarantee that you're bound to read a comment or two that will leave an ouchie. Site reviews hurt. They should hurt. We may be Cozy but lying to pacify your tender nature is wrong. You need to read the truth or you won't improve.
The best part about the Cozy Critics forum is that your critiques will come from the members of the board. Cozy Campus is full of people of varying experience and success levels. We have members that have been in this business since the beginning as well as many that came to Cozy as newbies, just like you. Our members are designers, gallery gurus, coders, bloggers plus one silly Mowse, who has seen it all since she got into this thing in 1998. When you present your page in the Cozy Critics forum, you will get honest, constructive opinions on the design, content and marketability of your site. We may not tolerate jerkwads but we don't fuck around.
Come to Cozy Critics. Don't be afraid but don't kid yourself. A critique is a critique. Your page is going to be scrutinized and judged on its ability to sell porn. Fire-walking is part of the process. Nobody is a born adult webmaster.