I agree. An adult webmaster writing on the subject of etiquette seems like a contradiction. How dare a pornographer sully social conventions by interjecting their opinion on what and is not, respectable behavior? How dare I indeed.
| "Adult webmasters love blogs. What you may not realize is that there are existing rules of etiquette when it comes to running blogs and interacting with other bloggers. Like most other aspects of blogging, cultivating an online reputation requires careful attention." |
Here's how. As a pornographer, I am regularly forced to modify my behavior when in the presence of "normal" people, especially on the Internet. When people ask me what I do for a living, I must be vague if not outright dishonest. When I am surfing the net at the coffee shop, I must remind myself that calling up pages with vagina pictures, is considered shocking. When discussing topics with other people on a non-adult message board, I have to remind myself that words like bitch, slut, jizz, cum, blowjob, dildo, ass, tits, cock, hardon, gangbang and fuck are offensive to some people. We porn webmasters truly live a double life. More than almost anyone, we know the ins and out of "respectable conduct". We check ourselves at practically every door. I feel no hypocrisy when guiding you on blog etiquette.
As you know. I love blogs. Google loves blogs. The media loves blogs. Adult webmasters love blogs. What you may not realize is that there are existing rules of etiquette when it comes to running blogs and interacting with other bloggers. Like most other aspects of blogging, cultivating an online reputation requires careful attention. It's not enough to just post regularly. You have to interact with your commenters and network with other blogs. You have to understand that linking to another site or blog isn't without consequences. As well, there are pitfalls when one neglects to link to another site or blog. We adult webmasters have the added burden of dealing in content that is Not Safe for Work. How much smut is too much? How much is not enough? These are the points of blog etiquette I intend to cover for you in this article.
Warning Page Yes or No?
I'm just going to come right out and say it: YES. Give your blog a warning page. Throw in those ICRA and RTA labels while you're at it. Slap up some sponsor banners, your 2257 info and go full-on Warning Page. There are a whole bunch of adult webmasters that disagree with me on this but your true fans are going to have no problem with loading a Warning page and if they do, they'll just bookmark the main page of your blog. I have heard others complain that Warning pages mess with search engine placement but If that is so, then make sure your RSS feed is pinging places like Ping-O-Matic, Technorati and King Ping. So far, no court has made a ruling on whether or not Warning Pages have any bearing on the best practices of adult websites but they certainly haven't ruled them out.
Commenting Yes or No?
This one's a little trickier. Allowing complete strangers to comment on your porn blog invites all kinds of mischief. You want your users to feel at home but by doing so, you open yourself to spammers, disrupters and generally nasty types. Fortunately, blog software is amenable to security measures such as anti-spam plugins, captcha and the ability to ban surfers by IP. Ultimately the decision to allow or disallow blog commenting is up to you and your concept. Your blog might benefit from the communal aspect or you might choose to keep control to yourself. As a rule, I say try enabling the commenting feature of your blog and see what happens. You can always disable it later.
Links, Blogrolls & Networking.
If you find something on another blog that you think would make a good entry on yours, don't just snatch it. Give credit (Hat Tip) the blog where you found it. Link to that blog. Use their Permalink - the direct link to the blog entry page. Blog software allows link-tracking and the blog you got your entry from will know when you've linked to them. They might show their appreciation by adding you to their Blogroll or writing an entry about you. In turn, if you like a blog, put it on your Blogroll. If you want to add your own sites to your Blogroll, we won't tell. The thing is, with you link to other blogs, you increase the possibility that they will link to you. And finally, visit other adult blogs, read the entries and post comments. Don't be spammy. Odds are you'll be allowed to enter the URL to your own blog in your profile. Make relative comments and don't be an ass. When you comment on other people's blogs, you spread your name and build your online reputation.
Blog software has given adult webmasters a nice, simple way to trade traffic without complicated scripts or email pleadings. As long as you behave yourself on other people's blogs, give credit when you cite and open your blog to commenting, you will be able to grow a solid online presence in the blogosphere. Stick a Warning Page in front and you've got a full-fledged adult destination that auto-syndicates as long as you keep making entries.