Webmasters in both mainstream and adult are an isolated lot. We work day after day at expanding our empires without, in most cases actually seeing another like minded individual from one week to the next.

Sure we communicate with our peers via message boards and things like ICQ but we rarely get the chance to meet face to face. It doesn't seem to matter whether we live in a major city or a small country town, we rarely see anyone else who might be involved in this industry.

"Not everyone is going to have similar opportunities at conventions and regional gatherings but every contact you make will be invaluable."

Even when we do have a chance to meet up with other webmasters we often find excuses not to go. Perhaps after a while the solitary nature of our industry takes us to the point where we really can't interact with others except via the keyboard.

What has driven me into this introspective mood you might ask? Well in the early hours of tomorrow morning my partner and I head off to the Australian Adult Industry Convention and I find myself conflicted about going.

Part of me does not like crowds. Being a shy person, I become uncomfortable when I'm meet new people. So from that point of view I don't really want to go and I can certainly empathise with any one else, newbie or experienced webmaster, who feels the same way about going to a convention.

I would probably feel a lot worse if this was the first time I had attended one of these conventions. We all read about how wild some of the events can become.

That might excite you but it really doesn't do much for me and there are many others who are undoubtedly put off by the thought of any type of behaviour usually associated with wild.

So if that is you then let me tell you that behaviour like that obviously does occur but you don't have to be involved in it at all. Instead look at what else happens at these conventions and what we found at the last Australian convention. Every webmaster gathering, whether it is big or small, is an opportunity to network with other people in the industry. If you don't like the term 'networking' then think of it as a time to learn from other webmasters and to share experiences with other webmasters.

You might even find that you identify common goals with another webmaster and find ways of working together to achieve those goals.

At major gatherings like Internext and the one that we are heading off to, there are always seminars and panel discussions to attend. These seminars offer a great chance to listen to experienced players in our industry discuss the current and future trends of this business.

There are also chances to meet and talk with people who you may want to work with at some point. Despite the fact that this industry is based on individuals who appear as nicknames on webmaster boards, there are still those who prefer to conduct business with people that they have met face to face.

At the last Australian convention, my partner had a chance to meet a paysite owner from another state. They had been chatting via ICQ about my partner providing erotic stories for his paysites but nothing had come of it. However, within days of them meeting face to face, she had her first order for stories and this time around, we are meeting to discuss the possibility of providing the background for a complete reality series that he wants to produce online.

Not everyone is going to have similar opportunities at conventions and regional gatherings but every contact you make will be invaluable. Maybe not today or even next month but somewhere down the down the line. The contact you make today will benefit you tomorrow.

You will have the chance to meet link list and TGP owners, sponsor representatives, content providers, graphic artists and even plain ordinary webmasters like you and me. You will hear how others have coped with the situations that you are facing and you will find that others are going through exactly what you are going through.

You will have the chance to forge alliances and partnerships. Sometimes they will lead to great things and sometimes they may only lead to an exchange of hard links but even small opportunities can lead to bigger things in the future.

A chance meeting in the bar at the last Australian convention with a PHP programmer has led to my wife picking up more written work simply because he knew her and could recommend her to others. In return, we have pointed webmasters in his direction when they have asked us about scripts.

If you really want to increase your chances of success in this industry then you need to make the effort to attend a webmaster gathering. Whether it be Internext or something much smaller, take the time and make the effort to attend.

Overcome your shyness and your preference for working alone and get out there and mingle. You can increase your chances of succeeding in this business dramatically by simply showing up and making the best of it!