I have a confession to make. I've been an avid follower of Klixxx magazine for quite some time and have always been impressed by the quality of their magazine and courtesy of their crew! The entire Klixxx team headed by the one and only Joe D. have always been helpful, straight forward and awesome to work with. Kath is the senior writer for Klixxx Magazine and the driving force behind the newly re-vamped Klixxx.com website. It's awesome to finally do this interview with a good friend and a true online adult industry veteran...
C-Pimp: It's a pleasure to finally do this interview with you. Thanks for coming through for this one-on-one. How's life? Work?
Kath: Not a problem thanks for inviting me! :) Life is wonderful - and work is great. I'm very excited about the work I am doing with Klixxx Magazine and Klixxx.com. As you know, I've been with the magazine since the first couple of issues, and to say that we've come a long way since that first year is an understatement. I love working with my boss our editor, Joe D. He is encouraging, supportive and very open to the new ideas and plans that I have for expanding Klixxx Magazine's web presence.
C-Pimp: Speaking of web presence, I want to touch base on the brand new Klixxx Website. Love the new look, who was responsible for the design and what was the driving force behind the changes?
Kath: Well C-Pimp, the site is actually still evolving. We have a new designer on our team that is helping to transfer some of my original ideas for the site into a reality. We are hoping to create a web presence that will scream Klixxx Magazine - but will also be a brand new innovation that reflects some of the totally unique ideas that we have for the website.
C-Pimp: Can you tell our readers a little more about what kind of services and tools Klixxx.com has to offer the adult webmaster?
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"I see a lot of online industry news sources that just 'report the news' and don't really take the time to use that news information as a way to educate the webmaster as well." |
Kath: We have a lot of great things already in action - and a lot of things still to come. A few of the things that we've added to the website since our launch is our Feedback Forum, Daily News spot, Industry Calendar and a special community profile series. The Feedback Forum is a place where our readers can come to ask questions about articles that have appeared in Klixxx Magazine and to post comments on timely issues, current events and the content that we place on our website. The Daily News spot is a joint venture with the awesome folks behind AllofEm.com. Our Industry Calendar features not just a list of industry events, but also gives our readers some inside info on what to expect at these events and what's involved.
I'm very excited about our community profile series. We've modeled it in a 10 Questions for... type of format. Each guest gets 10 random questions about their experiences, personal opinions of industry happenings and ideas about the future. It's been a lot of fun so far and our readers can expect to see a brand new profile every week at Klixxx.com.
C-Pimp: What's the one important thing that you guys hope to accomplish with the new re-vamped Klixxx Website?
Kath: Interaction with our readers this is very important. We don't just want to be some impersonal ominous presence within the community we want to be a part of the community and allow our readers to become a part of our magazine. Klixxx Magazine has always been about the education and overall betterment of the webmaster. With our website we want to take that approach to the next level. Interaction and communication with our readers is the best way to achieve that goal.
C-Pimp: Shouldn't be done any other way if you ask me! What are your principal responsibilities with Klixxx Magazine and online presence? What role do you play within the scope of the company?
Kath: Well, at Klixxx Magazine my official title is Senior Writer. Writing is my first love and Klixxx has given me many opportunities to expand upon my writing experiences and grow as an industry voice. My other title is Web Development Coordinator which basically means I help to coordinate with the writers, the designers and our magazine to make our website as informative, entertaining, educational and timely as possible.
C-Pimp: You are also very well known for your informative articles geared toward the adult webmaster over the years. Can you tell us a bit about that? What do you enjoy most about writing and where does your love for writing sit with all of the work that you do in this industry?
Kath: I've been very lucky over the years to earn some awesome assignments and some very exclusive and exciting interviews. My first interview was a compilation of mini interviews with some of the top women in this industry. That really helped to set the tone for future interview opportunities. Jenna Jameson was an exciting and eye-opening interview I gained a lot of respect for her as a businesswoman after completing her interview a few years back.
I would have to say that my favorite part about writing is getting the opportunity to speak with these industry leaders and up-and-coming webmasters on both a personal and professional level. Conducting an interview is such a personal thing even when the conversation is solely about business. In this industry we put so much of ourselves into our work it's a very intriguing opportunity.
C-Pimp: I'm with ya all the way on that one. Can you tell us how long Klixxx has been around and how it first got its jump start? How many heads are involved with keeping the magazine fresh on a monthly basis?
Kath: Klixxx has been around since I believe January 2000. It premiered at the January Internext-Expo. From its humble beginnings a small but promising industry magazine it has grown into something that I'm sure even the originators could not have even imagined. I really have to hand it to Joe D. who came on to Klixxx just a little over a year ago. Our faithful readers can attest to the changes and fresh perspective that Joe brought with him when he replaced our former editor.
Joe prefers to stay very behind the scenes and allow the writers, photographers and creative folks shine and take the credit, but if not for his creativity, encouragement, guidance and editorial magic, we would not be able to shine as well as we do. The ideas that Joe has for this magazine are sure to catapult our presence as a leader within the adult industry as an educational and journalistic source for the adult webmaster. It's been an honor to work under someone who is so talented and is also such a true team player.
C-Pimp: We've talked on numerous occasions and you've explained how you hope to bring the industry together with the help of Klixxx.com - rather than using it as a tool to simply promote your product and services. Why is the concept of community and togetherness a strong part of your daily work ethic?
Kath: I think it was my old school influences from my newbie days that have influenced my desire to bring the community back together and strengthen us as an industry. I've seen the webmaster community change so much over the years and would love to see us return to that close-knit support system that we all used to enjoy back in the day. True you can never go home again but there were so many advantages to the structure of the webmaster community even back just a few years ago. I think we could all benefit from a little desegregation on many levels. Knowledge is power and there is also a power in numbers. There are so many of us that make up the community as a whole but with the 100's of webmaster resource boards out there now and the segregation of webmasters into micro-cliques and mini-forums, we are losing touch with the benefits of community support and communication.
C-Pimp: Things sure have changed that's for sure. Speaking of changes, where do you feel the adult web stands today? Despite the changes, is this biz as strong as it was say 4 years ago? What's the one thing that you feel can be improved for the better?
Kath: We've made many improvements over the years and we've also suffered because of the repeated mistakes of a few. But that's how it is in any industry we are not unique in that respect. We are still in our adolescent years still proving ourselves as a viable industry. I would say we are stronger because of our experiences but the industry is still evolving and right now we are experiencing a major survival of the fittest process.
Improvements? Community, communication, education and support we're back to those old school influences again. I really think that once we get through this evolutionary process and the economic changes that are currently affecting our industry, we need to get back to basics and focus on the growth, education and strengthening of the business as a whole. This is something we have to do together it's time to put old grudges behind us and start working toward the future, toward the good of all involved.
C-Pimp: Being involved with a company such as Klixxx, a voice for this industry as a whole, principles like objectivity and honesty are essential. What rules do you and the people you work with apply to the printed publication and website to ensure it's viability to those that are involved in this industry? How hard it is at times to maintain that balance?
Kath: Excellent question C-Pimp! Integrity is very important and something that Joe D. definitely helps to keep the focus on at Klixxx Magazine. Being objective is a difficult task in this industry but I feel that it is essential to achieve our goals of giving webmasters the best tools, latest information and non-biased evaluation of the programs, services and happenings that affect their businesses. You want to inform to get that news out there as soon as possible, to scoop the competition whenever the opportunity arises as well but you also need to take a moment, step back and check all those facts. I see a lot of online industry news sources that just report the news and don't really take the time to use that news information as a way to educate the webmaster as well. Again, this is the number one goal of Klixxx so that part is easy for us it's what we do.
C-Pimp: Lets switch gears for a bit! On a personal note, what does Kath like doing with her time when she isn't working? Do you have any spare time and how do you normally juggle work, family and life?
Kath: What is this spare time thing that you speak of? Just kidding when I'm not working, my family is my number one priority. Heck, they always are. It's baseball season right now, so the kids are involved in sports, games and practices so we are doing a lot of running around in the evenings and on weekends. I also do some freelance writing for a few parenting and home schooling magazines it's very rewarding to give back to the communities that have given me so much. My free time is spent indulging my computer game weaknesses, swimming in the backyard with the kids and playing the piano. I don't get much of that free time, but I enjoy it whenever I get a chance.
C-Pimp: What advice can you offer our newbie webmaster looking to make a buck in this industry. What three things should they keep in mind and enforce in hopes to succeed on the adult web?
Kath: The three things that a new webmaster needs most are education, lots of hard work and an open mind.
Read everything you can magazines like Klixxx and online resources are full of articles, tutorials, step-by-step how-to instructions and printable information sheets that will help you learn the skills you need to do it all yourself. Don't be afraid of hard work you just can't be if you hope to survive. The 18-hour webmaster workday is NOT a myth, it's a reality and something you should embrace and expect if you hope to succeed.
And finally but most important you need to learn to work out of the box. There is no guaranteed map to webmastering success. The information and support that is out there is priceless and essential to the growing webmaster but your own creativity, your own innovations your own unique way of looking at things that is what will separate you from the rest of the pack. Your inner webmaster-slash-entrepreneur-slash-innovator is the most important tool in your arsenal. Don't be afraid to try something new - get out there and just do you.
C-Pimp: Gotta listen to Kath on that one...think different and stay innovative! That's the key to this biz if you ask me! Any developments in the works associated with Klixxx that you would like to chare with our Cozy readers?
Kath: Mum's the word C-Pimp but I promise you that Cozy will be one of the very first to find out when we're ready to launch. I am enjoying the association between Klixxx and Cozy Frog that we've been building over the past couple of months and I'm hoping we can find some ways to work together even more in the future.
C-Pimp: Right back at ya...it's been great working with you and the Klixxx crew! On that note, just about ready to officially flip the last page on this one. Thank you first and foremost for giving me this opportunity. Any final comments before we officially close shop?
Kath: Well I want to thank you for giving me the opportunity to speak with your Cozy Community. I was very happy to have been given the honor of presenting Cozy Frog with the webmaster resource of the year award at the XBiz Awards ceremony in Vegas this year. I think it was well deserved, long overdue and couldn't have happened to a nicer community of webmasters.
Also I want to remind readers that they can subscribe to Klixxx Magazine online and to ask them to check out all of the new features, tools and possibilities that we are offering on the website as well at Kixxx.com.
Another Pimpin' Cozy Interview in the Bag! Make sure to drop by the brand new Klixxx.com website to check out all the great goodies that are waiting to lend a helping hand to your online ventures! Be sure to take a few minutes and get subscribed to their informative monthly magazine!
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