Could I live my life, doing a job that didn't involve the web? Of course. I am old. I've been working for 30 years. I have to work 20 more years before I am eligible for retirement. Considering the distinct possibility that all the money I paid into my Social Security may not be there when the time comes, I may have to work until I die. So, yes. I will work on the web or off. I'd rather be on.

“So, what is the deal here? Why you bringing me down, Titmowse? Why you all gloom and doom? You trying to tell me something?”

"This is about reality. You never know what truly lies ahead. When the feces hits the fan, will you be prepared with a raincoat and an umbrella, or will you be left standing there while the shit flies in your face?"

Yes. I am trying to tell you something. I am trying to tell you that the future belongs to those who see it coming. Whether you're a young pup or an old hag like me, you have to look ahead and do so with an objective eye. No future is guaranteed. Things happen. Unseen events come into play and sometimes, what we do for a living just doesn't work out. Most of us in this business don't get golden parachutes. When the job is over, the job is over. Or, when we've spent year after year getting nowhere, the moment comes when we have to make damn hard choices. We have to consider the possibility that maybe the Internet isn't where we belong.

Hopefully you're doing fine right now. You're making a nice living and enjoying the wonderful world of self-employment. Money is good. Signups are great. Sponsors are paying on time and traffic is buzzing. Porn is forever. What's to worry about?

This isn't about worry or fear. This is about reality. Take it from an old woman. You never know what truly lies ahead. The best you can do is read the trends, pay attention to figures and make an educated guess. When the feces hits the fan, will you be prepared with a raincoat and an umbrella, or will you be left standing there while the shit flies in your face?

To what will you turn? Where will you go? How will you make a living if the adult Internet doesn't work out for you?

Think about this. Most of you are independent contractors. You work for yourselves. You don't have employees. You earn your respective incomes by selling memberships and products for sponsors. What if adult sponsor programs ceased to exist? What if the laws changed and suddenly the owners of sexually-based websites were no longer allowed to hire independent contractors? What if our collective governments regulated our industry to the point where only those with bank vaults full of cash were able to run porn sites and make money from memberships? I know of a few telecommunication companies that would prefer things this way. I know some politicians who are doing everything in their power to shut down Internet porn. Considering that independent contractors are a relatively easy target, they would be the first to go. What would you do if the bottom dropped out? If it becomes impossible for the little guy to make money from Internet porn, logic follows that it won't be any easier to make it from the mainstream Internet. When media conglomerations are lobbying for the right to charge content providers for merely passing through servers, signs indicate the outlook is bleak.

Here's some other possibilities. What if you just get tired of porn? What if you wake up and realize that you miss human interaction and outside air? What if you've worked and worked and haven't made a dime? So many of you are 25-30 years old. Are you really going to sell smut on the web for the rest of your lives? How many decades can you spend, planted in front of a monitor? You may find yourself one day, wondering what lies out there in the physical world and wishing you could join in.

Me. I've worked in the physical world far longer than on the Internet. I've had more co-workers, bosses and customers than I care to count. Some jobs were awful. Some were great. I have many fond memories of moments shared and triumphs won. If I had to re-join the real-life workforce, I would at least remember how to behave properly in a job interview. I wonder about those of you that have been at this since you turned 21. If it all went wrong. If you had to go out there and find a real job at a real place, would you know what to do?

That's just me - always playing a worst-case scenario in my head. Your futures concern me even if you decide to leave this Cozy profession. If you do, may luck be with you. Do yourself a favor, give yourself permission to Think Past the Web!