Trev
08-14-2005, 04:03 PM
Full credit must be given to Red for bringing this guide to technical and not so technical terms together, thank you so very much Red :)
Phraseology courtesy of Red:
If you are new to adult webmastering you will hear terminology that may be unfamiliar and confusing to you. In an effort to help you understand what everyone is talking about, we have put together a list of common phrases, terms and anagrams used in the business. If we’ve forgotten something, please feel free to post it and we’ll add it.
Access
Access is a word used to describe the ability to enter a website. When a surfer buys a paysite membership, they are given access to the member area.
Ad
An advertisement. An ad is an ad wherever it may be. Television has commercials, magazines and newspapers have full pages, the net has banners, text links, full-page ad, pop-ups or pop-unders.
Ad Rotation
Script or Software that serves a different banner and associated link in designated positions every time the banner ad is called.
Address
The location of a website on the web. Usually referring to the URL.
Adult E-Zines
An e-zine is a magazine for the web. They can be a simple as a newsletter or contain full graphics and ads such as the adult webmaster e-zine Sexines (http://www.sexines.com/). Some adult e-zines are free to browse all the way through. Others have partially free content or charge for webmasters to use them as site content.
Adult Search Engine
A search engine, such as google is a website where a user can type a key word or phrase all sites containing that text or phrase will show up on resulting pages. An adult search engine does the same thing but its database contains only adult sites. There are many mainstream search engines that will not list adult sites, so using an adult search engine is a good way to get traffic.
Adult Stores
Adult stores sell sex toys, lotions, lingerie and DVD’s. There are affiliate/sponsor programs that offer virtual adult stores. A webmaster can have the store as its own entity or make it an added feature of their existing sites.
Adult Webmaster or Webmistress
Any person who owns or operates an adult website. There isn’t any length of time or experience in the business to qualify. As long as you operate an adult site, you are considered to be an Adult Webmaster or Adult Webmistress.
Affiliate Program
An affiliate program a way for a website owner to increase sales. In essence, a webmaster signs up to become an advertiser for a paysite or service working on commission. The webmaster is known as an affiliate of that program and receives payment for sales generated.
Avatar
An avatar is a picture graphic used on message boards and in chat rooms as one’s own personal icon.
AVS (Adult Verification System)
A system designed to prevent minors from accessing adult sites. A surfer joins an AVS and gains access to a large network of sites with one password.
AVS Site
A site that is part of an AVS system. Having an AVS site is a good bridge from a free to a pay site.
Bandwidth
Bandwidth is the flow of bits traveling in and out of a website through a server. Every time someone clicks your page, all the documents and graphics download to their computer. Bandwidth is affected by the amount of visitors to your page and the size of the content on that page. The more visitors you have and the more content you offer, the more bandwidth your site will use.
Banner
A banner is the name given to a specific size of graphical ad. Each type of ad has a different name depending on the size. The most common banners are 468 x 60 pixels in dimension.
Banner Exchange
A program that enables an exchange of traffic between a network of adult sites. The banners are in rotation and get viewed on all the sites within the network. Those who send more views, get more.
Banner Farm
A Banner Farm is a web page that consists of basically nothing but advertising banners. It’s a webpage that is frowned upon in the industry.
BDSM
Bondage, Discipline, Sado Masochism. BDSM is a blanket term for such activity. It’s a very popular niche in our industry.
Bear
Bear is a term that refers to an older, gay man who is very hairy.
Blacklisted
Blacklisted means to be banned. For example, if you submit a gallery to a TGP reviewer or a link list and they feel that you are cheating or breaking their rules, they will blacklist you. If you're blacklisted, you won't be able to submit galleries to that TGP anymore. TGP and link list owners share their blacklists, so chances are, if you get blacklisted at one place, you'll be blacklisted elsewhere.
Blind Link
A blind link is a text link that does not directly refer to where it goes. Suppose you use a text link that states “Get laid for free here” and you link it to the referrer ID of your sponsor program that will not get them laid at all; you might be violating their terms of service and could get kicked out of the program. Most sponsors will probably have approved text links for you to use or will ask you to email them for approval if you’ve made up your own. On the other hand, there are some sponsor programs that don’t mind you using blind links at all. Always check the sponsor’s TOS.
Blog
(Short for Weblog) A Web page made up of usually short, frequently updated posts that are arranged chronologically, like an online diary. It can contain posts just by the site owner or they may open it up for contributions from readers.
Brand Name
When you market to consumers, you want people to instantly recognize the name of your company, product or site. A brand name helps to establish that connection. When you read the words Kleenex, you think of tissues, windows is associated with Microsoft and if someone says cola, you immediately think of Coke or Pepsi depending on your preference.
Branding
Branding is the process getting your name out and recognized. This is done by attaching your company name or logo to all your web work. It takes time and effort, but worth the recognition your name will eventually receive.
Browser
A program that displays and navigates web pages such as Internet Explorer (IE) or Firefox.
BSOD
Blue Screen of Death. We’ve all seen it. That foreboding, blue screen that comes on when your OS crashes. If you get this screen don’t panic, simply turn off your computer, count to twenty and turn it back on. Windows usually repairs itself when you boot back up.
Button
A Button is the name given to small banners typically 120x60 pixels in size.
Cache
A cache is temporary storage bin for previously viewed images and pages from the net. Browser software will copy web sites to a temporary folder so that those pages load faster the next time they're accessed. A full cache can slow down the browser so it’s a good idea to clear your cache frequently. Different browsers have different names for the cache such as History or Temporary Internet Files.
Character
A character is a letter, punctuation mark or number. A single key type from a keyboard counts as one character. The letter "o" is a character. A comma is a character. Any number is a character.
Chargeback
A chargeback is what happens when a customer decides they don't like your product and tells their credit card company they want a refund on their paysite charges. Chargebacks are bad for everyone concerned because you do not only lose income for the sale but can be charged a penalty as well.
Chat Room
To chat means to converse online in real time with text. A chat room is where multiple users can meet to chat. A chat room can be served through instant message software, IRC and various other similar protocols.
Chatting
Talking to someone in real time over the net is called chatting. Instant message programs like AIM or ICQ are chats. Internet Relay Chat happens in real time. There are also Java chats. Chatting happens in real time.
Circle Jerk
Also known as a trap, a Circle Jerk or CJ for short, is a place you get stuck in and hell to get out of. A circle jerk tricks the surfer or webmaster with a link which, when clicked on, gets them stuck in an endless barrage of pop-ups and page redirects That usually end with either a browser crash, or a browser shut down to get out of it.
Click
Click means more than just clicking your mouse. In the industry a click refers to the action of clicking on a banner or text link.
Click Rate
Click rate has to do with the amount of clicks a sponsor banner receives in relation to how many surfers they’ve gotten to the page with the banner. If a page is getting a lot of traffic but nobody is clicking on the ad banner, that’s not a good click rate and the banner is said to not pull well.
Click-Thru Program
A sponsorship program that pays you "X" amount of money for each visitor you send to their site.
Click-Thru Rate (CRT)
The number of times a banner is clicked per 100 impressions, often written as a ratio. For example, if a sponsor banner was served up 300 times and was clicked on 3, your CTR would be 3:300 or 1:100
Compliance
Whether we like it or not, the adult webmaster has a lot of rules and regulations to follow. Sponsors have rules. The government has rules. Billers have rules. Compliance means to follow all the rules.
Conference
In our industry, the word conference refers to a very big adult webmaster gathering. You will hear it also referred to as a show or a convention. In addition to the trade show floor, there are usually keynote speeches, seminars and workshops. This is where webmasters make contacts, business deals, get up to date with the business and of course, party.
Console
Another name for a pop-up window. Entry consoles pop when one enters a site, exit consoles pop when one leaves.
Content
The material of your adult website. If you have a story site, the stories would be your content. If you have a free site then the images and video clips would be your content. If you have a paysite, everything within the site is your content.
Content Filtering
The act of blocking access to sites, words and email that you don’t want to see.
Content Provider
A company that offers pictures, videos or stories for sale or lease. They offer a license with specific rights to the use of their material.
Conversion Ratio
Conversion ratio refers to how many sales one acquires per visit to a sponsor's site from a referrer ID banner or text link. If you sell one membership for every 1000 times surfers clicked a sponsor link then your conversion ratio would be 1:1000.
Copyright Laws
Authors, artists and inventors work hard to come up with their creations. Copyright laws protect such work from being stolen and/or used without permission.
Counter
A web based hit counting program that reports the amount of traffic by counting the number of times a specific image, provided by the counter, is downloaded from a web page.
CPA (Cost-Per-Action)
An Internet advertising model in which payment is based solely on qualifying actions such as sales or new user registrations.
CPC (Cost-Per-Click)
The amount of money it costs an advertiser per click generated to their site from a paid campaign. For example, if you paid $200 for 1000 clicks than your CPC is $0.20 per click.
CPM
A measurement of determining advertising costs for a website. It stems from the Roman numeral M meaning 1,000. CPM stands for cost per thousand ad impressions.
Credit Card Processor
In order to receive payment for services by credit card, authorization from the credit card company is needed. A credit card processor has such authorization. Merchant Account Service and Third Party Billing are examples of credit card processors.
CTR
Click Through Rate or Click Through Ratio. The number of sales you make compared against the number of times the banners were clicked. If your banners were clicked 100 times before you made a sale, your CTR would be 1:100.
Custodian of Records
The custodian of records is the person who created the content. Either the photographer who took the pictures or the camera operator who shot the video are the custodians of record. By law, content producers and providers must provide this information in an easily locatable part of their site.
Custom Photography
If you want content that can’t be found anywhere else, or have something specific in mind you want shot, a content provider who shoots custom photography is what you want. The cost of custom photography will be much higher than regular content prices.
Dedicated Hosting
When you pay for web hosting, you have a few options of the type of server you want your site to reside on. With virtual hosting, your site shares the same server with many others. With dedicated hosting, you are paying for a specific machine dedicated to only your site. Dedicated hosting costs more but insures better service for your surfers.
Default
Computers, have what are called default settings. Usually defaults are factory-determined settings applied to software applications.
Defragment
A computer is kind of like a filing cabinet in your office. Everything starts out in a nice neat order, but at the end of a busy week everything is out of place. Defragmenting your hard drive is similar to getting the filing done. Files get mixed up and split apart when you use your machine. The more defragmented your hard drive, the slower your computer functions. Defragmentation (Defragging) puts everything back in its place.
Dialer
Dialer or Phone Billing is an executable program. Once installed, the dialer disconnects the surfer's modem and reconnects to the dialer's server. The dialer porn delivery service charges their fees to the users phone bill and the rates are comparable to 1-900-phone lines. Dialers can be misused by webmasters who force surfers to download or trick them into installing the dialer resulting in exorbitant phone bills.
Directories
A directory is a search site where the links have been categorized and listed accordingly. Directories are usually edited manually whereas the links from a search engine are obtained by spider software. Yahoo and Google are search engines. DMOZ is a search Directory.
Domain Names
The domain is the middle part of the URL (Universal Resource Locator). The first part http://www is the part that tells browser software and servers the file is a web page. The last part .com is the top level domain, .com for commercial, .gov for government, .edu for a school site, etc. The domain is the one you create and register.
Domain Names System (DNS)
The way a domain name (web address) is assigned and designated to a specific IP Address.
Domain Parking
If you’ve registered a domain, but you're not ready to host it, you can park it until you are. It’s like putting it on hold until your site is ready. Most times your registrar will allow you to park your domain on their server for free until the time you can point it to paid hosting.
Doorway Page
An alternate entry page into your website that is used for search engine ranking.
Drive-by Spamming
In a chat room or on a message board, a drive-by spammer is one who posts the spam and leaves, never to be heard from again. They don't join the conversation, they don't reply to the flames.
Enter Page
Also called a warning page the enter page is the page before a surfer views the main content of your site. Warning pages are very important. The purpose of a warning page is to keep under aged surfers from accessing your adult site and should display a statement noting that the material in the site is adult oriented.
Exclusive Content
When you pay an adult photographer to shoot content that gets sold to no one else but you, you've paid for exclusive content.
Exit Traffic
Exit traffic are the surfers who leave your page. Whether they click the back button on their browser or go to another site from a link on your web page, when they vacate your site, they are considered exit traffic.
Feeder Site
A site used for promotion, filtering or additional property that leads into one primary traffic target.
Fetish
When a person is sexually aroused by an object or specific body part, they have a fetish. There are many types of fetishes such as foot, balloon, watersports, etc.
Flash
Flash is a type of graphical file format developed by Macromedia and is used for animation on the web. Unlike GIF or JPEG, for a surfer to see Flash animation on their browser, they need to install a browser plugin. Flash is used to build banners and even whole websites.
FPA
Full Page Ad. Adult sponsors will supply their affiliates with the HTML and graphics of a full-page ad marketing a specified program/paysite. The affiliate uses the FPA as a way to promote their sponsors.
Frames
A Frame is basically a webpage nested within a webpage. When you see a site where the left part of the page stays the same while the right portion changes with each link clicked, you are probably viewing a framed page.
Free Hosting
Free hosting is free for the adult webmaster. Free adult hosts allow you to have a site on the web without paying for the server space or transfer fees. Free hosting companies do have to make money and they do it in a few different ways. One is to redirect a percentage of your visitors to their sites. In other words, for every one hundred times a surfer goes to your page, your free host redirects ten of them. Another is by embedding their ad banners/text links into the top and bottom of each of your pages. They also make money from your surfer's typos by presenting them with an ad-heavy HTML (404) page when they or you mistype. Free hosting is ok when you first start and have very little money, but once you can afford hosting, buy it. You’ll be taken much more seriously as a professional in the business.
Free Site
An adult site that is free for the surfer to access and browse around. They are usually used as feeder sites leading to a paysite.
FTP
FTP (File Transfer Protocol), you need to upload (FTP) your web pages from your computer on to the web for everyone to see. There are many good FTP programs to use to transfer your files from your computer to the server.
Gallery
A gallery refers to a web page where several small images called thumbnails or thumbs are laid out. A gallery should contain a minimum of 10 thumbnails. Each thumbnail is linked to its corresponding full size image that can be viewed when the surfer clicks on it. Galleries are created to advertise a paysite and are submitted to a TGP’s.
Hits
Number of times your page was viewed.
Hosting
In order to have a website, one must have their files on a website server. A host is a provider of website servers. Whether you choose free or paid hosting, you must be sure that your host accepts adult sites.
Hot-Linking
When someone links to an image on your server to display it on their site instead of linking to the image on their own server. Hot-linking drains the bandwidth from the server. It is one of the biggest taboos in the business.
.htaccess
This is a file used to prevent hot linking of images and content. These small files can be used to protect an entire site or just specific directories. They can be configured to each person’s specific needs.
Hub
A central page or location where many pages or links go to. A good analogy would be a train station or airport.
Impression
The number of times a file is called from a server, such as a banner or web page.
In-Line Link
An inline link is a text or graphic hyperlink that takes the user to another place on the same web page they are presently on. Also referred to as an anchor. For instance, if your page contains a lot of text and you want to direct surfers to particular sections of that text, you can do so with an inline link.
Instant Message (IM)
Provides the ability to see if users are online and chat across a providers network in real time. (ICQ, AIM, Yahoo messenger etc).
IRC
IRC stands for Internet Relay Chat. It's a chat system that runs on its own servers and through networks. It's an older form of chat that came before such instant message programs as ICQ. IRC is used to set up a chat for a group of people.
Java
A widely used scripting language used by programmers to build and create programs.
JavaScript
A scripting language you can directly insert into HTML documents. They only work with surfers that have Java enabled on their browser or surf the web with a browser that supports JAVA.
Keywords
The words and phrases a surfer would type into a search engine are known as keywords. Understanding the use of keywords in your meta tags can help your site with search engine placement.
Licensed Content
A license is a contract between you and the content provider that stipulates the terms of sale and use of adult content and proves you have legal right to display the images or video clips you paid for.
Link List
A link list is a site that provides the surfer free links to other porn sites. Webmasters submit their site for inclusion in the link list.
Listing/Listed
When a gallery is submitted to a TGP and the TGP adds the gallery to the daily list the gallery is said to be “listed.” The higher up on the page the gallery is listed, the better the “listing.” The same applies to link sites.
Live Chat
Live chat usually pertains to an adult paysite feature where members can chat live with models.
Live Show
Live shows on the adult web happen in real time. Live shows work with basically the same equipment and software as live video conferencing. They can be observe only or can be set up so viewers are allowed to chat with the show performers.
Live Video Feeds
A live video feed is exactly that. The content is happening in real time and is fed through to websites. Live video is very desirable content but is more costly in bandwidth.
LLC
Limited Liability Company. LLC is a business structure; part partnership, part corporation. An LLC is protected from personal liability and can set a different tax structure than a self-employment company.
Lurker
A lurker is someone who reads message boards without joining in the discussions.
Memberships
A fee paid by a surfer that allows them to access a paysite. Most memberships are offered on a monthly basis.
Message Board
A page or a site, where you can post messages to fellow webmasters. It is a place to network, to learn or to relax. Since ours, for the most part, is a solitary industry, message boards are the “water coolers” of adult webmasters.
Meta Tags
Meta tags are the part of the HTML code that lies within the HEAD tag at the top of any web page. A search engine robot will read your page's TITLE tag first, and then it will read the META tags. The META tag is where you put your description, keywords and search terms a surfer would use to find your site.
Model Release
Document that a model signs to hand over specified rights to display or sell any material in which model appears in. No pictures or video of any model should ever be shot for a website without a model release.
Money Bar
Money bars are advertising tables usually put at the top and bottom of pages.
Mouseover
A mouseover is a JavaScript code where a certain action is performed when a surfer moves their cursor over a script on a page. When you move your cursor over a link that uses a graphic image and that image changes to another without clicking, a mouseover script is responsible.
Netiquette
Etiquette is a set of acceptable behaviors in a social situation. Netiquette is a set of acceptable behaviors in the cyberworld. For example, when you type a message in chat room using ALL CAPS, netiquette says you are yelling.
Newbie
A new or inexperienced webmaster.
Niche
There are two general categories of porn, straight softcore and straight hardcore. Niches are everything else. Some niches are huge like the amateur and gay niches. Others have smaller audiences like BDSM or fetish sites.
Opranaut
An Opranaut is a webmaster who is part of the Oprano community. To be an Opranaut is to be a savvy, well connected webmaster.
Opting In
Opting in is simply giving your permission to receive a newsletter. You fill out an online form that basically states, yes, I want to receive email from you.
Outsourcing
If you cannot do a job yourself and hire someone to do it for you, you are outsourcing. There are many reasons to outsource and cost cutting, not enough time is another, or it may be a task that you aren’t proficient enough to do yourself.
Pagejacking
Pagejacking is the hijacking of a web page. A page is fraudulently copied and saved to the pagejacker’s server. Then they add redirect codes to it and submit it to search engines as if it was theirs.
Partnership Program
A Partnership program is an affiliate program that pays a recurring percentage or fixed price for every member you send to your sponsor's site. Partnership programs are also known as revshare programs. The advantage to a partnership program is that you get paid for every month the surfer stays a member.
Pay Per Click
Pay Per Click is an affiliate program that pays each affiliate a set amount for each qualified banner impression his page generates. These programs usually have very strict rules, so read them carefully.
Pay Per Signup
With a Per Signup affiliate program, (PPS) the affiliate gets paid a one-time amount per surfer they get to sign up for a membership to the sponsor's service. The payment amount is normally higher than with a partnership program, but there are no recurring payments.
Pay Per View
A Pay Per View (PPV) website is really no different than pay per view movies on cable. Instead of buying a membership, the surfer pays for each access per view. There are also adult sponsors and content providers who provide a pay per view service.
Pay Site
An adult website where surfers have to pay a fee to access the main content on the site.
Payouts
This is the term applied to money paid by a sponsor to an affiliate webmaster. Some sponsors payout weekly. Most will only payout if the webmaster has reached a monetary minimum of sales for the payout period. The amount of your payout depends entirely on your sponsor and the amount of sales you generate for them.
Phishing
Phishing happens when some scammer tries to send you an email -from a fake address- that looks important. They will make it appear as if the document comes from a famous company by spoofing their real email address. Usually these folks want your personal information. If you open such an email, you took the bait, hence the fishing reference.
Pic Post
A site where you can submit a picture and your ad on a daily basis.
Pop-Under
A window that loads underneath the presently open window. It’s less intrusive and sneakier than a pop-up.
Pop-Up
A window that opens independently of the page you're already viewing in your browser.
Raw Hit
Successful downloads of actual web pages not including images or file downloads.
Rebill
A rebill or recur happens after you have gotten one of your surfers to sign up and pay for a membership at either your paysite or that of a sponsor. The first time your customer pays, their credit card is billed. Each time they pay for an additional month of access, their card is rebilled.
Recip or Reciprocal Link
Reciprocate means to give and take mutually. A reciprocal link is a return link. For example, when you submit a gallery to a TGP, most TGP webmasters require a reciprocal link to their site on your gallery. They list you. You reciprocate by linking to them.
Record Keeping Requirements
There are certain responsibilities with running an adult website. If you host content of nude models, then you have to provide TITLE 18 information on your front page. If you register a domain name, you have to provide your name, phone number and address in your registration. If you make money selling anything on the web, you have to declare that income in your taxes.
Referrer
A referrer is the site that sent you a surfer. It could be it a search engine, a TGP or from another webmaster's site.
Reseller
A reseller is a business where the owner sells another company’s products. There are content resellers, design resellers and even hosting resellers.
Retention
When a paysite member continues to pay their monthly fee, they are retaining their membership.
ROI
Return On Investment. ROI is a calculation of what you get back from what you spend. If you spend money for advertising, you do it to increase business. If the ad doesn't help increase sales or traffic, then you didn't get much of a return on your investment.
RSS
Really Simple Syndication (RSS) is a lightweight XML format designed for sharing headlines and other Web content. Think of it as a distributable "What's New" for your site.
Search Engine
A search engine (SE) is a program that searches documents for specified keywords and returns a list of the documents where the keywords were found. Typically, a search engine works by sending out a spider to fetch as many documents as possible. Another program, called an indexer, then reads these documents and creates an index based on the words contained in each document.
Server
A server is really just a big, powerful computer built to perform a certain task. There are different types of servers used for different tasks. There are mail servers, ftp servers and web servers.
Shaving Hits
Sponsors pay a webmaster for click impressions and/or sales. Some sponsors have been known to conceal or eliminate a certain amount of clicks from their records so they wont have to pay out as much. This is known as shaving hits.
SMS
Short Message Service allows mobile phone users to send text messages.
Spamming
Promoting a site or service to parties via e-mail, newsgroups or message boards without a request for the information. Spamming is not good business.
Spider
A program that automatically fetches web pages. Spiders are used to feed pages to search engines. It's called a spider because it crawls over the Web. Another term for these programs is webcrawler.
Splash Page
A decorative document residing on the index page of a website. In essence, a pretty front door. Most Splash pages contain either an enter link to the main site or will redirect to the main site after loading.
Sponsor Content
Sponsor content is simply content from the sponsor's paysite that the affiliate webmaster can use for marketing purposes. Image sets, hosted galleries and video clips are some of the most-used forms of sponsor content. When using sponsor content make sure you use it ONLY to promote the sponsor you got it from.
Sponsor Program
Another name for an affiliate program.
Storage
When you have a web hosting account, you are allotted a certain amount of server space where you'll keep all your website files. This space is called storage.
Streaming Video Feeds
A streaming feed is one where the video is compressed in such a way that it can play as it downloads. This way the user can see the video immediately instead of downloading the whole thing first before they can view it.
Submission
A submission is a request to have your work included into another website. Galleries are submitted to TGP’s; free sites are submitted to link lists, web sites are submitted to search engines.
Submit Page
A page with a web form where you type in contact/site information in order to submit your site for listing.
Targeting
Specifically gearing your promotions towards specific audience, niche, market, demographic, or set of key words.
TGP
Thumbnail Gallery Post. A TGP is a free site that contains a list of galleries that webmasters have submitted. Each TGP has it’s own rules that webmasters must adhere to if they wish their gallery to be listed.
Third Party Billing
Also known as Third Party Processor or Credit Card Processor. A third party processor will handle all your credit card transactions for a fee. They offer all the tools you need to accept payment from your visitors so you don’t need your own merchant account.
Thread
A thread is a series of replies to a topic posted on a message board or in a newsgroup.
Thumbnail
A smaller version of an image used to reference or link to a larger version of the same image.
TITLE 18
According to the government, US Code is a consolidation and codification by subject matter of the general and permanent laws of the United States. Title 18 of US code covers Crimes and Criminal Procedure. TITLE 18 is a section of the US penal code that pertains to the protection of children. All adult sites that feature images, video or webcam feeds must include a link to and/or text of a TITLE 18 disclaimer. This disclaimer must state that all models portrayed within are proven to be of legal age, which in The US is 18. The most important portion of TITLE 18 US Code for adult webmasters is CHAPTER 110 - Section 2257: Record Keeping Requirements.
Top List
A top list is a link list ordered in terms of popularity. A top list contains links to full adult websites, not individual galleries. A webmaster submits their site to the top list and if it is accepted it is given a specific position on the list. The more popular your link, the higher you will rise on the top list.
TOS
TOS stands for Terms of Service. When you sign up for a sponsor or web host, you will be provided with a link to the company's TOS page. The TOS is basically a contract outlining the rules and regulations of the company. When you sign up, you are agreeing to abide by the rules or risk being terminated so reading the TOS is wise.
Traffic
Term used to refer to the amount of visitors to your adult website. Success in this business depends on traffic.
Twinks
A twink is a young gay man.
Uniques
Number of first time visitors to your site. If 4 individuals visit your site on any given day and 2 of them click onto your site 6 times the same day, it will be referred to as 4 unique visitors for that day.
Video Clips
A video clip is a small portion of a full-length movie. Webmasters use small clips of adult video on movie galleries as well as for advertising. Clips are also referred to as trailers or previews.
View
Similar to a Raw Hit, a page view is the number of times a page is successfully downloaded by a user.
Warez
Pirated software. A person will remove the copyright protection from a program and then offer it for download from a website or news group.
Warning Page
Another name for the enter page.
Phraseology courtesy of Red:
If you are new to adult webmastering you will hear terminology that may be unfamiliar and confusing to you. In an effort to help you understand what everyone is talking about, we have put together a list of common phrases, terms and anagrams used in the business. If we’ve forgotten something, please feel free to post it and we’ll add it.
Access
Access is a word used to describe the ability to enter a website. When a surfer buys a paysite membership, they are given access to the member area.
Ad
An advertisement. An ad is an ad wherever it may be. Television has commercials, magazines and newspapers have full pages, the net has banners, text links, full-page ad, pop-ups or pop-unders.
Ad Rotation
Script or Software that serves a different banner and associated link in designated positions every time the banner ad is called.
Address
The location of a website on the web. Usually referring to the URL.
Adult E-Zines
An e-zine is a magazine for the web. They can be a simple as a newsletter or contain full graphics and ads such as the adult webmaster e-zine Sexines (http://www.sexines.com/). Some adult e-zines are free to browse all the way through. Others have partially free content or charge for webmasters to use them as site content.
Adult Search Engine
A search engine, such as google is a website where a user can type a key word or phrase all sites containing that text or phrase will show up on resulting pages. An adult search engine does the same thing but its database contains only adult sites. There are many mainstream search engines that will not list adult sites, so using an adult search engine is a good way to get traffic.
Adult Stores
Adult stores sell sex toys, lotions, lingerie and DVD’s. There are affiliate/sponsor programs that offer virtual adult stores. A webmaster can have the store as its own entity or make it an added feature of their existing sites.
Adult Webmaster or Webmistress
Any person who owns or operates an adult website. There isn’t any length of time or experience in the business to qualify. As long as you operate an adult site, you are considered to be an Adult Webmaster or Adult Webmistress.
Affiliate Program
An affiliate program a way for a website owner to increase sales. In essence, a webmaster signs up to become an advertiser for a paysite or service working on commission. The webmaster is known as an affiliate of that program and receives payment for sales generated.
Avatar
An avatar is a picture graphic used on message boards and in chat rooms as one’s own personal icon.
AVS (Adult Verification System)
A system designed to prevent minors from accessing adult sites. A surfer joins an AVS and gains access to a large network of sites with one password.
AVS Site
A site that is part of an AVS system. Having an AVS site is a good bridge from a free to a pay site.
Bandwidth
Bandwidth is the flow of bits traveling in and out of a website through a server. Every time someone clicks your page, all the documents and graphics download to their computer. Bandwidth is affected by the amount of visitors to your page and the size of the content on that page. The more visitors you have and the more content you offer, the more bandwidth your site will use.
Banner
A banner is the name given to a specific size of graphical ad. Each type of ad has a different name depending on the size. The most common banners are 468 x 60 pixels in dimension.
Banner Exchange
A program that enables an exchange of traffic between a network of adult sites. The banners are in rotation and get viewed on all the sites within the network. Those who send more views, get more.
Banner Farm
A Banner Farm is a web page that consists of basically nothing but advertising banners. It’s a webpage that is frowned upon in the industry.
BDSM
Bondage, Discipline, Sado Masochism. BDSM is a blanket term for such activity. It’s a very popular niche in our industry.
Bear
Bear is a term that refers to an older, gay man who is very hairy.
Blacklisted
Blacklisted means to be banned. For example, if you submit a gallery to a TGP reviewer or a link list and they feel that you are cheating or breaking their rules, they will blacklist you. If you're blacklisted, you won't be able to submit galleries to that TGP anymore. TGP and link list owners share their blacklists, so chances are, if you get blacklisted at one place, you'll be blacklisted elsewhere.
Blind Link
A blind link is a text link that does not directly refer to where it goes. Suppose you use a text link that states “Get laid for free here” and you link it to the referrer ID of your sponsor program that will not get them laid at all; you might be violating their terms of service and could get kicked out of the program. Most sponsors will probably have approved text links for you to use or will ask you to email them for approval if you’ve made up your own. On the other hand, there are some sponsor programs that don’t mind you using blind links at all. Always check the sponsor’s TOS.
Blog
(Short for Weblog) A Web page made up of usually short, frequently updated posts that are arranged chronologically, like an online diary. It can contain posts just by the site owner or they may open it up for contributions from readers.
Brand Name
When you market to consumers, you want people to instantly recognize the name of your company, product or site. A brand name helps to establish that connection. When you read the words Kleenex, you think of tissues, windows is associated with Microsoft and if someone says cola, you immediately think of Coke or Pepsi depending on your preference.
Branding
Branding is the process getting your name out and recognized. This is done by attaching your company name or logo to all your web work. It takes time and effort, but worth the recognition your name will eventually receive.
Browser
A program that displays and navigates web pages such as Internet Explorer (IE) or Firefox.
BSOD
Blue Screen of Death. We’ve all seen it. That foreboding, blue screen that comes on when your OS crashes. If you get this screen don’t panic, simply turn off your computer, count to twenty and turn it back on. Windows usually repairs itself when you boot back up.
Button
A Button is the name given to small banners typically 120x60 pixels in size.
Cache
A cache is temporary storage bin for previously viewed images and pages from the net. Browser software will copy web sites to a temporary folder so that those pages load faster the next time they're accessed. A full cache can slow down the browser so it’s a good idea to clear your cache frequently. Different browsers have different names for the cache such as History or Temporary Internet Files.
Character
A character is a letter, punctuation mark or number. A single key type from a keyboard counts as one character. The letter "o" is a character. A comma is a character. Any number is a character.
Chargeback
A chargeback is what happens when a customer decides they don't like your product and tells their credit card company they want a refund on their paysite charges. Chargebacks are bad for everyone concerned because you do not only lose income for the sale but can be charged a penalty as well.
Chat Room
To chat means to converse online in real time with text. A chat room is where multiple users can meet to chat. A chat room can be served through instant message software, IRC and various other similar protocols.
Chatting
Talking to someone in real time over the net is called chatting. Instant message programs like AIM or ICQ are chats. Internet Relay Chat happens in real time. There are also Java chats. Chatting happens in real time.
Circle Jerk
Also known as a trap, a Circle Jerk or CJ for short, is a place you get stuck in and hell to get out of. A circle jerk tricks the surfer or webmaster with a link which, when clicked on, gets them stuck in an endless barrage of pop-ups and page redirects That usually end with either a browser crash, or a browser shut down to get out of it.
Click
Click means more than just clicking your mouse. In the industry a click refers to the action of clicking on a banner or text link.
Click Rate
Click rate has to do with the amount of clicks a sponsor banner receives in relation to how many surfers they’ve gotten to the page with the banner. If a page is getting a lot of traffic but nobody is clicking on the ad banner, that’s not a good click rate and the banner is said to not pull well.
Click-Thru Program
A sponsorship program that pays you "X" amount of money for each visitor you send to their site.
Click-Thru Rate (CRT)
The number of times a banner is clicked per 100 impressions, often written as a ratio. For example, if a sponsor banner was served up 300 times and was clicked on 3, your CTR would be 3:300 or 1:100
Compliance
Whether we like it or not, the adult webmaster has a lot of rules and regulations to follow. Sponsors have rules. The government has rules. Billers have rules. Compliance means to follow all the rules.
Conference
In our industry, the word conference refers to a very big adult webmaster gathering. You will hear it also referred to as a show or a convention. In addition to the trade show floor, there are usually keynote speeches, seminars and workshops. This is where webmasters make contacts, business deals, get up to date with the business and of course, party.
Console
Another name for a pop-up window. Entry consoles pop when one enters a site, exit consoles pop when one leaves.
Content
The material of your adult website. If you have a story site, the stories would be your content. If you have a free site then the images and video clips would be your content. If you have a paysite, everything within the site is your content.
Content Filtering
The act of blocking access to sites, words and email that you don’t want to see.
Content Provider
A company that offers pictures, videos or stories for sale or lease. They offer a license with specific rights to the use of their material.
Conversion Ratio
Conversion ratio refers to how many sales one acquires per visit to a sponsor's site from a referrer ID banner or text link. If you sell one membership for every 1000 times surfers clicked a sponsor link then your conversion ratio would be 1:1000.
Copyright Laws
Authors, artists and inventors work hard to come up with their creations. Copyright laws protect such work from being stolen and/or used without permission.
Counter
A web based hit counting program that reports the amount of traffic by counting the number of times a specific image, provided by the counter, is downloaded from a web page.
CPA (Cost-Per-Action)
An Internet advertising model in which payment is based solely on qualifying actions such as sales or new user registrations.
CPC (Cost-Per-Click)
The amount of money it costs an advertiser per click generated to their site from a paid campaign. For example, if you paid $200 for 1000 clicks than your CPC is $0.20 per click.
CPM
A measurement of determining advertising costs for a website. It stems from the Roman numeral M meaning 1,000. CPM stands for cost per thousand ad impressions.
Credit Card Processor
In order to receive payment for services by credit card, authorization from the credit card company is needed. A credit card processor has such authorization. Merchant Account Service and Third Party Billing are examples of credit card processors.
CTR
Click Through Rate or Click Through Ratio. The number of sales you make compared against the number of times the banners were clicked. If your banners were clicked 100 times before you made a sale, your CTR would be 1:100.
Custodian of Records
The custodian of records is the person who created the content. Either the photographer who took the pictures or the camera operator who shot the video are the custodians of record. By law, content producers and providers must provide this information in an easily locatable part of their site.
Custom Photography
If you want content that can’t be found anywhere else, or have something specific in mind you want shot, a content provider who shoots custom photography is what you want. The cost of custom photography will be much higher than regular content prices.
Dedicated Hosting
When you pay for web hosting, you have a few options of the type of server you want your site to reside on. With virtual hosting, your site shares the same server with many others. With dedicated hosting, you are paying for a specific machine dedicated to only your site. Dedicated hosting costs more but insures better service for your surfers.
Default
Computers, have what are called default settings. Usually defaults are factory-determined settings applied to software applications.
Defragment
A computer is kind of like a filing cabinet in your office. Everything starts out in a nice neat order, but at the end of a busy week everything is out of place. Defragmenting your hard drive is similar to getting the filing done. Files get mixed up and split apart when you use your machine. The more defragmented your hard drive, the slower your computer functions. Defragmentation (Defragging) puts everything back in its place.
Dialer
Dialer or Phone Billing is an executable program. Once installed, the dialer disconnects the surfer's modem and reconnects to the dialer's server. The dialer porn delivery service charges their fees to the users phone bill and the rates are comparable to 1-900-phone lines. Dialers can be misused by webmasters who force surfers to download or trick them into installing the dialer resulting in exorbitant phone bills.
Directories
A directory is a search site where the links have been categorized and listed accordingly. Directories are usually edited manually whereas the links from a search engine are obtained by spider software. Yahoo and Google are search engines. DMOZ is a search Directory.
Domain Names
The domain is the middle part of the URL (Universal Resource Locator). The first part http://www is the part that tells browser software and servers the file is a web page. The last part .com is the top level domain, .com for commercial, .gov for government, .edu for a school site, etc. The domain is the one you create and register.
Domain Names System (DNS)
The way a domain name (web address) is assigned and designated to a specific IP Address.
Domain Parking
If you’ve registered a domain, but you're not ready to host it, you can park it until you are. It’s like putting it on hold until your site is ready. Most times your registrar will allow you to park your domain on their server for free until the time you can point it to paid hosting.
Doorway Page
An alternate entry page into your website that is used for search engine ranking.
Drive-by Spamming
In a chat room or on a message board, a drive-by spammer is one who posts the spam and leaves, never to be heard from again. They don't join the conversation, they don't reply to the flames.
Enter Page
Also called a warning page the enter page is the page before a surfer views the main content of your site. Warning pages are very important. The purpose of a warning page is to keep under aged surfers from accessing your adult site and should display a statement noting that the material in the site is adult oriented.
Exclusive Content
When you pay an adult photographer to shoot content that gets sold to no one else but you, you've paid for exclusive content.
Exit Traffic
Exit traffic are the surfers who leave your page. Whether they click the back button on their browser or go to another site from a link on your web page, when they vacate your site, they are considered exit traffic.
Feeder Site
A site used for promotion, filtering or additional property that leads into one primary traffic target.
Fetish
When a person is sexually aroused by an object or specific body part, they have a fetish. There are many types of fetishes such as foot, balloon, watersports, etc.
Flash
Flash is a type of graphical file format developed by Macromedia and is used for animation on the web. Unlike GIF or JPEG, for a surfer to see Flash animation on their browser, they need to install a browser plugin. Flash is used to build banners and even whole websites.
FPA
Full Page Ad. Adult sponsors will supply their affiliates with the HTML and graphics of a full-page ad marketing a specified program/paysite. The affiliate uses the FPA as a way to promote their sponsors.
Frames
A Frame is basically a webpage nested within a webpage. When you see a site where the left part of the page stays the same while the right portion changes with each link clicked, you are probably viewing a framed page.
Free Hosting
Free hosting is free for the adult webmaster. Free adult hosts allow you to have a site on the web without paying for the server space or transfer fees. Free hosting companies do have to make money and they do it in a few different ways. One is to redirect a percentage of your visitors to their sites. In other words, for every one hundred times a surfer goes to your page, your free host redirects ten of them. Another is by embedding their ad banners/text links into the top and bottom of each of your pages. They also make money from your surfer's typos by presenting them with an ad-heavy HTML (404) page when they or you mistype. Free hosting is ok when you first start and have very little money, but once you can afford hosting, buy it. You’ll be taken much more seriously as a professional in the business.
Free Site
An adult site that is free for the surfer to access and browse around. They are usually used as feeder sites leading to a paysite.
FTP
FTP (File Transfer Protocol), you need to upload (FTP) your web pages from your computer on to the web for everyone to see. There are many good FTP programs to use to transfer your files from your computer to the server.
Gallery
A gallery refers to a web page where several small images called thumbnails or thumbs are laid out. A gallery should contain a minimum of 10 thumbnails. Each thumbnail is linked to its corresponding full size image that can be viewed when the surfer clicks on it. Galleries are created to advertise a paysite and are submitted to a TGP’s.
Hits
Number of times your page was viewed.
Hosting
In order to have a website, one must have their files on a website server. A host is a provider of website servers. Whether you choose free or paid hosting, you must be sure that your host accepts adult sites.
Hot-Linking
When someone links to an image on your server to display it on their site instead of linking to the image on their own server. Hot-linking drains the bandwidth from the server. It is one of the biggest taboos in the business.
.htaccess
This is a file used to prevent hot linking of images and content. These small files can be used to protect an entire site or just specific directories. They can be configured to each person’s specific needs.
Hub
A central page or location where many pages or links go to. A good analogy would be a train station or airport.
Impression
The number of times a file is called from a server, such as a banner or web page.
In-Line Link
An inline link is a text or graphic hyperlink that takes the user to another place on the same web page they are presently on. Also referred to as an anchor. For instance, if your page contains a lot of text and you want to direct surfers to particular sections of that text, you can do so with an inline link.
Instant Message (IM)
Provides the ability to see if users are online and chat across a providers network in real time. (ICQ, AIM, Yahoo messenger etc).
IRC
IRC stands for Internet Relay Chat. It's a chat system that runs on its own servers and through networks. It's an older form of chat that came before such instant message programs as ICQ. IRC is used to set up a chat for a group of people.
Java
A widely used scripting language used by programmers to build and create programs.
JavaScript
A scripting language you can directly insert into HTML documents. They only work with surfers that have Java enabled on their browser or surf the web with a browser that supports JAVA.
Keywords
The words and phrases a surfer would type into a search engine are known as keywords. Understanding the use of keywords in your meta tags can help your site with search engine placement.
Licensed Content
A license is a contract between you and the content provider that stipulates the terms of sale and use of adult content and proves you have legal right to display the images or video clips you paid for.
Link List
A link list is a site that provides the surfer free links to other porn sites. Webmasters submit their site for inclusion in the link list.
Listing/Listed
When a gallery is submitted to a TGP and the TGP adds the gallery to the daily list the gallery is said to be “listed.” The higher up on the page the gallery is listed, the better the “listing.” The same applies to link sites.
Live Chat
Live chat usually pertains to an adult paysite feature where members can chat live with models.
Live Show
Live shows on the adult web happen in real time. Live shows work with basically the same equipment and software as live video conferencing. They can be observe only or can be set up so viewers are allowed to chat with the show performers.
Live Video Feeds
A live video feed is exactly that. The content is happening in real time and is fed through to websites. Live video is very desirable content but is more costly in bandwidth.
LLC
Limited Liability Company. LLC is a business structure; part partnership, part corporation. An LLC is protected from personal liability and can set a different tax structure than a self-employment company.
Lurker
A lurker is someone who reads message boards without joining in the discussions.
Memberships
A fee paid by a surfer that allows them to access a paysite. Most memberships are offered on a monthly basis.
Message Board
A page or a site, where you can post messages to fellow webmasters. It is a place to network, to learn or to relax. Since ours, for the most part, is a solitary industry, message boards are the “water coolers” of adult webmasters.
Meta Tags
Meta tags are the part of the HTML code that lies within the HEAD tag at the top of any web page. A search engine robot will read your page's TITLE tag first, and then it will read the META tags. The META tag is where you put your description, keywords and search terms a surfer would use to find your site.
Model Release
Document that a model signs to hand over specified rights to display or sell any material in which model appears in. No pictures or video of any model should ever be shot for a website without a model release.
Money Bar
Money bars are advertising tables usually put at the top and bottom of pages.
Mouseover
A mouseover is a JavaScript code where a certain action is performed when a surfer moves their cursor over a script on a page. When you move your cursor over a link that uses a graphic image and that image changes to another without clicking, a mouseover script is responsible.
Netiquette
Etiquette is a set of acceptable behaviors in a social situation. Netiquette is a set of acceptable behaviors in the cyberworld. For example, when you type a message in chat room using ALL CAPS, netiquette says you are yelling.
Newbie
A new or inexperienced webmaster.
Niche
There are two general categories of porn, straight softcore and straight hardcore. Niches are everything else. Some niches are huge like the amateur and gay niches. Others have smaller audiences like BDSM or fetish sites.
Opranaut
An Opranaut is a webmaster who is part of the Oprano community. To be an Opranaut is to be a savvy, well connected webmaster.
Opting In
Opting in is simply giving your permission to receive a newsletter. You fill out an online form that basically states, yes, I want to receive email from you.
Outsourcing
If you cannot do a job yourself and hire someone to do it for you, you are outsourcing. There are many reasons to outsource and cost cutting, not enough time is another, or it may be a task that you aren’t proficient enough to do yourself.
Pagejacking
Pagejacking is the hijacking of a web page. A page is fraudulently copied and saved to the pagejacker’s server. Then they add redirect codes to it and submit it to search engines as if it was theirs.
Partnership Program
A Partnership program is an affiliate program that pays a recurring percentage or fixed price for every member you send to your sponsor's site. Partnership programs are also known as revshare programs. The advantage to a partnership program is that you get paid for every month the surfer stays a member.
Pay Per Click
Pay Per Click is an affiliate program that pays each affiliate a set amount for each qualified banner impression his page generates. These programs usually have very strict rules, so read them carefully.
Pay Per Signup
With a Per Signup affiliate program, (PPS) the affiliate gets paid a one-time amount per surfer they get to sign up for a membership to the sponsor's service. The payment amount is normally higher than with a partnership program, but there are no recurring payments.
Pay Per View
A Pay Per View (PPV) website is really no different than pay per view movies on cable. Instead of buying a membership, the surfer pays for each access per view. There are also adult sponsors and content providers who provide a pay per view service.
Pay Site
An adult website where surfers have to pay a fee to access the main content on the site.
Payouts
This is the term applied to money paid by a sponsor to an affiliate webmaster. Some sponsors payout weekly. Most will only payout if the webmaster has reached a monetary minimum of sales for the payout period. The amount of your payout depends entirely on your sponsor and the amount of sales you generate for them.
Phishing
Phishing happens when some scammer tries to send you an email -from a fake address- that looks important. They will make it appear as if the document comes from a famous company by spoofing their real email address. Usually these folks want your personal information. If you open such an email, you took the bait, hence the fishing reference.
Pic Post
A site where you can submit a picture and your ad on a daily basis.
Pop-Under
A window that loads underneath the presently open window. It’s less intrusive and sneakier than a pop-up.
Pop-Up
A window that opens independently of the page you're already viewing in your browser.
Raw Hit
Successful downloads of actual web pages not including images or file downloads.
Rebill
A rebill or recur happens after you have gotten one of your surfers to sign up and pay for a membership at either your paysite or that of a sponsor. The first time your customer pays, their credit card is billed. Each time they pay for an additional month of access, their card is rebilled.
Recip or Reciprocal Link
Reciprocate means to give and take mutually. A reciprocal link is a return link. For example, when you submit a gallery to a TGP, most TGP webmasters require a reciprocal link to their site on your gallery. They list you. You reciprocate by linking to them.
Record Keeping Requirements
There are certain responsibilities with running an adult website. If you host content of nude models, then you have to provide TITLE 18 information on your front page. If you register a domain name, you have to provide your name, phone number and address in your registration. If you make money selling anything on the web, you have to declare that income in your taxes.
Referrer
A referrer is the site that sent you a surfer. It could be it a search engine, a TGP or from another webmaster's site.
Reseller
A reseller is a business where the owner sells another company’s products. There are content resellers, design resellers and even hosting resellers.
Retention
When a paysite member continues to pay their monthly fee, they are retaining their membership.
ROI
Return On Investment. ROI is a calculation of what you get back from what you spend. If you spend money for advertising, you do it to increase business. If the ad doesn't help increase sales or traffic, then you didn't get much of a return on your investment.
RSS
Really Simple Syndication (RSS) is a lightweight XML format designed for sharing headlines and other Web content. Think of it as a distributable "What's New" for your site.
Search Engine
A search engine (SE) is a program that searches documents for specified keywords and returns a list of the documents where the keywords were found. Typically, a search engine works by sending out a spider to fetch as many documents as possible. Another program, called an indexer, then reads these documents and creates an index based on the words contained in each document.
Server
A server is really just a big, powerful computer built to perform a certain task. There are different types of servers used for different tasks. There are mail servers, ftp servers and web servers.
Shaving Hits
Sponsors pay a webmaster for click impressions and/or sales. Some sponsors have been known to conceal or eliminate a certain amount of clicks from their records so they wont have to pay out as much. This is known as shaving hits.
SMS
Short Message Service allows mobile phone users to send text messages.
Spamming
Promoting a site or service to parties via e-mail, newsgroups or message boards without a request for the information. Spamming is not good business.
Spider
A program that automatically fetches web pages. Spiders are used to feed pages to search engines. It's called a spider because it crawls over the Web. Another term for these programs is webcrawler.
Splash Page
A decorative document residing on the index page of a website. In essence, a pretty front door. Most Splash pages contain either an enter link to the main site or will redirect to the main site after loading.
Sponsor Content
Sponsor content is simply content from the sponsor's paysite that the affiliate webmaster can use for marketing purposes. Image sets, hosted galleries and video clips are some of the most-used forms of sponsor content. When using sponsor content make sure you use it ONLY to promote the sponsor you got it from.
Sponsor Program
Another name for an affiliate program.
Storage
When you have a web hosting account, you are allotted a certain amount of server space where you'll keep all your website files. This space is called storage.
Streaming Video Feeds
A streaming feed is one where the video is compressed in such a way that it can play as it downloads. This way the user can see the video immediately instead of downloading the whole thing first before they can view it.
Submission
A submission is a request to have your work included into another website. Galleries are submitted to TGP’s; free sites are submitted to link lists, web sites are submitted to search engines.
Submit Page
A page with a web form where you type in contact/site information in order to submit your site for listing.
Targeting
Specifically gearing your promotions towards specific audience, niche, market, demographic, or set of key words.
TGP
Thumbnail Gallery Post. A TGP is a free site that contains a list of galleries that webmasters have submitted. Each TGP has it’s own rules that webmasters must adhere to if they wish their gallery to be listed.
Third Party Billing
Also known as Third Party Processor or Credit Card Processor. A third party processor will handle all your credit card transactions for a fee. They offer all the tools you need to accept payment from your visitors so you don’t need your own merchant account.
Thread
A thread is a series of replies to a topic posted on a message board or in a newsgroup.
Thumbnail
A smaller version of an image used to reference or link to a larger version of the same image.
TITLE 18
According to the government, US Code is a consolidation and codification by subject matter of the general and permanent laws of the United States. Title 18 of US code covers Crimes and Criminal Procedure. TITLE 18 is a section of the US penal code that pertains to the protection of children. All adult sites that feature images, video or webcam feeds must include a link to and/or text of a TITLE 18 disclaimer. This disclaimer must state that all models portrayed within are proven to be of legal age, which in The US is 18. The most important portion of TITLE 18 US Code for adult webmasters is CHAPTER 110 - Section 2257: Record Keeping Requirements.
Top List
A top list is a link list ordered in terms of popularity. A top list contains links to full adult websites, not individual galleries. A webmaster submits their site to the top list and if it is accepted it is given a specific position on the list. The more popular your link, the higher you will rise on the top list.
TOS
TOS stands for Terms of Service. When you sign up for a sponsor or web host, you will be provided with a link to the company's TOS page. The TOS is basically a contract outlining the rules and regulations of the company. When you sign up, you are agreeing to abide by the rules or risk being terminated so reading the TOS is wise.
Traffic
Term used to refer to the amount of visitors to your adult website. Success in this business depends on traffic.
Twinks
A twink is a young gay man.
Uniques
Number of first time visitors to your site. If 4 individuals visit your site on any given day and 2 of them click onto your site 6 times the same day, it will be referred to as 4 unique visitors for that day.
Video Clips
A video clip is a small portion of a full-length movie. Webmasters use small clips of adult video on movie galleries as well as for advertising. Clips are also referred to as trailers or previews.
View
Similar to a Raw Hit, a page view is the number of times a page is successfully downloaded by a user.
Warez
Pirated software. A person will remove the copyright protection from a program and then offer it for download from a website or news group.
Warning Page
Another name for the enter page.