There are no more webmasters...

[Hell Puppy]

One thing that really kinda stood out for me at Cybernet, and the previous couple of shows as well, is that the traditional "webmaster" is dead.

What do I mean by traditional webmaster? I'm talking about the guys who make a living in this business without a separate day job. Guys who work for themselves only and derive their income from the adult web.

Most of the guys doing that you meet now have a day job or some other action on the side. Nothing at all wrong with that, but it's just a sign that the little guy is getting squeezed out slowly unless he wants to relegate it to a hobby.

Now this is not to say that there are NONE out there doing it, there are still some who make millions with domains or other sources of major traffic, but they are few in number now.

[softball]

This business has been populated with part timers for years.

[gonzo]

Originally Posted by rhetorical

This business has been populated with part timers for years.

Ones that cant even spell html looking to be a program rep.

Whats up with that head?

[Toby]

I guess I'm part of a dying breed.

[softball]

Originally Posted by Toby

I guess I'm part of a dying breed.

This is a last man standing kind of thing. Try running content sites as a full time business. Not sure which would be harder to accomplish, content or traffic.

[shall]

Originally Posted by Toby

I guess I'm part of a dying breed.

Hey Yo!

[Hell Puppy]

Originally Posted by Toby

I guess I'm part of a dying breed.

And I can guess the secret to your success....you work at it and work hard.

I think the bulk of them have fallen off as the effort level to make money has gone up.

[Hell Puppy]

Originally Posted by rhetorical

This is a last man standing kind of thing. Try running content sites as a full time business. Not sure which would be harder to accomplish, content or traffic.

Traffic...

The free traffic sources are all but gone, that's what has killed so many. It now takes some talent, skills and hard work to make it. If anyone were asking me about starting out now, I'd advise them that if they're gonna do it fulltime, they're likely going to need a paysite or two in their repotoire. That's the only way you can really still control your own destiny.

Either that or you've got to score with something that generates some decent traffic and be VERY VERY good at filtering it.

[softball]

Originally Posted by Hell Puppy

Traffic...

The free traffic sources are all but gone, that's what has killed so many. It now takes some talent, skills and hard work to make it. If anyone were asking me about starting out now, I'd advise them that if they're gonna do it fulltime, they're likely going to need a paysite or two in their repotoire. That's the only way you can really still control your own destiny.

Either that or you've got to score with something that generates some decent traffic and be VERY VERY good at filtering it.

In the content business, most of the free traffic is gone. However, I suppose that if you can generate your own traffic for your own content, you can do well. I now have to buy traffic that was free back in the day. A lot of the hobbyists that produced focussed quality traffic have either quit or are now selling said traffic.

[Hell Puppy]

Originally Posted by rhetorical

In the content business, most of the free traffic is gone. However, I suppose that if you can generate your own traffic for your own content, you can do well. I now have to buy traffic that was free back in the day. A lot of the hobbyists that produced focussed quality traffic have either quit or are now selling said traffic.

Something that I find very interesting is that the sites that have some of the hugest traffic these days have the users creating and supplying their content for them. The new kids call it Web 2.0....I call it community.

[Nymph]

There is no shame in being a part-timer.

Since I started in this biz...many moons ago, I've done full time, and part time off & on, back & forth. Partly because of money, or lack there of...partly because when I did do full time, I ended up making myself a hermit, and you can only be good company to yourself fo so long.

[BruceMiller]

Could it be that less and less of us full time people are attending shows, while a lot of newbies/part timers are there trying to figure things out?

[softball]

Some of the most successful people I have seen don't participate in anything. They don't post on boards. They don't attend shows. They don't belong to this "community". They just do their job and earn a good living. So I think sometimes our vision of the business is sometimes skewed.

[gonzo]

Originally Posted by rhetorical

Some of the most successful people I have seen don't participate in anything. They don't post on boards. They don't attend shows. They don't belong to this "community". They just do their job and earn a good living. So I think sometimes our vision of the business is sometimes skewed.

I guarantee you it is. I met several people that said they are not board people. Many actually admit to reading this board but dont have time to post.

Anti social fuckers!

I think Ill have a contest to fix that.

[softball]

Originally Posted by gonzo

I guarantee you it is. I met several people that said they are not board people. Many actually admit to reading this board but dont have time to post.

Anti social fuckers!

I think Ill have a contest to fix that.

yeah give away a new vette. That will drive traffic. Hell I might even post.

[gonzo]

Originally Posted by rhetorical

yeah give away a new vette. That will drive traffic. Hell I might even post.

Green Guy would just win it.

[jerseygto]

Originally Posted by BruceMiller

while a lot of newbies/part timers are there trying to figure things out?

Yea I'm one of these...

An thats why I really havent posted here to much since I started because I've trying to learn an after 10 months I actually started to make some money at it...See I'm 35 an alwayyyyyyys been a blue collar working guy hell I been at the same job for 17 years with other side jobs while I was at it.....other than Ps2 I never gave computers a thought cause I was always working or training...

Hell I was in the club business for 8 years an always wonderd how to get into this business and sadly enough I got into this business by a turnkey adult website business that ripped me off an took me for a decient amount of money...What they did was sell me a domain name and site made up op affilliate programs (which are free to sign up for anyway) charged me 75 bucks a month to host it...

I had no control or knowelege of anything they basicly created a main page with navigation buttons to other pages I couldent exchange links or even change content.. Then the more I read an participaed on two boards MP and this One I started to learn I realized I got ripped off and started my own thing ..

I would love to do this fulltime and plan to...but bills gotta get paid an the cat gotta get fed..My first show will be internext just 15 minuets from me an I hope to learn alot

[TheEnforcer]

I haven't had a content site for years. I've done mainstream and other stuff over the years. I have a very big mainstream project I am working on now but will likely always be around this business cause I've met some very cool people I count as friends. I enjoy helping out frieds like Gonzo, Dravyk, D-man and Evil Chris. I'll keep doing it as long as they want me to. :>))

[spazlabz]

Originally Posted by jerseygto

Yea I'm one of these...

An thats why I really havent posted here to much since I started because I've trying to learn an after 10 months I actually started to make some money at it...See I'm 35 an alwayyyyyyys been a blue collar working guy hell I been at the same job for 17 years with other side jobs while I was at it.....other than Ps2 I never gave computers a thought cause I was always working or training...

Hell I was in the club business for 8 years an always wonderd how to get into this business and sadly enough I got into this business by a turnkey adult website business that ripped me off an took me for a decient amount of money...What they did was sell me a domain name and site made up op affilliate programs (which are free to sign up for anyway) charged me 75 bucks a month to host it...

I had no control or knowelege of anything they basicly created a main page with navigation buttons to other pages I couldent exchange links or even change content.. Then the more I read an participaed on two boards MP and this One I started to learn I realized I got ripped off and started my own thing ..

I would love to do this fulltime and plan to...but bills gotta get paid an the cat gotta get fed..My first show will be internext just 15 minuets from me an I hope to learn alot

Dial it back about 10 years and I am right there with you. I was a welder for International Truck & Engine (aka International Navistar/International Harvester)
I got into adult not knowing a fucking scrap, 10 years later it pays my bills, allows me to spend lots of time with my family and I have met some truly incredible people.

I never considered myself a webmaster though, not even when I was making sick money with my own paysites.. to me the term webmaster has a very specific definition and I can only think of 1 or 2 people in this industry who fit that definition.



spaz

[jerseygto]

Originally Posted by spazlabz

I never considered myself a webmaster though, to me the term webmaster has a very specific definition and I can only think of 1 or 2 people in this industry who fit that definition.



spaz

The more I learn the more I see that as a true statement , at my level I dont even consider me a webmaster an I dont think I ever will ...For months I've actually been reading other peoples knowlege man I gotta ways to go...But Its all about respect for me too...An youse guys get it..an deserve it

[Rcourt64]

Originally Posted by BruceMiller

Could it be that less and less of us full time people are attending shows, while a lot of newbies/part timers are there trying to figure things out?

Cha-Ching

[softball]

Originally Posted by jerseygto

The more I learn the more I see that as a true statement , at my level I dont even consider me a webmaster an I dont think I ever will ...For months I've actually been reading other peoples knowlege man I gotta ways to go...But Its all about respect for me too...An youse guys get it..an deserve it

To me a webmaster is anyone who runs and maintains a successful website. It seems the term has lately come to mean traffic movers.

[helix]

Originally Posted by gonzo

Anti social fuckers!

What is it man!!!

[bluemoney]

I'm just a pathetic Fucktard . . . . . . . with a mean streak

[gr8expectations]

Great thread.

Originally Posted by Hell Puppy

And I can guess the secret to your success....you work at it and work hard.

Of course I am pretty new, and just making some small change, but I have found for me at least, working hard tends to pay off better than looking for easy fixes. I blog mostly, but the quick and easy ones I have set up don't make me shit, the sites I pour my labor into tend to do much better.

Something that I find very interesting is that the sites that have some of the hugest traffic these days have the users creating and supplying their content for them. The new kids call it Web 2.0....I call it community.

You must be referring to myspace and facebook, etc. If so I boycott those sites for that exact reason, smart as it may be, they a profiteering off the average user that knows not how to build a site of their own. Great buisness plan, but...ah I degress. I hate those sites.

Could it be that less and less of us full time people are attending shows, while a lot of newbies/part timers are there trying to figure things out?

Yup, been at this part time for a year, just made it to my first show...barely. I plan on hitting more shows though. I see profits growing almost monthly, but untill I can rationalize quitting the day job, it's a non issue. I don't consider this a hobby though. I will continue to work untill I can go full time. I tease frinds about how they squander their free time, while they do nothing I am making revenue. But yes, I am still trying to figure things out.

Dial it back about 10 years and I am right there with you.

Hell, dial it back 2, that is when I first learned what HTML meant. A dedicated person can grow quickly, I started learning HTML and a little programming, graphics, etc.

Do I have ambitions, yes. Do I need to be rich? not really. I asked my mother the other day how many hours of her life were spent "on the clock" well, it is a whole fucking lot. I'm not looking to live like that. Yeah I spend a whole lot of time writing and posting, but somehow it feels different...maybe I just found my niche so to speak.

[Rcourt64]

Originally Posted by bluemoney

I'm just a pathetic Fucktard . . . . . . . with a mean streak

Cha-Ching

[jerseygto]

Originally Posted by rhetorical

To me a webmaster is anyone who runs and maintains a successful website. It seems the term has lately come to mean traffic movers.

You hit the nail on the head Big Daddy ...Sure you can promote a site by sending traffic and ect....

But to Actually build a successful site from scratch learn all the technical things then actually getting in there and learning the business and putting it all togeather now thats a webMASTER to me

[spazlabz]

Originally Posted by bluemoney

I'm just a pathetic Fucktard . . . . . . . with a mean streak

They make pills for that self-esteem issue bro heh heh I can recommend some top notch ones

[spazlabz]

Originally Posted by rhetorical

To me a webmaster is anyone who runs and maintains a successful website. It seems the term has lately come to mean traffic movers.

not my definition at all, thats just part of it.
the closest I can find online to what I consider a webmaster would be this as well as what rhetorical said;

a Webmaster typically "does it all." In a larger company, a Webmaster tends to be someone with either a writing and/or graphics design background who has acquired Web site creation skills (mainly knowledge and experience with HTML) or a more technical person with some programming skills. The "technical" Webmaster runs the server (for example, by managing the creation and authorization associated with file systems) and writes programs or Practical Extraction and Reporting Language scripts required by the Web site.

spaz