This is one of many articles I’ll post for those of you interested in producing your own content. My focus will be more on working with the models and equipment, than dealing with the legal (2257) stuff.

I strongly recommend a first meeting, with a potential new model, be done in a public place. It’s just not safe to bring a stranger to your home, particularly if you are there by yourself. Depending on your method of recruitment, you may know very little about the person you are meeting. He could just as easily be setting you up for a mugging or bashing. I’ve never had a problem with any model, but I know plenty of guys that have. Until you have gotten to know the guy a little better, its best to take some precautions. I do not advise allowing the model to bring a friend.

If the model is over 21, you can meet him at a bar. Bars are good because you can speak more candidly than in other types of establishments. If you meet in a bar, do it mid afternoon. Otherwise there may be other producers/photographers in their scouting for new models. Even if they don’t know you are a producer, a lot of these guys can be very aggressive when they see fresh meat, so try and avoid those situations.

Alternative meeting places are restaurants or coffee shops that are busy and noisy. This way you can limit the possibility of anyone overhearing your conversation. I’m very big on using discretion, as you never know how people around you will react.

There are a number of reasons for having this meeting. You want to learn some things about the model that do not communicate in Email or IM. Things like how butch he is, what he really looks like, is he well spoken enough to use in videos, and any other general impressions you might find useful. This meeting also tells you if he’s likely to show up for shoots. Most important, it’s the first step in both of you establishing trust in each other.

After completion of the Randy Blue face lift, Blue Loot announced this week a wide range of improvements for their affiliates. Most notable, in conjunction with their new weekly update schedule, hosted galleries and direct linking codes will be updated twice a week.

Blue Loot now boasts over 450 hosted galleries, with new designs and content added. Additionally, webmasters can download the photos form these galleries for use as free content.

The direct video marketing tool has been upgraded to allow promotion of Randy Blue videos and other DVD scenes separately. Each scene also includes a zip download of six 10 second MPEGs, and 4 screen caps, to be used as promotionals.

Other improvements include; a new linking code that will send traffic to the latest update news page, the movie of the day promo can now be offered with a text link, and the Blue Loot banner collection has been greatly expanded.

I got to wondering the other day how many of us take the time to stop and look around at the world that is outside our own little bubble. Do we pay attention to what others are doing in the gay adult marketplace? I would guess most would answer in the affirmative. How about the straight side of this industry? Do we explore what those companies are doing? Are we noticing the caliber of product and innovative approaches our counterparts are producing? I doubt it. More important, are we studying what mainstream commerce is doing? Are there innovations in mainstream sites that we are not tapping into? What are our consumers experiencing outside the red light district, and how does that effect their expectations with adult sites?

I worry that our industry gives little credence to the environment our consumers spend most of their time in. When it comes to sophisticated marketing and sales techniques, and innovative packaging of the consumers’ experience, mainstream is taking the lead. Are we content to fulfill the stereotype of the older, run down, side of town - a dark environment that reeks of stale beer and dried cum?

Several angry threads, concerning an AVN mailing, surfaced last week on gofuckyourself.com, the dominant adult industry webmaster forum. Apparently AVN, a prominent adult industry news publisher, sent a promotional for their new GAYVN magazine to everyone on their subscriber list. The promotional reportedly arrived at homes, businesses, and PO boxes without a “plain brown wrapper” commonly used by adult publishers. While a minority voiced no concerns with the lack of discretion used by AVN, most webmasters were outraged. The volley of comments thrown at AVN ranged from tactful to unrefined.

I’m certainly not opposed to the content (doh!), but I live among families with a gazillion kids who play outside even in zero degree weather, and my mailbox is small and magazines are *always* left hanging partway out.

Yeah I am in porn and I do want your magazines, hell I even want your promotionals, what I don’t want is for my mailman and my neighbors to see what I do and cast judgment on my family and friends, and to be honest if you can’t see that then you and AVN can take your magazine and business and shove it straight up your ass…

God Damned get some fucking common sense and keep that shit covered, some of us live in a world where the religious right would burn our houses down for peddling porn, let alone gay porn.

AVN sales rep, Chris Lebrun, chimed in with a lengthy defensive post that amounted to an “all or nothing” solution.

If you do not want to receive mail from AVN - send mail or e-mail to me and I will have you removed from the list. Realize that you will not receive any more mailings from AVN including AVN and AVN Online. We do not want to send anything to people who do not want it.

If you just want to complain - and not take the steps to stop future mailing please don’t complain again!

Lebrun’s cavalier remarks did not appease the angry group.

I think that’s a poor way to respond to legitimate complaints from your mailing database. How many porn mags (like Hustler, Playboy, etc) would send to their customers in a clear envelope? They all use brown envelopes for a reason: DISCRETION, a common courtesy that wouldn’t hurt AVN in any way (yes I know it’s a different target audience, but that doesn’t negate my point).

Later, Chris back peddled a bit by announcing, “AVN is listening and we will make changes.” The first issue of GAYVN Magazine is scheduled to debut in January 2006.

Don’t get me wrong; I have the utmost respect for Joan Irvine. I applaud her dedication to both ASACP and the FSC. However, her decision to sit on the FSC Board is a bit short sighted, in my opinion.

The FSC is fighting laws, both state and federal, that directly cause harm to our industry, yet are allegedly in place to protect children. The FSC is also engaged in lobbyist activities intended to thwart any future legislation that would harm our industry. Most recent legislation attempts have ridden on the “protect our children” bandwagon.

The ASACP produces empirical data that disputes allegations our industry is the purveyor of CP. This information can be used advantageously by the FSC in litigation, lobbying efforts, and public relations. But how much credibility does that information have when the director of the ASACP sets on the Board of the FSC?

As a Board member, Joan Irvine is a decision maker for the FSC. She holds an influential leadership position that sets the tone, pace, and direction of the FSC. It is the FSC Board of Directors that decides what battles the organization chooses to fight. By wearing a hat in both camps, Joan Irvine is diluting the credibility of the data her organization (ASACP) brings to the table. There is enormous power in supporting data generated by an independent, third party, nonprofit organization - assuming no perception of bias exists.

On the flip side, how can the DOJ take ASACP seriously when its director is also in a leadership position at the FSC? The ASACP has worked hard to position itself as a credible support organization for the DOJ’s fight against CP. This is a far cry from the relationship DOJ has with the FSC.

While I fully believe Joan Irvine’s intentions are honorable, its time for her to step back and look at the big picture. Her leadership position at the FSC is doing more harm than good - for both organizations.

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Also, be sure to read the comments generated from last week’s article on the FSC’s 2006 Board of Directors election.

This is one of many articles I’ll post for those of you interested in producing your own content. My focus will be more on working with the models and equipment, than dealing with the legal (2257) stuff.

When shooting stills or video, don’t forget the promotional stuff. A short video of the model saying, “hi I’m Johnny Hotstuff and you can see me jack off on domainname.com,” is worth its weight in gold on a site tour. When shooting stills, it’s important to get those shots useful in a site tour or for banners. If you don’t think about this in advance, it will be a lot harder to come up with good tour and promotional photos.

Another thing I like to do is shoot the model holding various sizes, and colors, of stiff poster board. Later I take them into Photoshop and ad text over the poster. Things like, “You can see me naked at…” or, “come see my videos.” This sort of thing ads huge credibility for your site when claiming it has exclusives. Photos like this validate your claim of exclusivity. HM Boys was a pioneer in this strategy.

With a popular model it might be a good idea to schedule a shoot for the sole purpose of producing promotional materials. You can also bring in several models for some censored group shots. Keeping it censored allows you to pay each model less. You might make it a social gathering (party) so the models don’t feel like its work.

Most amateur producers don’t think to do these things, and it’s a huge mistake.

Premiumbeat.com, a new provider of high quality royalty-free music, announced today that their online service is now in full operation. Premiumbeat.com offers music for new media and traditional productions. All music files are downloadable instantly. The new site targets web designers, Flash animation developers, and video production companies looking for royalty-free music.

The Direct Marketing Association has issued a report this month on the results of a 2005 consumer trust survey. The report states that of the 78 percent of American Internet users that plan to conduct some on-line shopping this year, 69 percent will limit those purchases because of fears associated with misuse of personal information. The report also revealed that, due to privacy concerns, 40 percent would steer clear of smaller on-line retailers. One observation voiced in the report was that consumers are uncomfortable with sites that do not clearly show privacy as a priority.