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Klixxx Magazine Archive - Industry Voice |
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Princess Takes the Crown!
WOTY Honors Marsha Youngs of RatedHot.com
Interview by Kath Blackwell
It's hard to imagine the adult webmaster community without her, but just six short years ago Marsha "Princess" Youngs was working as a tech support staff member for the ISP at her local telephone company. Fortunately for all of us, she was inspired to learn more - teaching herself HTML, Linux and then moving on to building mainstream sites, and then eventually, moved toward the adult online industry.
The WOTY (Webmaster of the Year) Award for 2003 has been awarded to Marsha Youngs to pay honor to all the years of hard work, dedication and support that she has freely given to the community - and the impact it has had on us all. There aren't many places within the community that one could go and not stumble across something - or someone - that has felt her influence in some way, shape or form. From free sites to webmaster resources, support chats, message boards and everything in between, this Princess has made her mark upon the industry.
The WebmasteroftheYear.com award program recognizes adult webmasters who, according to the website, "make this industry both successful and enjoyable" and the winners are judged on "a series of criteria based on professionalism, accomplishments, industry participation, and more." The four seasonal nominees/winners for the 2003 season were LAJay (YNOTNetwork.com), Voltar (VNWR.com), Princess (RatedHot.com) and Raven (Sin-Text.com).
Marsha "Princess" Youngs was awarded the Adult Chamber Webmaster of the Year award at the Internext Expo in Las Vegas, Nevada this past January at the AdultChamber.com booth. In addition to the recognition gained as Webmaster of the Year, Marsha was awarded $1500.00 in cash, a 17-inch ViewSonic Flat Panel monitor, an HP Digital Camera, and an 8-day/7-night trip for 2 to Hedonism III in Jamaica!
Klixxx Magazine caught up with Marsha after she won her award to see if we could find out more about what she does... who she is... and why she was chosen as the 2003 Webmaster of the Year!
Klixxx: First of all, congratulations on your award. What was your reaction when you won?
Marsha: I cried like a baby! And the first thing I did was hug Voltar. I was so shocked and overwhelmed. I honestly thought it would go a totally different way. Like I said, it's a huge honor for everyone to think that I deserve such an award.
Klixxx: What does it mean to you to have been named Webmaster of the Year?
Marsha: For me it means that I have lots of friends and webmasters that support me. It's also proof positive that hard work does pay off and that it's worth every minute I put into what I do. It's funny really. I'm not the type that needs an award to prove how good of a job I'm doing. The thanks I get from those I help means so much more to me - but it's a huge honor. I'll never be able to thank those that have supported me and stood by me for so many years.
Klixxx: You were up against some pretty stiff competition in this year's awards selections… anything you want to say about - or to - your quarterly co-award winners?
Marsha: They are all three very excellent webmasters, as well as friends. They all work so hard at what they do. If I could share the title with them all I would. They are all winners in my book.
Klixxx: Why do you feel you were chosen as the 2003 WOTY?
Marsha: That's a hard question to answer. I simply treat people with respect and care about them and try my best to offer them a place that will make their daily webmaster chores easier. I also work extremely hard. But then again who in this business doesn't? Or maybe it was the *HUGS* I love to give?
Klixxx: Can you tell us a little bit about yourself - your background, how you got started in the industry and how long you've worked the adult Web?
Marsha: Well, six years ago I was doing tech support for the ISP at our local telephone company while going through a divorce at the same time. I spent hours reading any book I could get my hands on. Basically, I taught myself almost everything I know. I started with html, making sure I could actually write html, then moved on to teaching myself Linux.
As far as my customer service skills, I've always loved people in general and enjoyed working with them. That made the decision to get involved in the resource side of the industry easy. There is no other place that would allow me to work so closely with webmasters, helping them in any way I could - and be there for them when they need moral support.
I've been in the industry for four years, and all four years have been in the resource end of things. I do have some free sites and quite a few community mainstream sites, but my love and passion will always be to help fellow webmasters.
Klixxx: What about RatedHot.com? What type of site is it, what does it do and what does it give to the adult webmaster community?
Marsha: RatedHot.com is a total Webmaster Resource site. It offers just about everything a webmaster needs to get started in the business or to run their business on a continual basis. It's the friendliest resource site online today, and it's also the type of place that anyone can feel right at home in. The webmasters that make up the community are the greatest group of family members anywhere.
I think most forget that Rated Hot has so many features, sections and tools and just visit the forums. They're really missing out by not checking out the site as a whole. We're always making changes, tweaking things and adding new sections. It makes book-marking it a must for anyone.
Klixxx: Was it difficult to start such a project on your own?
Marsha: No actually, it wasn't. PMGames actually owned Rated Hot before me. So it was at least a resource site when I started working for him as Director of Operations. I did, however, totally redesign the site with the help of Horg from Tinymeat Productions. Horg, being the excellent designer that he is, along with my sense of style, we made a wonderful site even better.
For the most part I run Rated Hot on my own. I have, however, had Gothbox who is one of my best friends, help me on quite a few projects. I don't know what I'd do without him. He certainly helps keep me sane and has been my right hand man for the last couple of months.
Klixxx: How different is it to be your own boss versus working for a webmaster company? Better - how? Worse - how? The same - how?
Marsha: It's definitely different - but in the best of ways. I love having complete control and freedom to do what I feel is right or would benefit the webmasters more. But I would have to say it's even more work. I think anytime anyone works from home it means they work many more hours then most would simply because they can't just get up and walk away from the computer - there's always something that can or needs to be done.
The major difference is being able to set my own hours. I think it allows me to budget my time better so that I have more time to spend with my kids. I can stop working to spend time with them when they get home from school and go back to working when they go to bed.
But yeah, I do work harder being my own boss. I'm not afraid of hard work and I do believe it pays off in the long run.
Klixxx: RatedHot.com has become a HUGE webmaster resource and support message board - really, in less than a year! What do you attribute to the success of your business, and what advice would you give anyone else who is struggling to find success on the web?
Marsha: It's even surprised me how well it's done. The message board celebrated its one year anniversary on Jan 17th and already has over 43,000 posts, the amount of uniques that we're getting has tripled in a year and we have some excellent sponsors that have supported us long term.
I think the success comes from the support of the webmasters as well as having a site that so many find beneficial. We've also worked on SE Optimization and we all know that's a huge plus. If you can't find it on Rated Hot, trust me you will in no time.
Klixxx: Tell us about the webmaster community that surrounds RatedHot.com? What type of webmaster hangs out on your board, and what would someone get out of becoming an active member in that community?
Marsha: I can't say enough about the webmasters that hang out on Rated Hot. I love each of them dearly. They all contribute so much to Rated Hot daily. We have webmasters from all ends of the industry, they love helping just as much as I do and will always answer any question posted to the best of their ability. Sure we have our fun post where we kick back and joke, and have a few laughs. But we can be serious when the need arises.
The best way I could describe the community would be that it is more like one big happy family. We all care about one another and don't go out of our way to be mean to others. They welcome new comers with open arms so that anyone can feel right at home.
I had a lot of compliments at the Vegas show this past January that Rated Hot is truly the friendliest resource site. I couldn't be happier that so many feel that way. It's excellent when you can get business done, questions answered and share feelings in a nice relaxed friendly atmosphere.
For those that haven't checked out the Rated Hotties section it's a wonderful place to learn more about the Webmasters that have been long time community members. We list weekly interviews with them where they open up and allow us to learn even more about them.
Klixxx: Any plans for new things at RatedHot.com in 2004? Anything you can share?
Marsha: We've already had an excellent start in 2004 with the addition of the Master Directory. The main focus of the Master Directory is to offer a place where webmasters can be looked up easily. Webmasters can submit their business cards which always list the best way to contact those that you might be interested in doing business with. It also lets the creativity of each individual webmaster shine since business cards normally make a statement about one's personality or the personality of the sites they run.
We also added a new Banner Exchange Program that offers both Webmaster related sites as well as a traffic exchange. It's an excellent way for similar sites to trade traffic with one another and in this business traffic is most times everyone's main focus.
Horg is also working on Rated Hot v2.0. He approached to me telling me that he had some new design ideas that he thought would make Rated Hot not only more visually appealing but also more user-friendly - so of course I was all for that. Be sure to check it out! And that's just the beginning… we have many more additions on the way as well as some changes which will help with the continued growth of Rated Hot.
Klixxx: In your opinion, how has the adult industry changed over the years… Positive changes? Negative changes? Things you would like to see changed?
Marsha: There have been so many changes over the years - where does one start? Internext shows have gone from being huge, extravagant affairs to smaller more tame shows. The feedback that I've heard though is that it's a good thing. It seems that so many prefer the smaller more intimate networking events and parties. It simply makes it easier to get business done.
The online billing companies are going through major changes as well. It'll be interesting to see what the end result will be and how it will affect our everyday business life.
I've also seen companies come and go, sites that were once popular among webmasters aren't anymore, and new companies have stepped into the limelight. It's an ever-changing industry, that's for sure. Some changes are positive; some are negative. Personally, I try to always look at the positive side of things. It sure makes for better work days and makes us more productive.
Klixxx: Do you think it is more difficult for a newbie to get started in today's market, or five years ago? Why?
Marsha: It's a lot harder then it was years ago. Webmasters can no longer just build sites and do little to get sign-ups like they once could. There are so many more webmasters today than there were five years ago. Plus, finding a unique creative idea is harder. Most feel that just about everything has been done and that we're just reinventing the wheel, or just making what's already in place better or more sophisticated.
It's not impossible for newbie's these days, it just takes more creativity and a lot more work. But hard work does pay off in the long run - I'm living proof of that theory!
Klixxx: Do you have any plans to attend any webmaster events in 2004?
Marsha: I hope to be able to attend The Phoenix Forum in April, I'll be attending the Atlanta Webmaster Access, and of course the Florida Internext Show in August. I'd also like to attend one of the Canadian shows. I've never been to Canada and I've heard the shows there are a wonderful experience.
Klixxx: Any predictions for the adult industry in 2004? Anything you think might be coming that people should be aware of - or watch out for?
Marsha: I predict that Rated Hot will be the HOTTEST and most visited Adult Webmaster Resouce site there is in 2004, but of course I'm a little biased. *wink*
Seriously though, I think we're all in for a lot of changes over the next year and it will be interesting to see things unfold and what kind of an affect they have on us.
Klixxx: Anything else you would like to add?
Marsha: I'd like to conclude by thanking the two loves of my life, my kids. They put up with my very long hours of work and me going off to shows. They support me in all I do and love me wholeheartedly.
And I also have to thank all the friends I have as well as all the webmasters that have supported me over the years. They're the reason I do what I do and they're also the reason I love doing it. From the bottom of my heart thanks for everything guys! *HUGS*!
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