| |
Klixxx Magazine Archive - Amateur |
|
|
Professional Amateurs: Part 1
by Kath Blackwell
Surfers actively seek out "true amateurs" to fall in
love with, spend their evenings with, and spend their membership money
on.
There's been a lot of attention directed toward the world of adult
amateur lately. Webmasters try desperately to get a piece of the amateur
action - usually without much success. There's a special essence,
spirit and nuance attributed to the world of amateur that quite frankly,
most of us can't understand.
Amateur is receiving lots of recognition from the adult community.
The major industry magazines have done profiles on the most popular
amateurs, the amateur media source TheAmateurVoice.com now has a cam
girl of the year contest, and Internext Expo did a packed-house seminar
on the "Amateur Evolution" at the 2002 January conference. Everywhere
we go it seems the amateur niche is a topic of conversation.
So how does the amateur community feel about our new interest in what
goes on in their backyard? Are they flattered? Annoyed? Excited about
the overwhelming acceptance? Greenguy - who is probably better known
for his popular www.link-o-rama.com traffic site, is also part owner
of the amateur site, AnneLovesGreenguy.com. He granted us an interview
to discuss what's new, what's coming in the future, plus an insider's
view on how the industry has evolved over the past few years - and
some tips on WHY it's such a huge success!
Greenguy started doing his own amateur pay site in early 2000. He
says, "mostly just to see how it would go." He recruited local talent
for his Web site's content, by running local ads and began by doing
shoots of solo models, lesbians and real couples. He also purchased
a lot of amateur content an in October of 2000, and opened his first
site - RealSexyAmateurs.com. According to Greenguy, his first attempt
at success wasn't a complete hit. "The site did not make money," he
tells us. "But it didn't lose money either - plus I had all this exclusive
content."
So in May of 2001, Greenguy and Anne (AnnesCam.com)
were on vacation with their spouses and some friends, and she suggested
that they merge their sites together to make one big amateur site,
which she would host. "AnneLovesGreenguy.com is sort of a combination
of both sides of the amateur market - you get Anne live on the webcam
a few times a week, and she is the focus of the site. But we also
give our members a lot of other real amateur webcam shows," he explains
- try over 40 a week! "As well as over 40,000 exclusive amateur pics
and movies, 17,000 of which are of Anne. Another bonus, 52,000 non-exclusive
amateur pics are also available, so it's a big mega amateur site with
the feel of a single girl site."
Things that help those members feel more involved in the site are
the little "extras" that Greenguy and Anne put into the site. Their
exclusivity is of course a big attraction, but they also offer "perks"
like free videos from Anne's online store, for members who stay on
for three or more months - and other specials for those who stay on
for six months, and so on. Part of what makes this site successful
isn't just the freebies for the members - the webmasters get LOTS
of helpful tools, designed to help increase their success as well.
"To be honest, I love the webmaster program!" laughs Greenguy. "We
set up the tour to have 10 different entry points - including a Pic
Of The Day, so if you have teen content, you send them to the teen
tour - BBW content, send them to the BBW tour. We also have pre-made
galleries and free sites that you can link to with your codes - these
are PERFECT for webmasters that run TGP's and Link Lists.
Everything on the site is processed by CCBill, and we're paying 50%
recurring (but mention this article from Klixxx & we'll bump you up
to 60%!). The webmaster program is located over at www.algcash.com."
THE HISTORY & GROWTH OF AMATEUR...
Amateur has been around pretty much since the dawn of the Internet
- in fact, a lot of webmasters maintain that it was the allure of
amateur or the girl next door revealing all on the Web, that really
kick-started the growth of the PC as a personal entertainment vehicle.
I think a lot of folks would agree. But when did amateur really
begin to stand out as a huge moneymaker? Most adult webmasters think
of amateur cam girls as "hobbyists" or as strippers just trying
to drive a little more traffic into their local clubs. Today we
know that's definitely not the case - amateur is one of the biggest
moneymaking niches in the industry. When did it all change?
Some webmasters feel that the first change in amateur happened as
the media began giving it attention on shows such as Dateline NBC,
20/20 and other TV magazine shows. Others feel that it's a natural
part of the evolution in the Internet market and are not surprised
at the attention. "I don't think amateurs are taking anything by
storm," laughed Greenguy. "To me, they've always been around. They
may be coming into the light a little more as of late, but why that
is - I have no idea. Like I said, I've always liked amateurs."
But what happens when something becomes "popular?" You guessed it
- 100's - even 1,000's of copycat Web sites pop up overnight, trying
to cash in on the new niche "cash cow." During the Internext Expo
seminar at the January 2002 conference, a few of the amateur experts
noted that the amateur community is very unhappy about the dawning
of these "fake sites." It's a problem not only because it dilutes
the market with sites that are completely off the niche and corporate
in feel - but because it could give many surfers and potential customers
a bad taste for Internet-based amateur sites as a whole. Imagine
joining a site, thinking you're going to get one-on-one interaction,
information and intimacy with a specific amateur - only to find
that once you've paid your $29.95 membership fee, there is maybe
just one set of photos of the girl on the front page! The site isn't
amateur at all - it's a huge corporate mega site that doesn't feature
any specifics on any of its models! Can you say, "Call the Better
Business Bureau of adult erotica?" That's right - call Mr. CHARGE-BACK!
"I've heard the same complaints," says Greenguy. "I have to say
that I promote whatever works best for me. Right now, there are
two banners on my amateur page on Link-O-Rama.com - one for AnneLovesGreenguy.com
& one for a "mega" amateur site. The reason is- that particular
"mega" amateur site converted the best (based on money per click)
out of all the amateur sites that I promote during the prior month.
I base all my ads & banners on what's converting the best for me
per click. I know the site I'm promoting is not a "real" amateur
site (it's more of a bunch of amateur girls, couples, and lesbians
that are thrown onto a big site), but we're in the business to make
money." Obviously - this approach makes money.
So what IS amateur? Or rather, we should be asking, how do most
amateurs- and the surfers who seek them out- perceive what an amateur
really is? AmateurRanks.com - the amateur community support site
- founder, Rick Meunyong, describes amateur as: "when an individual
or couple bares on a Web site, which they built or maintain in some
respect." Basically, what it comes down to is if it is your Web
site, and are the one on it, performing in the live shows, answering
the e-mails and interacting with your members - then YOU are the
amateur.
At the Internext Expo January 2002 seminar, dedicated to amateurs
and amateur Web sites, Far-L (Farrell Timlake) of Homegrown Video
(www.homegrownvideo.com) explained the real attraction of amateur
sites, to the surfers who love them. "There's something for everyone…customers
basically fall in love with the individual, not the niche. You need
to welcome that and be open to it." Amateur is personal and intimate,
as opposed to the typical sites found on the 'Net that are impersonal,
corporate, traditional adult fare - something one would expect to
find in a Hustler, Playboy or other erotic magazine or video.
"I've always loved amateurs," confessed Greenguy, when explaining
why he chose the amateur niche. "Almost from day-one I could tell
if the picture I was looking at was an amateur pic or something
from the general side of the business. Amateurs have something about
them - almost like you're not supposed to be looking at their pics
- you know - maybe this girl's husband put the pics up without her
knowing." (laughs) A lot of amateur purveyors maintain that it's
the "intimacy" with the model that is the real attraction...the
feeling that you know those models personally. "With our site, Anne
has a lot of regulars that visit her on the webcam each and every
show. They get to know her, and stay members so that they can speak
to her a few times a week."
PART TWO: The
Amateur Community
|
|
|
|
|
