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How to Make Your First Content Purchase!

by Lady Sharlot

Congratulations on your decision to become an Adult Webmaster! It can be one of
he most rewarding and beneficial career moves that you can make!

For now though, you know that there is ONE thing that you need to get started.
Even at the most basic level of Adult Website Creation, you need Content. No
matter if it's Images, Text, Audio, and Cartoons, whatever--it's all considered
content and everyone needs it. You simply can't make any money with a blank
page. :-)

Now it's been stated time and time again that the Internet is LOADED with "Free
Content, and I've heard the words "Public Domain" spewed more times than dead
republicans vote in Florida. Trust me in this--THERE IS NO SUCH THING AS PUBLIC
DOMAIN!! Someone owns the rights to those images and if you don't have written
permission to use those images, text, etc on your site then you are simply
breaking the law. And yes, even those images that you've collected from the
newsgroups and/or your Internet Clubs (like Yahoo Groups) are owned by someone
and you don't have any rights to use them. Matter of fact, if you get caught,
you will be sued. (Content Providers take theft of their content quite
seriously.)

A little History... Several years ago, many of the large porn companies started
surfing the Internet for images that they owned rights to. When they found one
(or more) of their unauthorized images on a site they immediately issued a
lawsuit against the owners of the website for theft. As you can imagine, website
(and BBS) owners started stripping their sites of any illegal images. This
action left a huge void in their business that they weren't able to fill. The
question was left as to how to go about getting content that is legal for you to
use. That's when "brokering" started.

Brokers are companies (or individuals) who have the right to license content to
webmasters. They will sell you the ability to use certain content on your sites.
While some brokers own their own content, others represent 1 to 300+ different
photographers, all with an agreement of the photographer to represent their
work. Though intimidating, it can actually be quite easy and relatively painless
to get you the type of content that you will want and need for your site.

Now, whether you wish to purchase the rights to use content from either the
photographer or a broker, the system basically runs the same. The first thing
you need to do is FIND someone with the ability to sell you the content that you
want. (And trust me in that--it's not hard to find content brokers! :-)

If you're reading this, then you have already found Webmaster Boards. A great
resource for any Webmaster, new or old. Not only is it full of people in the
same business as you--sharing ideas and tricks of the trade, it's also full of
static information that you can access anytime. If you wish to find content,
look on this board and I can guarantee that there is a link to "Content
Providers" on here somewhere. Click it and your screen will be filled with
companies that can offer you nearly any type of niche that you can think of--and
some that you wouldn't. Or, type in "Adult Content Providers" in any search
engine and you will have plenty of choices.

Now, finding content providers was easy. Searching for your particular content
might not be so easy. I offer up a few suggestions below. 

For starters, grab your Rolodex (or whatever it is that you keep business
information in) and pick a site. Chances are pretty good that you will have to
register to see what a particular content provider has to offer. Many brokers
require you to register for a few reasons. Number one, to make sure that you're
not just a surfer looking for free images, and Number two, they hope to get our
address so that they can contact you at a later date with specials and/or
promotions. Whether you decide to give out this information is entirely personal
to you. Some Webmasters do, some refuse to--the choice is yours.

But, no matter if you've registered or not, I suggest writing down the website
address in your Rolodex (or "Content Provider List" that you're creating), your
username and password if needed, and then jot down some notes to yourself. Was
the site large or small? Did they offer a lot of content, or in some way were
distinct? Was the site easy to manipulate and surf through? Did it offer clear
descriptions of the title, price, samples, thumbnails, etc.? Did they have a
shopping cart? Is the credit card/personal information on a secure server? Were
you able to look at the license before you purchased the content, to make sure
that it was allowed to use in the way that you plan on using it?

Also note what type of payment will they accept? Major credit cards, company
checks, personal checks, cash? Most reputable content companies will have their
own merchant account and can accept credit cards. Though there are some
reputable producers that sell their own product and don't have the resources to
accept a credit card, I would suggest asking a lot of questions about the
legality of the content before you buy. Not to say that it will happen to you,
but there have been cases of unauthorized people selling content that they have
no rights to use. These are typically fly-by-night operations that are out for a
quick buck. Not everyone who accepts credit cards is honest, but not everyone
that's honest will be able to accept your plastic either.  Just watch your
transaction and if something doesn't feel right, don't do it.

If you're not sure of the legalities of their particular content, pick up the
phone and give them a call. Talk with them, ask them where they're located (if
it's not on the site), ask them about who produced the content you're interested
in, where that company is based, any questions concerning the license, etc. If
you talk with them and everything feels/seems right to you, then you will
probably be okay buying from them. If, however, they don't like answering your
questions, or if they give vague answers, you might want to think twice before
pulling out your credit card.

One of the other things that you should be aware of is the easy availability of
the U.S.C. 2257 information. The U.S.C. 2257 info. is the actual physical
address where a copy of all model ID's are kept. The government has stated that
"proof of age" must be provided to the authorities in the event that they
believe a model to be under the legal age. A separate and individual 2257 should
be provided for each Producing company selling content on the site.

One you've sorted through the sites that you've clicked on and made notes for
each individual provider, you have probably figured out a few that you liked
better than others. You can now go shopping for your first set of content
knowing that you've done your research.

Truth of the matter is, the rest is easy. You get to click on the titles, look
at the samples, find the "perfect" content for you use, and probably get
entertained a little too, seeing some of the creative content out there. All
that is left is to put your chosen items in your basket and check out. Since
each company works differently, I can't tell you how you will receive your
purchases; however you will most likely be sent an email(s) that will confirm
your order and give you detailed instructions on how to get your content.

And--that's it! :-) You now know how Licensing of images got started; you've
done your research and purchased your first set. Now--Go Make Your Millions!!
:-)

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