Webmaster's Corner

Interview with LadyB

DFN: This week's interview is with LadyB, site reviewer extraordinaire and Vice President of the VNWR Newbie Webmaster Board.

Lets get the real basic stuff first...
LadyB My name is LadyB, I'm 30something, and I live in Mississippi.

DFN: Why did you pick the nick, LadyB?
LadyB Well, before getting into this business, the online nick I used was actually Lady Bowler. I was really into the sport at the time, bowling in 5 - 6 leagues a week and traveling alot to different tournaments, so the name seemed appropriate. Once I got into this business however, I simply shortened it to LadyB.

DFN: How often do you try new building ideas, or using new sponsors?
LadyB I try to do this every single day! Time constraints lately don't always allow it though. Our business is ever changing, and I think it's extremely important to be constantly trying new things and thinking up fresh ways to market our product.

DFN: And how often do you build new sites?
LadyB Every day!

DFN: We know you are always buried in work... about how many hours a week are you able to put into your business?
LadyB It varies of course, but I'd have to say around 60 hours a week.

DFN: Do you do everything by hand? or do you use some scripts to automate your work?
LadyB I am what I call "technically challenged". Scripts and other terribly complicated (even if only in my mind) things tend to send me into a slight panic, so I do most everything by hand. I am getting better though! Hmmm.. I wonder if there's a technical term for having a phobia of scripts?!

DFN: Do you have any tips for us on how you stay focused and organized working for yourself?
LadyB I think that this is different for each of us, and we simply need to find what works best for us personally. Organization is extremely important! A well organized webmaster can get things done in a fraction of the time as a poorly organized one, and we all know that time is money!

DFN: Can you touch on how and why you got involved into this industry, and how long you have been doing it?
LadyB I started in this business in December, 1999. At that time, a former friend, (aka: deadbeat ex-partner), mentioned to me a few times that he'd like to build an adult site, but that he had no clue as to how to go about building web pages. I, of course, had never even surfed an adult site before (was I ever shocked! lol), and I had absolutely no clue as to how to build web pages either, but I agreed to try to help him anyway.

I was so totally clueless that I had no idea that the program on my computer called "Front Page" was actually a program that you could use to build web pages, (thank god for small favors!), and most of my time was spent struggling to learn HTML. The first few pages (because you really can't call them sites) that I built were nothing but banner farms, but I was so proud of them because I was actually making pages and they were actually being displayed on the web! This would be very cool if I could just figure out how to make money with this!

I was very fortunate in that I found Voltar within the first month!

DFN: Where do you see yourself in one year and several years from now?
LadyB After finding Voltar's board, I lurked there for a couple of months before ever getting up the nerve to actually make a post and say hello. I spent countless hours there pouring over every little bit of information that I could get my hands on, while still struggling to learn HTML on my own. 20 - 22 hour work days became the norm for me, while my former partner did very little.

Sadly enough, his idea of a partnership was me doing all of the work and him getting half the money. After 6 months of this I had had enough and ended the partnership. He was angry of course, and tried to take all of the sites that I had built away from me. He could do this because all of our domains were in his name, (Live and Learn!). In the end, he ended up getting most of everything I had built up until that time. This was a very difficult time for me. I had a very hard time accepting the fact that I had worked so hard for 6 solid months trying to build up a business and now I was practically having to start all over.

At this point I almost walked away from the business completely, and I probably would have if not for Voltar and TechChick. They were the only two that I had confided in about what had happened and both talked to me and made me realize that yeah, what happened sucked, but that I could still succeed in this business despite this setback. And for this, I will always be eternally greatful to them both.

I started over. My determination to succeed stronger than ever, and I have never looked back! I continued to learn and help others on Voltar's board, and about a year later I was named an official there by the owners. And today I continue to learn and help others everyday as an official at VNWR.

Where do I see myself one year from now? I see myself continuing to learn and help others. Living in a brand new home that's currently being built, and having fun with my kids!

Where do I see myself several years from now? Continuing to learn and help others.. from a laptop on an exotic beach!

DFN: What area in terms of site building do you specialize in, if any?
LadyB All of the above!

DFN: What do you consider to be your strengths in this business?
LadyB Hmmm.. well I'd have to say that one of my strengths is having an open mind. Realizing that there isn't any one set way of doing things. As I stated earlier, our business is ever changing. Having an open mind and being adaptable are a must. If it works for you, then by all means do it and do it big!

DFN: What do you consider your 3 best niches?
LadyB That's a tough one!

DFN: What is the best advice you were given when you were first getting started in this industry and what advice could you give a newbie just starting out these days?
LadyB Hmm.. another tough one, I was given so much absolutely great advice and help as a newbie that's it's very hard to say what was the very best.

My best advice to anyone just starting out:
1. Always remember that first and foremost this is a business.

2. Network and build a good reputation for yourself. Whether it be posting on the boards, chatting with other webmasters by icq, by email, phonecalls, etc..

3. Be trustworthy!!! This is extremely important when relying on traffic sources such as link sites, tgps, etc... Make it so that when those reviewers see your name they'll know almost instantly that you can be trusted never to cheat, redirect, or what have you. Build that reputation of honesty and trust and it will serve you very well for a long time to come!

DFN: What do you think is the worst thing going on with future of our industry right now? ...and what is the best?
LadyB My answer to this would probably be of a political nature, so I'll kindly refrain from answering! :)

DFN: And finally... do you have a URL you want to plug?
LadyB Sinful Porn Links