Webmaster's Corner

Interview with Wenchy

DFN: This week's interview is with Wenchy.

Lets get the real basic stuff first...
Wenchy My name is Wenchy, I'm 36, and I live in Colorado.

DFN: Why did you pick the nick, Wenchy?
Wenchy Wenchy is short for Cyberwench, which is the first domain I ever purchased. My partner at the time and I decided that "branding" was the way to go, so Wenchy was born.

DFN: How often do you try new building ideas, or using new sponsors?
Wenchy Not nearly as often as I'd like to! I work a "real" job and have recently joined the Adult Paymaster crew, so time is at a premium for me these days. I usually try for at least a new template pretty regularly, weekly, so, and new sponsors as the mood strikes me, or the need arises.

DFN: And how often do you build new sites?
Wenchy Daily when possible, every-other-daily at the outside. If I could just figure out a way to eliminate the need for sleep, I'd get SO much more done! heehee

DFN: We know you are always busy... about how many hours a week are you able to put into your business?
Wenchy On average I only have about 4 or 5 hours a day Monday through Friday, but weekends are slam time for me. I'd say probably 36 to 45 hours a week, give or take. Again, not as many as I'd like, but I'll take what I can get and I ALWAYS try to make the most of what time I do have :)

DFN: Do you do everything by hand? or do you use some scripts to automate your work?
Wenchy I do everything by hand... scripts just blow my mind, and I really don't have the time to learn them right now. Back when I was TGPing a lot, I did use a gallery builder/submitter, and I do use a form filler for submissions. Otherwise, it's all hand coding, hand submitting... hell; it's all by hand! :)

DFN: Do you have any tips for us on how you stay focused and organized working for yourself?
Wenchy Organization is an easy one. I'm a list person... "Today" lists, "To Do" lists, future site projects and ideas. I have notebooks and legal pads full of notes, lists, and thoughts, and I couldn't live without sticky notes! LOL I also use spreadsheets for keeping track of all my sites/pages and associated information, linking codes and site lists (both by sponsor and by niche), and a host of other things. I've also done a variation of the "Work Smarter, Not Harder" NPOW, which has turned out to be an awesome time saver and organization tool. I just recently reworked my business plan and goals, and having things organized will make it really easy for me to make those dreams a reality :)

Focus isn't quite as easy. In addition to the responsibilities of two jobs, I'm a single mom with a teenager. There are days when I get wrapped up in family stuff or "real life" happenings, and my adult business is always what suffers from those intrusions. It's getting better as my son gets older, but I still have those days! heehee

DFN: Can you touch on how and why you got involved into this industry, and how long you have been doing it?
Wenchy Ohhh.. True confession time, eh? LOL It all started when my former partner and I bought into one of those stupid pay site deals where they "give" you the pay site and you're supposed to make it fly. HAHAHA Oh boy, what a nightmare! About the same time, I took a stab at building my first site courtesy of my ISPs site-building tool. One look at the code told me this was something I HAD to learn... even though I knew nothing about HTML, I knew that code was screwed! So, I bought an HTML book and taught myself to code in about 24 hours. Within a couple of weeks, I bought my first batch of domains (three of them, I think) and tried my hand at an adult site. By this time, we had found a well-known webmaster resource site... we dumped the pay site thing (NOT easy... they tried to sue us!), and the rest, as they say, is history. just celebrated my fourth year in the industry in July 2002 :)

DFN: Can you give a brief background on your history in this business, and where do you see yourself in one year and several years from now?
Wenchy After getting my feet wet with site building, board posting, and other webmaster-related stuff, I landed the position of assistant editor for the now-defunct Netpond Chronicles. Eventually I became the Editor-In-Chief, and ultimately put in almost two years there. I also played a major role in the design and launch of YNOT News, which is still growing strong today. I've worked for or been associated with some big names and some not-so-big names in this business, and I've acquired a vast range of experience and talents in my four years as a webmaster... I love it!

Where do I see myself in a year? Hmmm... interesting question. Continuing to grow, I guess is the simple answer, and without a "real" job to bog me down. I have goals of X-number of sites and X-dollars in income for a year from now... ask me again in 12 months, and I'll let you know how things pan out ;)

Several years from now? Living on my own private mountain, of course! LOL Seriously though, there will be a lot of factors that play into my future in this business. I'll still be building and submitting and cashing my checks; the only difference will be that the checks will be bigger... and so will my house! I can't imagine not being in the adult industry... wonder if they'll let me have a laptop in the old-folks home? LOL

DFN: What area in terms of site building do you specialize in, if any?
Wenchy Hmmmm... I think I'm going to simplify things by saying that I specialize in anything that doesn't require the use of free content. We'll just leave it at that for now :)

DFN: What do you consider to be your strengths in this business?
Wenchy I'd have to say my communication and writing skills. We all know that networking is such a vital part of webmaster success, and I've spent a large part of my four-year tenure using those talents to my advantage. I'm also developing a decent degree of skill with traffic management and the SEs, although I don't expect to ever be an "SE expert", as I personally see that as impossible. Because of my feelings regarding free content, it has taken me awhile to find a place where I'm not giving away the farm yet I'm still able to make money. Non-traditional is a good word... yeah, that's it :)

DFN: What do you consider your 3 best niches?
Wenchy Let's see. I guess BDSM, Trannies, and... well, the third one kinda depends on what day it is. Overall, I'd have to pick Gay, although Fat, Mature, and Lesbos don't do too bad either :)

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?
Wenchy By far the best advice I was given was, "Take everything you hear with a grain of salt, and learn to think for yourself." At the time, it was not uncommon for people to tell newbies something deliberately to throw them off or get them to make a mistake. I can't even remember now who told me that, but Thanks, whoever you were! :)

If a newbie were to come to me and ask for my advice, I'd have to tell them first what I was told (I still think it's damned good advice!). After that I'd tell them to read, read, READ, and not to expect to make a million bucks overnight. I would take the time to explain that this is a business and, like anything else, takes time to grow, build, and become profitable, and that it will also take a lot of blood, sweat, tears, and sacrifice to really "make it" in the adult industry these days. If they were still around after that, I'd send 'em to the newbie tutorials for a quick jump-start :)

DFN: What do you think is the worst thing going on with future of our industry right now? ...and what is the best?
Wenchy Without hesitation, my answer is free content. We are the only industry I know that gives away the very thing we are trying to sell... pretty crazy when you think about it. Unfortunately, I don't see this little problem going away anytime soon either. I also see problems with CC processors and the US government as potentially huge issues in the next few years.

I've been encouraged of late at the attempts by many to decrease the amount of free content available on the Net. IMO, we seriously need to strive for zero free content, but we've got time yet heehee. I also see the push toward PDA compatibility and the shift in focus to more webmaster-friendly sites as definite positives with plenty of room for growth and more widespread acceptance.

DFN: Do you have any additional insight you would like to share about being an adult webmaster?
Wenchy It takes a special kind of person to be an adult webmaster... not just anybody can do it. There are so many outside factors that can affect and/or influence your business. Your #1 priority has to be you and what you want to accomplish. It has taken me a very long time to convince my friends and family that my sites are NOT just a hobby, but are rather my future and my son's college education... it's a JOB, different from other jobs in many ways, but the basics are the same.

Stay organized, stay focused, and be prepared to roll with the changes. Be prepared to try new things and boldly go places you never thought you'd go... always keep an open mind! Most importantly, remember that the only "face" people see is in the form of your posts, so always be cognizant of making a good impression and keeping your professionalism forward at all times. Okay, lecture over LOL

DFN: And finally... do you have a URL you want to plug?
Wenchy Adult Paymaster