Webmaster's Corner

Interview with Kathy

DFN: This week's interview is with Kathy.

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

DFN: How often do you try new building ideas, or using new sponsors?
Kathy I try out new sponsors regularly. I try to find sites that offer the surfers something unique in their product like exclusive content, or a fresh approach. I also like sponsor sites that have positioned their products with some more thought than declaring each site as '#1 on the net for (insert niche)'. I use a mix of recurring and per signup, but I like recurring the best of course :)

DFN: And how often do you build new sites?
Kathy Not as often as I'd like to - I try to build something every day, but I also have some mainstream projects that I'm involved in at the moment as well.

DFN: Do you do everything by hand? or do you use some scripts to automate your work?
Kathy I build my html pages by hand - I didn't at first, sadly I was a FrontPage victim. As for scripts, I have one that I use for TGP submitting and that makes life a bit easier.

DFN: Do you have any tips for us on how you stay focused and organized working for yourself?
Kathy I keep records of what I've submitted, to where, and when I submitted them, and I think it's important to get yourself into a routine that you follow. As far as I am concerned, once I'm sitting at my desk I am 'at work' not 'at home playing with my computer'. I set myself sales targets and work to achieve those - that keeps me focussed :)

DFN: Can you touch on how and why you got involved into this industry, and how long you have been doing it?
Kathy Going on for three years ago I finished a university course because I wanted a career change. During my course I'd studied the internet in relation to the changes it was/and would be bringing to the face of traditional business.

I'd also studied marketing and I loved it! When I completed my degree I went for a few job interviews, but none of them was really want I was wanting to do, and they all entailed very long working hours at an office somewhere or other. So, I decided not to go down that track as I wanted flexible working arrangements, and also I very much wanted to work for myself.

From there I started hunting around on the internet, looking for inspiration... found a really seedy adult shop site and thought I could make something more appealing than that, and off I went. Of course, I had no idea what I was doing, and in hindsight it was a bad idea at the time, but it gave me a starting point.

Then one day I found Voltar and his cohorts. It was from that time onwards that I started to make some forward progress albeit very slow initially! LOL!

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?
Kathy I think I pretty much covered the background part; where do I see myself in one year? Working hard! Hopefully earning plenty of dollars :)

Several years from now? hmmmm.. long term goal planning - I should get around to doing that :) Seriously though, I do have a couple of projects that will keep me super busy until the end of next year - by then I should have a clearer idea of my long term plans.

DFN: What area in terms of site building do you specialize in, if any?
Kathy I build more TGP galleries than anything else - quick and easy :) But I recycle the galleries and submit things to top lists and the like.

DFN: What do you consider to be your strengths in this business?
Kathy Ack! It's really un-Australian to tell people how good you are! :)) I probably say though that I'm willing to have a go at something if I think it will work, and also that I enjoy trying out new ideas.

DFN: What do you consider your 3 best niches?
Kathy Mature, Facial, Lesbian.

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?
Kathy The best advice I was given was to dump Front Page and learn html - Thanks Old Tom and Voltar :) heh Also to keep building and submitting.

For a newbie just starting out these days?

1. Get into a regular routine of building and submitting.
   
2. Get out and meet other webmasters when you have the opportunity - you never know what might come about as a result.
   
3. Make sure that you don't hurt your reputation - this is a business and you need to treat it as such. It's pretty simple to do the right thing.
   
4. Try new ideas, sponsors, etc until you find something that is working for you.
   
5. Don't get discouraged, it's hard at first! Each day is a new day, each sales page a new page.

DFN: And finally... do you have a URL you want to plug?
Kathy Just Free Sex Topsites