by oceania

Are you thinking about becoming an adult web master?

Does the idea of being surrounded by pictures of beautiful naked people doing outrageous things and making money from it sound deliciously easy?

Does capitalizing on the Saturday Night dateless, college co-eds, businessfolks with time to spare, and bored homemakers screaming for their safe sex fix sound like shooting fish in a barrel?

Yes, it's true that men and women are flocking to the adult sites, drawn to the promises of outrageous sex, never-ending lust, and cream-me thrills. It's safe sex in numbers. And the numbers are plentiful.

Thousands of webmasters on the Ynot chat board, AVS, and credit card billing services have figured it out; adult web-mastering can be a very lucrative business.

And although it is big business, it is not just for big business. The fact is that any Joe or Jill with a bit of money, a good eye, time for hard work, patience, and access to content (lots and lots and lots of content) can make a very good living.

Where do you get legal content, a hosting service, a merchant account, and credit card processing? Who can you trust, and how do you make your way through the maze of information and advertisements?

Well you can start by checking out web sites that offer adult turnkey sites. The offerings from turnkey site developers can be as simple as offering content but no design, or design and content but no hosting; but they extend as far as ready-to-operate turnkey sites with the full gambit of design, content, credit card processing, and hosting.

The beauty of turnkey web sites is that someone else does all the ground work, and you pick up and run with the finished product.

Okay, now that you have the idea, here is a brief introduction to three such providers.

CV Productions, famous for their series of SouthBeach photo CD's, now offers turnkey sites. CV's president Paul Howser is a great guy, honest, and not afraid to share what he knows. And he knows everyone! Paul, the ultimate salesman, has put CV Productions, a 2-year provider of adult content, on the have-to-know, have-to-have list of major players.

This is clean deal with no re-occurring fees or monthly obligations. CV Productions turnkey sites offer your very own domain name -- through Network Solutions -- a complete front (tour) and back end (members section), design, html coding, and a join page.

CV Productions site designs are hot and on the cutting edge, demanding to be seen. Their photo content is the same, hot and cutting edge straight, gay, and fetish images photographed at glossy-magazine quality.

And here is an exclusive scoop: This idea is so new it is not offered anywhere else. CV Productions is offering, to your custom made site, tour exclusive (just for your site, not seen anywhere else) photographs. So your front page -- your first impression -- and everything about your site tour will be one of a kind. Kudos Paul!

Okay well that's nice, you say, but what if I need more help? What if I can't make heads or tales out of credit card processing, or what if I can't find a hosting service; where do I go then? Perhaps Webdream is the answer to your prayers.

Lex van Arem's Webdream has been in the business of turnkey sites for 3 years. I met Lex at the ia2000 convention in Orlando last year and was impressed with the way he easily mixed a warm smile with a business attitude. His goal then -- as now -- was to be viewed as a forward-thinking solutions provider, not simply a content provider.

Content providers have their place, but for the inexperienced webmaster, van Arem noted, "if they have a bad hosting service or bad c[redit] c[ard] processing service, it may be way too late before they know enough to do anything about it."

Adult web sites are big business, fiercely competitive, and growing everyday. Webdream runs their operation just that way, with 40 full-time professionals dedicated to the delivery and support of their products and services.

Webdream's services range from design to development, from licensed content to hosting, from credit card processing to maintenance and support. Webdreams is one of the few turnkey site providers that give you the full package neatly tied in a bow. All you have to do is register a domain name, sign the check, and start generating profits.

Okay, but this is a little more than I can afford. I can't afford the full boat, but I want it all. Who can I call? AdultTurnkey is just a click away.

AdultTurnKey has designed hundreds of adult and non-adult sites. They have, in stock, many more adult sites with registered domain names just waiting for you. They offer the full gambit of custom design, licensed content, 24/7 webhosting, and website maintenance. Plus, Peter at AdultTurnKey tells me they offer complete e-commerce service with their revenue-split program. What this means to you is simple -- you don't have to worry about charge backs and stolen credit card numbers, or about hosting or maintance. All you have to do is bring the people in and take your cut of the action. For the truly inexperienced webmaster this may be the best way to go.

Now, just a little warning before you put scorch marks on that hard earned cash to pop your turnkey site out of inventory and into service. The adult web site world is hotly competitive, and success isn't guaranteed to anyone. Turnkey sites solve a lot of technical issues, but you still have to understand the business, figure out how to make your site a success, and be sure you really have the spare time and money to operate the site. Do what you'd do with any other business idea -- ask about everything you don't understand, ask for and check out references on all your critical suppliers, and take a good hard look at what your competition is doing right and wrong. Then decide whether a turnkey site is right for you.

CV Productions, Webdream and AdultTurnkey are three of the many turnkey adult website providers. Check out next month's column in Cleansheets for information on content providers.