Quote:
Originally Posted by jscott
I never knew who she is til just now.
Holy crap, 30yrs in the biz!
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And you call yourself a leg/stockings man - Jeez
I read on
www.beerandbollocks.com that she was retiring from modelling. Her site will continue. If I read it correctly there are still a lot of updates in the can (300 +) for updates. I know the guy who runs the site really well. He lives here in Tenerife so I will give him a call and meet up for a beer.
Sonia has been "retiring" for quite a while, so that one comes as no surprise. It takes courage in some ways to call it a day but it comes to us all. Astrid retired nearly two years ago but even now, when times get tough, she threatens to pull on her stockings again and crank out a couple of sets. But the end is the end.
There are two ways of looking at this. Is it a great opportunity for someone, some new model, or are we saying the market has gone and no one wants to see stockings pics anymore?
I believe the market is there as strong as ever. Jan's new site proves that to me. It's growing monthly and still seems to have a way to go. OK we may have to go about our business differently but there are still thousands of guys (and gals) out there that will pay for stockings and pantyhose material. The bigger problem is that there are no new sites coming through (solo) that are either any good or run "professionally". When we started back in the day (12 years ago), we were amateurs but times were much easier. We learnt quickly and made some good money given the limitations we had (glamour not porn and Astrid hated video).
Nowadays amateur newbies come and go quickly because they don't see the returns that we used to. Hosting, and especially billing costs, quickly become a burden when the revenue isn't there.
The demise of the affiliate system is a big blow. A big blow. It used to be the powerhouse of growth and revenues. But greedy affiliates with stupid rules killed it. They forced site owners to undermine them by looking for their own sources of traffic instead of working with sponsors for mutual benefit. If you continually beat people with a big stick and create rules that are stupid they will eventually fight back. The steam rotators, trade scripts, skimming and circle jerking have pissed off the surfers. They have killed the goose that laid the golden egg - for themselves and their sponsors.
Instead of playing the big "I am" or constantly moaning about how bad things are we need to be working more closely together, sharing numbers, discussing ideas, what works or doesn't. In personal management/development it is constantly said that you need to surround yourself with the right people, mentors, peers, thinkers. Most of us work in a totally isolated world, and our only access to knowledge is via forums like this one (one of THE best), but most forums are full of bullshitters or ego maniacs looking for who they can totally belittle next. They are, in the main, not good environments to learn in - especially if you don't have the skin of an armadillo!
Rant over