I think that the answer lies in not telling anyone person everything that you know. Give out the knowledge in chunks or shares. Spread those shares out as thin as you can afford to do it and still get the results you need. Empower those with shares to be autonomous. But independent only within the sphere of shares that they own. When they are independent and efficient they will be an asset, freeing you to move further ahead, leaving your competition further behind.

And trying to move ahead is how I got into adult video production in the first place. Always moving forward with new ideas, machines or processes. For example, I got my man Vic a new Dell with a hardware MPEG2 encoder. If you are going to work with video, you need an MPEG2 encoder. But 6 months ago the Sigma Designs card was 700 bucks. Did you know that today you can buy a Dazzle MPEG2 hardware encoder for under 300? I have no interest in this Dazzle company but I bought their encoder card based on sheer curiosity. Holy Cow, at 299 dollars that breaks new ground. Imagine, now you can now create broadcast quality video right from your desktop for fewer than 300 bucks. Whhhoooaaa, what will be next?

I tried the card out and it works pretty well. I had it installed in a brand spanking new Dell box with a 1.3 Pentium. The thing rocks. Not crazy about Windows ME. Microsoft actually had the balls to put pup ups in the Windows applications. They have completely clobbered the viewer’s experience. Congrats Microsoft and their benevolent leader the great Mr. Bill Gates.

The hardware comes bundled with some software that is fine for the video-editing virgin but, if you are going to use it as a production tool you would be better off using my little favorite TMPGE. The capture software works excellent and you can download from the camera either by Firewire of using the serial ports. I choose to use the serial ports because I got more consistent results that way. You have to play around with a few extra wires but I think it is worth it. Editing was a snap and the 1.3mhz chip really moves. I was zipping back and forth from the beginning to the end of a 10-minute MPEG2 video with ease, something that my other 700mhz rendering workstation does not like to do so well.

Oh, while I got your attention Mr. Gates I would like to tell you that your new Microsoft Advanced Server 2000 SUCKS! I wanted SoBeGirl to build an FTP server out of nothing so that she could distribute content via FTP right under the hypocritical noses of some of the more conservative governments. What a fucking lesson that was. Lesson #1 – Don’t use Windows to build an FTP server - get Linux. Deal with the command line interface if you have to. It will be easier than trying to navigate through the myriad of controls in Windows Advanced Server 2000. Most of the commands for Linux can be found in the MAN help pages. Need help? Go there, it will be worth the few extra minutes you spend. And if you need more help get in touch with my man Jerry. He is always happy to lend a helping hand. Just can’t lend a leg because he only has one.

Finally, I do not see the slow down everybody is crying about in our industry. SoBeGirl has not felt it and I think that all of you should see this as a good sign. Perhaps there is a lot of competition in the paysite end of the Adult Online biz but competition is nothing new. Innovation is the hallmark of strength and creating new ways to do things is what America does best.

They have the speed and they want video. It is becoming apparent today that to get conversions you have to serve up a lot of video. More video than even SoBeGirl can provide. That seems to be the question I get from most new large buyers. Do you have more? Can you tell me where I can get more? The Demand seems to be insatiable. And I assume that as prices for the technology to make video comes down, more and more people will jump into my niche and help to fill that lack of supply. And as always I will be willing to help with advice on hardware and software solutions to any newbie that simply asks.

They say every drug has a delivery system. A mechanism or device used to introduce the substance to the organism. Smoke pot and it could be the pipe. Crazy enough to do heroin and it might be the needle. Like EX? Pop those pills. Want porn? It used to be the magazine or the VHS tape. Today it is the computer. It is more convenient, quick and offers a wider range of content types all at the tips of our fingers.

I have no doubt that the delivery of Adult Video across the Internet will be the bellwether of our industry in the very near future. And just as important is the 21-year-old kid with the bad ass computer in his bedroom, making 1500 a week building preview pages and driving traffic. I deal with the newbie geek - all the way up to some of the biggest players in our industry. I ask every one of my customers what they do and how they do it. I know who is successful and who is not. What works and what is a waste of time.

As a content provider I get to see the business at all levels and then plan on where I want to go. I am always impressed at the hours that anybody who is successful in this biz has to work. Across the board we all are working hard, and most of us are doing pretty well. We hear a lot about the struggling, how hard it is to make money and it is impossible for a new guy/gal to get into the business. I am here to tell you that is hogwash. I have many buyers who are just that. All they may do is drive traffic somewhere, to some program. They make way more than they would at Burger King and they are learning about technology and the Internet at the same time. Today they are in the Adult online biz tomorrow maybe they work for IBM.

So if you want positive spin on the state of affairs of the Adult Online biz ask SoBeGirl. Competition is nothing new - challenges abound. The hours and hours of hard work never end. But we are some of the luckiest people around. We apply the latest in technology to one of the oldest industries know to man. We make our living in such an innovative way because we have realized something that the masses have not and we were not afraid to act on it. And this unique insight makes us special, a little different, a little better than our other mainstream technology counterparts. It is one of the reasons why our conventions are so intimate and fun. So when you see me on the boards or at a convention, please introduce yourself. Because even though we have never met, we have so many things in common that we are already friends.