I stood on the lobby balcony of the Roosevelt Hotel and asked the following question:
“Who in this room will benefit from the creation of a .xxx domain?”
Silence.
“I know I will,” I continued. “I’m going to make a billion dollars.”
This loosened people up a little. There’s nothing that inspires webmasters more than a gauntlet being thrown down and, since I made my statement via my Blackberry on a messageboard, everyone responded immediately.
“I will you jackass (emoticon with middle finger up),” someone said.
“I have more traffic than Jesus you jackass (emoticon of figure humping another figure),” cried another, brandishing a weapon in his signature.
“Your so OWNED LOLROTFLMAOGAPE you jackass (emoticon of an animated .gif being swallowed by a SQL server),” declared another, adding “I can get your credit rating slashed.”
“I will,” said the ghost of Marilyn Monroe.
In a nutshell, foes of the proposed .xxx domain extension feel that such a classification will not only ghettoize adult content but also make it easier for that part of the web to be shut down for trumped up reasons, like bird flu. Furthermore, they feel that children will not be protected from porn by .xxx, as proponents – chief among them a British citizen named Stuart Lawley – suggest. Finally, detractors wonder who in the adult business might financially benefit from a portion of each .xxx domain sold by Lawley’s ICM Registry.
AVN has withdrawn its support for .xxx and so, to a lesser degree, has XBiz. Lawley will be a featured speaker at XBiz’ Forum today.
Other sites have much more background on this latest battle for porn’s soul, filled with name-calling and smugness. People are shocked – shocked – by the idea that money might be going into someone else’s pocket over this issue.
As I learned in prison, anyone who takes a little cash on the side might also sell a brother out (full disclosure: I was the shabbas goy at a reformed women’s detention center, providing conjugal visits for single felons for a small corkage fee).
I cannot stand behind the ICM registry because it uses photos licensed from some stock image outlet to represent its employees.
Very few porn stars attended last night’s party; it was mostly Internet types, and I recognized very few of them. Three people from gay company NakedSword – two men and a woman – shared a bathroom stall next to me and weren’t quiet about it.
“Parade your freakish sexuality somewhere else!” I exclaimed, absently stuffing a midget into a hooker’s ass.
I saw Casey Parker when I’d had a few drinks in me. It would have even been nice sober. I like that Casey Parker. I hope she moves away from the San Fernando Valley and stars in a nude frolic movie called Casey Parker Goes to Puerto Rico being released next month.
“This is me trying to be sexy,” she said.
“You’re sexy no matter what,” I said, pulling a midget out of her ass.
I encountered the British Martina Warren, right, married to a Dubliner with the first name of Warren.
“I took his first name for my last name,” she explained.
“Go parade your freakish sexu – ! Oh forget it.”
Warren was with Nikki Kane, whose website states she is 19. There’s a chance she’s older. Both were pleasant.
Because I am a chameleon, I began to adapt to my new surroundings. I am not really used to the Internet side of the porn industry which, despite XBiz’ efforts in the video arena, was much more in evidence at last night’s party. So I took a picture of Internet Superstar Halcyon Styn and Mr. Skin‘s marketing genius, Derek Meklir. Note that I identified them in the party photos.
The vibe was different from AVN parties. I got no blowjob in the bathroom but I did get a couple of offers of competitive revshares. It’s a tossup. The industry is changing.
Previously: Gram Ponante steps up viral marketing; The X(Biz) Files: FBI to address porners; XFanz porns burlesque; XBizVideo launch party: Classy, non-violent
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