Continuing my series on the recent VISA / MC announcements and the varied effects they would have on the Adult Webmaster Community, I thought it would be a good idea to take a look at some of the many remarks that my fellow Cosmic Village members had to say:
In response to a rant demanding that Webmasters Unite and take action against VISA with calls to the FTC, the Better Business Bureau and to our Senators, etc., pornodoggy had this to say: "Do you realize how small an effect the complete cessation of all adult business would have on VISA? Do you have any idea how inconsequential [it] is to them? I am not saying this is a good thing – it isn't. I am saying that I doubt very seriously that there is a friggin' thing we can do about it. I really like the idea of complaining to your Senator: ‘Hello, I'd like to speak to Senator Lott. Yes, I am a constituent, and I'm a pornographer …’"
NOPETER10 had an interesting observation: [Boycotting VISA / MC] "Might not have very much effect on VISA and MasterCard, but you can have a hell of an effect on third party billing companies - and they are not trying to fight for you - their only interest is their bottom line.... Maybe we should all go to the new prepaid Cards, which have their own drawbacks, but a message can be sent to the CC companies and 3rd party billing companies."
I have to at this point say that pornodoggy hit the nail on the head with his Bob Dylan parody: "The answer, my friend is PISSING in the wind ..." And that pretty much sums up how I personally feel about the efficacy of any attempt to ‘unite’ and take a stand against this ‘outrage.’ While I have always been "newbie friendly" and have devoted much of my career in the adult business to helping others succeed, I really have to boil this problem down to its lowest common denominator. Regarding this issue, there are two basic categories of Webmasters: those who can afford to pay the $750 fee and / or adjust their business plans to mitigate any negative impact, and move on with their business – and those ‘inconsequential players’ who have neither the capital required to finance their business, nor the desire and determination to seek out an alternative revenue stream and ‘keep plugging away’ at achieving the success that so many others enjoy.
Why any "Webmaster" would rather piss and moan about their troubles and how ‘evil’ VISA is rather than find and implement one of the many available solutions is beyond me. Seriously, I’ll be running a whole slew of ‘alternative revenue source’ articles here at XBiz (see my current PayPal series for starters) over the next few months to help you out - put your energy into reading these articles and trying out the various options that I will be presenting!
In this light, I had to wholeheartedly agree with TheMarketingGuy’s typical words of wisdom: "Three things to remember:
1. VISA will remain in business & retain their market position without the income generated by the Online Adult Industry... It doesn't work the other way around.
2. It's in every business owners best interest to focus on their bottom line first... Then attempt to 'spin' it as best they can in order to justify their decision. No business is 'fighting for you', they are positioning themselves in what they believe will have the greatest potential for profit.
3. You should be in business to increase your bottom line, not send messages. Boycotts of CC processors (especially VISA) will never work because the only ones who will support you are other Webmasters - and they aren't the ones joining your sites. If you're looking for a ground-swell of public support/outcry over big-bad Corporate America stepping on the 'little guy', you've chosen the wrong Industry to operate a business in.
Remove VISA and you remove income generated by the Industry. Remove income generated by the Industry and you remove what little influence the Industry has on any decision making process. If you're looking for a ground-swell of public support/outcry over big-bad Corporate America stepping on the 'little guy', you've chosen the wrong Industry to operate a business in.
What VISA's done doesn't even begin to equate to 'playing hardball', but you guys go ahead and try to 'force' them to reconsider their decision. I'm sure they'll get a good (last) laugh out of it."
Finally, Str8guy (as usual) was straight to the point: "Why are you "players" worried about what equates to 2-3 signups a month, in a move that should help clean up the industry as a whole? If this gets the riff-raff out, more power to them, it's about time."
It’s clear that different folks have different opinions regarding the impact, severity, and desirability of these changes, but one thing remains constant in our evolving marketplace: whatever your opinion may be, you will always find a place to share it at XBiz’ Cosmic Village! Stop by and share YOUR thoughts today!
You can find MANY more thoughts about this subject by clicking on the link below, where you will find some fascinating takes on this topic of heated debate - but don’t spend too much time ‘pissing in the wind,’ you’ve got a business plan to update! ~ Stephen