Whether it's a traffic trade that didn't materialize, a phone call or email that wasn't returned, a sponsor payout that was never received, or any of the million and one other things that we as adult Webmasters are promised – and expect – but never receive; being in this business for any length of time will make you well acquainted with that pesky, nagging emotion: "disappointment." The reason for this all too frequent (and all too frequently unnecessary) disappointment? Having to rely on others...
Let's face it; if we could do it all ourselves, we probably would. As the old saying goes, "If you want a job done right, you've got to do it yourself!" But the fact of the matter is that running a successful operation in today's market often takes the co-operation of a dedicated team; whether in-house, out-sourced, or simply "catch as catch can."
Depending on your situation, you may be fortunate enough to have a close-knit cadre of responsible, reliable, dedicated, and motivated associates on staff – folks that you can rely on when the chips are down and the pressure is on. Or, and much more likely, you are forced to make do with the best help you can attract – and afford. And if you're a one man (or woman) operation counting on the help that you might receive from other adult Webmasters that you've met on the industry message boards or through other networking channels, you might be in for a real surprise – especially if you consider that those who you're expecting help from are most likely in the same situation as yourself; similarly needy of real assistance, similarly short of time, and similarly overwhelmed...
In my own particular case, as the editor of an online publication that requires daily updates, my biggest problem involving disappointment when counting on others to do as they promised involves the actual delivery of articles for publication here at XBiz. Quite frankly, if I had a dollar for every article that I was promised but that never materialized, I wouldn't necessarily be all that much richer – but you'd be reading something else today!
So where does the problem lie? While it's easy to say "What do you expect in an industry full of unreliable scumbags?" The fact of the matter is that while we might have more 'scumbags' in our business than many other industry's need to contend with, we also have some of the nicest, most helpful individuals, as well as some of the best and brightest minds in the world working in our arena. In either case, these people are just that – people. People with emotions, and emotional issues. People "with better things to do" than jump at our beck and call. People who should know better than to promise what they can't (or won't) deliver...
At the end of the day, we can all do a better job of what's expected of us – unless we're simply unwilling to do so – in which case, we shouldn't be offering our help, promising what we can't (or won't) deliver, and raising expectations in others. Take care of yourselves, and deliver what you promise. ~ Stephen
