Card swipes? What do you mean?
What do you have into development so far? Who owns the company?
Did you budget more for affilliate payouts and marketing or development?
:)

Card swipes as in paid premium memberships. With the dating market the majority of paying membership is usually generated from the 25 - 34 and 35 - 54 age brackets, so reaching outside that is very positive. I was a little concerned the site design might skew a little too hip and alienate the 55+ crowd, but that has not been the case.

The company is a corporation, it's not owned by one person individually.

From the onset more funds were allocated to development but as each month goes by marketing spend increases and by the end of the year more money will have been spent on affiliate payouts, marketing and paid advertising.

Feels like that part in Casino, "Would you say that you're the Boss?"

http://i269.photobucket.com/albums/j...002/Casino.jpg

Let's just call me the Food and Beverage manager :1orglaugh

:1orglaugh:1orglaugh:1orglaugh

Let me flip these around- #12 than 11.

My Pop was the greatest. He was my father figure, he was the end all be all and I was the apple of his eye. :winkwink:

Pop was a hustler, a real sales guy. He was an entrepreneur, always working for himself and always hawking the next new thing. Anyways, I grew up in my grandparent's house and he was the center of my world. He was the reason I moved back from Washington State to FL. He beat lung cancer but wound up with COPD. At the end of Jan 2003 we took him to Vegas, where my uncle was liging at the time so he could go out in style.

We lost him 2 weeks later in Feb. It was a real good passing. As well those things can go. We were all there for him, it was in the house not in a hospital. It was hard, but I am very greatful for the circumstances.

I don't know if I will ever know the names and faces of all the players involved, but my uncle was killed a few months later, in May of that year, by two gang members in North Las Vegas.

It was a robbery / homicide plot. A girl called a female friend he was with and said her boyfriend had beat her and left her on the side of the road in a bad part of town, knowing the friend didn't have a car and my uncle would drive. When my uncle met the girl and unlocked the doors to let her in he was car jacked. The two gang members got in the car and at gunpoint had him drive to a remote location behind a shopping plaza, where they robbed him and killed him.

The plan was for the gang members to return to to girl and the other co-conspirators (non gang members) and turn over the car and the keys and they would go to his home and rob the house, but the gang members stiffed them and just kept the car, his cash and his cards for themselves.

Both gang members and the girl who made the call and said she was beaten are behind bars. There were other people involved but there isn't enough evidence to convict anyone else at this time. The major "action" players are locked up, the individual who came up with the scheme is not, and that burns pretty bad.

There have been some changes in Nevada State conspiracy laws that have allowed for appeals. On the bright side there has also been additional evidence uncovered so new charges have been filed and at present we're looking at a new death penalty trial set for October. The DA out there, Pesci, is really fucking good to me and Judge Bonaventure is a tough old bastard, I hope he hasn't retired. I'm sure he sucks from the other side of the table but when you want justice its a different story.

So that is that, 2003 was a shit a year, lost half my immediate family.

On a lighter note...

http://hphotos-snc3.fbcdn.net/hs619...._2837058_n.jpg

:thumbsup

tough chick ;)

Drink more post more :glugglug

i just woke up and dont remember what ahppened last night ... this is weird lol

:1orglaugh :1orglaugh...

I didn't know Greensboro was the place to live, LMAO! The last 2 interviews both have lived here.

is your ass sore? if so, we might be able to give you a few ideas about what happened.

nice glasses

Moar! Moar!

So far I've only been invited to speak panels for two shows, but hopefully that will change in the future (COUGH COUGH) :winkwink:. For Quebec Expo I spoke on a dating industry panel and Cybernet Expo had me for their online marketing panel and their show sponsor's panel the year they did it in Tampa. I've also been a talking head in both Xbiz and AVN Online a few times over the years.

I try to bring value to the panels I've been on and try to be open and honest and share knowledge about the subjects at hand. I don't just stick to talking points and I try not to use it as a platform strictly to promote my own product or service. I think just being on the panel is promo enough, and I know as an attendee I appreciate when other speakers do the same.

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I think this is from Xbiz, rocking my old hair.

One of my former employers had a 2 door benz, I want to say it was an sl500 I'm not sure and if he reads this and it was a nicer model- sorry dude. We always used to pull epic pranks on eachother, I don't even think this was the best I ever got him, but it was certainly the one that pissed him off the most, which I'm sure is why this is the prank still being talked about.

The interior of the car was very small, which is what made it such a perfect candidate to be filled with peanuts. I didn't do the actual dumping / filling of the car, but as the mastermind I was the one who's name was cursed every time peanuts came out from under the seats. Months later peanuts were still working their way out, attaching themselves to clothes, flying around when the top was down or spilling out into the parking lot when the door would be opened. :1orglaugh A good sense of humor is vital to a healthy work environment :thumbsup

LOL :1orglaugh I don't know if I ever really went any farther than anyone else.

There was a time though when I was getting threatening phone calls from Chris DeWolfe and Myspace "Tom". :1orglaugh I remember when Tom got on the phone for the first time I almost died laughing, I couldn't believe he was a real person. Up until that point I thought he was a ficticious personality.

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Sometimes at shows I get teased and called Mama Duck / Mother Hen because if I have a crew at an event I'm going non stop trying to make sure everything runs as smoothly as possible. I'm italian, I can't help it. Its like an instinct kicks in and I'm making sure everyone's getting along, is well fed and is staying out of trouble. Its not that I'm uptight or that I don't like to have fun, but shows are business functions too and my employees are my responsibility.

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I have a t-shirt line as a hobby. Steve from Ghost HUNTERS is a customer. I never really get to put alot of time into it, I just sell it retail primarily through Etsy and at local conventions / shows and I wholesale to a few vendors, just did a pretty big order to someone out in Japan.

http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1273/...735a969435.jpg http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4045/...37fd280e64.jpg

I think having a T-shirt line is kind of like trying to start a record label, it's one of those things you justhave to try your hand at and get out of your system.

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4015/...8b356fb707.jpg http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4061/...6e31030e9b.jpg

The kids line is my favorite thing, they don't sell as well as the adult shirts but I think if I put a little effort into it they would surpass them. Its just one of those things, I'm not unrealistic about it- I don't think the designs are the hottest out there., but they have a market and it could be a decent business for someone, it's just hard to dedicate time / resources to it when that same time and resources would make me several times the return putting it into my core business.

Shelly Crash is an anomaly in the adult industry---we've been doing business with her for years, and she is always prompt with returning icq's and emails, super friendly, attentive, honest and active in the business relationship. It's truly a pleasure to work with her, and if you haven't, you should. ;-)

Thanks so much, Andy! I appreciate that!

A worthless piece of paper :1orglaugh

http://www.lasallecomputer.com/index_images/ciwlogo.gif

When I was 20 my college started offering the "Certified Internet Webmaster" certificate program. I thought it would be a great way to build off what I had already taught myself. I am sure it has changed over the years, but based on my experience I was surprised to see it was still being offered. :1orglaugh

I'm glad I took real courses along side it, though I never got further into development having a basic knowledge has helped me out immensely when working with developers and designers, troubleshooting marketing tools and helping affiliates.

I think Shelly Crash, HBIC suits you better! :winkwink:

Hahaha that must have been so damm funny and I bet Old Tom dident find it amusing

Its not if you go into it with the right mindset.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v4...crash/rus1.jpg

In 2008, my year away from Eroticy, I worked in international dating ("Russian Brides).

I have found that if both parties go into it with the right frame of mind it's a pretty even arrangement. On one hand you have men seeking a partner that are generally more focused on looks and you have women that are willing to set aside looks in favor of financial stability. It's a trade off.

Things in the East are different than the West, women do out number men so it does flip the relationship dynamic we are accustomed to. It favors the market to paint things a little worse off than they actually are, but contrary to popular belief these women aren't selling their souls for greencards and jumping on the first fat american to come their way.

If someone is seriously interested and is realistic in their expectation it is a viable option. Realistically it is an expensive process to court, marry and immigrate a woman from the East to the West. If you aren't financially stable this process is not for you. Also always be mindful that these are REAL women, they have real emotions and are often underestimated- they are typically very well educated and have very clever minds.

These women aren't robots, they have free will. If you treat them like shit they will leave you just as any western woman would. They have emotional needs and seem to love and appreciate romance even more than westerners. A woman may accept your affections, gifts, and even meet for dinner a few times, but there are no guarantees, you can't "buy" them, if they're not interested they're not interested.

I think its unrealistic to expect women not to occasionally play men the same way men occasioanlly play women :winkwink: and if you go for a perfect 10 Russian Princess, you need to remember a princess is a princess no matter where you are in the world. :2 cents:

michelle, you've led an interesting life so far, with highs and lows. i can relate and appreciate.

:-)

Thanks Dyna mo- class act as always :)

Bump for the radness of Crash!

I think I'm going to go with the Captain's spelling because I like it best. Feonsay.

http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-..._7730774_n.jpg

Its a weird word anyway, I always feel out of character saying it, but like I was talking with someone about just the other day there's really no other word for it. Boyfriend is so casual, "sig other" isn't too bad but sounds kinda sterile, "Life partner" would be good, but since gay marriage is still such a big no no my gay and lez friends have kind of claimed that one... I think "other half" is probably the best way to say someone is the cheese to your maccaroni.

http://c3.ac-images.myspacecdn.com/i...2db8fd46fa.jpg

He knows exactly what goes on at shows, he's even attended 2 out of the last 3 with me. Some of you guys met him in Miami last year and he was also with me in Vegas this past January. He understands this is my job, plus I'm pretty low key at shows- I try to set up most of my meetings before hand and just crank through my schedule. It's not like I line people up poolside for free motorboats (although I'm sure it would do wonders for my exposure :1orglaugh).

I almost got myself into a bit ot a sticky spot my first convention, Internext Miami 2002. I had never been to a show before and I tried to over compensate and brought myself a wardrobe of a few power suits (cut me some slack, I was 21 and totally green to the entire thing). I guess my "business" look was somehow giving off a dominatrix vibe and someone I thought was talking about working out a deal with me was actually trying to get me to go back to his room to paddle his behind.

To be honest, hanging with you guys at shows, everyone has always been very respectful. There's a higher chance of someone crossing the line with me just going out to a bar or a club than at a convention.

Thank you lady, thank you very much. :thumbsup

Oh man, that was the best.

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That's how I roll..

http://www.melonfarmers.co.uk/images/loeircom.gif

Eircom is the leading broadband service provider for Ireland. In early 2000 they hired me to be the voice of their auto attendant.

I was on a conference call when I was still working with MCI / Worldcom and someone that had been on the call contacted the head of the division to see if they would lease me to voice their phone system.

It always struck me as strange that I was tapped to do that, especially being American.

It's a 50 million dollar question for anyone looking to launch any online community across the board. How / where do you achieve critical mass? You can't really open a dating site w/ no members, how do you get people to join.

There are a few ways you can go about this, the first and most publicly discussed is to start off as a free site, possibly also offering a "get in on the ground level" incentive. This isn't a bad way to go about it, but it is something that does take time and is time away from generating revenue.

The way we chose to build our base quickly and effectively was to buy databases from smaller dating sites that didn't quite make it (these sites aren't as few and far between as one might think with the growing popularity of out of the box dating software). We stuck to sites in the adult space so the profile content would match our service, and also make the service offering palatable for a successful migration. Employees scrubbed the imported photos and data to meet our community standards (one example would be as I've touched on in other threads proactively scanning for and removing images of frequently abused starlets), and simultaneously launched fresh inbound traffic campaigns with mailers sent to the imported users to instantly create an active community- new users interracting with migrated users.

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3132/...10a3704b_o.jpg

Searching through Flickr, pullin out house pics.... workin on #24

Could I offer a suggestion for Swurve? This same thing applies to other dating sites. You have an accurate geo-targetting script that says the name of their town - but the demographics of the locations are off from the profile pictures.

For example, looking at it through some of the most "diverse" cities like Baltimore or Houston (low white populations percentage-wise) the home page is full of all white girls / white guys. Anyone with a decent knowledge of their hometown would know they aren't real people in their location.

Just a thought! Great site.

Good feedback, Kush. I hear that. If you wanna hit me up on ICQ to discuss sometime that would be cool.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v4...crash/home.jpg

I live in Tampa Bay. I don't have a mansion, just modest digs.

Misc interior:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v4...sh/house-1.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v4...ash/house1.jpg

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3120/...99ecfdc4bd.jpg

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2696/...6042d803_o.jpg

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4063/...7d13a5a232.jpg

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2565/...f6e1a94af4.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v4...ash/house2.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v4...mebytiffsm.jpg

This was from November the year before last, all my stuff but staged for a photoshoot for a hair falls / extensions company

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3274/...caafd250_m.jpg

A pic I snuck while the shoot was going on

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3160/...396f99e9_o.jpg

The backyard, house sits on a natural lake. :thumbsup

I guess one of these days I should bust out the wide angle and get some good shots with the canon. I love living here, have the water in the back but also live less than 5 minutes to the gulf, about 15 / 20 mintues to the bay. Picked the property up in 2003, even after the market droped I still got in early enough to turn a small profit if I wanted to unload it under current conditions. That may change in the next few months, have to see what happens to prop values when the oil hits out beaches :(

were your panties around your ankles ? :Graucho

great interview Shelly!

awesome house!

Badass sofa :thumbsup

Thanks guys! Working on some more, just was having probs loading GFY for a bit there.

High School was pretty boring, I didn't have the good fortune of having any teachers that were particularly challenging or inspiring.

In middle school though I did have one awesome teacher that I think really shaped my personality. 6th grade was when I got moved from regular classes to the gifted program. Most of the kids in there had been in those classes all through elementary school, because I was coming into things later in the game they really questioned if I was truly "elite" enough to be there and because I was so unlike these other kids I started to question it myself.

I had a math teacher that paid enough attention to notice the dynamic in the classroom, and he really went out of his way to try to engage me and keep me in the group. One day he pulled me aside and laid things down to me. He told me that I had every right to be in that class and not only was I as smart as the egg heads in there, I was smarter. Looking back I don't know how ethical it was, but when I pushed back he actually showed me the state test scores.

Just one of those moments that I reflect back on from time to time, taught me to have more faith in myself and that as long as you know your shit fuck what anyone else thinks.

I caught up with him last year:

http://profile.ak.fbcdn.net/v230/172...66509_9741.jpg

He's a reverend now and an assistant principal at a very new and posh middle school near my current home (in middle school I lived in a rough area). I'm not even sure if he really remembered me or not, but he was happy to hear from me and it was cool reconnecing with someone who had a profound effect on me.

ShellyCrash has colorful tattoos on her skin.

That I do, Fatfoo, that I do :thumbsup

request sent :)

great story

I'll wrap this up today guys.

Thanks for hanging in there with me!

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3506/...974ba88a35.jpg

:thumbsup :thumbsup :thumbsup

I find I have the greatest respect (personally and professionally) for those who have triumphed under conditions of great adversity. I always pull for the underdog and I really love a good comeback story, right Sleazy :winkwink:

My mental picture the industry isn't really a totem pole, where some people are above and some below. I don't "look down" on anyone. If the past few years have taught us anything I think it would be that someone who seems on top today could easily be on the bottom tomorrow.

Market conditions and technology are constantly shifting and evolving, new opportunities open up and old ones close. Rather than seeing it as various companies and individuals jockying for position I see it like we're all floating on the ocean, riding the waves.

I feel that no matter what someone's position, profession, or status in the industry we all bring something of value to the table in the way of experience- sometimes that includes positive acheivements and accomplishments that inspire and sometimes that includes failures and mistakes that by sharing we can help others learn from and hopefully avoid. I know I have had both, and I think I'm the better for it.

Zero. I have a strict policy about not shitting where I eat.

Some people make it work, and more power to them, but even though I try to be open, honest and don't mind discussing and sharing my personal life at times with you guys I still in some respects try to keep my personal life and my professional life separate.