Have times REALLY changed?
 

There is alot of discussion about how "times have changed". Money is tighter now, surfers are smarter, and the industry is more "Dog eat Dog" than ever. After all, you have to keep up with your competitors! If they are willing to ignore common sense and rules of ethics and morality, then they have an edge, right? But is it really true?

After 10 years, I've seen lots of companies come and go. But the ones that have made the MOST MONEY, and are STILL ACTIVE, are the ones with a long term perspective and an honest approach.

To me, when I see a competitor doing something unethical or dishonest, it tells me that they are DESPERATE AND ON THE VERGE OF DIEING. Everyone is as honest as their bank account allows. Instead of following the "Can't beat them, join em" motto, rest assured in the fact that YOU ARE WINNING. Let them try to sleep well or look themselves in the mirror KNOWING THEY ARE RIPPING PEOPLE OFF. Karma will have its day, it is inevitable.

History ALWAYS repeats iteself. GREED and DESPERATION are always followed by FAILURE and COLLAPSE. Time will sort the winners and the losers. "Give someone enough rope and they will hang themselves." No one can ever tell me that lieing, cheating, or stealing is the correct way to run a business. If you need money badly enough to steal it, or assist someone else to steal it, then I feel sorry for you, but maybe this industry isn't the right one for you? There is plenty of money to be made in this business by running honestly and ethically. If you can't figure out how to do it, then get out and stop fucking things up for everyone else.

If you agree, then support the companies you know are fighting the good fight, and don't give in to the pressure.

Steve Lightspeed

and this is regarding wicht post??
In the end its all about the green.

It is rather unfortunate those guys always take a few good people down with them on the way out. The constant tightening and changes in regulations are put in place to stop only a few people but everyone else gets affected and penalized so unfortunately, as corny as it may sound, we are all one because what one does affects all.

Siiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiigh!

xoxo
Leslie

You speak the truth, Mr. Lightspeed.

Yes. We need a good/bad list. :2 cents:

i blame tubessssss

tubes are killing the industry and making the file sharing owners rich

Unfortunately I have to disagree. I think the empirical evidence suggests there's no such magic as "karma", and the lesson I take from observing humanity is that corruption usually wins. That doesn't mean you can't lead a successful AND ethical life, but those who are best at playing dirty will inevitably end up with more wealth and power, relatively speaking. Pointing to some examples of the stupid or unlucky who got what they deserved doesn't disprove the trend; often it just means they met someone meaner.

This will turn into a tube thread right ;)?

I think the founders of The pirate bay disagree with you. That is only the beginning :)

Roman Empire. :2 cents:

This finished like an obvious PR campaign for your Program, but I go along with what you say, in terms of an ethical stance.

However, the people that run the tubes will know when to bail on the business model they are rorting for their life right now. When the legal heat gets too much, and they will inevitably be closed down, they wont give a shit. They will have made enough money already. It probably only takes a few months as a Top 10 most visited tube site on the planet, to set the average person up for life.

Btw, how's the stand up routine going? Your last performance was funny as fuck.

Me too...

Hail Ceasar:thumbsup

... was overtaken by an even more corrupt system ...

But it didn't stop the previous corrupt operators from having their women raped and cities pillaged did it?....It didn't stop the fact that there were some bright times even within a corrupt system, (Ceasar Augustus)....

But in the end, you're gonna get yours PERSONALLY....

The biggest problem in this industry is that people believe being unethical is more profitable, and it stems from the fact that they have not bothered to find ways to monetize an honest reputation. If you look at some of the largest industries in the world, their ad campaigns and marketing are based on establishing or maintaining trust.

People you trick buy from you once (and usually charge back), people who trust you buy from you often... :2 cents:

Great post Steve and there's no doubt that you shouldn't sell your soul just because everyone else is doing so. Not good for a long term business.

Matt

Just passing through...

I agree 100%

Great post and I will add that no industry survives by treating its customers like shit ..

i hate when people use karma as some form of religious revenge... LOL

if anything has been proven time and time again, not all bad people ever "get theirs" humans are greedy by nature, hoping that some invisible force "gets them back' for their ways is silly imo.

I really hope this doesn't turn into a tube bashing thread. There was waaaaaay more wrong with the moral of companies and such even before tubes.

adapt and move on my dad told me roll with the punches

European Billing Europe!
 

From my own experience with Steve, one thing I can say is his message is consistent for as long as I've known him.

Your brand is the sum of your collective activities, build and trade on it...

Some people would say your post sounds desperate :2 cents:

exactly.

doing deceptive hidden cross sale that hit a card for $150 charges, "no problem you guys are cool let me kiss your ass on GFY, will you be at the show? ill buy you some drinks!"

affiliated with a tube site: "you guys are destroying the industry!!!!!"

its funny stuff from the outside looking in.

:1orglaugh:1orglaugh:1orglaugh

:1orglaugh

reminds me of an old saying "behind every fortune there is a crime"

I love this picture.

good God, will you ever stop your fucking whining ?

What you said applies to any business. Short term money will most surely not equal long term success.

Really great to see someone come out ANTI-ETHICS and ANTI-HONESTY.
Feel free to root for the other team :321GFY. Now everyone knows where you stand.

Unfortunately in any industry there is good and bad business done.
Some people, no matter how unethical there business approach is still find themselves capable of sleeping at night. I personally don't run my business that way and I know several others such as yourself Steve that don't either.
In the end those who cheat, lie and steal will be caught in the act and be called out on it.
Those who don't will either succeed or move on to something more productive where they will succeed.

This is a pretty heavy topic for a Monday but I simply wanted to add my 2 cents.

Hope you all have a productive and satisfying work week!
HAPPY MONDAY! :)

:2 cents: :2 cents: :2 cents:

as long as it's legal who cares ...

The irony. How you all greeded your way out of a profitable buiness. Everyone of you knew the tubes were wrong on every level and you let them hurt your buisness without hardely a fight or any unity. Now your only hope is the governement who should have been enforecing the 2257 laws that not too long ago put us all in a panic. Now that enforement could be the only measure to clean up the tube, torrents, etc....I still say pursuing the copyright infringment lawsuits is the best solution, but few seem willing to go the fight that route..
__________________

For a lot of this country's wealthy families this is very true. Doesn't mean we have to do it but it is an accurate statement.

Well said Steve there are a few problems:
Many are put under the porn online umbrella and 90 percent of those dont have our best interest at heart.

We have adult publications giving awards to companies that arent good for the industry as a whole and no one says WTF. Im pulling all my ads and so are shitload of other people.Hosts ,processors in bed with questionable people no one confronts them on this.Maybe some board chatter but no real action.

We have many that made a bunch of money inspite of themselves and they cant recreate anywhere else. so they are in panic mode.

Its scary when you think about it.How the online version of adult took something that was recession proof for over 50 yrs and fucked it up in less than 20. The problem was from the start the cost to get in became very cheap. Cost is a great filtering process.

"survival of the fittest" :2 cents: u ball up u starve:2 cents:

now there's an understatement! :upsidedow

You just got a brand new pinto - so I have to say that your on top of the world.

i saw several post like this here and no response or replies, nice try carry on :)

you stole my line :mad::mad::mad:

it's raining money like it's 1999

It's in the human nature to be guided by greed.
Based on your business plan or lack thereof you run your business different.

Shooting content of 18-20 year olds, legal? yes, immoral ? many would say yes, damaging the industry on long term? likely no, sometimes yes (look at regulations imposed during the last 10 years)
Cross sales, legal? yes, immoral ? many would say yes, damaging the industry on long term? very likely, OR it can lead to some super regulations that may be good for the long term players in the industry.

I always let others run their business as they want and make sure I run my own business in such manner that I can sleep well at nights, and it works well, I sleep well at night, in planes, when watching TV.....

don't forget hiring bubba to answer emails pretending to be the hot girl that is featured on the site long after she has left and is in fact working at a completely different site.

all these actions are justified in his mind because it is his business that makes money from these lying cheating and stealing.

Go to listen to the sin2.0 they have the seminar they had with guy from the ftc.they asked about visable prechecked cross sales the gov guy said thats aproblem.you could hear a pin drop.