"I could be imagining things but it seems to me that the gossip ratio on adult webmaster boards jumps when there's a big convention going on."

As I write this, Florida Internext 2003 is wrapping up. I didn’t go. I have no idea how the numbers were or if the show was any good or not. I’ll have to wait for the pictures and the articles just like everyone else who stayed home. I don’t know how many adult webmasters attended the event. I will say the boards get pretty slow during Internext, even the almighty GFY. This time is no exception.

As I was jumping from board to board this week, I noticed something I’ve seen before but never really much thought about: Gossip. I could be imagining things but it seems to me that the gossip ratio on adult webmaster boards jumps when there’s a big convention going on.

I read all kinds of dirt on companies and webmasters both minor and major. These people are going out of business. That webmaster is a thief. A credit card company will stop processing for extreme niches. Blah. Blah. Blah. I take it all with a grain of salt but I read the stuff anyway.

Why? Well first of all, you’ve got to read the accusations to make sure there’s substance or proof posted in the claim. As trite as our online rants may seem on the surface, beneath the posts, the flames, the jokes and the occasional dirty picture, lies what I believe to be one our greatest strengths as an industry.

The message board system keeps us all up to date and out in the open. If a sponsor is shaving, everyone who reads the boards will find out. If a new law is passed that affects our industry, it will be posted. If someone is stealing content, or bandwidth or money, the news passes throughout our field like wildfire because of forums.

Let other industries behave as they choose. They can continue down the path of internal memos, backroom meetings and oppressive confidentiality agreements. They can go on the way they do, operating in blind faith to their marketing propaganda and press releases. Let them all travel down the road of ENRON and IMCLONE. Our way is better.

Nevertheless our forum method of communication isn’t perfect. There are people who spew lies on boards. There are those who dispense misinformation. There are the alarmists and the fearmongers. There are the outright assholes.

Normally, the adult webmaster community challenges those who try to spread rumors. Our openness may allow the malicious to speak but the righteous have a voice as well. On a regular day allegations are questioned. Proof is demanded and those without the backup are driven from our midst. Every once in a while an unsubstantiated indictment is accepted as truth but not for long.

The adult Internet and our forum method of networking is flawed but I think it’s as good if not better than most.

The cracks in the armor really show when all the boys and girls are off at Internext. A host goes down so in comes the webmaster who claims tech support sucks at the host because they can’t get a hold of anyone on ICQ. A stats server goes glitchy so an affiliate comes on the boards to bitch about their sponsor. A content shopper signs up with a provider in order to view products and doesn’t receive a conformation/password email soon enough. Another webmaster isn’t seeing the traffic they paid for and proceeds to flame the source on the forums. All of this happens but it happens much more when the indicted are off at an adult webmaster event.

Perhaps it’s because webmaster forums are such harsh environments when operating at a normal pace. Perhaps the rumormonger knows they’ll be more successful at doing harm when their target is away and incapable of defending themselves. Perhaps that server problem isn’t solved because the tech is running the whole office while the rest are at the show. Perhaps that confirmation email hasn’t come yet because the content provider is at the show. Perhaps that webmaster is able to disseminate scandal and duplicity on your favorite board because most of the moderators currently have their faces buried in stripper twat right now.

Whatever the reason chances are, if they’re going to talk about you, they’ll do it while you’re gone.