I have yet to create content for porn sites, but I have created lots of adult content in my career, including lots of published erotic fiction and even a porn script that was produced (though the star of the movie decided he wanted something different and rewrote it himself--ugh!), and I'm also an avid viewer, so I think I understand a thing or two about really good content.

For me, it's really just about TRUTH. Everyone is making these so-called "reality sites," but there's so little reality on them that they never accomplish what they set out to do in the first place. Even if something is staged, there are ways to do it in which it can seem more authentic and in the moment. Patti touched on this when she talked about "straight" guys who lunge for cock with little to no encouragement (sure they're straight!), but it goes a lot deeper than that. Bad acting is a big part of it. Don't attempt written dialogue if your models can't deliver it.

I also think POINT OF VIEW has a lot to do with it. Content should have a clear point of view. By that, I don't mean camera angles, but I mean content that "says something." It should also reveal something about human sexuality, I think. And it should surprise you. Originality is subjective, but even if you're using an oft-used scenario, you can make it fresh by how you approach it. I think you as a person need to have a very strong point of view before you even attempt to create good content. You need to have a mission, a goal, and have something to say. Otherwise, your content is just going to look like everybody else's.

Good lighting and hot models are obviously important, but above and beyond that, I think good content is only as unique and special as the person who is making it. The one site that instantly comes to mind for me is Squirt's site, SleepingMen.com, because not only does it have the balls to say "Experimentation among men -- gay or straight -- is hot," but there is such a unique POV there, and I don't just mean b'cuz he shoots it with a night-vision camera. His site has personality and flair and a sense of mystery, but there's also an utterly compelling sense of tension and discovery in so many of the clips to be found there. The microniche of straight guys sleeping is just the conceit of the site, but its true charm lies not in its marketing angle, but its committment to truth and reality. Even though we all know that the models had to agree to being fondled while they "sleep," Squirt films his content in such a way that it rarely feels dishonest or lazy.

I was watching a clip on a uniform-themed site just yesterday, and it started off wonderfully, with these two hot military guys watching porn in a motel room together and just smoking and hanging out. It felt very improvised and in the moment, and then, from out of nowhere, the director's voice showed up, and he started directing the guys to do stuff, and it destroyed all of the tension it had just built up. Why couldn't he have just talked with them in advance and kind of laid out the game plan, then just turned the cameras on them and let them act it all out on their own? The "truth" was gone. I couldn't help but reflect on how quickly that director had killed the power of his own work by making it so choreographed.

I think good content should have more to say than "guys are hot" or "Muscles are hot" or "dicksucking is hot." That's too easy. I want to see content that goes beyond the obvious and reveals personality, not only of the person who's making it, but reveals the personalities of those who view it. Ultimately, that means, to me, not just doing it for the money. I think to TRULY succeed at this, you need to do more than just make money. You need to love porn because it tells you something about yourself. You need to want to share that with anyone who's listening. You need to show.

That's just my $.02.