Get me Out of this Chickensh*t operation.
Ok - I am ranting.... but I need some emotional support or I am going to kill someone.
I work for a bunch of muscle sites, and have been for a year. I was hired to do search engine marketing - but over the year my job has evolved into site management. I update the sites, occasionally build graphics, hire people, install software, answer email - I do everything EXCEPT content and design (though I am capable of doing design as necessary - and have had to do it quite a bit of it - and I am pretty good at it....).
By the way - I have over 10 years into this industry - with a more than excellent track record.
I have doubled the sales on one site, I have brought thier flagship up from declining and failing sales back to the point of it's 2001 heyday. Traffic has increased from @ 1k of vistors a day per site to an average of @ 8k per site.
Recently, these guys lost thier merchant account. During the switchover, they lost @ 20-30% of thier client base, and somehow all the usernames got deleted. I have spent the last 6 weeks answering hundreds of emails a day. In the midst of this, the guy who hires me has a nervous breakdown and quits.... leaving me in the hands of someone who doesn't know or understand why search engines can't read jpg files.
It has been a bloody nightmare of 60 and 70 hour work weeks, 50% pay cuts, and me - holding solo responsibility for the sites.
So, this weekend, I finally escape to Rome. I wake up in the morning and stupidly check my email. I get a letter - "After we have paid you THOUSANDS of dollars, why dont we show up under 'muscle webcam'?"
I rush home in order to discover.... google danced, and we appear on page one, position 3 and position 4 under this term. As a matter of fact, every single selected keyword brings up at least ONE of my sites on either page 1 or page 2. However, this guy demands that all FIVE sites rank #1 under all 50 keywords. The impossiblilty of that proposition notwithstanding.
I write a letter, detailing what I actually DO for my salary - to be told "I never asked you to answer the email. Answering the email doesnt matter. I want you to pay attention to marketing and sales. I don't CARE what jobs you were given.... "
So, it is clear I have not been paid to think, and may not be paid to think in the future. The idea of the number of cancellations we would have had if I had not answered the email - lost. The notion that I have increased sales by 100% - lost. The notion that the loss of the merchant account and the LOUSY conversion ratio's for the traffic in - not heard. The constant recommendation that we come into 2257 compliance - not my business. The idea of jail terms for want of a drivers liscense seems to be lost on this guy!
SO - anyone out there want my resume???? I have 20 years in adult, including working for penthouse, hustler, et al. I have 10 years in adult online, beginning with subcontracting with the aforementioned, owning a big niche site, and managing these sites - which were grossing 120k.
I hate to bitch about stupid site owners.... but I really really really need to get out of this situation before I slap someone!
Thanks for listening!!!!
Shaun
