Greetings from the Phoenix Forum!

[XXXWriterDude]

Hey folks,

So it's the first day of the Phoenix Forum, and things are going well so far. The show hasn't really gotten into the thick of things yet (the first workshop begins in, oh, 15 mins), but it's a great crowd and the energy is high. And talk about great weather. Today is sunny and beautiful. Not too hot, not too chilly. Right now, I'm sitting in the courtyard as I type this, listening to the hustle and bustle of mingling webmasters and the clink-clink of dishes as lunch is being served, and it couldn't be a more gorgeous day for a show. Phoenix rocks.

I've seen a good amount of gay folks so far (mostly Lisa from Badpuppy, the staff from PrideBucks, Intense Mark and Dirty Tony (and his HOTTTTTT affiliate manager--woof!), which is quite promising. Looks like these gay parties will be well attended.

For those of you who are here, please make sure you pick up and leaf through a copy of the "Phoenix Forum Daily," a blow-by-blow recap of what happened each day and a preview of what's to come that night that represents a first in the industry and is a strong demonstration of the relationship that exists between AVN Online and CCBill. We worked closely together to put the show daily together, and I, for one, couldn't be happier with the results.

I'm glad to say that at this year's show, I actually have some time to myself to chill in between assignments. For the first time, I won't be running myself ragged going from seminar to seminar to dinner to party to after-party. I can stop and smell the roses a little bit--and get some time in in the gym as well. This also means I will have more time to connect with the folks who are here, so if you see, make sure you stop me and say howdy. For once, I won't have to run off a minute later.

At any rate, I'll be around all week, so if you're checking the board, post a message to say where you'll be this week, and I'll make it a point to look for you as well. Tonight you'll find me at the Gay Webmasters Kick-off Party, as well as the Pridebucks/ManSites after-party.

Best wishes all!

XOXO,
Ken

[gaybucks_chip]

Ken,

From those of us who aren't there, thanks for the updates! Nice to know what's going on...

[longboardjim]

agreed! , thanks for the updates (interpreted: although i love your writing , i just feel a "camera on hand" might make your points more validated?...maybe something with one of our GWW's in a very , very compromising position?) :fool:
take care and enjoy the forum.

jim

[A_DeAngelo]

"...a blow-by-blow recap of what happened each day..."

Sounds interesting Ken, is anyone filming this?

[XXXWriterDude]

Well, here it is day two of the Phoenix Forum, and it's another gorgeous day. I'm once again sitting in the courtyard of the Mission Palms, following a lengthy "Cover Your Ass(ets)" seminar and a buffet lunch.

Obviously, the big topic of discussion in the seminar was this morning's ruling by ICANN to deny the dot.xxx TLD. All the lawyers on the panel (Chad Belville included) seemed to think that the decision, however, is only a temporary victory for the adult industry, and that .xxx will at some point rear its ugly head again. I suppose we shall see. It was a good seminar, but man, do those attorneys know how to talk! I had to leave after an hour and 15 mins because they were still going on and I had to get started on my story for the show daily.

Speaking of, the reaction to the "Phoenix Forum Daily" has been through the roof. Everywhere I go, every time I introduce myself as being with AVN Online, people have enthusiastically complimented me on the daily newsletter, which is distributed in the courtyard in the morning and also during a room drop. People have said they LOVE having a daily report of what happened and what's to come, with pictures from the previous day's events included. Looks like this will become a show tradition.

The gay parties last night were pretty cool. Buses were provided to shuttle folks into Phoenix for Dirty Ducats' Gay Webmaster Kick-off Party, which was fairly low-key but much fun anyway. I finally got to talk to some folks I've only briefly talked to in the past. Then it was on to the PrideBucks/ManSites bash in Room 2069 back at the hotel, and that was nice. I left at 3am, however, since I had to be up for this morning's seminar. I have to duck into another one at 2:30, and have to write a story for tomorrow's Daily, so I must run, but just wanted to update you on the show. It's going pretty good so far. In other words, having a blast; wish you were here.

KK

[XXXWriterDude]

And here it is the third and final day of the Phoenix Forum. I'm coming to you from the lobby by the elevators on the third floor, one of the only places I seem to be able to get wireless inside the motel. The Lightspeed Dodgeball Tournament is going on right now, and we have a prime view from my room's window, so we're sitting on the ledge smoking some pot and watching the game. Not bad for a bunch of silly-headed straight girls, but in the end, the game doesn't really hold my interest as a gay man. Go figure.

It's been a great show so far. Have really enjoyed myself. The great thing about the Phoenix Forum is that it truly brings people together in a way in which they are kind of "forced" to be together. Most of the parties are scheduled on-site, or just around the corner (except for a few of the gay ones, which took place in downtown Phoenix), so you're always running into people in the courtyard or by the pool. It's truly a great "social" show.

Yesterday's keynote speech with Keith Ferrazzi was great. He stressed the importance of authenticity, intimacy and generosity, thing I think that every one of us can afford to focus on harder. I think it came as a surprise to some of the straight dudes in the audience that the amiable, well-spoken dude on stage turned out to be gay (which he casually revealed mid-way through his very amusing, heartfelt speech), but I thought it was awesome in a subversive-but-non-subversive sort of way. He was just out there, and people--regardless of whether they were gay or straight--just totally gravitated toward him.

There have been some great seminars so far. I enjoyed yesterday's "Cover Your Ass(ets)" seminar, and today's "Traffic School" seminar (featuring Maleflixxx's Mary Gillis and Badpuppy's Lisa Turner, among others) was rather interesting. Of course, the most promising seminar was today's "State of the Industry" seminar, on which Lee served as a panelist along with Video Secret's Greg Clayman, Tony Morgan, Legendary Lars, et al. Lee was quite well-spoken (nice job, Lee), and the topics broached by moderator Johnny V (of Wildline!) were pretty good. Just wish these folks would touch on some of the stuff that I think is really important about the industry: the social aspects of it and difference of doing it for money versus love. But anyway, I digress... The cool thing was that I was inspired enough to jot down several of my own ideas for interesting seminars, so who knows... you might see a couple of them coming up at future shows.

Our "Phoenix Forum Daily" continued to be a huge hit at the show. I can't tell you how many compliments we've had on this from just about everyone I've met. Everyone loves to be able to open up the Daily and look to see if that picture of them at last night's party made it into print, but beyond that, it created a sense of importance for the show, and, I think, represented a strong commitment on AVN Online's part to foster a truly productive, strong relationship with CCBill, among the many other companies who helped sponsor the Daily.

There's been a little bit of a controversy with one gay company throwing its own private off-site, invite-only parties. Several people at last night's Gay Webmaster Mixer in the hotel bar commented that they felt it splintered the gay quotient, and they were right, of course. I reckon the other gay party wasn't that hotly attended, though, since there were fewer gay people at this year's Forum than there have been in the past. Yet I feel like we were a strong presence here just the same. There was a lot of talk about gay traffic in the "Traffic School" seminar this morning, and there have a been a lot of straight people at the gay parties. Obviously, they recognize that A) we are good business people with valuable traffic that converts and rebills, but also B) that we just throw better fucking parties!

There have been some ADORABLE boys here. I met two last night that I was particularly ga-ga for. Kudos to the folks who hired that hot little guy Richie. Can we say yum? I also met a really hot guy the other night that I was developing a great rapport with before some drunken asswipe came over and totally stole him away from me by grabbing him and planting a kiss on him asa dare. Sheesh! These fags today. No sense of courtesy or respect anymore. Right, Jasun? <wink>

All in all, the show has been great. I've met some new people, strengthened my relationships with others, reaffirmed the importance of being a stand-up, authentic guy who believes in the importance of strong values and community (and got a great idea for my next "Gaydar" column in the process), and enjoyed seeing the industry come together in such a social forum. Those of you who didn't make it this year have missed out on a solid show with a lot to offer. In other words, "Having a great time; wish you were here!"

OK, that's my daily update. Hope you had fun reading. I had a great time writing it. Tonight it's off to the last few parties, then up early in the morning to catch a morning flight back to L.A.

Catch you folks, later!

Ken

[Jasun]

I also met a really hot guy the other night that I was developing a great rapport with before some drunken asswipe came over and totally stole him away from me by grabbing him and planting a kiss on him asa dare. Sheesh! These fags today. No sense of courtesy or respect anymore. Right, Jasun? <wink>

As the asswipe in question, I feel the need to point out that he was hot, I was feeling randy (and by that, I mean I was horny, I didn't have my hand down Mr. Blue's pants), and in the gay world, you snooze, you lose.

:jasun:

[XXXWriterDude]

As the asswipe in question, I feel the need to point out that he was hot, I was feeling randy (and by that, I mean I was horny, I didn't have my hand down Mr. Blue's pants), and in the gay world, you snooze, you lose.

:jasun:

Maybe in YOUR gay world, Jasun. In mine, it's a little bit more about respect.

And who was snoozing? Just because I didn't grab a stranger forcefully by the neck and plant a drunken, sloppy kiss on his mouth doesn't mean I wasn't making my own moves on the guy...

Anyway, water under the bridge, my man. You had your fun, albeit at my expense, but I've got bigger fish to fry anyway. Good seeing you in Phoenix.

[XXXWriterDude]

Now that I'm back in Los Angeles (oh, L.A., how I love to hate you sometimes), just wanted to add a post-script about my last night in Tempe. It was a very good night. Rob from CelebrityCash, Robert from HotMovies, my co-worker Colin and myself hiked up the mountain behind the Mission Palms (awesome view of Tempe at sunset), had an awesome dinner at the Bamboo Club (best Asian food I've had in ages), hung out in the courtyard bar with Maleflixxx's Mary Gillis (one of the coolest chicks in the biz) and made an appearance at the Pridebucks/Mansites late night suite. It was a super cool last night in town.

This show was, for me, all about establishing and strengthening relationships with people, and I'm psyched to say I accomplished that. It was the first show where I really had a chance to breathe in between deadlines and seminars, and it was great to see so many smiling faces in town. Hope to see some of you again at the GAYVN Retreat come October.

[IdolKnights]

I also met a really hot guy the other night that I was developing a great rapport with before some drunken asswipe came over and totally stole him away from me...

I think, If a "drunken asswipe" can remove someone of "great rapport" then the "developing" was not to his fancy. Or your hopes.

Outside looking in has a whole view of the situation you fail to see on the inside.

[basschick]

i was sorta thinking that, too.

sometimes hot guys are looking for conversation-free action. and may not be looking for respect and rapport. and sometimes they may want both but action may cum... er... come first.

I think, If a "drunken asswipe" can remove someone of "great rapport" then the "developing" was not to his fancy. Or your hopes.

Outside looking in has a whole view of the situation you fail to see on the inside.

[SPACE GLIDER]

As the asswipe in question, I feel the need to point out that he was hot, I was feeling randy (and by that, I mean I was horny, I didn't have my hand down Mr. Blue's pants), and in the gay world, you snooze, you lose.

:jasun:

dang! :shock:

[SPACE GLIDER]

Okay, at first I thought the "stealing the guy from another guy" thing had been posted all in fun.

Recently a sort-of friend of mine went to a shopping mall accompanied by what he thought was his current lover. On the way to that mall his current lover spotted an old "friend" ... and took off with him!

Left my sort-of friend standing there like an idiot.

What the heck is that all about? He told me it happens all the time. If that's true, you can't get much sadder than that.

[IdolKnights]

Did he meet said lover at a gas pump 15 minutes ago? Offer him a ride to the mall? In some circles that's 2 levels past lover. life mates even.

[SPACE GLIDER]

Did he meet said lover at a gas pump 15 minutes ago? Offer him a ride to the mall? In some circles that's 2 levels past lover. life mates even.

No he and his lover began going together a little before Valentines Day. From what I gahter, the old friend confronted them in the space between where they parked the car and the mall itself. The "lover" or whatever you want to call him gave the impression that he was going to speak to the old friend for a few minutes to straighten something out.

And they never came back!

What was weird to me was that my sort-of friend didn't seemed too surprised. That just weirded me out.