Do you get as offended as I do?

[Kushiel]

Sci-fi, too?
I can't take it, I'm in like.
*swoons*

K, back to the regularly scheduled thread.

[Bill]

I've been reading sci-fi novels by British authors again! I admit it! I spelled tire T-Y-R-E the other day=(

Really? Who?

I can't get enough Neal Asher. The new brit sf is great stuff.

[DrChango]

I'm probably going to get judged a dweeb here, but I've been on this huge Black Library kick...I've been keeping pace with the Warhammer 40K: Horus Heresy series they've been putting out and I'm halfway through the Ultramarines Omnibus.
Usually I don't read stuff based off of table-top games, etc, but they've got some seriously talented authors on the payroll (Dan Abnett, Mike Lee, and Graham McNeill to name a few). Granted some are the blah stuff you'd expect when the author is 'playing in another person's playground', but several of the authors have made it their own and really ran with it (Abnett's Gaunt's Ghosts series is absolutely incredible.)

I think I just lost my nerd street cred there.

(Favorite American sci-fi/fantasy author is L.E. Modesitt...his stuff is awesome)

[HunkyLuke]

Aaron, if you are offended, why don't you just stick with promoting gay sites put out by gay companies?

[GayGeek]

For the same reason that people that were Black rode in the back of the bus. Because they needed to for their livelihood.

I run a gay adult website review site. I can't cut out a whole class of websites just because I don't like how the website markets its websites to affiliates. If they're giving their gay websites second billing and making them a low priority when competing for staff time, it's all the more reason why I need to be listing and reviewing their websites.

There are plenty of websites (Banana Guide, for example) that only review websites they consider exceptional. We like to balance the good with the bad, as there are plenty of people that have legitimate questions when deciding whether to join those sites or not.

--Aaron

[GayGeek]

I'm probably going to get judged a dweeb here, but I've been on this huge Black Library kick...I've been keeping pace with the Warhammer 40K: Horus Heresy series they've been putting out and I'm halfway through the Ultramarines Omnibus.

I'm more of a Felix and Gotrek kinda guy myself. I've read all eight (nine?) of their Slayer novels. Wonderful books -- perfect for when you wanna turn your mind off and indulge in mindless entertainment.

Shamanslayer comes out this fall. Can't wait for it. Felix and Gotrek take on a marauding army of beastmen.

--Aaron

[Lee]

So back on the original topic...

We actually have a primarily straight affiliate program who have launched a gay paysite in beta right now advertising on GWW, how many of you folks that have read this thread have actually...

1) Even clicked on the Hundies banner?
2) Actually signed up for their program to see if their new site actually sells?

Im guessing not that many of you, which is why many of these straight sponsor programs end up putting their gay site offerings on the back burner.

Regards,

Lee

[GayGeek]

Hi Lee,

I have never noticed the link or ad. But ever on the lookout for more quality websites to list on GayGeek, I went over to www.Hundies.com to take a look.

If they have any gay websites, I can't find any mention of them. There are none listed on their sites page and their "about us" page mentions finding "the hottest girls imaginable".

You said the website is in beta, so that may explain why there's no mention of it. But as of yet there's nothing gay on their website at all.

--Aaron

[Rich]

i never thought about this until now but it does make sense that maybe we need to sign up to to straight programs and use them to for them to take us seriously

[BBHookups]

Hi Lee,

I have never noticed the link or ad. But ever on the lookout for more quality websites to list on GayGeek, I went over to Hundies.com to take a look.

If they have any gay websites, I can't find any mention of them. There are none listed on their sites page and their "about us" page mentions finding "the hottest girls imaginable".

You said the website is in beta, so that may explain why there's no mention of it. But as of yet there's nothing gay on their website at all.

--Aaron

Once you sign up for the program, you will be given access to the Beta than once you sign in the linking codes will be there. This is our first gay site for the program, that is correct. We just wanted to try out something new and we think we got some pretty good stuff. So if you are interested sign up and then shoot and email to hundies@gmail.com with your account name and we'll get you signed up with the beta. Hope that helps. You can also sign up by clicking my sig.

[Maryflixxx]

In my experience this is about an economy of scale and lack of understanding of the market.

Straight companies quickly figure out that they have to spend similar amounts of money to create and market a gay site, and although the ROI in gay traffic is strong, the actual dollar amount when compared to the monies received via their straight sites is too low to justify the expense.
A lot of these companies are working to a very tight margin and they need to keep a certain dollar amount coming in to keep the lights on. The gay market is simply smaller, and although the conversion rate might be higher, it isn't high enough.

Lack of understanding and research is the other issue - they don't know why they are making content, they don't really understand the market or sub-niche. They also don't know where to market the product, who to talk to and how to measure the results.

I suppose I can also add a certain amount of homophobia (although this is not an "across the board" comment). I have encountered straight companies run by people who are homophobic and vocally so. They will never, ever succeed in the gay market.

Mary