affiliates - how do you like your content?

Webmaster Discussion
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#1

my thought is if we can get a list of different webmaster content needs going, this will be a very useful thread for affiliate reps.

i like to get weekly content emails, but it’s helpful to have the content archived on a page in case i miss some. it’s really helpful if the zip file includes the name of the program rather than being called “pics.zip” or HWM.zip. and here’s what i need in order to be able to use affiliate content:

pics:
minimum 8 pics per set (15 is ideal so i can do galleries), 600x800 or 800x600 minimum size, combination of medium shots and closeups. pics must be well lit, must show a variety of poses/action or it’s also no use. 6 pics that are very similar equals 1 pic to me - in order to make collages, variety is a must. i like to receive emails with a link to zip file or link to a gallery with zip file on it.

videos:
video to be a minimum of 1 minute of model/action so a video with 15 seconds of 2257 info and 10 of marketing at the end would be 1 minute and 25 seconds total, screen size of at least 480xwhatever, wmv or quicktime format.

i’d like content to come with a description that lets me know which models is which. if there’s only one model, a few words about him is helpful - not stuff i can see but something like age, cock size, what he does for a living or something. at very least, gotta have his name.

content gotta show some action or cock unless the site the content is for is a muscle site or similar type of site. if there’s masturbation, showing the cock will make me more likely to use the content - because it more likely that surfers will check out the pics and to click, which is WHY i’m more likely to use the content. if you send text about two guys fucking, send at least 3 pics of fucking.

next!

#2

Re: affiliates - how do you like your content?

I’d like the zip file to unzip & create it’s own folder, which many don’t do.

Like the way Randy Blue does it actually, in what it includes in each email update.

The direct link code to the video with my aff id, the direct link code to the fhg with my aff id, is a help.

Hate the way they name the zip file though.

Hunk Money has a nice feature in that it shows the pics you can download, which helps.

Including banners that feature the model is nice too, Butch Dixon does that and UK Naked Men does.

But the one thing I’d like the most, is that if a site is updating once a week or twice a week, or even just once a month, THAT THEY ACTUALLY DO IT. In other words, I hate it when suddenly I get 3 or 4 emails with weekly updates, at one time, because they didn’t go out each week.

#3

Re: affiliates - how do you like your content?

I like mine, shaken’ not stirred.
Sorry, I just had to say that.

#4

Re: affiliates - how do you like your content?

cruise. cam cruise.

:smiley:

[quote=camcruise;47137]I like mine, shaken’ not stirred.
Sorry, I just had to say that.[/quote]

#5

Re: affiliates - how do you like your content?

Some good advices already (and most of my needs are already mentioned):

  1. An e-mail everytime a site updates. It doesn’t matter if the e-mail contains any pictures or just a link to the location where I can get the pics. Either way is fine.

  2. Zip files with content OR a page where you can save the pics you’ll need (like Chaosmen and CD24/7 have).

  3. 8-12 sharp pictures per set (a couple of close-ups is a pro). Mixed positions/poses are the best. They need to show some cock/action (I don’t ask for cumshots).

  4. Picture size should at leats be 600 in width.

  5. Some model-info (same as Basschick: the name is important).

To me, videos and FHGs are not relevant - but if those are included, I just ignore those.

Receiving e-mails is very important. When I start updating my sites, I check what’s in my inbox first. Since there are so many sponsors, what I get in my mail is enough most of the time and I simply forget about the ones that aren’t listed in my inbox. I might not use every single mail, but in the end the sponsors that do send out updates, get most of my traffic.

#6

Re: affiliates - how do you like your content?

Everything Basschick said plus…

Since different people want different video formats and sizes, provide each video file in a different file - separate from the pics + text description file. DO have a version that is 600+ pixels wide, DO have FLV as an offered format, and DON’T have it at a crazy high bitrate - just what’s necessary.

Don’t present videos and pics in different ares. Affiliates present scenes and many of us need whole packages. Making us go to a video section and then a pic section and trying to match the videos to the pics isn’t how we think or work. The problem is it is how NATS works, which is bad.

The text description should be bundled into the zip of pics and should be .txt format (not .rtf, not .doc).

The text description should have the full name of the models, not just first name. So don’t say “Leo” when it’s “Leo Giamani”.

Be clear whether it’s a bareback or condom scene. In other words, show insertion clearly and make it clear there’s either a condom visible (or not).

And don’t give us 100+ pics - it’s not helpful. 25 is the upper limit of what’s useful.

[QUOTE=basschick;47126]my thought is if we can get a list of different webmaster content needs going, this will be a very useful thread for affiliate reps.

i like to get weekly content emails, but it’s helpful to have the content archived on a page in case i miss some. it’s really helpful if the zip file includes the name of the program rather than being called “pics.zip” or HWM.zip. and here’s what i need in order to be able to use affiliate content:

pics:
minimum 8 pics per set (15 is ideal so i can do galleries), 600x800 or 800x600 minimum size, combination of medium shots and closeups. pics must be well lit, must show a variety of poses/action or it’s also no use. 6 pics that are very similar equals 1 pic to me - in order to make collages, variety is a must. i like to receive emails with a link to zip file or link to a gallery with zip file on it.

videos:
video to be a minimum of 1 minute of model/action so a video with 15 seconds of 2257 info and 10 of marketing at the end would be 1 minute and 25 seconds total, screen size of at least 480xwhatever, wmv or quicktime format.

i’d like content to come with a description that lets me know which models is which. if there’s only one model, a few words about him is helpful - not stuff i can see but something like age, cock size, what he does for a living or something. at very least, gotta have his name.

content gotta show some action or cock unless the site the content is for is a muscle site or similar type of site. if there’s masturbation, showing the cock will make me more likely to use the content - because it more likely that surfers will check out the pics and to click, which is WHY i’m more likely to use the content. if you send text about two guys fucking, send at least 3 pics of fucking.

next![/QUOTE]

#7

Re: affiliates - how do you like your content?

I like to have at least one non-nude, non-sex, non-lascivious (e.g. no hands around waistband about to pull pants down) pic.

#8

Re: affiliates - how do you like your content?

GREAT thread everyone, and much appreciated! We’ve already implemented some improvements to our newsletters based on your suggestions.

#9

Re: affiliates - how do you like your content?

[QUOTE=Gaystoryman;47132]
The direct link code to the video with my aff id, the direct link code to the fhg with my aff id, is a help.[/QUOTE]

By the way I like the thread guys. Really helpful.

Now GayStoryman. We wanted to do that at first but realized that many affiliates were signing up with differents accounts (we are with CCBILL btw) and did’nt wanted to annoy affiliates with a newsletter per account they have. But maybe affiliates likes to have their revcode plunked in a newsletter. uhm… I’ll have to think about it.

#10

Re: affiliates - how do you like your content?

Some great feedback here. Very helpful.

For those who are aware, UKScallyLads currently offers 15 pics with each update. Portraits are only at 427px wide at the moment though (sorry, I don’t do up the packages), but in the event you are an affiliate - or would like to become one - and require larger images, I can certainly send you full size versions. We do our best to keep variety in mind in the images and do put in a few non-nude, non-groping pics to help start the story off.

Currently I offer 640x480 flash videos for each new update at a bitrate of 1200kbps. So far I haven’t had any complaints, but if people would like an wmv version of this video please let me know and I’ll be sure start adding that to the updates as well. PM me for specific specs if you like. The videos run from between 1:35 to 2mins and all contain great action. Each video comes with a matching screenshot of course where I choose what I feel is a great moment in the video, as well as a scene description in .txt format. I only deal with notepad myself.

At the moment I set everything up at our Affiliate Resource Page. Again, no complaints as of yet, but would it be better for affiliates to get a downloadable zip as well as having access to the Resource Page? PM me affiliates if you would desire that.

Thanks!

#11

Re: affiliates - how do you like your content?

1 Zip file per scene, (Media Set).
Including - 15 images a 30 to 120 second .wmv and a .txt file of the scene description.

With a Full Site Review we would like at have 20 sets to launch the listing.

This would be the quickest for any Program to get an “Expanded Listing”.

If you’d like to take a look at one go to…
http://www.menonthenet.com/index.cfm?title=Amateurs&id=4&z=cat

It’s right under the top promo. The first “Featured Site” Mason Wyler.

We will try to get your program live ASAP, but there has been quite a large response to this new marketing tool on MenOnTheNet.com.

If you are interested, please contact Eric at [email protected] ICQ 575893845, or send me a message here.

#12

Re: affiliates - how do you like your content?

glad to see that we are already doing what everyone wants, except for pushing them out more often. I will see about stepping it up to twice a week!

#13

Re: affiliates - how do you like your content?

RSS 2.0 automated blog content feeds with affiliate codes are great with pics and videos as large as 600 pixels wide and text, of course. Also super are hosted flv’s around 500 px wide by 375 px high, with Flv URL (or embed code), jpg Image URL, Description, Categories, Duration in seconds, width, and height preferable provided in a downloadable dump format.

#14

Re: affiliates - how do you like your content?

Thanks Basschick for getting this going…

this will be a very useful thread for affiliate reps
It sure helps us.

#15

Re: affiliates - how do you like your content?

I’ve gone through all the comments and tried to condense everything into a single standard that will work for everyone. I get the feeling that some affiliate reps feel like everyone wants something different, but when it comes down to it there are standards that pretty much everyone will find useful. I’m not going to pretend that it’s not work to come up with all this stuff, but I think it’s less work to do the standard upfront than it is to be reactive after the fact to tons of special requests… And if you automate it, it really isn’t that bad…

This is just for what has to be done for updates. Others have mentioned general things they want at the time a site starts up - that’s not included here.

Update Emails:

  • Send them :wink:
  • Weekly with all the updates for the week or as the updates happen. Don’t delay and then send out a bunch of updates that happened weeks ago.
  • The e-mail doesn’t have to be fancy - you can just have something simple that directs people to a web page with the update details.
  • Archive the e-mails as web pages for people who missed them
  • Please note one of the purposes of the update e-mail is to overcome the tendency of systems like NATS to separate the different pieces of content from the same scene by their type (video is separated from pics, etc.) Affiliates don’t work that way - they want all the content for a scene packaged together and then they’ll pick out what they need.

Pics:

  • Minimum number 8 (but they better be good if there are so few)
  • Max number of 25
  • 15+/- is ideal
  • Minimum Size - 800 pixels along the long side - it’s definitely OK to go larger.
  • Good quality (well lit, sharp/clear, etc.)
  • Show a variety of things in the pics (poses, types of action, closeups, full-body, etc.)
  • The variety of pics should fully represent the scene (show cock/action, etc.) Don’t do something like billing it as a fisting scene and then not have pics of fisting.
  • There should be at least one that’s completely “family friendly” (don’t even have them with hands around their waist about to pull down their pants)
  • If it’s bareback - show insertion in some of the pics
  • Showing thumbnails of the images in the set on the update page is a big plus
  • Provide a link to a zip file with all the images (see below for more details)

Promo Videos:

  • Length should be at least 1 minute, not including credits, etc. 2-3 minutes is better.
  • Provide a small/narrow (400-480 px) version and a large/wide version (600-720 px)
  • Provide an FLV for each size plus a WMV (or MPEG or MOV).
  • Compress the video properly - it should be a balance of quality and small size.
  • The video should fully represent the scene (show cock/action, etc.) Don’t do something like billing it as a fisting scene and then not show fisting in the promo video.

Scene Description:

  • Include your title and date of release
  • Include model names (first and last, if available) and make it clear in the description which model is which, who’s fucking/sucking who, etc.
  • Background on the models is good - especially if it’s a solo scene. Things like age, cock size, occupation can be especially useful.
  • The description should be in a text file with a .txt extension

Link Codes, Embed Codes, etc:

  • Provide link codes appropriate to your site and the situation. If you have FHGs for the scene, provide them with the affiliate link for each affiliate. If you have something like a scene page (MGP, etc.) include the link to that with the affiliate’s personal link’s code.
  • Provide the embed code for the hosted video player, if you offer it.
  • Provide the URL to the hosted FLV, if you offer it.
  • Provide the URL to a hosted blog post, if you offer it.
  • Remind people about RSS feeds, if you offer them.
  • Putting each of these items into its own consistently named .txt file and bundling them into the zip files below will help those of us with automated systems.

Zip Files:

  • There should be a few different zip files - essentially one for pics and then a few - one for each type of video file you offer. Affiliates will pick the one(s) that work best for their sitution.
  • Zip files should create their own folder when unzipped. They shouldn’t dump their files in the same directory as the zip file itself.
  • Files should be named with the name of the site (or clear abbreviation) plus a unique identifier for the scene (name, ID, etc.) plus the type of content in the file. No two zip files should have the same name (video zips should not be named the same as the pic zip, etc.) For example: uknm-12345-flv-large.zip or butchdixon-butch-grand-pics.zip
  • The zip of pics should include a .txt file with the scene description (for bloggers)
  • The zip for a video file should include a jpeg preview image for the video that’s the same dimensions as the video file.
  • It helps to have a text file with the video parameters included in the zip with the video file (format, encoded height, width, bitrate, duration, etc.)
  • The zip for a video file should include a .txt file with the scene description (for tube sites)

If I missed something, please let me know. If your an affiliate and a program provided what I listed above and it wouldn’t work for you, please explain why…