A Convergence of Factors
Posted On: 2007-04-12
Wow, this morning came as something of a shock. We got up and headed down to our favorite beachside cafe and found that it was decidedly cool. Some people were even wearing jackets!
Perhaps that's commonplace where you live but here in sub-tropical Queensland it came as quite a shock to us. Where did the summer go? Who said that it was OK for autumn to come along? Why didn't I see the memo?
For you guys in the northern hemisphere it's obviously quite the opposite to down here. The days are beginning to get longer and warmer and spring is definitely in the air. On the weather front that must be good news for you but on the business front it also means that the summer slowdown - that time when traffic and sales drop off - is not too far away.
Of course, if you hang out on the boards you will see people proclaiming that the summer slowdown is just a myth. People have been saying that ever since I came into the industry but over the last couple of years something interesting has been happening.
Those who once claimed that the summer slowdown was just a myth are not accepting that it really does happen and admitting that it's happening to them. And I guess that means that it was happening to them back when they were claiming it was just a myth too.
So don't listen to those who want to tell you that it doesn't really happen. It's not a myth and you're not imaging things when you see your sales and traffic drop away in the summer months. Even though things may be slowing down it's not really a time to panic and that's something that you need to especially remember this year.
You see this year something else might just happen as our traffic and sales begin to slow. That dreaded 2257 monster that's been lurking in the background for the last year or so might just be about to bite us just at the same time as our sales and traffic drop. When you combine that with the summer slowdown you should begin to hear some warning bells.
For many webmasters that summer slowdown is a period when they try to increase sales by working harder and turning out more sites and galleries. Of course to do that you need to have a lot more content and everyone wants to see fresh content so many webmasters are going to be on the hunt for that fresh content to use.
Of course with sales dropping people don't have as much money to spend on the content they need so they're going to be looking for bargains. At the same time the thought of those 2257 regulations should be in the back of their mind but probably won't be.
For some content producers they're going to be very much in the forefront of their minds and they're going to be promising that every image set they sell comes with the required documentation. But you might find that such promises are a little empty.
I saw one very experienced niche webmaster posting on a board today that he had just bought content from two providers who guaranteed that all their content came with the required 2257 documentation. That made him feel comfortable about dealing with them but when the content turned up there was none of the documentation that was promised. It turned out that the providers didn't have the documentation and knew they didn't have it when they claimed that they did.
So if you're going to be out there in the marketplace looking for content take great care. Obviously you're going to want to get a good deal and, unless you're totally crazy and like playing Russian Roulette with most of the chambers loaded, you are going to want content with the right documentation.
Sadly though you may find that you've spent money on content that does not have the documentation you need and if that happens you need to face reality. If the 2257 regulations do get the green light then you need to accept that to use that content is to take risks that are completely unacceptable.
You're also likely to see some great content deals appearing in the months ahead - just at the time when you need all that content. There are already a few content deals popping up on some of the webmaster boards but if you do see those content deals be very wary and don't let your need for content make you do silly things.
If you find that the content does not come with the required documents then don't buy it no matter how much of a good deal it may seem and no matter how much you may think you need content. What you don't need is a load of images that could place you and your business in jeopardy if you use them.
I know how hard it can be to survive during the summer slowdown and I know how desperate you may get for new content but don't be fooled. The risk you will take when you buy content that does not come with the required documentation is simply not worth taking and you need to face that reality.
If you don't you may never have to bother yourself about the summer slowdown again.