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Ok so here I am in front of my computer ... without my customary mug of coffee. Of course I could get up and make one but I'm here now and if I get up to make a cup of coffee it could be a while before I get back to doing this.

On the other hand, without that cup of coffee, who knows where this column is going to end up. But let's live dangerously ... let's just jump in and see what happens.

Earlier this week, over on Porn Resource, I offered some advice for beginners and perhaps this column should be read in conjunction with what I said over there because I'm not going to repeat myself here.

Once you've decided that all the hard work combined with a willingness to get out of your comfort zone is what you have to do if you want to succeed here there are some other things you need to get right in your head if you ultimately want to succeed.

Now the online adult industry deals with sex ... in all of its legal forms ... but you really need to decide what you're comfortable with. If you're a totally straight guy or girl would you be comfortable promoting gay or bisexual sites? If mature babes turn you on would you be comfortable promoting teen sites?

I guess if you asked a cross-section of the webmaster side of this industry what they would promote most would tell you that they promote whatever puts the most money in their pocket ... and that's ok. There is nothing wrong in having that attitude ... especially if you're comfortable with your sexuality ... but what if you're not comfortable with some of the niches that are available here?

If you're not comfortable with a particular niche would you be able to promote it as effectively as a niche that you were comfortable with? Some years back I made a lot of money from promoting the bisexual niche ... two guys and a girl. It was new and I was comfortable with that niche.

My partner ... who was not so comfortable with that niche ... also promoted it with galleries and free sites. He made very little if anything. I'm still not sure what it was about his approach but it certainly didn't resonate with the buying public while mine did ... over and over again.

It was the same for both of us with the teen niche. We both played around the edges for a while but we both soon turned away from it and I'm not sure that I even had a teen category on my link list. It just wasn't our thing ... we weren't really comfortable with it and we had to live with ourselves.

So, if you aren't comfortable with a niche then perhaps the best thing you can do is to leave it alone and only concentrate on those areas that you are comfortable with. After all ... at the end of the day ... you have to live with yourself and money doesn't make that any easier.

And being comfortable about what you're doing should play a big part in how you operate in this industry. Sadly this industry isn't known for its honesty or integrity even though so many of us do the right thing. Instead, the image of everyone in this industry is coloured by the actions of the few who put their desire for fast money before the smart option of aiming for long-term money.

Instead of building for the long-term they want to grab as much cash as they can and then run away so they trick surfers with incredible offers that turn out to be nothing but smoke and mirrors. They lie, cheat and steal ... and not only from the surfers. They think nothing of doing exactly the same thing to webmasters and content providers too.

So you have to decide whether or not you want to be around for the long-term too and adjust your attitude to fit your plans.

And please ... please ... don't think that just because you're working in the adult industry you need to transform yourself into some money-hungry amoral scumbag. This is an industry the same as any other and, just because some insecure people in the world feel that anyone who works here must be the scum of the earth, doesn't mean we are or that you have to do our best to prove them right.

As in any business, it's up to you whether or not you operate with honesty and integrity ... whether or not you can live with the person you become. No one else can make those choices for you and you can't blame the industry for what you may become because ... basically ... you don't really become anything new ... you justremain the person you have always been.