Ex-Pal Cont'd

The day after my Ex-Pal article, the offended party exonerated me. It took nearly a week of bobbing and weaving to convince the company of my innocence. Before I tell you how I did it, I first want to remind you that adult content is subjective to the whims and perspectives. The tomato you call a vegetable is a fruit to many others.

Let me take you back to last week. A few days prior to that week, a custom video fan used two fields that should be used with caution and discretion when dealing with adult transactions and Ex-Pal. Unfortunately, my fan didn't know the rules. As a result, Ex-Pay reviewed and limited my account more and more each day while it pumped me for business information. It was not satisfied with my "explanation", or that I used the check box, and listed eBay as my web site. It wanted to see the listing. I had to place an ad listing so it could see I was selling clothing instead of adult content. After which, I had to remove the listing. Ex-Pal reviewed the case [literally] it had against me, and eventually restored my account to full access.

Afterward, I decided to give Ex-Pal a break from processing my usually non adult transactions, and switched back to Stormpay. There was a time Stormpay was accepting adult transactions, and then it too went the way of Ex-Pal. It didn't take it long to go back to processing adult transactions again, but with restrictions. The adult industry is huge, and the annual revenue it generates is staggering. Some companies can do without the extra cash, while others can't. Ex-Pal is large enough to survive without accepting adult transactions. But it still does, of course; it just doesn't know it.

My first run in with Ex-Pal occurred a few years ago. Ex-Pal froze my funds for 180 days, and permanently banned my account email address and bank account from it's system. This time, it was close to doing the same. Fortunately, each time, the amounts in question were less than $200. Ex-Pal imposes monthly withdrawal limits unless you provide your social security number. Its best to withdraw your money as soon as it arrives in the event Ex-Pal ever questions it. Others have not been so lucky. There are people with thousands of dollars they cannot access because of an Ex-Pal review and freeze. Dealing with adult-friendly companies is your first and best defense against these types of actions.

Foot site owners, mainstream site owners, and people not in the business per se, choose your payment companies wisely. Make sure they accept you for who you are and what you do. If not, then make sure your customers, clients, and fans know the rules when they use those companies to make purchases from you or receive payments from you. A few keystrokes can cause a world of financial pain.

Ex-Pal

Once again, Paypal is becoming my Ex-Pal. Years ago, I had it out with them because they found I was using them for subscriptions and billing. They deemed my nonnude, hardcore free site as adult content. For them, the fetish aspect of it was the deal killer moreso than anything else. I gave Ex-Pal up, and went with a company that did everything from designing sites, to hosting them, to doing subscriptions and billing for them. My most recent incident with Ex-Pal came from a payment for a custom video. It was that incident that sparked today's blog entry.

Anyone who is in the adult industry needs to know that no matter how tame you think your content or site is, there is someone who will think otherwise. Having said that, I'll tell you about the incident, and then give you advisory warnings so you won't lose business if you decided to open your own foot site.

I buy and sell items online from other models, and for my own models. The key to it is being discreet. Ex-Pal will limit, shutdown, or close an account if it feels it violated it's Acceptable Use Policy (AUP). So if you are going to buy something adult-oriented, either lie about the purchase, or don't say anything about it at all. In my case, my custom buyer decided to give Ex-Pal very detailed information about his purchase. We discussed it already, so I felt there would be no need for him to include it in his purchase information...I was wrong. Ex-Pal sent its Task Force to handle my account. After providing it with the information it required, it still was not satisfied. Ultimately, I had to fabricate something on the Internet for them to see. Once they saw it, I was to cease and desist that particular Internet activity. I complied, and await the outcome. Until then, I won't be accepting any payments, or sending any payments. I can put my own money in, and pay people. But I can't take any out. The worst thing that happens to violators is the 180 day account freeze. During that time, you can't do anything with your account. If it comes to that, I will be OK because right now, I only need the account to pay people.

If you decide to start your own foot site, make sure you go with companies that approve of and accept adult sites and transactions. Make sure your domain registration service accepts adult domain names. Make sure your hosting company accepts adult sites. Make sure your payment processor(s) accept adult transactions. If any one of those important places is not friendly to the adult industry, you run the risk of being shut down, and losing business.

As the saying goes, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.

Pricey Paysites

This week, national attention was placed on two things. One being the most recent development in the Middle East. The other, a three year-old battle over a $40,000 ring a married man gave to a woman he engaged after they met over the Internet. The woman broke off the engagement after she found her fiance was online doing the same things that attracted her to him. A judge ruled the ring as a gift, as the man could not be wed to two women at once.

My take on that was if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is. Kobe Bryant paid his wife off with a $4 million ring after he committed adultery. Brian Callahan bought his Internet love interest a $40,000 ring knowing he was a married man. Big weddings, big gifts, and big payoffs usually signify grave things to come, or grave things that have come to pass. I apply that same principle to big signup fees to foot fetish paysites.

Some sites have become rather ridiculous with their signup fees. I attribute that to greed, more than to supply and demand. One of the largest foot fetish sites out there charges less than $15 per month, and it gives members a $5 discount on all VHS and DVD videos purchased. Mind you, that is not $5 off shipping, that is $5 off individual videos. Don't be put off by my statement about the shipping. Regardless of your order, the shipping price is the same.

I ask, what are the small to medium sites offering for there $20-$25 per month? Are their members getting webcam shows, chatroom sessions, high quality video, multi-site access, or free merchandise? Sadly, they are probably getting a good variety of girls to view, a few mediocre videos, and a nonexistent webmaster who only cares about pleasing his pockets instead of his fans. There are the occasions when the site is worth the price of admission. One site offers its members multi-site access to its other porn sites. That works out well because every now and then, you get to see some foot content in the sister sites' mainstream videos. Some others do the multi-pass feature too, but their sister sites have practically no foot content.

Ultimately, it's up to you, the surfer-customer to do your research. There are sites and forums that rate mainstream porn sites, as well as foot fetish sites. You can learn much from a Google or Yahoo search, so use that to free information to your advantage. With a little digging you can find out if that $18-$25 site you saw is worth the price of admission, or if you're better off signing up with the one run by Bargain Dan the Discount Foot Site Man.

The Interview

It's a known fact that guys with foot fetishes love to hear girls talk about their feet. That is the reason the foot model interview is a hot commodity to foot site owners. As much as you see online, there are the untold stories only heard by telephone. It is the combination of heard, and unheard information that gives the interviewer the foundation for a good interview. Unfortunately, few interviewers capitalize on the virtual jewelry store of information given to them.

OK, a girl wants to shoot with you, and she meets all the exterior qualifications you seek. But as we all know, looks can be deceiving. Hopefully, you can determine by email if the girl is up to the task at hand. If she is, then the next phase should be to speak with her by telephone. The telephone interview gives you a feel of the girl's personality, style, and charm. It also helps you see if the girl can bring anything to the table, or if you will be running the show entirely. During the conversation, this is not the time to be the typical guy. You really need to be a girl in this situation, and take in everything your potential model says. Should you choose to do a video interview with her, you will have basis for banter that will interest your fans.

Unfortunately, given the information they obtain, many site owners do not know what to do with it. If a girl says she gets pedicures every two weeks, make sure you either bring that up during the video interview. If you are not doing video, make sure you focus on her feet as much as possible without overdoing it. If a girl says she is a dancer, make sure you capture that in your photos, and make use of it in your videos. The idea is to capitalize on what you learn from her.

Site owners who decide to conduct video interviews need to do one thing--be creative. It should go without saying that the questions you ask should fit your site. But some guys don't understand that, so I'll say it now. Ask questions that fit your site. That means if you aren't shooting hardcore, don't ask a girl if she has given a FJ. Fans want to know things they would love to ask a random girl who catches their eye, so make sure they get those things. Stick to the basics, such as shoe size, ticklish or not, and foot fetishes. But also throw in curveballs, such as foot odor, shoeplay, and foot flirting.

Everyone doesn't have a little journalist inside them. But with a little effort, a lot of practice, and astute attention to pleasing your fans, you can obtain a good interview.

Strip Club Feet

Recently, a fellow foot admirer tipped his forum family to the best stripper forum on the Internet. It didn't take me long to realize the benefits and advantages it had for guys with foot fetishes. Having said that, this article is dedicated to feet at the strip club.

Exotic dancers, strippers, or dancers, usually enjoy the opportunity to dance for guys with foot fetishes. They credit us with being courteous, well-mannered, and generous with tips.

Unfortunately, not all strippers like us. There are some who "don't get the foot thing", some who don't like their super-sensitive feet touched, and some who won't take their shoes off. Some strippers like us, but only to a certain extent. There are some who will let us touch, but not sniff, lick, or suck.

If you decided to go to a strip club, and you want to have some foot fun, it is best to be up front with the girls. You don't want to start fondling a girl's feet, and then have her freak out on you during the dance. You also don't want security coming over, and telling you to cease and desist. Strip clubs are as different as the girls who dance in them. Talk to the girl about your fondness for feet so she can tell you if you can or can't indulge your feelings with her, another girl, or in the club as a whole. Communication is your best friend in this situation.

I encourage you to check out the stripper forum of the site mentioned above, and use the search function to find information on foot related topics. Tomorrow is a holiday. You never know...instead of partying or enjoying fireworks, you might find yourself in a strip club.