Wednesday, February 9, 2000
CEN Update
At 9:30 AM PST, Luke interrupted Joe Elkin of CEN in the middle of his second day of meetings with UU.net (owned by MCI). It seems that they have resolved many of their problems.
Joe: "We've already got most of it going and most of our sites are back up. We've already got them to that point where they've backed off. All of our stuff will be up tonight."
A CEN official writes on Netpond: CEN sites are back online. Currently we have 4 blocked sites: privategold.com xxxasians.com badgirlsclub.com sexcenterfolds.com Sites are only blocked when you access them through a UUnet connection. AOL users etc. can hit the sites. We will post on our http://www.trafficcash.com and other cen sites new links to redirect your privategold traffic ... the new site will be called: http://www.privateteens.com. Both Jb and JoeE are in Washington speaking to uunet to get those sites unblocked. Stats situation will be back to normal within 2 days.
JC2pixotna.com writes: I just want to add that I was shocked to hear of the CEN troubles. Just like a farmer with a couple of thousand acres trying to find a leak in the irrigation system, a company with so many advertisers, has a very difficult time monitoring all of their advertisers. CEN is a first class organization that has ALWAYS responded quickly and decisively when I have reported copyright infringers advertising their sites. I am sure they do the same when having spammers or password sites reported to them. With all the truly illegal operations pumping through UUNet's arteries it is truly a shame that CEN is made an example here. Over the last four years "JB" has been a great help to me. He was always willing to share his wisdom and offer his insight into the ways of the internet business world. (If only I had acted more promptly to his suggestions I would surely be better off than I am) JoeE is one of the classics of the industry... together, with a truly outstanding staff of support individuals, and a awesome set of beautifully designed websites, they are one of the yardsticks by which our industry is measured.
Ron of CCbill.com writes: Currently Mastercard represents 29% of the charges on adult sites. The main reason is that their is currently more Visa cards issued than Mastercards. Times are now going to Change..Most people are not aware that Citibank the largest card issuser has just switched to Mastercard. http://www.citibank.com/us/cards/ see for yourself it is not a Visa Card on Display. In the investment world Citibank has already stated that they wish to merge with Bank One - the second largest issuer of Visa cards. I talked with our Visa Reps two weeks ago, and Visa is truly worried that for the first time in history they could become the non dominant card.
Lee Noga: For every major ripple that wanders in our biz, a new solution or process steps in to supplement or helps us adapt and thrive financially amongst the doom and gloom of CC processing. The world did not end when Visa started this, it won't end on MC either. Its time surfers bought some eCash debit cards like pre-paid phone cards, and use those to pay for adult subscriptions. This would solve so many problems.
KimmyKim writes: As long as the CC companies can make more money on a chargeback than a sale, don't expect them to make it any harder to charge back. The math is pretty simple on that one. Once again the adult industry is at the forefront of the internet, only this time to a terrible detriment to the industry. When mainstream companies start to feel the pinch - if MC applies the rules equally across the board - then perhaps something will be done. In the meantime, I think everyone that accepts credit cards for anything would be wise to take a very proactive stance towards reducing both chargebacks and credits.
Timewalker: Why dont you all instead of doing Automated rebilling use a system of Email/Popup expiration preprocessing Through a system of email reminders and expired member popup which contain their information minus creditcard # you could and will cut your chargebacks to next to nil because you wouldn't be charging the customer then they dont want to be charged and if they are customers happy to be reoccuring they will enter their creditcard # and your chargebacks will be nil.. And not to mention that, those that pay large persign fees will actually be more profitable in a long term basis chargebacks and credits cost money and they generally have other sites in their programs that could be offered in their expiration letter
Viking: The recurring system is not the problem, the real problems are fraud and forgetful members/surfers (of course also the banks and CC companies :). We can not and shall not babysit every surfer with a credit card in the world. If surfers donīt read/understand what they are buying, then they should not be allowed to have a credit card. They need to "read" and "think" before they buy/pay (yeah, I know that by the time a surfer gets to the join page, then almost all blood have left his brain, which makes it difficulty to read and understand ;)). Remember that the majority of surfers (hopefully more than 99%, if you run a paysite) have NO problems whit understanding, what they are joining, and that they need to cancel, if they do not want to be a member. It is the surfers money, and they decide how to use them - give them more liability/responsibility for their credit card use, and they will learn to "read" and "think"
Morgan: Viking...just about every screw-up with a credit card made in my own personal household has been our fault. My husband and I have done the "Oh. I thought *you* were going to cancel that" thing a couple of times...and it never occurred to us to charge back anything due to what was our inability to get off our dual lazy butts and send an email. And unless I'm mistaken, the little thingy I signed when I got the credit card in the first place mentioned something about liability and responsibility, and there was no caveat "unless you're aroused when you hit submit." "You have to pay for this" is by no means a difficult concept to grasp. The "my kid did this" excuse bugs the hell out of me. If my child shoplifts, vandalizes, or commits any number of expensive illicit acts...I'm responsible. Why doesn't that responsibility transfer to eliminate that "excuse," which is bogus, anyway?
Big Bucks: If an important part of chargebacks come from angry women catching their husband trough the card debt or husband who doesn't know what to say to their wife about this, why not helping them to give a reason ? I mean for example why not build a big (fake or not) site about stocks, sports, big events, cars or whatever about non adult stuff that will come with the signup. Then just tell the surfer that he now has access also to this site with his membership and that he must bookmark it to use it as a reason of the card debt !!! Then I'm sure that the chargebacks will reduce a bit and maybe some members will stay longer than if they were caught by their wives.
Dravyk: there was a post elsewhere just a few days ago where one webmaster looked at his cc statement and saw something odd. He called Master Card to ask them "hi, could you please give me the phone number of such and such company listed here. I may have bought something from them, I may not have. I just want to call them and find out as the information here doesn't tell me enough." They said hold on and put him through to the chargeback department. He said hey, I don't want to chargeback! He had to argue with them for 10 minutes that NO he just wanted the phone number to inquire, and eventually had to ask them why where they giving him so much presurre to chargeback against his wishes. And of course they thought he was nuts not wanting to take something off his card and keeping the product or service.
Taksan: We simply stopped processing cards online... Now all transactions are reviewed 24/7 by a customer service person who if he feels nessesary will even do traceroutes on IP#'s and manualy try email accounts. Nobody gets approved until their sign up has been reviewed by a real person. And we do not charge until the person has replied to their email. We also stopped processing any transactions from female cardholders and eastern european customers. Our chargeback rate has dropped below 1% because of these measures and our processing costs have halved due to the lesser fee's associated with offline eftpos processing that actualy covers the cost of having cs people 24/7.
Alec: Its pretty amazing how the credit card industry has not come up with a way to 'fully' validate an electronic order. There's also alot of non-adult membership based websites out there, I wonder if they will be affected by the new Mastercard policy. Anyone know if its just the online porn industry that gets the high chargeback ratios or do other non-adult websites experience the same problem? If Visa enforces this same policy the industry will basically shut down (until other methods of credit card verification become available, which I doubt its going to happen anytime soon).
Laura: Audiotext [phone sex] companies did/do have a massive problem with chargebacks, it is not uncommon for a service provider to hold back 25% of client payments for potential chargebacks. Of course they built massive dbases of people known to chargeback, but it is still problem. Andrew: It is very easy to chargeback anything if they do not have a signature, regardless of whether it is adult or not. If they have a signature it is very difficult as I found out recently. But I did a $2,000 chargeback on the same card on a net transaction and it wasn't even questioned.
Kjell: It is much easier than you could possibly imagine to chargeback the order; no complaining necessary. In my experience, once the representative on the phone realizes the merchant in question is the proprietor of an adult site, they are more than willing to point you in the "right" direction of disputing the charge. Brutal.
Brandy Alexandre writes: I admit to barely skimming through the comments about the credit card chargeback fees, etc. Has anyone stopped to think that maybe a company wouldn't have to make so many chargebacks if it wasn't for their practice of charging cutomers who were duped into giving their credit card information for a "free" trial? I know there are a lot of customers out there who abuse the system--habitually dispute charges after they get what they want from a site--I'm just saying that the cry of "foul" from site merchants needs a little scrutiny.
JC@pixotna.com: I think the best way to keep the chargebacks down is by good pre-purchase filtering and scrubbing and then the monitoring of each suspicious transaction by cross referencing IP's with signup information. (U.S. card and address, from a Russian IP -- get zapped) Sponsors should also monitor their advertisers and re-sellers more carefully, looking for similarities in their signups, such as same first eight digits of card numbers, signup from the same domains or same IP blocks and check for how often the account has been accessed after the original signup. We started doing this and found several major cheaters right off the bat -- unfortunately the damage was done -- we are still doing credits and getting charged back from those fraudulent transactions. There is a substantial amount of fraud coming from advertisers looking to pump up their signups. These are all totally "pain in the ass" things to have to do, and they will severely cut into profits, because to filter out the bad guys you invariably lose some good ones in the process.
Also you can't do this with programming alone. Human logic, and intuition is something that a computer cannot match -- more employees are required. This all will hurt the advertisers and re-sellers every bit as much as the sponsors if not more. If sites start blocking all MC sales or foreign sales what happens to the poor advertisers signup ratios? We have almost 25% mastercard sales -- we don't want to stop accepting them. Foreign sales are also an important part of our sales. Over the years we have found that it is the free anonymous Email accounts that really require the special scrutiny. We have always maintained a low chargeback rate. Prompt customer service, easy cancelation, quality content and frequent updates help. Our screening combined with our processors scrubbing and then personal reviews of new accounts keeps us within the acceptable limits. It will be interesting to see how these new regulations are enforced and who they are enforced against. It sounds like it is discretionary, and could allow them to pick and choose who they keep and who they don't.
Best languages are : M = Millions of surfers in July 99 English : 128M Japanese : 20M German : 14M Spanish : 10M French : 10M Italian : 4M
James Fortune Kidnapped?
xycoticliberationarmy@hotmail.com writes Gene Ross and forwards to Luke: "Hey Gene, you guys R terrible journalists and better do a little more interviewing with the hints we left you....you just take D.K.'s words for everything? We kidnapped the f---ing Fortune bastard and are holding him ransom...WE hacked into D.K.'s e-mail account (pretty easy when "DK" is the password, ya know) and left the tearfully long Fortune eulogy (pretty easy to fabricate all that s--- with all the stupid diaries he keeps in his place). No 1 sees the tapes OR Fortune until we get our $$ and R demands R met. Instructions will follow later...Don't bother DK anymore with your questions...you are barking up the wrong tree."
Greg Dark
Brian Kushner writes: Luke: Greg Dark also directed the hot new Brittney Spears video and the record company got wind of his former profession and aren't too happy. NY Post story says his agent is now freaking afraid the negative publicity will kill his video career.
Giff writes: Mr. Ford: I saw Teri Weigel (and Kendra Jade) on a CourtTV program that featured the Bunny Ranch. My impression was that Weigel was working there full-time. It seems a bad turn of events to go from Playboy centerfold to top adult star to working at a Nevada brothel. Ms. Weigel has always been one of my favorite centerfolds and adult actresses, what has happened to her?
Luke: She grew old and the options for older porn stars are few.
The Spiritual Seeker
For two hours Sunday night, I roundly denounced the evils of pornography on KRLA radio. But come Monday night, when I realized that I had a severe cash flow problem, it took me an hour to fill my site with ads for porn websites. I've sold out for filthy lucre. Click Here to signup now and help pay for Luke's doggone legal defense. P.S. CyberErotica is also the most POPULAR premium site on the net.
Former yeshiva student Fischel Teitelbaum writes: Shalom Luke! First, congratulations with your new web site. I love the things that blink on and off. Second you write on pst that you consider installing yoyeur cams in your apartment, to watch u study the Torah and lay t'fillin. what a great idea! When I was caught by the tzniousness [modesty] patrol at the library, I tried to tell them that I was looking at dirty things just so I could learn how to install cameras in the rebbes home so that millions could feel the joy we all feel as he lays on t'fillin and studies gemorah. But they did not believe me. I think it a good idea. I hope all jews go on the web so each can see what the other is doing to be a jew and can urge him on in his studies to be a better jew in every way and that is why I like your idea.. If I move to LA can I live with porn star in a house with cameras so that she can teach me and I can teach her it is great idea everyone will watch us.
Chaim Amalek: Luke, sorry, but with that headache-inducing blinking frame/link, your web site is now painfully unreadable. Since I can no longer view it as I did in the past, could you send me (and others who request it) executive summaries of it every few days?
Galifrey@aol.com: Luke- You rule!!! If they want pro-porn, give 'em pro-porn, if they want anti-porn stance, give 'em that. I love it!!! These so-called adjenda pushing discussions are so often based on the concept of a bunch of no nothing wankers gathering to espouse preconceived half-baked views on subjects they know nothing about, it reduces everything to an insipid talk-fest of blowhard noise. Why is it like this? Because we live in America, baby! It doesn't matter if you don't know all the facts, or even a few of them, have an opinion, dammit!!! Look at political pols, 1% has "no opinion" on almost every political subject. Am I to believe 99% of this country knows enough about campaign finance reform to reject or support it? I think not. But God forbid people would "reserve judgement", or see merits in both perspectives or, gasp, anything as complex as being unsure where they stand. Why that's downright unAmerican!!!
And this is as true about the adult industry as anything else. Which is why I love Luke's ability to see both sides, and his struggle. He's actually dealing with the issues, rather then tooting some sad intellectual horn of verbosity like most of the voices out there.
The bottom line is that porn, sexuality, depictions on film, "performance", "motivation", all are subtle, complex and profound societal issues that involve much more than a call in radio show where people say, "Hey, what's wrong with sex?" It's precisely this dumbing down of the complexities of human existence that creates the very conundrums of societal contradictions we now face. I myself am guilty of this, having written in to your site, Luke, proclaiming my beliefs that any video depicting rough sex, even if consentual, shouldn't be allowed. Since writing that I've struggled with my own contradictions.
Who am I to make this claim? Isn't regular porn sex just as demeaning to a woman? Is being slapped by a dick during sex different then being slapped by a fist? Both are done by the woman to make money in a porno. Do I have all the answers? No. But I'm troubled by these issues greatly. As a fan of porn, I find myself living the very contradiction between my intellectual perceptions and my basest instincts that you, Luke F-rd, struggle with on a daily basis on your website. So what are the answers? They will be found only through an acknowledgment of this struggle. By those who can admit being torn by both sides, the moral, the spiritual and the sexual, who will find the answers. Nothing is black and white. If you are 100% "pro" porn or "anti" porn, then you don't understand squat.
This issue is complex, and the contradictions lie in each and every one of us. It is through philosophers like Luke F-rd, struggling with his own shortcomings, that come closer to the truth then anything else. To quote Isaac Asimov, "It's easy to understand people. Just look at yourself and you'll understand everyone else." Luke's struggle with both the fascination, the arousal and the disgust of the porn industry is the closest we have to making progress in our society's communal persepctions on mores and values. What are the answers? As I said, I'm not sure, but I'm struggling with both sides of myself, and as I do so, I'm closer. So is Luke. For those only offering one side, take a closer look at yourself.
Tomas Santiago writes: Dear Mr. Ford, As usual the defenders of porn have missed the point. The defense (as regards the question..."to legislate or not to legislate) should not be based on freedom of speech but on morality. Defend pornography as being morally correct? No. But by the very tenets of the faith they espouse, (Christian, Catholic, and Jew) the road to the kingdom of heaven is entranced by choice. By removing this choice you also remove the persons chance to make his own decision to come unto God and therefore you remove his/her chance for salvation. ( In my personal experience heavens gate was more often a pair of electric blue silk lace panties...but hey to each his own. Besides Im a Taoist ':-) Therefore it is the antiporn movement which is immoral, un-"christian" and inherently will lead to great evil. Argue that one children.
Your Cash Problems Are Over!!!
Helpful in Modesto writes: Luke - You settle for crumbs when you put that stupid CyberErotica link on your site for a measly little commission. Here's the way out of your financial mess. When in porn do like the porners ... install web cams throughout your apartment and charge a premium for the privilege of observing a real life porn journalist in his native habitat. You could call it "Voyeur Hovel". Subscribers could watch your daily routine as you: study the Torah in your underwear, dodge subpoenas, polish your fire arm menacingly, console the equally well armed Lynne Lopatain nightly, slip "Roofies" into Kendra Jade's drinks ... The real secret to success in the porn website game is to charge a real low monthly fee to get the dopes to give you their credit card numbers then after you have the numbers run the charges up IEG style!!! Sorry, your only other real alternative to make quicker cash is to work a month at the Bunny Ranch.
Luke - On a serious note this might be a way to generate some easy cash. Remember all that internet hoopla about that Turkish guy, Mahir? He sells t-shirts and stuff through this site www.cafepress.com. Also on this site are shirts for all sorts of crappy bands you've never heard of. So what you ask? They claim no set up fees or inventories. They basically run the store and pay the licensee a commission on each sale. It sounds to good to be true, but you should check it out. Even if you don't use these guys you should be able to find someone in LA to print some decent shirts up for a few bucks. I'll buy the first one. But NOT with a f---ing credit card! Do it Luke.
Luke - This is America and it is a time honored tradition that whenever you achieve any sort of celebrity that you must milk it hard and fast for as much cash as possible! Try the t-shirt idea. I know that it will generate some quick cash and even more advertising for your site. Here's the perfect design: Front Design: Your URL with your trade mark pensive / "I have a migraine" photo beneath it. Back Design: "I sued Luke F-rd for slander and all I got was this lousy t-shirt." It's gold Luke! SOLID GOLD!
David Gardener writes: That flipping Giant Red Click Here ad for Cybererotica at the top of uour site almost nauseates me. I don't know if you've heard fro anyone else on this but it made me want tleave your site right away. It's too much. I suggest you go to your own site as a visitor would and feel it for yourself. It may be good for C.E but I bet it's not gonna be good for you in the long run.
Luke: I'm only doing it to expose the evil of pornography.
Chaim Amalek writes that it is time I start to think like a Jew. "Luke, Luke, Luke, Luke. Where do I begin? How about with some notes to myself? 1. Rule No. ONE of web design - do nothing to irritate potential readers and drive them away. Corollary of rule No. 1: DON'T EVER PUT ANYTHING ON A WEB SITE THAT FLASHES, BLINKS, OR OTHERWISE TWITCHES!!!!!!!!!!!!! Turn off that damn Cyberwhatever link; make it static, if I must have it at all. It is VERY irritating, and will COST YOU IN VISITS.
"2. You call yourself a Jew? There is gold at your feet, and you sell yourself out to bus tables! A while back I suggested that you could increase your cash flow by setting up a 900 telephone service, offering your obsessive porner readers a three- four hour heads up on what is going to appear on the site. It would also permit the compulsive amongst them to check out your gossip even when not near a computer, e.g., by cell phone while driving through the valley. You could charge a lot for this to focus on the rich of porn, you get the idea. This will make a lot of dough for you. It is criminal, it is GOYISH, that you fail to follow up on this. Instead you fall back to that irritating winking link to cyberloser. Stop shaming us by acting like a dumb hick goy and start thinking like a Jew, Luke! -LF/CA/XX"
Mclalie writes: I have a great idea for a video, Lukkake Bukkake, where you are tied to a chair in an old warehouse or dirty basement and any and everybody you have ever pissed off in the adult jizz bizz jerks off all over your face. Then just to regain some dignity you could commit suicide. How about it? you self hating Aussie!
NEW YORK, Feb 08 (Reuters Health) -- The anti-impotence drug Viagra may also be effective in treating an esophageal disorder in which patients have difficulty swallowing, Italian researchers report.
<atomic> Jim, this is probably ben asked and answwered several times here, but what do you think of Anabolic's decision to pull Rough Sex? Was it in reaction to the controversy on RAME or were there other factors involved?
<TeddyBearOgre> Luke and Gene Ross putting it up on their sites had alot to do with it.
<JimGunn> atomic, I am a 1st Amendment absolutist so I think that it is a shame that Anabolic pulled that series in a self-censorship fashion due to obvious pressure from within the business, although as a business man I can understand their decision.
<TeddyBearOgre> and Luke is the rebel?
<JimGunn> No rame has little impact in the biz even though it is a great forum.
<atomic> thought yer site was free, luke? Ad revenues?
<JimGunn> Luke and Gene are widely read however
<Trump> a pic
<Trump> from my new hustler layout i did friday
<JimGunn> Bianca, I'm sure you get advic like this from others but you need to replace the smoke habit with soemthing else. Chewing gum works good since that is an oral fix, not unlike smoking.
<Diablo1504> poontang pie?
<Trump> didnt smoke at all sat sun or today
<CraigV> oral fix.... hmmmm
<CraigV> what else could Bianca do other than chew gum....
<Trump> i have been chewing straws
<CraigV> bite her nails?
<Trump> ewww
<l-keford1> suck my dick!
<JimGunn> Straws, yeck!
<NaurU> haha
<Trump> i also switch to coffee black
<Trump> I am a mess
<Trump> no more fat no more cigs.....gees what will BA have to disguss now.....soon she will just have to pick on Diablo alone
<CraigV> quit smoking and suck Luke's dick?? I'd stick to smoking
<Trump> Luke cant afford me to suck his dick
<CraigV> yes he can - he got a raise
<Trump> well
<Trump> he can go to BA
<Trump> shes free
<CraigV> lol
<atomic> she'll say yer strung out on Crystal Meth
<Trump> lol
<atomic> or heroin or sumpin
<Trump> maxwell house
<JimGunn> Bianca, I'm not trying to be a wiseass, but isn't it about time to let the Bianca-Brandy feud die down or is there stil enough bile there to continue to waste more of your precious time with her?
<Trump> I dont reply to her posts
<JimGunn> Ok, that's good.
<CraigV> Jim Gunn - porno misionary
<l-keford1> Bianca, there is no way you are typing this, it is spelled too correctly
<MikeSouth> hey Luke
<MikeSouth> so ya took on Mark Kernes huh?
<MikeSouth> hows it feel to have a battle of wits with an unarmed man
<MikeSouth> and ya you may quote me :)
<l-keford1> Mark is smart and a gentleman
<MikeSouth> thats easy for you to say Luke you always trounce him
<JimGunn> I don't know how everyone reads that site in a tiny little scrunched up rectangle like it is by default
<l-keford1> Professor, what do you think about revealing porn star's real names?
<Professor> What's your rationale, Luke?
<l-keford1> Prof, you reveal real names on any other person
<l-keford1> porn stars are the only exception, what other group do we allow anonymity?
<Professor> Victims.
<l-keford1> Rape victims. Yeah, they can accuse someone of rape, name him publically, but rape victims get away with anonymity. Not right.
<MikeSouth> Is it just me or is this little talesian guy annoying
<JimGunn> Well, if we didnt live in a repressive, damaged-by-religious-hypocraasy society, hinding behind a silly pseudonym would not be necessary Luke, would it?
<l-keford1> Prof, what do you instruct your students regarding porn star's real names?
<Professor> That's week 12 on the syllabus, Luke. Only in week 4.
<l-keford1> Prof, r u a Jew?
<JimGunn> ..here we go...
<l-keford1> Anyone in here ever have sex with a dog?
<zoe> no
<Professor> No, Catholic, Luke.
<Professor> Where's Nici Sterling when you need her?
<l-keford1> Do you believe that Mary was really a virgin or is it a myth for the goyim?
<l-keford1> Prof, do you think there are too many Jews in Journalism?
<`^-_-^`> I don't think there are enough Jews in the NBA.
<Professor> No, Luke, I don't.
<JimGunn> You can never have to many Jews Luke. I'm all-goy but I love Jewish people.
* MikeSouth thinks there are too many jews on l-keford.com
<MikeSouth> regardless Luke how do you propose we thin them out?
<MikeSouth> Gas?
<JimGunn> Mike you are trying to split hairs here. He has a legit claim as a religious convert, but a- who knows if any of what he claims is true; b- even if so, so what- there's plenty of Jews in all the avrying dissenting sects of Judaism who would not consider him a Jew anywway
<MikeSouth> Jim if he says he is a jew he is a jew why does a non jew even give a rats ass
<l-keford1> Hey, would you guys subscribe to yoyeur cams in my apartment, to watch me study the TOrah and lay t'fillin?
<Professor> I teach Journalism.
<Professor> I suspect that you'll be the subject of someone's dissertation in the future, if you haven't been already.
<l-keford1> You teach journalism?
<l-keford1> Hahhahahahhaha
<Professor> Yes...focus on magazine writing.
<l-keford1> that is great, am I shining example of the type of ethics you try to inculcate in your students?
<l-keford1> BTW, is it unethical of me to take blowjobs from porn stars that I write about?
<Professor> I don't think of you as an ethical study as much as a sociological study
<Professor> It wouldn't be unethical--I'd argue--because you don't pretend to be objective.
<Professor> well, you are a real journalist, aren't you?
<Professor> what's different--or so it seems--if that you impose no real filter on what you present.
<l-keford1> True
<l-keford1> I impose as little as possible, I do impose a bit, have to to stay alive
<l-keford1> but i try to let it read very raw
<l-keford1> And yes, I do think I am somewhat of a journalist
<Professor> and that, I suspect, is why your site is so popular....people never know what they'll get. But they know they'll get something raw, true, real.
<l-keford1> Thank you, that is what I try for.
<l-keford1> The world I write about is so foul and double dealing that I have come to this approach as the one most effective for reflecting and revealing my beat.
<Professor> I think you'd be a good dissertation topic *because* you're so different in your approach to journalism.
<l-keford1> Thanks. I'd love to see it because I am so wrapped up in myself and what I am doing, i'd love the objective outside analysis.
<l-keford1> Particularly in comparison with the other source of info like geneross.com
<Professor> and I think you're absolutely successful...My attitudes about the industry have been shaped by you.
<l-keford1> I should be judged by comparison to alternative sources of info on the biz
<l-keford1> Thanks. My book is pretty standard journalism
<Professor> I read one column by Ross and found myself bored.
<Professor> I haven't seen your book.
<l-keford1> It's ok
<l-keford1> You can get away with a helluva lot if you're just open and honest with people, and publish your critics
<l-keford1> But in writing this way, I've lost the ability to write professionally
<Professor> Why? Because you're branded?
<Professor> or because you're not capable anymore of writing objective stuff?
<l-keford1> I've fallen out of practice of writing objectively and it would take some discipline and getting back on the cycle to regain that
<l-keford1> ANd I am branded. Both obstacles can be overcome when the need arises however.
<Professor> I think it's easier than it appears, Luke. I do think you're so immersed in what you do, that it's hard for you to fairly evaluate your situation.
<l-keford1> I'm hoping to get a radio talkshow, I think i would be suited to that.
<l-keford1> Yes, you're right.
<l-keford1> I just love inverting paradigms, breaking rules, etc
<Professor> I don't know how you do it. You're obviously a very thoughtful, spiritual guy. This business muct really get to you.
<l-keford1> It does but the funny thing is, my desire for attention and recognition overwhelms my horror of writing on porno.
<Professor> yes, you're an iconoclast--no doubt. I think that's terrific. And you've shown how the web will challenge existing paradigms of journalism.
<l-keford1> Thank you
<Professor> recognition from whom?
<l-keford1> Recognition from thoughtful persons like yourself, and also from the masses. I enjoy walking into a room and people knowing who I am. I
<l-keford1> need to feel competent in something.
<Professor> I think that once you've started something like your site, it would be hard to stop. I also think, though, that it must color your perception of things.