4 ms·

Would there still be any objection to making money from a porn site if it gave them 40% of their revenue?

tptacek 11y ago
I wouldn't do it. Without getting into an icky and tedious discussion of pornography in general, my general default setting is that major porn sites are exploitative, and that the ones that pay the most affiliate dollars are likely to be the worst of the bunch. Which is just to say, there are reasons you might not want to have a policy of redirecting users to porn sites for money even if Techcrunch isn't shaming you.
- AznHisoka 11y ago
  What makes you say the major ones are exploitative? And to who? the actors/actresses or the people watching their movies?
  - stickfigure 11y ago
    I also find this word odd. Usually I think the person being exploited in a financial relationship is the one whose pockets are being emptied.
  - 55555 11y ago
    I'm not sure what he means, but negative-option free-trial scams, credit card banging, fake messages on dating and cam sites to get you to buy credit packs, etc., are pretty run-of-the-mill issues. There are plenty of legit porn sites out there though.
jacquesm 11y ago
If you want to deal with corporate America in any way shape or form then any income from porn is right off the table. And if you're getting 40% of your revenue from porn then you are an extension of the porn industry.
- gaadd33 11y ago
  Hotels seem to have no problem doing business in corporate America and they are probably one of the largest independent distributors of porn.
hyperion2010 11y ago
Not only that but everyone wins. The user looking for porn is directed to an appropriate venue and everyone in the community that doesn't want to deal with a horny male at the other end of internet never even notices he is gone! Score -1 for continued prudishness.
- AznHisoka 11y ago
  Yep and I lost some respect for these guys because they were bullied into stopping by someone in techcrunch... Techcrunch. Makes me want to barf.
  - girvo 11y ago
    TechCrunch had (still does? I don't know) considerable influence over early startups, so I'm not particularly surprised. The article itself is complete bollocks, which is also not particularly surprising.
- makomk 11y ago
  One problem with that is that there's no reliable way to tell if someone is looking for porn. I remember this got MSN search in hot water donkeys years ago because they were making money by sending people to porn sites based on keyword matching that triggered on non-porn searches.
- throwaway3487ds 11y ago
  Not everyone wins. Philosophers and specifically feminists have to spend valuable cycles deciding and debating whether sex work is morally wrong or whether there should be a sex-positive part of the free market. This time could be much better spent on questions such as war, income inequality, discrimination other than as regards sex work, or a thousand other things. But it needs to be done, it's not like there is general agreement or you can ask some authority. Likewise the time I spent writing this comment, and the time you spent reading it, could be put to better usage by each of us. See: https://storify.com/carolleigh/gloria-steinem-a-swerf https://storify.com/carolleigh/gloria-steinem-a-swerf

I wouldn't do it. Without getting into an icky and tedious discussion of pornography in general, my general default setting is that major porn sites are exploitative, and that the ones that pay the most affiliate dollars are likely to be the worst of the bunch. Which is just to say, there are reasons you might not want to have a policy of redirecting users to porn sites for money even if Techcrunch isn't shaming you.

AznHisoka 11y ago
What makes you say the major ones are exploitative? And to who? the actors/actresses or the people watching their movies?
- stickfigure 11y ago
  I also find this word odd. Usually I think the person being exploited in a financial relationship is the one whose pockets are being emptied.
- 55555 11y ago
  I'm not sure what he means, but negative-option free-trial scams, credit card banging, fake messages on dating and cam sites to get you to buy credit packs, etc., are pretty run-of-the-mill issues. There are plenty of legit porn sites out there though.

jacquesm 11y ago

If you want to deal with corporate America in any way shape or form then any income from porn is right off the table. And if you're getting 40% of your revenue from porn then you are an extension of the porn industry.

gaadd33 11y ago
Hotels seem to have no problem doing business in corporate America and they are probably one of the largest independent distributors of porn.

hyperion2010 11y ago

Not only that but everyone wins. The user looking for porn is directed to an appropriate venue and everyone in the community that doesn't want to deal with a horny male at the other end of internet never even notices he is gone! Score -1 for continued prudishness.

AznHisoka 11y ago
Yep and I lost some respect for these guys because they were bullied into stopping by someone in techcrunch... Techcrunch. Makes me want to barf.
- girvo 11y ago
  TechCrunch had (still does? I don't know) considerable influence over early startups, so I'm not particularly surprised. The article itself is complete bollocks, which is also not particularly surprising.
makomk 11y ago
One problem with that is that there's no reliable way to tell if someone is looking for porn. I remember this got MSN search in hot water donkeys years ago because they were making money by sending people to porn sites based on keyword matching that triggered on non-porn searches.
throwaway3487ds 11y ago
Not everyone wins. Philosophers and specifically feminists have to spend valuable cycles deciding and debating whether sex work is morally wrong or whether there should be a sex-positive part of the free market. This time could be much better spent on questions such as war, income inequality, discrimination other than as regards sex work, or a thousand other things. But it needs to be done, it's not like there is general agreement or you can ask some authority. Likewise the time I spent writing this comment, and the time you spent reading it, could be put to better usage by each of us. See: https://storify.com/carolleigh/gloria-steinem-a-swerf https://storify.com/carolleigh/gloria-steinem-a-swerf