Could it be true?
The once despised TGP traffic concept, hated by webmasters and web hosts
alike as bandwidth eating trash traffic magnets, could recover some redeeming
qualities in it’s new metamorphosized state, the TGP2?
What began as a simple concept with very clear and outlined objectives
is now mushrooming into an industry wide revolution of converted webmasters.
Converting webmasters? Well, that’s what it seems to take; a shift of
gears, a change in the mode of thinking that free converts and hardcore
equals signups.
I have been keeping my eye on the TGP2 concept since it’s inception in
July and August of this year. As proof that boards can breed good
ideas, this one took off with a bang! Colin Delia, Director of TGP2Bucks.com
(an Insite Adult program), has proven to be a very strong, opportune,
and intelligent webmaster who has stepped in as a leader and advocates
the TGP2 movement from Buildinganempire.com, and Oprano.com/tgp2 to name a few. Colin
has been the adult industry’s guide through the development and growth
of TGP2 and has been working hard to educate webmasters, hosting seminars
at AdultDex and CyberNet, as well as helping to develop and/or find tools,
sponsors, and programs to make TGP2 a success. Other webmasters who have
helped to develop and support the TGP2 movement are Harvey of Tgp2.net and Wolfshade of Tgp2board.com, two very excellent resource
sites, and the sources for much of the information provided here.
Do You TGP2?
A TGP2 gallery is a thumbnail gallery post that contains a limited number
of clickable (to full sized) thumbnailed images, usually no more than
5, with a few additional thumbnails that are not clickable to offer the
surfer a teaser/preview of what the site being promoted has to offer.
To maintain the integrity of the TGP2 concept, incoming and outgoing links
to the gallery can only contain links to and from other TGP2 related web
sites. The idea is to increase the quality of the adult surfer experience, to decrease the amount
of free porn available on the Internet, in some cases to decrease the
amount of free hardcore porn on the ‘Net to increase child protection,
and to help increase signup conversion ratios with lower bandwidth bills...
in essence to make adult webmasters more money!
So let’s see, the
limited number of clickable thumbnails lowers bandwidth bills because
you are lowing the number of (free) full size image downloads, decreases
the amount of money spent on content for TGP galleries, and limits the
surfers accessibility to free porn from your site.
Some TGP2 galleries are taking the concept even farther. There is a theory
out there that the free content that we, adult webmasters, provide on
the Internet as "teasers", are a little too effective. Meaning that we
are not leaving much up to the imagination, so there is no curiosity to
keep the surfer captivated, wanting to see more. So some TGP2 Posts will
not accept gallery pages that contain "hardcore" images.
In addition to increasing hit to signup ratio’s, the legal implications
of so much free hardcore porn available on the Internet is an increasing
concern for adult site owners. As pointed out by Connor Young in his
article "What is TGP2?" (Published in The Adult
Webmaster), "It also can’t be ignored that placing large amounts of
free hardcore in environments that have not been screened for age is only
asking for trouble - lawyers who represent Adult Industry clients believe
that webmasters providing free hardcore make the most attractive target
for Ashcroft and his federal anti-porn squad. A jury in an obscenity case
will have less sympathy for a webmaster who made hardcore [porn] easily
accessible to children." As far as what is considered hardcore, read
the rules before you submit a gallery and the answer will become clear
and dependant upon the rules of each post.
There are ideas that arise out of the limitations of posting hardcore
content. Some webmasters are exploring censorship of their own images
by "bleeping" out the "hot spots" of the images such as a "Join Today"
over bare breasts or a simple ☼ [star] over vagina or penis displays.
Many webmasters hope that this voluntary censorship will help to increase
the users temptation to join the site as well as demonstrate responsibility
to protect children from "obscene" content.
What’s
the Fuss?
So why go through
all the trouble just to save a few bucks? Well if you are interested
in making more money than maybe you should listen up. Traffic within
the network of TGP2 sites is dramatically increasing every month. According
to Paul at www.TGP2Stats.com, the TGP2 sites they are
monitoring are pushing well over 200,000 unique visitors per day as of
October 31,2001. About 90-95% of all TGP2 sites are monitored by www.TGP2Stats.com.
So what about traffic?
Already have traffic? The point here is that it’s not the quantity, it’s
the quality! TGP2 sites are experiencing higher conversions to their
own sites as well as higher click thru to signup ratios with sponsor sites.
Why? Well, the TGP2 concept is built on more than simply saving webmasters
money; it is designed to increase revenue to webmasters and sponsors alike.
The appeal of fewer free pictures and a more softcore approach to the
content that is free, encourages the surfer to take that step to join
and find out what’s inside. TGP posters and webmasters are saying that
their conversions are picking up. Whether it is free porn that is the
culprit for low sales this year, or a stale marketing approach, the adult
Internet industry is dying for new methodologies, concepts, appeals, and
strategies. They days of "Click Here for Free Porn" are gone along with
"One Week Free Trials". With webmasters perpetually digging into the
same barrel for ideas, something’s got to give.
The TGP2 movement
will not eliminate free porn on the net but it definitely will enhance
the experience for the surfer with fewer pop-up’s and consoles, less bouncing
around, and finally give the surfer a chance to enjoy what the adult internet
has to offer rather than bombarding him/her with repetitive and faceless
smut. Give them something to join for. Try a new approach to the business
as old as time.
There is now a wide array of TGP2 tools on the Internet to help you get
started.
You can find TGP2 posts to submit to, gallery makers, automated submitters,
free TGP2 hosts, top lists and more at http://adultchamber.com/members/tgp2-resources.htm!
