Previously we discussed the concept of giving birth to an adult website. We talked about asking yourself some honest questions and providing honest answers, just like as I did when I had that gleam in my eye. Ultimately, I decided I had the knowledge (HTML, CGI, Javascript, graphics) and the competitive advantage (contacts in the adult industry, exhibitionist girlfriends) to give it a shot.

CHOOSING THE MOTHER AND NAMING YOUR OFFSPRING

If the product of your love is going to grow up to be successful and provide for you in your old age, you need to give it a good name. Name a child "Jeeves" and it will grow into a butler. A good name is imperative to a successful site, and unfortunately, finding a good candidate is slightly harder than flipping through the "Baby Name Book" and pointing at "Jennifer" or "Todd." Unlike children's names, you can't duplicate sex site names, and all the good ones have been taken. Be original, and think outside of the box. Utilize a combination of words and/or symbols that are associated with the adult business. It takes research and trial and error to come up with an acceptable, available one.

Simultaneous to, or in close association with naming your site is choosing a hosting provider for it. In most cases, hosting providers allow you to look up and register domain names through them, so I recommend seeking out an appropriate hosting provider first, and utilizing the resources they provide to research available domain names.

Resource sites, like Adult Biz Resource, are excellent ways to research hosting providers, and most will provide details about the host so you can do some comparisons without having to visit each specific site. Pay attention to the storage restrictions, the bandwidth restrictions, the speed of the service, the amount of dedicated servers, what sort of access they provide, and the cost (including all associated costs relative to the restrictions).

While much of the comparison-shopping can be done directly from the resource site, it is also a good idea to visit the hosting site itself. The look, design, and speed of the hosting provider's web page will offer evidence of their professionalism. If their site loads slowly, it's a good bet yours will, too.

Of course, checking out the resource lists of appropriate providers, and looking at the websites of the providers themselves is only the beginning of the necessary research. Resource sites are just that -- resources to begin your research. And the specific websites associated with hosting providers might offer intangible evidence on how they will meet your needs (in relation to their speed and professionalism) but they tend to be biased when it comes to actually recommending a hosting provider (each one seems to think they are the best - imagine that!)

For unbiased advice on who to go with, visit the adult bulletin boards, either through UseNet or through those provided by resource sites. When I was choosing the hosting provider for my site, I did a search in alt.sex (and all its subsequent trees) for "hosting" and scanned the resulting 1000s of postings. While not all of the posts were helpful in determining a hosting provider appropriate for my needs, most of them offered useful advice in way or the other. And yes, many of the posts DID offer specific advice about successes and failures other adult webmasters had experienced with Hosting Provider A and Hosting Provider B.

Ultimately, there was not a clear-cut winner. I found it to be much like seeking out a potential mother or wife. There's only so much research you can do. Then you have to go with your gut instinct and learn to live with the annoying traits and choose one where the advantages strongly outweigh the disadvantages. You may even find that you pick unsuccessfully the first time or two. Just try again. After all, that's what "divorce" is for.

That said, I picked a hosting provider that seemed to fit my needs the best. I'd looked at 15 websites, read over 1000 postings on various bulletin boards, and made PRO and CON lists. On the other hand, I was anxious to get married (so to speak), so I didn't kill myself over the choice. I knew that if I chose unwisely, it might be an inconvenience, but it wouldn't be the end of the world.

I signed up with the hosting provider of my choice, and was presented the opportunity to register a domain name. If I thought choosing a hosting provider was a challenge, I wasn't even close to prepared for the difficulty awaiting me when choosing a name for my site.

Fortunately, I had given the subject some thought already. I knew that my site would be focusing largely on amateur girls (because the girls I had gotten to agree to photo shoots were amateurs), and that I'd be offering these girls the chance to pose anonymously. I had talked to several women who found the idea of flashing their pussy to the world erotic as long as their face wasn't visible. As a result, I knew much of my exclusive content would be close-up shots of amateur girls' pussies, assholes, and tits. So I started checking the availability of domain names beginning with "amateur." Fifteen minutes later I determined that all the good ones were taken. I repeated the process, with domain names beginning with pussy. Same result.

I examined my idea closer. Yes, my content would feature close-up pussies and they would be amateurs, but what phrase could I choose that would be applicable to the content whether it involved pussies, assholes, tits, or feet? Something that instilled a sense of exhibitionism and voyeurism? Body Parts. That made me think of a car mechanic. But XXXBodyParts made me think of sex. It made me think of close-ups and it made my think of exhibitionists. And it was available. It met several of the requirements I considered important for a successful domain name.

1) It was obviously an adult-oriented URL.
2) It contained a common adult-oriented expression (XXX).
3) It was applicable to the content I planned on including.
4) It was available.

I registered it and finalized the process of signing up for my hosting provider. Now my website had a name and it had a mother. Join me next time when I witness its birth and see what it looked like…

Article written by Richard Follock - Freelance writer and webmaster for XXXBodyParts.com, the ultimate collection of sex on the Internet.