What Every Online Sex Toy Store Needs To Have

September 9th, 2012

I’m surprised I haven’t written an article like this in the past, but I feel qualified to write one. If you run a store, if you want to, if you work with a sex toy retailer, run social media for one or are otherwise associated, take heed.

  • New Additions

    Listen, I’ve been around the block a time or two, so I know what’s already out there. What I want to know, especially if I’ve been a loyal customer of yours, is what’s new. You need to let me organize your categories by data added, at the very least. What I really prefer, however, is a “recent additions” page, or something similar. Plus, this makes your website look updated, which it should be.

  • Social Media

    Let’s talk about updates. When you’re on Facebook or Twitter, you can tell us what’s new. Furthermore, you can tell me exactly what I want to see. Social media gives you the opportunity to build relationships and bill yourself as personal, a face behind the company. Give us coupons on Twitter, and we’ll shop at your site. Tell us when something’s on sale, and we’ll love you forever. Social media isn’t rocket science, but it does take time.

  • Review System

    Now, if no sex toy store had a review system, I’d be okay. After all, that’s sort of why this blog exists? And plenty of people don’t use on-site review systems to get their reviews, or they supplement them with reviews from sites like Of Sex and Love. But if you put those reviews right on your site, you provide extra reason for consumers to use your website. You provide a form of interaction the cements your store in the customer’s mind. It gives you a good idea of products that are worth selling and putting on sale and those that you should drop. Reviews: you can’t go wrong with them.

  • People Skills

    One of the websites that has frustrated me the both does so because the staff lack people skills. There’s no understanding. There’s no polite asking. There’s only demanding and dictatorships. There’s strict rules that change on a whim and a total breakdown of communication. You do not want to be that person.

  • Sex Toy Knowledge

    A lot of etailers have taken the time to remove China shrinking creams and toys with phthalates. First, they had to have the knowledge of what toys could potentially be harmful. Without this, you might sell too many toys or too few or toys that are potentially bad for someone’s health. My personal favorite? Toys described as for anal play that obviously aren’t safe for the backdoor. When you know about toys, and aren’t simply trying to make a quick buck, you know how to categorize them, can pass on bad toys and can better answer customer questions. Win-win, right?

  • Basic and Luxury Toys

    I don’t always recommend a luxury toy. After all, I’ve tried plenty of Lelo and Jimmyjane toys that just didn’t do it. My favorite bullet isn’t luxury, and we don’t all have deep pockets or sugar daddies, but some people do. Some live in crappy apartments but splurge on sex toys. Some people save up all year. Other comb the Internet for sales. If you only focus on the super cheap or the amazingly expensive, you’re missing out on a large demographic. You’re making consumers go to other retailers to meet their needs. You’re doing yourself no good.

  • Updated Stock

    Just like I wanted to see what’s new, I want there to simply be new things. Add new toys, remove those that are no longer in production. If you have the resources, give us a system that lets us set alerts. Tell us how many are in stock. Nothing’s worse than ordering from a company only to find out that the product doesn’t exist. Except, maybe, seeing-ten-year old toys that you know aren’t actually available on a site.

  • A God-damned Search Feature

    Please let me search your every page with a little form on your every page.

So you want to know which shops do these things? SheVibe, Good Vibes and PinkCherry.

This is, by no means, a definitive list. There are plenty of things that a sex toy store should have. There are even more things that a store should have–and plenty of things it shouldn’t—if it also wants to run a successful community. What would you add to the list?

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Categories: Articles

5 Things I Don’t Need to See in Your Dating Profile Pictures

July 6th, 2012

1. Fish

I get it. We’re in Wisconsin. Fishing is big, and maybe you like the outdoors. I’m glad you like it, even though it’s not my thing, but how do you think it sells you on a dating website?

2. A picture of your boat, 4-wheeler, snowmobile or tractor.. without you.

People on PlentyofFish seem to do this more than any other site. Hey dude, I want to know if you’re good looking or possibly fun. I’d rather see you on that piece of machinery or fixing it or.. catching a freakin’ fish wish it. It ads absolutely zero value to your profile.

3. More than one picture of you and your car.

I can tell exactly how much of an asshole you are by your car. C’mon, try me. What’s more, anyone who takes pictures with his cars is 99% guaranteed to be more of an asshole than I’ll date. Multiple pictures moves that up to 100%.

Bad Photoshopping4. Bad Photoshop erasing of the ex.

Exes, we all have them. It sucks, right? Maybe you took some good pictures together, but these don’t need to be on your profile. Lie and tell me she’s your sister. Don’t do the world’s shittiest editing to scratch her out like some creepy stalker. Don’t physically rip the photo and scan it. Don’t black out her eyes. If you don’t have any other good photo of you, make one. This is what you do, guys: call your buddy, your sister, your mom, anyone who is willing to take some photos. Put on your best shirt, find a nice outdoor spot and take some God damned pictures until you look good.

5. Anything that makes you look like an alcoholic

Again, this is Wisconsin. Our beer is cheap and there are only two people who don’t like it, yours truly included. I don’t care if you like to drink or go out (actually, I do. We’d have incompatible lifestyles), and I’ve seen a lot of fun pictures where people were obviously enjoying themselves at night, on the town, but here’s a few suggestions to make sure your drinkin’ pics are safe:

  • For every drinking pic, put up two without alcohol
  • Don’t post any picture drunk
  • Don’t post any picture where you’re wearing something intended to drink beer
  • Only one beer in the hand at any time
  • Clear away all the empty bottles
  • Don’t take pictures of empty beer bottle collections
  • I don’t want to see what your friends did after you got that drunk
  • Keep your damned clothes on

 

Runners Up

  • Abs — because nothing says “I have no interests” like having a six pack
  • Pics of you with other girls hanging all over you. If you were that hot, why you so single, dude?
  • Pictures of you mid-chew. Swallow, guy.

 

What turns you off when browsing dating website photos?

7 Comments

Categories: Articles

What Sex Bloggers Need to Know About Web Hosting

June 4th, 2012

A while back, I posted about the WordPress database. It’s a must-read if you’re using WordPress, moving to WordPress or just want to know how the script works. While there are many, many outlets that shed a little light about hosting, domain names and installing blog scripts, but I’ve noticed that many of my peers feel more comfortable finding this information from someone within this group. I am more than happy to supply the information I know, and I hope it helps.

Today’s topic is web hosting:–the what, when, how, how much and why of it–and how any of that applies to us, as sex bloggers.

What is Web Hosting?

If you use the free version of Blogger or WordPress, then your host is technically Blogger or WordPress, respectively. These companies save your website content and data to their servers in a way that is accessible to any Joe Schmoe on the Internet.

How Does It Work With My Domain?

This depends. A lot of registrars now allow you to buy domains and hosting, which means you’re pretty much set right off the bat, without a lot of effort on your own part. I use a separate host and registrar, because that’s how it was done when I got into this scene. If you do that, then you’ll register an account with each company and enter the nameserver data, which you can find in the control panel of your host, into the DNS area in your registrar’s control panel. Either way, your domain will take up to 72 hours to propagate, that is, for the Internet indices to update with the new information about your domain name and which server it should point to.

Why Would I Need a Host As a sex bloggers, there’s pretty much only two reasons why you need a host:

  1. Your current host will no longer allow adult content
  2. You want more space or freedom to alter your website directly with HTML, PHP, CSS et cetera

What Do I Need to Know When Shopping for Web Hosting?

You need to know which hosts allow adult content. Unfortunately, this is easier said than done. Terms of service may not adequately explain what content is permitted. If you’re unsure, you should absolutely call or email the company and ask. A host might allow you to get away with some sex toy reviews, erotic pictures or porn, but then your host might suddenly deactivate your account and offer no help when it comes to downloading all your content. That’s pretty much the best case scenario. If you don’t already have a backup, you could stand to lost all your hard work, which has already happened to a few sex bloggers and toy reviewers who used Blogger (others have just been forcibly placed behind the warning page).

You need to know what you’re going to do. For example, maybe you’ll just install WordPress and use that to do everything. That’s fine. All you really need, then, is a host with PHP and MySQL support, and that’s pretty much every host out there. In fact, many hosts make it super easier to install WordPress with installer suites like Fantastico; although, the basic installation is so easy I could do it in my sleep!

On the other hand, if you want to run several websites across multiple domains, with a variety of scripts, then you’ll need more–more domain support, more allowed databases, more bandwidth (data transfer) and more hosting space. You’ll see that all types of hosting, including shared, resellers, dedicated servers and virtual privates servers (VPS), offer tiered plans. Essentially, the hosting plans offer more features for more money, so if you need to add more domains, the best plan for you might cost more than the sex blogger who only wants to run a single domain. Similarly, if you plan to upload many photos or videos, you may need more space and bandwidth:

Adriana’s recommendation: Most sex bloggers need no more than 500-megabytes of space. In fact, it’s what I host most of my sites on, and I’m only using a little more than half of that. If your prospective host offers hosting plans catering specifically toward blogs or WordPress, there’s probably less space than “regular” plans, but you might not even notice.

Finally, hosts offer hosting on different server platforms. Again, for a blog, you probably don’t need support specifically for ASP or the .NET Framework. Most hosts default to Linux because it’s stable, and your host’s operating system has nothing to do with the operating system on your personal computers. I have always used Linux, and some users report that WordPress runs a bit more quickly on this OS.

Is There Anything Else You’d Like to Say About Hosting?

Yes. Let me impart you with a few tips:

  • Many hosts offer discounts with promo codes that you can find on sites like RetailMeNot
  • Some hosts offer automatic backup services, and will restore files should a server glitch, hatch or user error occur.
  • If you’re using WordPress, you can install many nifty plug-ins to automatically email yourself a copy of the database or upload a copy to your host’s server for redundancy
  • You can upload files to your host’s server through WordPress, the control panel (cPanel is so ubiquitous that its name has become synonymous for all hosting control panels, regardless of actual software name) or FTP. File transfer protocol programs are the way to go, because it’s ridiculously easy to upload, download or edit multiple files simultaneously. Adriana recommends Filezilla.
  • If you start out with a smaller plan, your host will show your data and space usage, allowing you to determine if you should move up the tier of hosting plans.

Do you have any hosting-related questions that I haven’t covered? Sound off in the comments!

BuyBlogReviews.com

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Categories: Articles

Want to Advertise on a Sex Toy Review Blog? Read This First

May 22nd, 2012

I am so incredibly grateful for the retailers, communities, video sites and other advertisers who have decided to purchase text or banner links on my website. It really helps pay the bills and let me have a few extra dollars of expendable cash. However, sometimes the process of working with an advertiser can be pretty frustrating and awkwardly drawn out. I know that my fellow bloggers feel the same, and sometimes this is only because advertisers may not be familiar with working with individual bloggers like myself. Sometimes your offer is just not worth my time and effort for the money, and I think that says a lot. While I am grateful for your money, my time is valuable to me, too.

If you’re thinking about buying advertising for me, it’ll go a lot more smoothly if you keep these things in mind.

Negotiating Prices

  • My rates are listed, under that pretty obvious banner on the sidebar. If you ask me for them, I will send you directly to that page. They’re flat rates, for the most part. A year is equal to 12 times the price per month for your location or type of link. If you sent me an email using the form on this page, then you already know the rates. Period.
  • We expect a little bit of negotiating, but don’t be rude. Our space and time is important, and you shouldn’t pit us against other bloggers. It’s, quite simply, disgusting.
  • When it comes to prices, know how much you want to spend before you contact us. If we absolutely can’t agree on a price, stop wasting our time and let us know (see above).

Communicating

  • If you want us to trust you, use an actual company email address.
  • Be courteous in your messages and reply on time. We know that things come up, but everyone should act like a professional. If we have to send multiple emails, we’re going to be annoyed. You would be, too.
  • Do not tell us you’ll get back to us “within a day” and not come through with it. You look like someone who can’t do his job properly.
  • Don’t give us the runaround about how you have to contact so-and-so. Just do it and then get back to us with the pertinent information.

Provide Appropriate Content and Anchor Text

  • When it comes to reading, take the time to read our blogs. Sure, I’ve listed a few anchors that aren’t exactly sex toys, but there are some topics that just don’t make sense for me to be writing about or linking to on Of Sex and Love.
  • Consider something other than “sex toys” as the anchor text. I understand the SEO value; at least, I did before Google released Penguin. Now, more than ever, you want relevant links like your store or website name.

Payment

  • Pay in a timely manner, whether it’s a one-time payment or a recurring plan. We shouldn’t have to nag you like a child.
  • Bloggers don’t typically fill out W9s. Period. If you ask, you’ll only come off as a scam artist.
  • Don’t send payment for renewed advertising if we haven’t agreed on it.

Miscellaneous

  • Even if your “sex toys” link makes perfect sense on my blog, you might not get links or sales. This isn’t my fault. You’re not paying for a landing page, just a link.
  • On that note, just because a blogger offers a sidebar link, doesn’t mean he will do sponsored posts. I do, but I may be the exception and not the rule.
  • As a blogger, we’re happy to talk about advertising. If you’re a sex toy shop, you might wonder if we also want to review. Please ask us before sending us toys. We may not want to review for you. Advertising and reviewing are two separate business interactions.

I may not own The New York Times, but I obviously have something to offer, if you’re interested in advertising. Be kind, be polite and consider how you’d feel if you were in my shoes. A little courtesy always goes a long way.

3 Comments

Categories: Articles

No Porn On Pinterest? Don’t Despair

May 13th, 2012

Any blogger who relies on social media outlets like Facebook or Digg to increase traffic and communication with readers has probably considered jumping on the Pinterest bandwagon. Indeed, the virtual pinboard site has exploded in popularity faster, in fact, than any other website. It’s no surprise that the majority of its users are women, so the content is largely based upon motherhood, recipes, home decor, fashion and DIY ideas. The occasional adorable pet picture, LOLcat and inspirational quote also make an appearance. Ironically, the recipes that will clog your arteries are next more than a click away from motivation to work out or eat better.

What better place, I thought, than for me to advertise my blog. Are not sex toys, after all, a woman’s world? I did go ahead and add affiliate links to my favorite toys, as well as some direct links to my reviews here on Of Sex and Love. I added a few friends, but not many of my sex toy reviewing peers seem to be active on the website. Most of my followers, then, appear to be akin to my followers on Facebook: horny men and sex toy shops.

It struck me as a bit odd that the sexosphere was so inactive on Pinterest, especially when the potential benefits were so great. However, it wouldn’t have if I’d taken a closer look at the terms. Actually, Pinterest doesn’t explicitly state what you shouldn’t pin or what will happen to anyone who breaks those rules. However, it’s Pin Etiquette page does lightly touch on the subject. The image bookmarking site does not allow:

nudity, hateful content, or content that encourages people to hurt themselves

 

So, you might figure that perhaps porn would be off-limits, but I could still submit product images, as long as they weren’t in use. So far, I haven’t had repercussions from the content I have submitted, but a fellow blogger recently expressed her frustration at not being able to submit any content from PinkCherry, a sex toy retailer. Pinterest now views the retailer as inappropriate and will not allow its user to add new pins, sadly. Nevertheless, none of my pins have been taken down, whether they be realistic dildos, revealing lingerie or nearly-nude book covers.

Of course, it doesn’t much matter if Pinterest plans to simply ban all sex toy retailers, and perhaps they already have. Is anyone still pinning from Babeland, Good Vibes or EdenFantasys? Please let me know in the comments.

Still, plenty of Pinterest imitations have begun to pop up, as you might expect. Manterest, is one such site, catering toward men. The list also includes several places where porn and adult content is especially welcome. Perhaps sex bloggers should focus on these websites, instead. We might even see a more influx of traffic.

  • Sex.com does nothing to hide itself as a knockoff. In fact, it looks nearly identical to Pinterest. Sex toys and reviews wouldn’t be out of a place — a few pins already exist – -but the majority of the content is porn (of women!)
  • Snatchly tries to be a bit more original than its inspiration; although, it’s content doesn’t differ from that of Sex.com.
  • The only thing clever about Pornterest is its name, and the front page has the most NSFW content of the three listed thus far.
  • Although PinClub is mostly geared toward Europeans, and sex toys are scarce, but it’s another potential destination.

Of course, none of these sites has had the amazing growth of Pinterest, which is exactly why it might not be worth the average sex blogger’s time to join another social network. Pinterest could always put the wheel in motion to allowing adult content, behind some sort of warning to placate those who would rather not see it on the website or who browse from work (so very productive!). It’s not a change I would expect to come before any of the more pertinent issues that the team behind Pinterest needs to take on. In the meantime, are we sex bloggers not allowed?

Do you Pinterest with your sex blogger identity? Are you a member of any of the other sites? Or do you think that the virtual pinboard just isn’t for us sex bloggers and toy reviewers??

1 Comment

Categories: Articles, internet

Who Should Read Sex Toy Reviews

December 31st, 2011

Consumers.
Whether it’s your first and you have no idea which direction to go in or it’s your fiftieth and you want to know if a specific toy will work for you, reviews are helpful. Hands-on descriptions of sex toys and similar items are so important and can help you determine if a toy if for you or not. Plus, reviewers can include photos and images that give more detail and show things in reality unlike planned publicity photos with expensive cameras and photoshopping and extensive lighting.
Sexy toy haters.
One of the things I’ve learned about sex toys and sex toy reviewers from reading reviews is that we are normal people. We are your neighbor, teachers, boss or friend. Sure, some people have kinks that are further out and others lead alternative lifestyles. However, these are not devious, strange any enjoying sex toys are a healthy and normal things and analyzing them with reviews paints them in a light similar to every other consumer product.
Retailers.
Retailers who pay attention to what they do sell and have guidelines about what they don’t sell can benefit from reading reviews. If you simply want to know whether a product is truly luxurious or whether your consumer demographic would actually purchase a toy, read some reviews. Debating a new line to carry, check out some reviews. Want a unique angle for pitching toys to customers? I think you see where I’m going with this.
Sex toy manufacturers.
This one is a given but, many times, I feel like the creators don’t listen to me even if they’re the ones sending me toys. I’m not telling you to pull a toy from the shelves but if you do (I’m talking to you Papaya Toys!), I respect that you respect me and are listening. Maybe you’re not going to go that far but you’re going to release newer, better versions of your toys, like SI did with the WeVibe and reviews are going to show you room for improvement. I don’t think I’m alone when I say that you can pump out hundreds or thousands of products but if you keep making the same cheap toys and the same mistakes, we’re going to buy from other manufacturers.
(Potential) reviewers.
One of the awesome things about sex toy reviews, is we’re really developed a standard, unlike a lot of product industries. Reading reviews is one of the best ways to learn what other people want to know because we tend to write about the things we would want to know when we read reviews. Reading reviews can help you develop your voice, strengthen your writing skills and even make friends.

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Categories: Articles

The Best Of..

December 15th, 2011

I recently did a count and have realized I’ve written over 300 reviews. Probably well over 300 hundred reviews. Most of those items are vibrators but I’ve become a dildo convert, have test driven probably a dozen lubes, burned a handful of candles, played with some BDSM gear and and put on an ever-growing collection of lingerie. In short? I’m closer to saying “I’ve done it all” than 99% of the population.

But we all know it’s not about numbers and I definitely have come to appreciate quality over quantity. People rarely ask what my favorite toys are. Okay, no one has really ever asked. I don’t know why. You’d think it would be one of the questions I hear all the time but I don’t. Maybe you’re not asking it but you’re thinking it which is exactly why I’m going to tell you anyway.

Clitoral Vibrator

Internal Vibrator

Dildo

Lingerie

Massage

Lube

BDSM Implement

Erotica

Non-Fiction Book

Miscellaneous

3 Comments

Categories: Articles

Image © MisterUnlucky; used with permission.