In no particular order:
Yes, I have thoughts about the AmazonFail thing. We track the way Amazon uses meta-data as closely as we can, and have seen some interesting shifts since the beginning of the year around sexuality. I am not unsympathetic to Amazon’s dilemma. If I ran a supermarket, I wouldn’t want incontinence supplies showing up in the produce section. But what Amazon did was incredibly stupid; and points out huge vulnerabilities, both to the ability of dissenting voices to maintain their visibility in a database driven marketplace, and to mega-merchants whose businesses are database-drive. As the commercial marketplace for ideas becomes less and less distinguishable from what is commonly referred to as “Web 2.0″ these pitfalls will only become easier to fall into — for marginal ideas and merchants both.
We are on the eve of our once a year B2B event, and Peggy has produced some sales materials that I think finally bridges the gap between the educational and therapeutic value I know these films have, and my instinct to recoil from the “educational” fig-leaf. No doubt some of my new-found openness to this marketing approach comes from seeing the writing on the wall (see the above bullet point) but also recent events have reminded me that many people are more than a little traumatized about sex, and that the gentle, yet unabashed eroticism of our films can make these films a source of comfort to people who are in genuine anguish.
Our boat goes back in the water later this month, which I expect will be a source of comfort to me. I don’t know what it is about being on the water, but even on a boat while it sits on it’s mooring, the angst of various travails that seem so dire here at the kitchen table is substantially diminished. I believe there is a Ruskin quote, “If there is magic in this world, it is found in water.”
Speaking of Amazon, BILL AND DESIREE is up to 14 five-star views, and just got this very, very nice write-up from Dina at ThisMarriageThing.com:
“I’m a bit disappointed with myself. Over the years, I’ve been my own DIY project, trying to broaden my views, be less judgmental and enjoy my life more. It’s aggravating to think that I could be ageist. But I guess I am…
“Consequently, I put off reviewing that adult film I mentioned. Tony Comstock, an award-winning director, was kind enough to send me his latest erotic documentary that chronicles Bill and Desiree as they explore love later in life. It sat on my desk until DH asked me to put it away for fear our teenager would see it. Yep, there it stayed until yesterday when I watched the whole thing and was amazed…”
“If you think all adult films are trash, you’re in for a treat when you watch one of Tony’s documentaries. He has a deep respect for love, connection and his subjects, which absolutely shows in his films. We get a chance to meet Bill and Desiree first before witnessing their lovemaking. That really helped me connect with them as people. We see that they are seekers interested in enhancing their own lives and the lives of others. In fact, Desiree even says, “who wants to be filmed making love. No one. But if no one does it how will we learn?” No creepy factor there.
“What most fascinated me was watching them navigate some of the ‘technical difficulties’ that can happen with mature couples. They weren’t embarrassed by the need for toys; it was part of the fun. Things took longer; so what, more fun to be had. Each truly seemed more invested in the other’s pleasure than his or her own. That really jived well with my notion that sex really is about our minds and hearts, not bodies. My heart will never be too old to love my DH.”
I’ve been invited by Marc Randazza to make a guest post over at The Legal Satyricon, and had been thinking I might expand on some of the idea hinted at in last week’s post “What Do Feminism and Pornography Have in Common with Walter Murch?” I’ve slowly hedging my way to debuting my Pornography Is Not a Genre, It’s a Business Model concept, but in candor, I haven’t been encouraged by the reception my trial balloons have received. Across the social and policical spectrum, people just don’t seem to be very interested in the way that economics drives the marketplace of ideas; or maybe I’m being too oblique/opaque; or maybe the things that interest me aren’t all that interesting (until there’s an AmazonFail style blow-up.)
We found the source of all our Sydney Australia visitors from the last week.
“Sadly, the most healthy, realistic and genuine depictions of sex are still expensive and hard to come by. I don’t want to mention any of the names of the user-generated porn sites because they don’t deserve the publicity. But there is one film company which does deserve a mention and that is Comstock Films, which produces graphic sex films that are so wholesome they even have the seal of approval from Oprah Winfrey’s O magazine.
“These erotic documentaries present the stories of real, loving couples discussing their relationships, interspersed with graphic footage of them having sex, like an X-rated version of When Harry Met Sally.
When the Melbourne Underground Film Festival sought to play one of these films, Ashley And Kisha: Finding The Right Fit, at their festival in 2007, they were refused permission by the Office of Film and Literature Classification because it was too explicit. The technological revolution has given us access to an unlimited quantity of low-quality porn. If only there was a cultural revolution that gave us access to quality as well as quantity.”
Many thanks to Lisa Pryor of the Sydney Morning Herald and to Luke at the Pleasure Chest for the heads-up!
I am working on a sort of a Part 2 of “Learning to Say No to SXSW” tentatively entitled “Learning to Say No to AVN.”
And lastly a tease for the next installment of An Entrepreneur’s Biography, where in were learn how a young Tony Comstock turned a $225 investment in a motor-drive for his Nikon FM into about $4,000 in increased revenue in his whitewater photography business. It’s a tale of gear-lust and accidental marketing you won’t want to miss!
