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Aelfscine

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Re: I'm mad as hell, and I'm not gonna take it anymore ...
« Reply #15 on: August 07, 2003, 07:50:10 AM »
Jaytas: quickly, (since I'm leavin' for work) the Patriot Act was a John Ashcroft invention that allows the government to shrug off a few constitutional constraints in order to protect the country.  The idea behind it is, if intelligence arrives that an Al Qaeda cell is plotting something in an apartment somewhere, the government can break in and arrest the people.  No warrant, no consideration for illegal search and seizure.  The people arrested basically have no rights, and can be held without being charged or being put on trial.  (Guantanomo Bay)  It is currently a temporary measure whose individual pieces must be approved by congress periodically to stay in business.

Pros: Terrorists can be captured quickly, without red tape and beaurocracy bogging down the system, and without the chance of them going free.

Cons: So can anyone else.

The Patriot Act also has lots of little parts to it that affect all kinds of things, like credit card companies.  For further info, just check the Encyclopedia Mel.  

 
Tip o' the hat to Morphermor for the avatar!

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jaytas

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Re: I'm mad as hell, and I'm not gonna take it anymore ...
« Reply #16 on: August 07, 2003, 09:38:05 AM »
Hmm. Interesting. To me it is not if the law is good or bad but is can you really trust the people enforcing it to try and minimise mistakes. Mistakes that can cost people their lives or their livelihoods. The federal government in Oz tried to do stuff like this but I am fairly sure it was blocked or at least mired down in negotiations by the various opposition parties.

They funny thing is that the opposition parties don't necessarily do this cause they think it is bad but just cause they see their role as making the current government (read party in power) look bad.


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ggk

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Re: I'm mad as hell, and I'm not gonna take it anymore ...
« Reply #17 on: August 07, 2003, 10:04:24 AM »
Quote:

 Well, there goes about 50% of my remaining website membership! It appears that MasterCard has gone the same way as PayPal, in effectively declaring that they will no longer accept online transactions involving adult businesses after next month. Well, I guess that leaves IFriends video chats and live club appearances ...  




I looked into what you are saying about Mastercard.  I went to Ibill and catalog complete accounts are different from subscription services (memberships). The way I read their letter to you is that your products are being removed, but not your subscriptions. Hope I'm right.

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xmarx52

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Re: I'm mad as hell, and I'm not gonna take it anymore ...
« Reply #18 on: August 07, 2003, 10:13:26 AM »
Hi Mel,

I have no great advice on this since it is out of my realm of expertise but I do understand the incredible burdens that are placed on a small business in our society today.  They won't be happy till no one but Wal Mart's Evil Empire and other corporate giants like them are all that is left.  I wish I knew how to help but all I can offer is sympathy and an ear to listen when you need to vent.

Xmarx52  

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melonie_charm

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Re: I'm mad as hell, and I'm not gonna take it anymore ...
« Reply #19 on: August 07, 2003, 11:53:49 AM »
to clear up what appears to be residual confusion, the part of the Patriot Act which has set all of these forces in motion is the terrorist anti-money laundering section which requires that financial institutions (i.e. banks, credit card companies) keep track of not only the existance and amounts of transactions but also the identities of all parties involved in those transactions.  There is no problem if the business entity trying to process the transactions themselves is a stand alone business with a brick and mortar storefront, who can obtain their own "merchant account" and directly process a charge from Joe Sixpack's credit card into the "merchant account" of the business.  The problem comes in when credit card processing services are used by businesses who do not have stand alone brick and mortar facilities and only exist on the internet for example.  Since this type of business does not have it's own "merchant account" (and would have a virtually impossible time obtaining one due to bank policies), they have to rely on a credit card processing service as an intermediary.  Basically, when Joe Sixpack wants to charge a small website membership to his credit card, the processing service uses their own merchant account to collect Joe's money, aggregates all of the charges collected on behalf of that business within a 2 week period, and then cuts a check to the business for the total. The credit card companies have a problem with this since the processing service could be potentially used as a "front"  for transferring money between terrorist supporting "customers" and a small terrorist operated website which appears to be an adult site.  Visa dealt with this by requiring that every adult site owner be thoroughly investigated and by requiring the credit card processing service to collect and forward individual transaction data for each transaction made on behalf of every website using their processing service (at an annual fee of $750).  MasterCard and PayPal are essentially saying "screw it, this business segment is not worth the headaches".

In the case of my own website, yes my annual Visa fee was paid and still has a few months to run.  However, I'll share a little secret that the majority of earnings from my website come in the form of video tape sales and not from member signups.  Therefore, even if it were possible to continue to collect website membership fees but not sell video tapes, it's questionable whether or not it's worth the time and effort to maintain my website when I could earn way more money in one weekend at a club than I could all month from my website.

In point of fact, I have no idea where I'm really headed with this.  I was just venting about being hurt by this latest encroachment into free enterprise.  I was also commenting that the girls who choose to spend next to no time with website involvement and who instead pose for large multi-girl website pictures once or twice a year, plus channel their energies into live club appearances, and especially into 750+ per hour "private sessions" with fans in hotel rooms, are charting the future trend of the big boob business.  I'm obviously not happy with this trend, but it appears to be the only one which is actually financially viable any more.    

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ggk

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Re: I'm mad as hell, and I'm not gonna take it anymore ...
« Reply #20 on: August 07, 2003, 01:06:06 PM »
That makes sense. You said website membership, but really meant website income.  Sorry you got nailed with the new credit card rules.

Don't most people use Visa anyway?

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ChristineAllure

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Re: I'm mad as hell, and I'm not gonna take it anymore ...
« Reply #21 on: August 07, 2003, 03:19:38 PM »
Hey Mel and Gang,

That sucks.  I use CCBill and everything seems to be ok over there so far.  They sent this memo out on the 7/23/3. It say that they figured it out over at CCBill. i'm not sure if you would be OK if you moved over there now. I had my account set up with them for a few years so maybe I'm Ok because I was signed up like two years before 9/11. But maybe you could move to CCBill and be OK.

Here is the memo they sent me and other CCBill web site producers.

-------
MasterCard Informational Release

Dear CCBill Client -

Since March 2002, CCBill has been working with MasterCard to achieve full compliance with their rules and requirements. We hope that this release, and the accompanying demonstrations within your CCBill Admin (webadmin.ccbill.com), will help you understand what final changes we all must make to be compliant with MasterCard regulations. We have worked diligently to create the easiest and least intrusive model that we could and, as always, are here to help you through the process and changes in the industry.

MasterCard Requirements

Although we cannot speak on the actions of others in this industry, CCBill is in a position where it is possible to comply with all association rules and regulations with minimal changes to either your, or our, business model. In the document below, we will attempt to explain the major issues and explain your role in the necessary changes.

CCBill deals with the consumer throughout the transaction

CCBill’s service is similar to that of Ticketmaster and any other company that provides outsourced Box Office, e-ticketing, and access management for clients. The consumers come to our box office (an approved sign-up form) and negotiate directly with us for access to your electronic venue. CCBill is responsible for providing the consumer an electronic ticket (confirmation) and ensuring customer satisfaction and service throughout the terms of our agreement.

What affect does this have on you, CCBill’s client?

1.   Clients need to be careful that their marketing indicates that the consumer is purchasing access through CCBill. For the most part, this is the case already.
2.   The above includes the use of MasterCard logos and trademarks. Please see CCBill’s AUP regarding this matter.
3.   CCBill’s clients cannot pass any of the consumer’s personal information to CCBill besides consumer email. This means that besides consumer email, two-part forms used for marketing will not be allowed to pass data in to CCBill sign-up forms.


CCBill must create a consumer “shopping experience” at ccbill.com

In an effort to satisfy MasterCard’s demands, CCBill is pleased to announce the upcoming August 15, 2003 launch of the new CCBill.com Search & Shop Consumer website located at www.ccbill.com. CCBill's Search & Shop Website offers online consumers an exclusive buying experience by introducing these consumers to the thousands of subscription-based websites or electronic venues for which CCBill offers E-Ticketing access services.*

*A full DEMO of This Experience is Available within your CCBill Admin.

What does Search & Shop mean to you as a CCBill Client?

As a valued client, your account's website URL's may randomly be returned to online visitors that come directly to www.ccbill.com when they type their search criteria into the Search & Shop search engine located at CCBill.com; if one of your websites is randomly returned, these consumers may choose to purchase an E-Ticket for membership to your website via the Search & Shop Shopping Cart.*

There is nothing you have to do for your sites to be returned in the random search engine. CCBill will randomly generate returns for searched criteria.

Important Note: CCBill will generate random username and passwords for all sales generated through the CCBill.com Search & Shop Website.

*Please see CCBill’s tutorials within your web admin.

CCBill must allow consumers to continue shopping from the sign-up forms

The exact rule that MasterCard implemented is that consumers must be able to purchase diverse goods during one shopping experience. The essence of the rule was that CCBill had to create an option for consumers to not only complete their sign-up with the venue that got them to the sign-up form, but also to continue shopping at CCBill.Com.

If an online customer visits your website, and chooses to use their MasterCard to purchase a subscription via your CCBill Sign up form; upon entering their MasterCard number onto the subscription form, they will dynamically be presented with two options for completing their sale:

1.   The opportunity to simply purchase their subscription and complete their shopping at that time; or
2.   Complete this purchase, and then continue shopping on the Search & Shop website. If they choose this option, they will be taken to the Search & Shop website, where the first returned page will present them with a statement of their purchase along with a returned search results area, which can include your sub account URL's or, affiliate accounts of your choices, as the initial or first returns for your customer’s continued shopping experience.*


*Please see the full demo within your CCBill reports admin. CCBill has already revamped every form in our system and there is no work required on our clients’ part.


CCBill must provide a description sufficient for a consumer to purchase the ticket

CCBill has created an interactive system that will create automated selling statements for our clients’ venue on the Search and Shop pages. Due to the short production time allowed by MasterCard for the creation of this new system, all selling statements located at ccbill.com will be the responsibility of CCBill.com, and cannot be customized by clients at this time.

CCBill does not require you to create your own selling description on your sign-up forms. CCBill has, however, created an interface that allows you to create a custom selling description to be added to the sign-up forms of your choice within your account. CCBill must approve all custom descriptions prior to their placement on your forms. Remember, if you choose not to customize your descriptors, a default description created by CCBill will already appear.

Summary of Changes

Below we have provided a quick summary of the changes and have broken them down into what CCBill has already done and what you must do.

CCBill

*   Create Consumer Shopping Experience
*   Allow multiple purchases when purchasing by MasterCard
*   Create Selling Descriptors


Our Client

*   Nothing, unless you choose to do so.


Please log into webadmin.ccbill.com to learn more about the customizable features available to you. A description and tutorial on the features can be found under the “Premium Features” Tab within your Admin. Once there, select “Search & Shop”, take a walk through of a flash demonstration of the “consumer experience”, and learn how to get the most out of these new features.

As our Industry continues to change, it is our goal at CCBill to continually provide you with innovative solutions to support your websites and e-venues success today, tomorrow, and into the future.

As of August 15, 2003, and with the re-designation of www.ccbill.com as a consumer based website, you will be able to access your client services needs, including links to System5, Account Change Forms, and Technical Support at our new business website, bizcenter.ccbill.com (available August 15, 2003).

Please remember, that along with this release we have also created hands-on samples and tutorials within your reports admin area. These presentations should answer any remaining questions and guide you through the process. If you have any additional questions regarding the new Search & Shop system, please feel free to contact us at [email protected] or call us at 800.510.2859.

Thank You For Your Continued Patronage

--------

Hope this helps!

XOXO,

Christine Allure
http://www.ChristineAllure.com

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melonie_charm

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Re: I'm mad as hell, and I'm not gonna take it anymore ...
« Reply #22 on: August 07, 2003, 04:20:34 PM »
Hi Christine, and thanks for the heads-up on CCBill.  However it actually appears to have the same limitation as using IBill, that non brick and mortar websites will no longer be allowed to sell merchandise. Time will tell how this all shakes out I guess.  

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melonie_charm

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Re: I'm mad as hell, and I'm not gonna take it anymore ...
« Reply #23 on: August 07, 2003, 04:25:16 PM »
Quote:

Single solution is to become again a member of "www.photoclubs.com". The lost for commissions, will be less than 50% of your current business.




Actually Shadow I was one of the "original" PhotoClubs models.  Things have changed since then such that now PhotoClubs simply pays the girls a one time modeling fee, shoots about 5,000 pics and video clips over a 2-3 day period which they continue to post as "new" material for the next several months, and keep 100% of the website monthly member's payments for themselves.  No Thanks.

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ninjrk

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Re: I'm mad as hell, and I'm not gonna take it anymore ...
« Reply #24 on: August 07, 2003, 05:12:59 PM »
Quote:

Hi Christine, and thanks for the heads-up on CCBill.  However it actually appears to have the same limitation as using IBill, that non brick and mortar websites will no longer be allowed to sell merchandise. Time will tell how this all shakes out I guess.    




Well, it seriously sucks.  Would a business out of your home count as bricks and mortar?  Put some of the several screwed models together and do something similar to what foxes.com does where each model has their own sign-up portion (in this case, pages instead of specific shoots) and do it that way?  I know that you're looking at all of this stuff already, I'm more curious than anything else.

Man, this does suck.

Matt  
Be nice to everyone you meet, but have a plan to kill them if you have to.

"the only thing unnatural about my tits is how fucking amazing they are!"  LOL

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ChristineAllure

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Re: I'm mad as hell, and I'm not gonna take it anymore ...
« Reply #25 on: August 07, 2003, 05:33:23 PM »
Mel,

That is too bad. I don't sell any merchandise except through http://www.cafepress.com/christineallure

And Cafe Press is pretty hard core about not allowing adult stuff. So my stuff there is pretty tame.

I'm one of the few girls who never wanted to sell merchandise from my site. Just web memberships. I was always worried about the post office. I remember all these horror stories on TV about postal inspectors busting into people homes. So I like the idea of being able to be on the web and not ship things to people. That is why I don't even have 8 x10s. People are always writing to me asking for signed 8 x 10s and I don't have any because I don't want to mail anything. I'm kind of an all digital girl like that.

Also I use gamelink to fulfill orders for VHS, DVD, On-demand and DIVX version of my videos. http://www.gamelink.com/gl/offsitesrchresults.asp?src=gl&star=Christine+Allure&ref=christineallure&star_exact=yes Again that way I'm not selling them or shipping them myself. Not as much money but then again I didn't produce my own VHS or DVD videos only the video shorts that are on my site.

Maybe someday it will be cheap enough for you to digitize your movies and sell the as on-demand pay per view. Maybe someone out there has a service like this for adults where you can upload your full lenght movie and they store it for you and pay you when people rent it on demand. And it would be even better if they could also fulfill orders as need on demand manufacturing for a good price like cafe press but for adults. I see that gamelink somehow can seel the movies I've been in as on-demand or DIVX maybe you can do a distribution deal with them or someone like them.

I hope you can keep your site going with out your merchandise sales. Wishing you all the best.

XOXO,

Christine Allure
http://www.ChristineAllure.com
     

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ggk

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Re: I'm mad as hell, and I'm not gonna take it anymore ...
« Reply #26 on: August 07, 2003, 05:46:39 PM »
How about Meloniesworld.com then?  How does Score do it?

Am I missing something?  It looks like everyone is so sad, but I only read that Melonie can't take Mastercard through Ibill for her videos.  Does that mean you can't sell them with Visa too?  If not, Visa is much more prominent a card than mastercard.

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ElmerFudd

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Re: I'm mad as hell, and I'm not gonna take it anymore ...
« Reply #27 on: August 07, 2003, 06:08:22 PM »
What about payment by billing to your telephone?  I've done this at several sites.

I don't see how this would help you selling tapes, though.  

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jaytas

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Re: I'm mad as hell, and I'm not gonna take it anymore ...
« Reply #28 on: August 07, 2003, 07:54:43 PM »
Okies. I have seen the term brick and mortar mentioned. So. Does it actually have to be a shop? For example. If you said your place of business was your home and that technically customers could come there but you don't post your address anywhere then could you get a merchant account?


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Chronicler

  • Banned Member
  • 1763
Re: I'm mad as hell, and I'm not gonna take it anymore ...
« Reply #29 on: August 08, 2003, 02:16:30 AM »
That's an EXCELLENT question. I was just going to ask about that too because I just started a for-profit recording studio here in my house, mostly for my own stuff, but I am listed as 'self-employed' right now rather than incorporated.