Should we bring back the Sex Blogger Co-Op for a trial revival?

A number of the 100-some original members are long gone and in their place are newer bloggers who don’t know about the thing that was once the Sex Blogger Co-Op on Ning.com. For a refresher or those who don’t know what it’s all about, read these few posts: Blogger Education? talks a bit about the demise andProjects Abound introduces the Co-Op and talks about what it was.

When the Co-Op moved it was because Ning announced it would no longer host their long-time free networks. They were also closing down “adult” communities without warning and that spooked a few people, despite the fact that our group was private, invite-only and not pornographic. The move to a more text-based forum set-up hosted on the e[lust] site spelled disaster as nobody wanted to to go there anymore. It wasn’t easy or pretty. Without any participation from other members, I closed it down.

I still think there is a need for it, for a private place for just the bloggers to go where we can say “Hey, did you get an email from CompanyX? Is this shit for real?” or stuff like that. For those who were not a part of it, some things we discussed were:

  • Tutorials on how to do certain things on your blog, like design elements, a clickable header, embedding video
  • Discussions on affiliate programs
  • Opinions on the latest company/group to hit us up for reviews/exposure
  • Discussion on advertisers, like what they were proposing, who was telling them to go to hell, etc
  • Blogging prompts

There were debates, arguments, but overall a lot of help being offered and confused questions answered. I’d like to think that it was just as helpful to newer bloggers as it was the veterans. While I don’t expect every sex-type blogger to join I would hope that both veteran and new bloggers would join in, and be active. How active? Whatever you manage….to a point. Since there would be a member cap (150 people) I would have to occasionally weed out those who hadn’t participated in any way for X number of months. It’s not free, of course. The cheap plan (similar to the ToySwap Network, if you’re a member there) allows for forums (including the ability to subscribe to threads or boards to get email updates on new posts) and 150 members. Things that we once had that we would no longer have: The ability for anybody but me to invite people in to the network; chat room; ability to customize the layout. We would lose the few topics that were started or continued once the network moved off of Ning but I don’t think that it’s really a big deal. All the old discussions remain as do your memberships if you were once part of it.

For those who were once a part of it: Would you re-join? It would still be private and invite-only as I feel that it’s the only way we can truly speak our minds on some things. For those who are newer, would you join?

And no, it’s not free. As I said there would be a small price ($3 for me) but the next plan up is a whopping $25 a month and although it will give us many of the features we enjoyed with the free Ning, like chat rooms and customization and no member cap I don’t think that I could get enough people to chip in to come up with a steady $25 a month. I would not require that every blogger contribute something monetarily in order to join but I would greatly appreciate it. I would only ask for a couple dollars per person able to contribute, as it will only cost me $36 a year. And since it’s a month-to-month payment plan if for some reason the whole thing takes off like it never did before and there is a need and willingness to warrant the $25 a month plan, we can upgrade. I don’t see that happening but it’s a door I’m not closing.

If I don’t get much feedback here or much positive feedback then I will allow Ning to delete the network and the contents. I have until February 10th to decide.

13 Responses

  1. I can definitely say that I am interested. Sometimes it bothers me to see certain things discussed on Twitter that I feel may be better discussed in private. This sounds like it would be the perfect place for people to do that, especially if, like me, you prefer to keep it in the community. I do think it would be nice to have an easy way to have that sort of communication in private, and a support system for each other. Thank you for your work to help the rest of us as a community, you are appreciated!

  2. Kara_Sutra says:

    Sounds like a pretty good idea, I think it’s one that would offer quite a bit of info and possibly give reviewers the opportunity to speak ‘behind closed doors’ without the prying eyes of others who seek to gain but don’t seek to help.

    Regarding the funding, if you had 25 co-admins (or something) offering up $1 a month that would help you reach your goal. Or you could have rotating payees (one month its a group of 25, next month another group of 25 etc to lessen the burden). Just a thought.

  3. B says:

    As you can tell if you visit my site I am just getting started and am new to this community. I think it sounds like a great idea to have a place where bloggers can commune, feed as well as be fed. If this gets started or you need help with code or anything let me know. I am a web developer.

  4. Kira says:

    I want this so much! Forum spam is one of my great annoyances in life. I’d love a place not only to talk to other bloggers, but to do so in a spam free environment.

    I like the idea of having rotating admins that chip in if you want to upgrade to the higher monthly plan. I don’t know if you need to start out with that, but it could work out well for an upgrade.

  5. Epiphora says:

    Bring it back. We can keep it under 150 members and I’d be willing to donate.

  6. nitebyrd says:

    Yes, I would be interested. I was part very briefly. I could probably scrounge up some money each month from eBay and Etsy sales.

  7. Karen Blue says:

    I would like to participate, I don’t mind if I have to pay. It sounds like a great idea to have a place away from prying eyes to talk to other reviewers. Please keep me in the loop!

  8. BashfulBabe says:

    Definitely sounds good, I’m still finding my feet and while spying on you lot is invaluable, paying something lifelong like $1pm or an as-and-when is doable and well worth having resources and support in one secure location.

  9. Blacksilk says:

    This sounds like a brilliant idea and I would *love* to be involved. It would be so helpful to have somewhere to talk to more experienced bloggers and get and idea of consensus on various issues and get advice and all sorts! Although I’ve been around for four years now, I still don’t think of myself as particularly experienced, but I’d try to give advice too if I could.

    The whole thing just sounds great and the payment ideas being suggested sound fine too. I’m actually quite excited by the idea!

  10. buzzvibe says:

    I’d definitely join. I need all the help I can get.

  11. Bzzingbee says:

    I love this idea. It would be great to get help and give it when I can. I’ also totally willing to contribute. I think it is so important for us bloggers to stick together and look out for each other because no one else will otherwise.

  12. Sex Fairy says:

    I wasn’t involved before, but I’d totally be interested. I will also donate.

  13. Mia says:

    I would definitely be interested and would be happy to provide a small monthly donation. I am relatively new to the erotic blogging scene and it would be very helpful to be able to converse with a variety of fellow bloggers in a safe environment.

    ~Mia~ xx