The COZY sites, Cozy Academy, Cozy Campus and Cozy Frog are among the best-designed DIY or how-to sites I’ve seen about any subject.

If you’re looking for adult-industry news, the sibling site Cozy Frog is the place to go. Super easy to navigate – easy to focus on what you need to know and find well-written, mini-courses, starting from the beginning.

The Cozy Frog Start-Up Tutor – is like an internal portal with about a hundred articles. Here are a few:

Your Newbie Gallery Questions Answered!

Not So Cozy Critics!

How Many Hours Does It Take?

The Cozy Frog Start-Up Tutor is only one of over a dozen internal portals, each one leading more dead-on tutorials:

Content and Niches;

Legal Help;

Hosting Helper

Web Design;

Now let’s “drill down” a bit (once you’re writing about porn, it’s very hard to avoid thinking of every double meaning) in the Web Design category:

Hire a Pro Designer! This one, by their chief writer, TitMowse, makes a compelling case that site creators need pro designers – but also have to learn enough to build them on their own – if only to understand the design process:  ((TitMowse is here using in part the reasoning of Joseph Stiglitz, who won the Nobel Prize in 2001 for his work on information asymmetry. When one party knows nothing about the service being negotiated, can’t tell good work from bad – markets don’t work well. The COZY people are trying to help their readers become more savvy and more powerful in negotiating with web designers. That will also save money – the clearer a client can be about what he or she wants the easier it’ll be for the designer to get the job done in less time)).

At Cozy, we have long recommended that you learn HTML. Most adult webmasters start out working alone. Each one of you develops a set of skills, integral to success in this industry. You must know how to correct bad code or embed an ad banner on a page. With HTML or JavaScript or CSS, one missing character is all it takes to fuck up a site.

We also advise that you understand and recognize the concepts behind a winning website. Usability, color, content, marketing text and placement. You have to be able to step back from your page and see it as your surfers see it. You need to compose your page in a manner that entices them instead of pleasing you. We want you to build your own sites and learn about adult design using your own hands. Problems arise, even with a designer on staff. You will always need to pinpoint and rectify those problems. The knowledge you gain by learning the code for building webpages (HTML) is invaluable. The appreciation you gain for good design increases as you apply your knowledge. Ultimately, your overall experience with site building will help you choose the right professional.

What you need to decide is whether or not the moment has arrived for you to hire a pro. Paysite operators aren’t only people that contract the services of design providers. Perhaps you run a free site that gets a lot of traffic but no matter how you arrange your sponsor banners, change your colors or retool your layout, your conversions are horrible. Could be you just need piecemeal work like a set of ad banners or a new logo. Maybe you want to buy a pre-made template for a gallery or an adult blog. Designers perform a myriad of tasks, aside from top-to-bottom paysite construction. If you are at the point where your personal attempt at creativity is holding you back, that is when it’s time for a master.

We promise to tell you more about The COZY sites, Cozy Academy, Cozy Campus and Cozy Frog in the near future. How to pick a host, stay out of trouble (legal risk), and even jobs listings.

]]> http://sexblogconspiracy.com/2009/05/lust-greed-and-free-speech-how-to-do-it-at-home-for-fun-and-profit/feed/ 0