I'm thinking of starting a new bareback hookup site…

[rawTOP]

As I mentioned in another thread, I'm thinking of starting a bareback hookup site for a few years now. Initially I had thought it would be best to add hookup features to Breeding Zone, but GermanFucker pointed out that this audience is rather extreme and hence pretty limited. For a hookup site to succeed it needs a broader audience.

Objective #1 then is to appeal to a wide audience. The more people I can get on the site the better it will do. The only limitation will be that the guys actually bareback - guys who just want to suck cock, etc. will be discouraged from joining.

Objective #2 is that it be social. I want it to be about more than hooking up. So a lot of the features you find on here will be on the hookup site - forums and/or blogs, groups, posting comments on people's profile pages, etc. I'd like to also have it incorporate publicly accessible data from other sources (Blogspot blogs, Twitter, etc.) into the user's profile page so people can get a better sense of who you are. I want the community aspect to be what differentiates it from the other hookup sites. It will also give people something to do if there aren't guys near them to hookup with (if the site hasn't reached critical mass in their area).

Objective #3 is that it be mobile friendly. This is complicated greatly by Apple's adult-hostile rules for apps. So, unfortunately I don't think it makes sense to do a proper "app" - instead I think the best that can be done is to make sure the web pages are mobile-friendly (i.e. easy to use on mobile devices). But I'll be losing out on things like push notifications - which I don't like.

The first question then is what to name it. The name it critical in branding the site - it needs to have broad appeal and imply the social nature of the site.

I own BBFuckClub.com / BarebackFuckClub.com but my worry with those names is that "club" might imply poz and turn off neg guys. I mean I have a "joined the club" section here for guys to let others know they've converted. But on the plus side "club" does sound social.

I also own BBBuds.com / BarebackBuds.com. Those sound friendly, and BBBuds is nice and short (which helps when you're typing it in - especially on mobile). But my worry with those is that "buds" may sound dated in 5 or 10 years.

And I own BBFuckBuds.com / BarebackFuckBuds.com which makes the fuck part crystal clear, but it has the same issues as BBBuds - the "buds" reference may sound dated in a few years.

Can anyone think up a better name? There has to be a better name available.

And any general thoughts about the site and/or my strategy/objectives?

[headnurse20]

I like the idea. I didn't think that BBFuckClub implies poz only. I like that name as well as BBFuckBuds.

[jayse_crystal]

Personally- I like sites like dudesnude since the pics are big and they work well on mobile sites. I've had a Blackberry, Android and iPhone and they all work well with the site. You should aim to that standard

Don't be like some sites where you can see 3 pics then you need to sign up with your credit card, those site suck ass - esp when they show the thumbnail and don't let you enlarge the pics.

As for site names, there are many out there that done really have suggestive names:

POF, Okcupid, Gay411, gayromeo, etc.

You don't really need Bareback in the title, but rather a disclaimer when people join that members are all barebackers

You'll have a much easier time naming the site. It should be sometime easy and quick to type out without embarrassing people if someone accidentally picks up the phone. My bro once was on my phone and my history showed a much of hook up sites and he managed to only see dudesnude and ask if it was gay porn.

[rawTOP]

You don't really need Bareback in the title, but rather a disclaimer when people join that members are all barebackers

You'll have a much easier time naming the site. It should be sometime easy and quick to type out without embarrassing people if someone accidentally picks up the phone.

Good thinking… And a more generic name will be more inclusive.

Don't be like some sites where you can see 3 pics then you need to sign up with your credit card, those site suck ass - esp when they show the thumbnail and don't let you enlarge the pics.

Ah, yes, and important point I forgot to mention… My goal is to have a revenue model similar to Adam4Adam - so primarily ad-based. There will be a premium membership available that will give you bigger friends lists (or multiple friends lists), etc. But the site will be fully functional for free members.

One caveat on that, however… In another thread I talked about how revenue from porn is slowly drying up as fewer people pay for porn. If it dries up to the point where an ad-based model won't work then I may need to explore additional membership fees. But I'll keep it as free and functional as I can for as long as possible. I'll probably also comp people who were early adopters of the site so the first 10,000 or 20,000 members will be free for life - at least for core site functionality.

[Belfast-Bottom]

I like both BBFuckClub and BBBuds. I agree that Bareback Buds or BBBuds has a friendlier feel to it. BBFuckClub has an edgier directly sexual tone to it and it has overtones of Fight Club ( not a bad thing in my view - but perhaps appealing to a smaller audience ). An analogy might be DARK chocolate versus MILK chocolate. Dark chocolate appeals to the hardcore minority, while milk chocolate has mass appeal. You already have the DARK edgy sex catered for on Breeding Zone, so "friendlier" BBBuds might have the widest appeal. I also think that the three "B"s in a row give it a catchy, easy to remember ( and type ) name. Also BBBuds isn't blatantly sexual ( to the uninformed ). It has "deniability" if a colleague or family member should stumble across the name.

Re. the business model, I agree that a primarily ad funded site is the way to go. Many people are not inclined to divulge credit card details to adult sites. My major criticism of BBRT is the tiny profile photos ( unless you pay ). It's important to give new members generous access to facilities to keep them coming back. I also agree that a "community" feel can encourage people to log in frequently - few of us are sex obsessed 24/7. Things like forums, photo ratings, groups and chatrooms can keep people returning.

Best of luck and don't forget to sign me up for a LIFETIME membership

[BC_Bottom]

I think the important question is what will your hookup site offer that others don't?

Mistakes those that came before made.

barbackjack.com. Decided to become a pay site, faded out of existance.

bareback.com. Too much focus on making money, and a terrable website. No longer relevant.

barebackrt.com. They do many things right. You can effectively use their site without a payed membership. They support the community, (Cumunion parties). Memberships are rather affordable. They sell some cool t-shirts. For these reasons there are lots of guys on their site.

You need to figure out how you can be better than they are, or it will never work.

[drscorpio]

I like the name BBFuckBuds.com / BarebackFuckBuds.com

"Fuckbuddy" and "Fuckbud" have been used for a while in the community. I wouldn't worry about this name getting stale.

[rawTOP]

You need to figure out how you can be better than they are, or it will never work.

I hear you. I'm one of the few people who have enough traffic to make a decent shot at it. But if it's lame it will fail. I see my main competitor as BarebackRT. I'm not knocking what they've accomplished, but they could use some competition - it's not good for the bb community that there's only one good hookup site. I told PigMaster years ago I was thinking of this - so it won't be a surprise to them (though my approach has changed since then).

Here's how I think I'll be better…

#1 all of the core features on the site will be completely free. There may be an inexpensive paid option at some point, but it will be for features that aren't critical. For years now I've seen how I'm just better at making money off banner ads (etc) than the guys at BBRT. I could go into details, but that's not really the point here. The point is, I'll have less need for a paid membership because I can get revenue in other ways.

#2 it will be social - which will make it different than 95% of the gay hookup sites out there (not just BBRT).

#3 I want to make the mobile version significantly better than BBRT's mobile site. I get really frustrated when I try to use BBRT's mobile site. I'm guessing you guys do too.

#4 I have a plan to get traffic from other webmasters that have significant bareback traffic. I know who they are and I'll approach them privately. That means I won't just be relying on my own name. The rawTOP branding on the site will be much more subtle than it is here. That's not a competitive advantage, but it is one of my formulas for success.

[btmboy12]

BBFuckClub / Bareback Fuck Club if you can really gice BBRT a run for the money so to speak.

[Fuckmesl]

How are you going to create a social culture than a hookup culture? R we talking chatrooms? Forums? Instant messaging? Video conference calling?

Personally I glad you've starting something as we need something new!

Keep going mr

[AlwaysOpen]

Lets face it- gay men move from site to site as a new option hits, hoping there will be fresher meat hanging on it. ManHunt was big 10 years ago, then slipped with alarming speed as BBRT and then Grindr and Scruff ( and others ) came along. So any new site needs to be a hit quickly to grab on, and then either needs to focus on staying fresh ( think what BN SKin dropped into) or it will become yesterdays hook site in a few months. As far as a name- I would suggest , especially for a sense of community or connection, that it be something that can identified by those in the know, and yet semi innocent for the mainstream folk. I have a couple of the BBRTS white t shirts with the polygon logo shape and the BBRTS.Com under it- and wear it out to Starbucks and the grocery store all the time - guys who know know what I am out for. However, the BBRT guys did a black T shirt, and instead of a subtle logo patch in the upper left like the white shirt, the black has a chest wide design with BAREBACK across the logo in bold -- while I am not shy, it is way too in your face for the average daily running errands wearing-. So, while the ads will make some money, add on items like a t shirt for $18 or ball caps , etc can also help defray costs for you- but need to be a tad bit polite- so , I guess a shirt with BBBuds would fly far better than BAREFUCKSEXFORME.COM would. Both would def get the message out- one a little less sledge hammer to the face tho

[anicker834]

i like bbbuds.com

i hope you do it need locals in CT who actually are into doing it not just talking about it

[Guest]

i like BBFuckClub / Bareback Fuck Club

[BC_Bottom]

Good to see you have thought it through.

I useable mobile site really is a must these days.

I am not sure how you are going to build the social aspect, but I look forward to seeing what you come up with.

[genericuser]

I'd call it Breeding Zone Connect. Since the Breeding Zone is now an established brand/name people are familiar with, I would use the "brand" to your advantage. Utilizing the Breeding Zone brand would allow potential users to know that it is a "brand" they can trust which would not only encourage them to join the site, but also speed up the buzz about the site as users are more likely to recommend a brand they are comfortable with to their friends/fuck buddies.

So I suggest: Breeding Zone Connect