Home-based e-business - an option for the self-employed?

Although it may not be ethical to run a pornographic site, it is no doubt that it is by far the most profitable e-business. According to an unofficial investigation, Hong Kong people spent most of their time on adult site when they use Internet than anywhere in the world. In April 11, 2002 edition of Next Magazine, it had reviewed how a young man made make a fortune by running an online adult chat room in Hong Kong. The registered member of this chat room has grown to over 70,000 members in two year's time. The site offers online chat and real-time streaming videos of young ladies in a state of undress. Obviously, setting up a site of this sort requires a great deal of expertise. The bandwidth demand on the server would be enormous and one may have to buy a dedicated server. Setting up this sort of business in one's home may quickly lead to complaints by neighbors and potential trouble from the underworld. Another possibility is to construct a more passive site that consists of streaming videos that are not in real-time and also still images. Most frequently, instead of making or buying one's images and videos, they are usually stolen from other pornographic sites. It is also possible to act as resellers for established pornographic sites. As in the case of Vshop, the reseller is given a web site that he has to promote. More often than not, this is done through unsolicited e-mails or other unsavory means.

Although potentially carrying the highest rewards, running adult web sites carry a certain amount of risk. First and foremost, web-hosting company charge many times more for adult sites so that it may be more worthwhile to buy a server. Secondly, promotion of adult sites is much more difficult because the competition is so cutthroat. The use of unsolicited e-mails is the rule rather than the exception as are a number of other unethical techniques, like copying the contents of well-known non-adult web sites and have it redirected to the adult web site. Not to mention the possible legal ramifications since piracy and illicit activities may be involved. Therefore although the potential rewards are very high, this is clearly not a good proposition for most people.