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Lifecasting site Justin.tv may be afraid of adult-only broadcasts. But some other startups also born from the Y Combinator startup factory are not so leery. Scribd, the self-ascribed "YouTube of documents," which allows any document to be stored and viewed on the Web, appears to be gaining traffic on the back of adult content. "Adult" is one of Scribd's most popular and largest document groups. In the company's words, "At Scribd, we are cool with adult content, and you should feel free to upload as much as you'd like." As a result, its traffic far exceeds Justin.tv — even though you'd think video would be more compelling than documents.



The lifecasting site could learn to accept all that is natural about life from its Y Combinator sibling. Of course, Scribd doesn't have to comply with laws requiring extensive verification of the age of porn actors — a requirement that Justin.tv apparently believes applies to its volunteer broadcasters. And Scribd's founders may not be the best role model in other aspects of business. This is, after all, a company that foolishly promised a future management role to all of its early employees. But at least they know what their users want.