View Full Version : Is anyone here seriously worried about SM long-term?
CourtneyRaine
07-22-2012, 04:47 PM
i hate camming too.
Well.... If you hate camming... Maybe it's time to try out some other line of work?
Not to thread-jack, because an individual's feelings about camming isn't really relevant to the subject at hand, but I don't think anyone here has ever said we hate camming? I certainly don't. I actually LOVE camming, I can't see myself doing anything else right now. I just don't like a lot of the changes that SM has made over the past few months and I feel that those changes are negatively impacting my earnings on that site in particular.
cvarga
07-22-2012, 05:20 PM
Well.... If you hate camming... Maybe it's time to try out some other line of work?
Not to thread-jack, because an individual's feelings about camming isn't really relevant to the subject at hand, but I don't think anyone here has ever said we hate camming? I certainly don't. I actually LOVE camming, I can't see myself doing anything else right now. I just don't like a lot of the changes that SM has made over the past few months and I feel that those changes are negatively impacting my earnings on that site in particular.
Scroll back. I think some of us have already outed ourselves as being here out of lack of choice and not the will. The question for those that do not enjoy it though is what are you doing to make the transition out of camming and into a world more livable for you?
Sam38g
07-22-2012, 05:33 PM
I love camming.
SM has been kick ass for me lately. Loving it.
Now, I have not been on in a week. Out in LA shooting porn. In general, my money is up on SM.
And MFC has been slow for me.
Heck, even consider myself more of a cam girl than porn star these days.
Smooches,
Sam
www.Samantha38g.com
ManyRoses
07-22-2012, 05:50 PM
WOW, you allow custies to sit in free up to 2 hours? You should use the 'kick' button more often. Guys get 5 mins in free chat with me or they gotta go. If they want to know more, we can discuss that in pvt.
Threadjack moment! But for the record, I actually don't get really worked up about guys sitting around in free, as long as they aren't being assholes or trying to manipulate the conversation. Really, what do I care if someone wants to sit silently for an hour at a time? If they are trying to get personal attention, then I'll tell them that I can't ignore everyone else, and if they want to get to know me better, then that is what pvt is for - same if they are generally being annoying, begging for freebies, being rude about other members questions or fetishes, etc etc. But there are a few guys that just...hang around. Occasionally they will drop in a comment, or a question, but for the most part, they just sit and watch. I leave them be for two reasons:
1 - I don't like the mindset it puts me in when I start being really harsh and kicking people left right and centre. Its definitely a personality thing, but it starts to make me feel kind of mean and petty - like I am grubbing for change, rather than sitting back, relaxing, enjoying, and letting it roll in. I do far better if I am not really concerned about kicking freeloaders, maintaining rules, limits, etc etc, and just let the good times roll.
2 - They aren't doing any harm, and you never know when they might decide to drop money on you. One guy in particular springs to mind - hung out in my room for freaking months just being quiet, then suddenly took me pvt for nearly an HOUR...where I acted like a robot. Easiest money EVER!
It can actually really turn guys off if you are TOO kick-happy, IMHO....although we all know that we are in it for the money, they want the illusion that you are really just doing it for kicks, and you LOVE what you do...getting a little too pvt-focused can kill off the illusion that you are just a wanton slut-bag who really wants to get her rocks off for strangers, and just takes the money because it comes with it.
Anyhoo....threadjack over!
Marina Starr
07-22-2012, 06:00 PM
Hi girl, where have you been?! I just want to clarify that I'm pretty lucky to not have guys just stay in my room for such period of time without taking me pvt. They'd usually leave on their own. Now if I cheerfully greet them and they say nothing or tell me what they would do to me in free chat as if we're in pvt then the kicking comes in, lol!
Threadjack moment! But for the record, I actually don't get really worked up about guys sitting around in free, as long as they aren't being assholes or trying to manipulate the conversation. Really, what do I care if someone wants to sit silently for an hour at a time? If they are trying to get personal attention, then I'll tell them that I can't ignore everyone else, and if they want to get to know me better, then that is what pvt is for - same if they are generally being annoying, begging for freebies, being rude about other members questions or fetishes, etc etc. But there are a few guys that just...hang around. Occasionally they will drop in a comment, or a question, but for the most part, they just sit and watch. I leave them be for two reasons:
1 - I don't like the mindset it puts me in when I start being really harsh and kicking people left right and centre. Its definitely a personality thing, but it starts to make me feel kind of mean and petty - like I am grubbing for change, rather than sitting back, relaxing, enjoying, and letting it roll in. I do far better if I am not really concerned about kicking freeloaders, maintaining rules, limits, etc etc, and just let the good times roll.
2 - They aren't doing any harm, and you never know when they might decide to drop money on you. One guy in particular springs to mind - hung out in my room for freaking months just being quiet, then suddenly took me pvt for nearly an HOUR...where I acted like a robot. Easiest money EVER!
It can actually really turn guys off if you are TOO kick-happy, IMHO....although we all know that we are in it for the money, they want the illusion that you are really just doing it for kicks, and you LOVE what you do...getting a little too pvt-focused can kill off the illusion that you are just a wanton slut-bag who really wants to get her rocks off for strangers, and just takes the money because it comes with it.
Anyhoo....threadjack over!
justanothercamgirl
07-22-2012, 07:16 PM
I do agree with Lusty though. I admire the women who are able to smile through it all and act like they have not a care in the world. Me? Pffft I exude raw emotion in its most negative form sometimes, at which point I have no choice but to log off.
I have the same problem as you do cvarga, and I solved it by never showing my face in free chat or speaking. Believe it or not, I make more money now.
SarahTime
07-22-2012, 10:55 PM
I have the same problem as you do cvarga, and I solved it by never showing my face in free chat or speaking. Believe it or not, I make more money now.
In addition to this, you could just move the cam down to not show your face if you are having a "moment" of frustration/etc. that way you are not showing how you feel. Once you get a private you may even perk up, or just keep the cam pointed down.
I did that quite a few times Saturday night when it was non stop beggars.
EvilChick1989
07-23-2012, 01:14 AM
I have the same problem as you do cvarga, and I solved it by never showing my face in free chat or speaking. Believe it or not, I make more money now.
I do the same thing too sometimes when I am annoyed. I just point the cam to my boobs haha!
Kyuuipo
07-23-2012, 01:42 AM
R.I.P Streamate? Maybe. All I know is, I'm on the hunt for yet another site to cam on. I've alwfollow through. Now it's not about the heart, it's about the bank account. I've had way too many days on there recently where my hourly has been less than minimum wage. That is simply NOT acceptable in this line of work.
I agree, I feel like Ive been doing way too much work for the little bit of change Im recieving! I try costume changes, Twitter ( keeping up with my customers), deals on Gold Shows, etc. Nothing has been working! Last week I sat on SM for almost 8 hours and only made 120 dollars. Sometimes I think I would just be better off getting a real job, but I guess thats the way it is in this business....
justanothercamgirl
07-23-2012, 05:41 AM
I do the same thing too sometimes when I am annoyed. I just point the cam to my boobs haha!
I call it 'Titty Jail'. LOL
~Carmen~
07-23-2012, 06:12 AM
Threadjack moment! But for the record, I actually don't get really worked up about guys sitting around in free, as long as they aren't being assholes or trying to manipulate the conversation. Really, what do I care if someone wants to sit silently for an hour at a time? If they are trying to get personal attention, then I'll tell them that I can't ignore everyone else, and if they want to get to know me better, then that is what pvt is for - same if they are generally being annoying, begging for freebies, being rude about other members questions or fetishes, etc etc. But there are a few guys that just...hang around. Occasionally they will drop in a comment, or a question, but for the most part, they just sit and watch. I leave them be for two reasons:
1 - I don't like the mindset it puts me in when I start being really harsh and kicking people left right and centre. Its definitely a personality thing, but it starts to make me feel kind of mean and petty - like I am grubbing for change, rather than sitting back, relaxing, enjoying, and letting it roll in. I do far better if I am not really concerned about kicking freeloaders, maintaining rules, limits, etc etc, and just let the good times roll.
2 - They aren't doing any harm, and you never know when they might decide to drop money on you. One guy in particular springs to mind - hung out in my room for freaking months just being quiet, then suddenly took me pvt for nearly an HOUR...where I acted like a robot. Easiest money EVER!
It can actually really turn guys off if you are TOO kick-happy, IMHO....although we all know that we are in it for the money, they want the illusion that you are really just doing it for kicks, and you LOVE what you do...getting a little too pvt-focused can kill off the illusion that you are just a wanton slut-bag who really wants to get her rocks off for strangers, and just takes the money because it comes with it.
Anyhoo....threadjack over!
I love this post:) Thank you!
Melonie
07-23-2012, 01:26 PM
As Melonie has mentioned many times in CC, SM cannot continue to grow indefinitely. At some point, there will have to be a change - it just won't be possible to allow anyone with a webcam to sign up, as the site won't be able to handle the load. I agree that the industry is starting to move toward quality over quantity.
I think that both traditional studio porn and camming are going in the same general direction - an overload of girls wanting to work and willing to do anything (or near enough) for a quick buck is making it harder to earn the way that we used to. Why would you pay $5 a minute to see a girl dildo her pussy if you can spend $5 for 20 mins of anal fisting? The answer is that you will pay more for something that is high quality, or that is a "brand".
The girls that are doing best, and that are the top earners in camming AND porn seem to be mostly the ones that create a persona - that connect their stream with a website, blog, twitter, etc. That do trade shows, crossover into other forms of adult work (pornstars camming, and cam stars doing print photos), and create a name for themselves. At the most extreme end of the scale, you have people who have become household names and brands - Jenna Jameson, James Deen, Sasha Grey - people that are publishing books, acting, etc etc.
That said, I do think that it is still very possible to make good money without doing all that - but that will help to guarantee longevity. And it will help you weather the changes that happen as the site matures. It goes along with investing in the technology to support HD streaming - you CAN make money without it, but you are making life harder if you choose not to use it.
I do think that in the next few years, we will see camming becoming something that is more and more a full time job, or a career, and less of a part-time fun-money thing where anyone can log on and make money right away. We have already seen this - it takes time to build up to a good level of earnings, whereas five years ago it was a lot easier to make money right away.
Yup, evoking the same sort of business models used by 'mainstream' goods and services businesses, when the 'demand' outpaces the 'supply' ( as was the case with camming up to about 5 years ago ), it's easy for any new 'supplier' to draw new business and establish price levels that provide very good profitability. However, once the 'supply' outpaces the 'demand', markets begin to divide into segments. In the very 'upscale' segment you see premium 'quality' offerings at premium price levels being offered to a relatively small percentage of 'upscale' customers who have a lot of money to spend ( comparatively speaking ) in exchange for 'top quality' products / services. For this analogy you can think of 'upscale' camgirls / porn star camgirls / 'niche' camgirls as being similar to Porsche, Fogo de Ciao, Saks etc.
However, the vast majority of customers cannot afford to pay 'upscale' prices ... or at least they can't afford to pay 'upscale' prices very often. So they wind up choosing Chevy, MacDonalds, WalMart etc. And in this market segment 'bang for the buck' is an extremely important customer consideration. This of course gives an advantage to any 'supplier' who is willing to provide 'more' for the same price ! And in this market segment the place you do NOT want to be is Plymouth, Bennigans, Woolworth etc. ... i.e. attempting to offer 'average' or 'slightly above average' quality without getting 'down and dirty'
ManyRoses
07-23-2012, 03:28 PM
Yup, evoking the same sort of business models used by 'mainstream' goods and services businesses, when the 'demand' outpaces the 'supply' ( as was the case with camming up to about 5 years ago ), it's easy for any new 'supplier' to draw new business and establish price levels that provide very good profitability. However, once the 'supply' outpaces the 'demand', markets begin to divide into segments. In the very 'upscale' segment you see premium 'quality' offerings at premium price levels being offered to a relatively small percentage of 'upscale' customers who have a lot of money to spend ( comparatively speaking ) in exchange for 'top quality' products / services. For this analogy you can think of 'upscale' camgirls / porn star camgirls / 'niche' camgirls as being similar to Porsche, Fogo de Ciao, Saks etc.
However, the vast majority of customers cannot afford to pay 'upscale' prices ... or at least they can't afford to pay 'upscale' prices very often. So they wind up choosing Chevy, MacDonalds, WalMart etc. And in this market segment 'bang for the buck' is an extremely important customer consideration. This of course gives an advantage to any 'supplier' who is willing to provide 'more' for the same price ! And in this market segment the place you do NOT want to be is Plymouth, Bennigans, Woolworth etc. ... i.e. attempting to offer 'average' or 'slightly above average' quality without getting 'down and dirty'
Such a good point!!! And when it comes down to it, I would rather be a Ferrari than a Walmart. Who wouldn't?
I think that if we are moving toward having to pick one of two extremes to be able to continue to make money, it is worth it (to me) to spend extra time creating a brand, having patience with annoying people, updating technology, working on my look and my body, etc etc. I would rather spend that extra time to make sure that I am offering quality and either a) charging extra for that quality and my brand or b) charging market average, but getting the customers because of the high quality, even without a brand. If the other option becomes having to offer everything physically possible - altering my body and my comfort levels to be able to offer all manner of sex acts, it is definitely worth the effort to me.
That said, I can understand that if you are already comfortable with some of the more extreme stuff, or offering much more for your price, then it makes more sense to take advantage of that extreme, rather than put in all the extra effort to "quality" and "branding".
The only thing that we will no longer be able to support is offering the limited services of the "high quality", but the actual quality of the "everything for a buck" end of the spectrum.