A while ago, when I was on the boards, someone was talking about starting their own cam site. How is that going? Anyone have advice on how to start one up?
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Are you starting your own cam site?
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Starting up a cam site would be a lot of work. You'd need code to create the basis of the chat interface. Something like MFCs interface would cost tens of thousands of dollars to buy or hire programmers. The servers and bandwidth would also be insanely expensive on a month to month basis. You'd have to create terms of use and contracts for models and site users as well as the legal documentation required for everything. So you'd most likely need a lawyer on retainer.
All in all, it's a lot of cash investment to get something like this started and that doesn't get you models or customers yet.
All in all, it's a lot of cash investment to get something like this started and that doesn't get you models or customers yet.
Ok...my profession is software developer...
Keithy is mostly right...except for the basic chat software.
There is videochat software out-of-the-box...based on Adobe Flash Media Server...But it only does the videochat stuff...pretty much like livejasmin.com and alike.
That software is less expensive than one might think.
There are also companies that would run/host a site for you...kinda outsourcing thingy.
I know of a chinese company, developing chat software at very competitive prices...(and, surprise: high quality!)
Had been integrating their chat software a while ago in a dating site.
Beside, choosing the right out-of-box software can be very tricky...because you only see the user interface, but not under the hood, so you dont know how well it scales...
Something like MFC requires a bit more...Out-of-box solution are pretty bare-bone. They only include stuff, which all video-chat sites requires. All the stuff, which MFC makes unique, needs to be developed and customised.
I have no idea about the bandwidth consumption and computing power you would need, but that could turn out expensive...especially if the software isn´t scaling well...
While developing/setting up the site on first sight seems to be the difficult part, I believe the real challenge is getting models and members to your site.
The marketing nut is the nut to crack...
You would be up against strong competition.
What would be your unique selling point?
Why should models sign up with you?
Why should members sign up with you?
How will ppl find you? (Think google search results).
Whom are you targetting?
Is there room for another camsite?
A premium camsite? What makes your site "premium", "special", etc.
If you cant answer these questions, you probably fail against the competition.
You need to find your niche, develop your brand...that is about marketing, not technology.
Once Amber hits 10.000 members with her forum, she might toy with that idea...lol...if she finds an potent investor...
BTW, does anybody know, how many ppl are employed at MFC? Only the 4 admins? Does anybody know that?
Keithy is mostly right...except for the basic chat software.
There is videochat software out-of-the-box...based on Adobe Flash Media Server...But it only does the videochat stuff...pretty much like livejasmin.com and alike.
That software is less expensive than one might think.
There are also companies that would run/host a site for you...kinda outsourcing thingy.
I know of a chinese company, developing chat software at very competitive prices...(and, surprise: high quality!)
Had been integrating their chat software a while ago in a dating site.
Beside, choosing the right out-of-box software can be very tricky...because you only see the user interface, but not under the hood, so you dont know how well it scales...
Something like MFC requires a bit more...Out-of-box solution are pretty bare-bone. They only include stuff, which all video-chat sites requires. All the stuff, which MFC makes unique, needs to be developed and customised.
I have no idea about the bandwidth consumption and computing power you would need, but that could turn out expensive...especially if the software isn´t scaling well...
While developing/setting up the site on first sight seems to be the difficult part, I believe the real challenge is getting models and members to your site.
The marketing nut is the nut to crack...
You would be up against strong competition.
What would be your unique selling point?
Why should models sign up with you?
Why should members sign up with you?
How will ppl find you? (Think google search results).
Whom are you targetting?
Is there room for another camsite?
A premium camsite? What makes your site "premium", "special", etc.
If you cant answer these questions, you probably fail against the competition.
You need to find your niche, develop your brand...that is about marketing, not technology.
Once Amber hits 10.000 members with her forum, she might toy with that idea...lol...if she finds an potent investor...
BTW, does anybody know, how many ppl are employed at MFC? Only the 4 admins? Does anybody know that?
IMO it's not worth starting a cam site and using the "out of the box" stuff that Mica refers to. No point in making a competitor for MFC if you aren't going to do what they do 10x better.
Also as a software dev.mica2022 said:
The software writing is the easy part. It's more a design problem so it will scale well.
And a legal problem.
How do you setup the corporation to reduce the risk to you when a 17yo signs up on fake ID (or older sisters ID).
And a marketing/logistics problem.
How do you get a large enough number of models so that your initial advertising budget is not completely wasted. If the top 20 camgirls on MFC departed to a new site - it would fail.
You probably need at least 50 girls online when your advertising hits, otherwise you are going to look silly, compared to MFC, or livejasmin, or the dozens of allied sites.
There are some things you can do that MFC doesn't that'd have a positive impact.
For example, remote managment of the models computer, to aid in setting up cams.
(or at least someone that looks at the video/sound/... and gives suggestions prior to getting on)
I agree largely with Mica, I have been talking to people who have a smaller very successful German speaking XXX Cam site and as I am setting up several sites myself at the moment I also talked to developers in India. I can have a copy site of MFC (with a lot better features) for less than $25 K fully developed.
But then the real problems start: It is all about MARKETING. How are you getting people to your site? webmasters? referrals? ads? All very costly ...How are you going to compete with players with unlimited resources and who have been in the market for years ( read Leo/MFC, LJ and all the other sites with millions of members)...The German guys told me and I tend to believe them that setting up a site like MFC will cost you next to nothing, but getting it to a level of a few million registered members and successful will require a base capital of $5-7 million and no singe $ would have been made by the time you are there.
Thing about the logistics behind it , the bandwidth and the legal checks...damn I would not even consider it.
If I had real big cash or investors backing me I would buy an existing site like MFC, pay a Premium price for it and the start on improving the site and features..And oh boy I would change a lot, the horrible design of the site would be #1 and I have around a list of 150 items I would change as well...Having said that ...You must have a fucking hell of a lot respect for Leo for how smart his marketing is on another level....His skills in creating more tips and bigger tippers on MFC is pure magic....The guy deserves a lot of credit for how successful he made MFC...now some better servers...better listening to advice from people and MFC would be the #1 site worldwide ...
Anyone out there with major cash? I am very happy to put in all I have and buy MFC...hahahaha
But then the real problems start: It is all about MARKETING. How are you getting people to your site? webmasters? referrals? ads? All very costly ...How are you going to compete with players with unlimited resources and who have been in the market for years ( read Leo/MFC, LJ and all the other sites with millions of members)...The German guys told me and I tend to believe them that setting up a site like MFC will cost you next to nothing, but getting it to a level of a few million registered members and successful will require a base capital of $5-7 million and no singe $ would have been made by the time you are there.
Thing about the logistics behind it , the bandwidth and the legal checks...damn I would not even consider it.
If I had real big cash or investors backing me I would buy an existing site like MFC, pay a Premium price for it and the start on improving the site and features..And oh boy I would change a lot, the horrible design of the site would be #1 and I have around a list of 150 items I would change as well...Having said that ...You must have a fucking hell of a lot respect for Leo for how smart his marketing is on another level....His skills in creating more tips and bigger tippers on MFC is pure magic....The guy deserves a lot of credit for how successful he made MFC...now some better servers...better listening to advice from people and MFC would be the #1 site worldwide ...
Anyone out there with major cash? I am very happy to put in all I have and buy MFC...hahahaha
LadyLuna
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mica2022 said:
I know for a fact they hire accountants to deal with the taxes. But I don't know if they are mfc employees, or if they hire a company to take care of that.
SatanJonez
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MilaMilanXXX said:
I would bet any amount of money you could run it better than it's already being run. It's like MFC was a great idea a few years ago & then it was given to the mentally handicapped to execute/see it through. Half assing it doesn't even begin to describe half the down falls. Oddly enough still the best money making cam site I've found.
NaomiRose
Cam Model
mica2022 said:
I think you should doo it!!
I definitely had the ambition to start up my own cam site... And still kind of do, but it's on the back burner for me right now... I got a lot of other things I'd need in place and it's a HUGE job. There's no doubt about that. I have tons of thoughts on the whole thing though. Either way, I really think that someone like you, Mila, or another cam girl or someone else with cam girls and customers needs/wants firmly in mind, could do a better job at running a webcam site. I think buying a site like MFC that already has all the traffic you would want is a great idea....
Seriously.
I have no capital... but if you need a decent, technically minded employee after your purchase, let me know. >_>
Also... as frustrating as MFC is for me, I must say that from what I've heard, there is at least one MFC employee who seems to work hard and keep the site going just well enough to maintain growth.
Also... as frustrating as MFC is for me, I must say that from what I've heard, there is at least one MFC employee who seems to work hard and keep the site going just well enough to maintain growth.
If I won the lottery, I would chip in to help buy the site.
Either way, I'd be willing to help with marketing or something like member support or being an admin for watching for rule breaking or anything like that.
Either way, I'd be willing to help with marketing or something like member support or being an admin for watching for rule breaking or anything like that.
Just to give an idea on the prices...
There is a big camsite that is using FlyingCroc's servers and paying the highest plan ($13,750/mo). I don't know if they reached a deal about the bandwidth. But if not, this site is paying around $5 for extra GiB. I'm sure they exceed the limit even having the highest plan. One girl uses like 0,1 or 0,2 GiB per hour, depending on her connection. Now multiply that for the members watching her. Yes, crazy.
In the other hand... there is a small camsite with low traffic that is paying (to a different host - RealityCheckNetwork) about $3,000/mo for the servers.
If you get your own server with your own line like LJ does, expect to pay much more. A true dedicated line (a good one) is not that cheap. And this is only for the servers. You still have a lot of things to pay and deal with: Tech/Customer support, legal stuff, marketing, payment processors... Oh yeah, I heard it is $700/year just to have a contract with VISA, plus a fee on every transaction.
There is a big camsite that is using FlyingCroc's servers and paying the highest plan ($13,750/mo). I don't know if they reached a deal about the bandwidth. But if not, this site is paying around $5 for extra GiB. I'm sure they exceed the limit even having the highest plan. One girl uses like 0,1 or 0,2 GiB per hour, depending on her connection. Now multiply that for the members watching her. Yes, crazy.
In the other hand... there is a small camsite with low traffic that is paying (to a different host - RealityCheckNetwork) about $3,000/mo for the servers.
If you get your own server with your own line like LJ does, expect to pay much more. A true dedicated line (a good one) is not that cheap. And this is only for the servers. You still have a lot of things to pay and deal with: Tech/Customer support, legal stuff, marketing, payment processors... Oh yeah, I heard it is $700/year just to have a contract with VISA, plus a fee on every transaction.
I think that MFC would do well to take suggestions and actively cultivate relationships with the tech-savvy models and members. I agree with Mila and Amber, MFC would be too difficult to recreate.
A better approach would be to use Amazon Web Services and only pay for the bandwidth and resources you use. Moving more towards a cloud based approach. They bill based on usage and have the infrastructure to handle the high bandwidth/server demands a site like mfc would use. And the advantage of AWS is they bill you at the end of the month so you would have time to make some revenue first, vs a more traditional hosting package.
You would also have to be careful with the domain you pick, Leo has filed a number of suits on a number of domains.
I'm sure its no accident other sites similar to MFC haven't popped up already.
http://wiki.myfreecams.com/wiki/MyFreeC ... Trademarks
MFC may not be the best in the world, but its alot better then other camsites. What they got right was they designed a good community oriented platform, which other camsites don't have. There's a good number of features that could be added still and this is where making a new site, with the available tools would definitely have a leg up on MFC's 2004 code base.
You would also have to be careful with the domain you pick, Leo has filed a number of suits on a number of domains.
I'm sure its no accident other sites similar to MFC haven't popped up already.
http://wiki.myfreecams.com/wiki/MyFreeC ... Trademarks
MFC may not be the best in the world, but its alot better then other camsites. What they got right was they designed a good community oriented platform, which other camsites don't have. There's a good number of features that could be added still and this is where making a new site, with the available tools would definitely have a leg up on MFC's 2004 code base.
SatanJonez
Cam Model
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NinjaPerv said:
Jesus no wonder there's no money for better servers. He spends all the money hoarding domains he'll never use. :?
LadyLuna
Inactive Cam Model
- Mar 8, 2010
- 6,710
- 9,440
- 293
- Twitter Username
- @EveMatteo
- MFC Username
- LadyLuna
- Streamate Username
- Lady_Luna
- Clips4Sale URL
- http://clips4sale.com/store/42697/LadyLuna
This is very common for many reasons. Avoid scam sites, people using a domain alike to steal your traffic...Frankie said:
He probably bought many of them when myfreecams was not so popular - $10 to $100 each, depending on the TLD and when he bought. Maintaining them all don't cost much as they are all redirecting to the main domain.
If it was now, it would be 10 times more. But I'm sure MFC would like to buy more, but who got the other domains is probably asking a small fortune now.
They never talked to me, but they could be interested on my domain as it has the keywords "my" and "cam". But it is not for sale! :naughty:
MyCamgirl said:
Actually he can get them though arbitration. Leo isn't an idiot, he uses arbitration to prove they are infringing on his intellectual property (MFC) and they will make the other party give their domain to him, and he has to pay very little in comparison to having to buy it outright.
LadyLuna
Inactive Cam Model
- Mar 8, 2010
- 6,710
- 9,440
- 293
- Twitter Username
- @EveMatteo
- MFC Username
- LadyLuna
- Streamate Username
- Lady_Luna
- Clips4Sale URL
- http://clips4sale.com/store/42697/LadyLuna
Just did a quick check. He missed one. myfailcams.com is definitely not one of the domains he bought up.
I linked this to Ambah regarding an unrelated matter, but thought this might be useful in this context. It's a thread over on Stripperweb and discusses site promotion, and gives an insight into the thoughts of one site operator. I hope that it is of interest.
http://www.stripperweb.com/forum/showthread.php?t=143723
http://www.stripperweb.com/forum/showthread.php?t=143723
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