I got 99 problems and making .40 cents on the dollar is my biggest one

[Sunshinexandxsex]

So, please bear with me, what I want to ask may sound absolutely ridiculous, but I am at a loss. I started looking into camming years ago but never had the motivation to do it. I started putting on some free shows for fellow users on a couple of social sites I'm on now, and I enjoy it. Obviously I'd like to make money doing it. I have a tech background and design websites and all the research I've done I haven't heard anyone talk about having their own site. Everyone always asks the question, what site is the best to work for? What site pays you the most money? Don't get me wrong I understand they host and maintain the site, drive traffic, and facilitate payments. I know that's expensive and a headache. What I'm wondering is, is building and hosting my own site for myself completely unfathomable? I need clients, I get that. I have to be able to take payments securely, I have to be able to ensure to ensure customer's privacy, I get that. So if those bases are covered, what else do I need to think about? Am I missing anything? Has anyone thought about or heard of anyone trying something like this? Like I said, if this is completely off the wall, please tell me why!

 

[ElaySmith]

IMO unless your already an established model and sometimes even then, having your own site, where you host and accept payments etc is not worth it. You will be considered a high risk business, there are a lot of fees and things that go into even being able to accept cc payments. There is also no chargeback protection... any you can be hit with chargebacks even months after your interactions took place. There really is pretty good reason that most sites keep the percent they do.

What you might consider is creating a site that is more like a fan page.... A central point that has all of your info, links to cam sites and clip sites that you choose to sell on, skype/snapchat info.... you can even use something like @IndieBill as your payment processor. They payout 85% and cover chargebacks.

My site right now is still set up as a member site with the option to purchase individual videos as well as hosting my own store for panties etc. I plan to move away from this set up and move more toward a fan page type site very soon.

Edit : you might also consider something like Adult Member Sites.

 

[starj50]

It seems to me like the most challenging aspect would be driving the traffic. Streamate has thousands of affiliates driving traffic to the site and they also advertise quite a bit including on TV (I heard they have spots on Comedy Central) at night. You may not be able to obtain enough traffic on your own to make it worthwhile.

 

[Sunshinexandxsex]

IMO unless your already an established model and sometimes even then, having your own site, where you host and accept payments etc is not worth it. You will be considered a high risk business, there are a lot of fees and things that go into even being able to accept cc payments. There is also no chargeback protection... any you can be hit with chargebacks even months after your interactions took place. There really is pretty good reason that most sites keep the percent they do.

What you might consider is creating a site that is more like a fan page.... A central point that has all of your info, links to cam sites and clip sites that you choose to sell on, skype/snapchat info.... you can even use something like @IndieBill as your payment processor. They payout 85% and cover chargebacks.

My site right now is still set up as a member site with the option to purchase individual videos as well as hosting my own store for panties etc. I plan to move away from this set up and move more toward a fan page type site very soon.

Edit : you might also consider something like Adult Member Sites.

This is exactly what I wanted to know. THANK YOU!

 

[Sunshinexandxsex]

It seems to me like the most challenging aspect would be driving the traffic. Streamate has thousands of affiliates driving traffic to the site and they also advertise quite a bit including on TV (I heard they have spots on Comedy Central) at night. You may not be able to obtain enough traffic on your own to make it worthwhile.

That was one of the biggest deterrents for me initially. Those companies absolutely inundate potential customers with ads, you can't escape them if you try. Lol

 

[ElaySmith]

That was one of the biggest deterrents for me initially. Those companies absolutely inundate potential customers with ads, you can't escape them if you try. Lol

The best thing for driving customers is camming somewhere like MFC or CB so that you can drive your room traffic to your pay site. I love streamate but there policy on not promoting anything off site really fucks over girls that run indie sites. Its amazing how much of my following came from my MFC days.... its also a reason I want to go back soon.

 

[Sunshinexandxsex]

The best thing for driving customers is camming somewhere like MFC or CB so that you can drive your room traffic to your pay site. I love streamate but there policy on not promoting anything off site really fucks over girls that run indie sites. Its amazing how much of my following came from my MFC days.... its also a reason I want to go back soon.

If you don't mind me asking, what's stopping you from going back already? Or is it just that any change you make would cause your income to dip temporarily?

 

[melanieoncam]

So, please bear with me, what I want to ask may sound absolutely ridiculous, but I am at a loss. I started looking into camming years ago but never had the motivation to do it. I started putting on some free shows for fellow users on a couple of social sites I'm on now, and I enjoy it. Obviously I'd like to make money doing it. I have a tech background and design websites and all the research I've done I haven't heard anyone talk about having their own site. Everyone always asks the question, what site is the best to work for? What site pays you the most money? Don't get me wrong I understand they host and maintain the site, drive traffic, and facilitate payments. I know that's expensive and a headache. What I'm wondering is, is building and hosting my own site for myself completely unfathomable? I need clients, I get that. I have to be able to take payments securely, I have to be able to ensure to ensure customer's privacy, I get that. So if those bases are covered, what else do I need to think about? Am I missing anything? Has anyone thought about or heard of anyone trying something like this? Like I said, if this is completely off the wall, please tell me why!

I do both! Why not do both things? I have a few regulars who have found me on twitter, found my website and regularly cam with me outside any bigbox site. I use indiebill as a processor and get 85%.

It's worth it but several things I've learned - most of the time you can not charge as much with indy, even though you keep more money, at least that's what I find. Most do expect a discount so that cuts into the profit you thought you'd get. Also the time it takes and the work to retain that customer also eats into your profit - time is money. I think it's worth having your own site and processor but even though I'm established with mine I still even now often make more on the bigbox sites if I consider the time involved. Streamate is still my #1 money maker even with the percent they take. I work a lot of sites though and enjoy the variety.

 

[Mila_]

This depends on how much money you want to make down the line, for how long you plan to do this, and how much time you plan to put into it. If this is just a side thing to make some extra bucks with an "i already do it for free so why not charge" mindset, like a hobby, you can certainly do this solo without previous experience and advertise through reddit, social media, etc. You will get a customer here and there. If this is what you plan on doing I advice against having your own website and handling payments on your own, it just isn't worth the hassle. Use something like Skype for private shows (be safe about it) and charge with Google Wallet, Amazon gift cards, Squarecash, Venmo, etc.

On the other hand if you plan on making a career out of this, if this will be your main source of income and you want to make it sustainable, you are much better off working on a camsite. Forty cents on the dollar is not bad if the traffic is good. Some sites pay .5, which is more than 50% of what members spend and they have a lot of traffic. Earning 50% on a camsite is better than earning 100% solo because 100% of zero is zero. Getting your own website in this case is only a good idea if you combine it with camming so you use the camsite to funnel traffic to your personal website.

Sometimes a camgirl will come along who believes that she is established enough and has a captive audience big enough that she can afford to quit the camsite and focus all of her attention on her own website (some even believe they can build their own camsite lol). They always go crawling back to the camsite 6 months into their adventure. Why? Because they suddenly realize members also have a life cycle and you don't keep their interest forever. Going 100% solo is rarely sustainable, your userbase ages and you don't get new tippers because you can't amass enough traffic by posting shit on twitter.

 

[JerryBoBerry]

Has anyone thought about or heard of anyone trying something like this?

You have reached an automated reply system, please stand by. You are customer number.... 3487... to come up with the idea to build your own site in the past seven years this customer service representative has been on this forum.

ACF support is currently busy, while you are waiting please press 3 to speak with other members who have thought of this idea and now own cam sites that are able to compete with the big ones. Just kidding on pressing 3, there are no others who have managed it.

Please excuse me now. I've experiments to run. There is research to be done. On the people who are still alive.

 

[Sunshinexandxsex]

This depends on how much money you want to make down the line, for how long you plan to do this, and how much time you plan to put into it. If this is just a side thing to make some extra bucks with an "i already do it for free so why not charge" mindset, like a hobby, you can certainly do this solo without previous experience and advertise through reddit, social media, etc. You will get a customer here and there. If this is what you plan on doing I advice against having your own website and handling payments on your own, it just isn't worth the hassle. Use something like Skype for private shows (be safe about it) and charge with Google Wallet, Amazon gift cards, Squarecash, Venmo, etc.

On the other hand if you plan on making a career out of this, if this will be your main source of income and you want to make it sustainable, you are much better off working on a camsite. Forty cents on the dollar is not bad if the traffic is good. Some sites pay .5, which is more than 50% of what members spend and they have a lot of traffic. Earning 50% on a camsite is better than earning 100% solo because 100% of zero is zero. Getting your own website in this case is only a good idea if you combine it with camming so you use the camsite to funnel traffic to your personal website.

Sometimes a camgirl will come along who believes that she is established enough and has a captive audience big enough that she can afford to quit the camsite and focus all of her attention on her own website (some even believe they can build their own camsite lol). They always go crawling back to the camsite 6 months into their adventure. Why? Because they suddenly realize members also have a life cycle and you don't keep their interest forever. Going 100% solo is rarely sustainable, your userbase ages and you don't get new tippers because you can't amass enough traffic by posting shit on twitter.

This is why I was so curious. There are some incredibly smart women with business acumen in their blood doing this...I'm asking myself, why are they selling themselves short? What are these sites doing for them that I'm not seeing? Because on the outside it seems like a no-brainer. So, now I know. I'm so glad I finally asked, you guys are blowing my mind.

 

[Sunshinexandxsex]

You have reached an automated reply system, please stand by. You are customer number.... 3487... to come up with the idea to build your own site in the past seven years this customer service representative has been on this forum.

ACF support is currently busy, while you are waiting please press 3 to speak with other members who have thought of this idea and now own cam sites that are able to compete with the big ones. Just kidding on pressing 3, there are no others who have managed it.

Please excuse me now. I've experiments to run. There is research to be done. On the people who are still alive.

It's responses like this one that make people feel small and weak and dumb, and afraid to go after things they want for fear of being ridiculed. I certainly don't think I'm the first person to wonder about this, nor will I be the last. The people in this world who want bigger and better things for themselves and for others are why you have the right to free speech, the right to be as rude as you want and thus, the right to cam. But I appreciate your response, and wish you the best of luck in your experiments. Don't breathe the fumes.

 

[AmberCutie]

It's responses like this one that make people feel small and weak and dumb, and afraid to go after things they want for fear of being ridiculed. I certainly don't think I'm the first person to wonder about this, nor will I be the last. The people in this world who want bigger and better things for themselves and for others are why you have the right to free speech, the right to be as rude as you want and thus, the right to cam. But I appreciate your response, and wish you the best of luck in your experiments. Don't breathe the fumes.

I like your response . A lot of people at ACF have become a bit jaded over the years as the repeat questions and ideas brought here do often get overwhelming.

But since your opening post was well thought out and well worded and your replies have shown you to be receptive of feedback, I'm disappointed that JBB felt the need to sass ya.

 

[Sunshinexandxsex]

Well, I expected it sooner or later. It's by far the most creative way I've been insulted in a long time, and it made me giggle, so regardless we all kind of won.

I like your response . A lot of people at ACF have become a bit jaded over the years as the repeat questions and ideas brought here do often get overwhelming.

But since your opening post was well thought out and well worded and your replies have shown you to be receptive of feedback, I'm disappointed that JBB felt the need to sass ya.

 

[gddp]

Others have given great advice, and I agree with it. But, if you're interested in seeing a successful streamer who is in the process of doing something a bit like what you mention, you could take a look at Newchloe18:

twitter.com/newchloe18

Her aim is definitely broader, as she's developing her own site which will also allow other models to stream on it, but she's done so (as far as I know) by building a fanbase on an established site, and funding her development through her earnings there while still maintaining visibility with a wide audience.

Not ultra applicable to this situation, but she's worth checking out if you don't already know of her, and her story still speaks to the value of first establishing yourself/maintaining visibility on a popular site.

 

[ElaySmith]

If you don't mind me asking, what's stopping you from going back already? Or is it just that any change you make would cause your income to dip temporarily?

MFC is stressful for me bc its a lot more time consuming camming and running shows on a social site. I cammed there for 3 of 4 years and it was very good to me but I switched over to stream about 5 years ago and have been spoiled by not needing a schedule and just kinda logging in doing private shows and logging out and walking away. It is much more expected on MFC for models to keep up social interaction outside of cam time and when your not doing that you always have to be planning your next big show to keep members interested its a lot of work but with that said MFC can be super rewarding money wise and you can create great friendships/regs.

I do plan to go back this year, mostly bc I want to use MFC share and bc I do miss just being able to sit and chill and chat with a cool room of people. Ive also kinda got some life changes coming up this year and I think mfc will help support that lifestlye more consistently. I just know what goes into being successful there and its not something I take lightly... I like to live by the 5 P's there.... Proper Planning Prevents Poor Performance.

 

[Gen]

Others have given great advice, and I agree with it. But, if you're interested in seeing a successful streamer who is in the process of doing something a bit like what you mention, you could take a look at Newchloe18:

twitter.com/newchloe18

Her aim is definitely broader, as she's developing her own site which will also allow other models to stream on it, but she's done so (as far as I know) by building a fanbase on an established site, and funding her development through her earnings there while still maintaining visibility with a wide audience.

Not ultra applicable to this situation, but she's worth checking out if you don't already know of her, and her story still speaks to the value of first establishing yourself/maintaining visibility on a popular site.

Don’t mean this in a rude way, but has this site launched yet? I feel like it’s been in development forever.

 

[gddp]

Still in development I believe, but that's why I said "in the process of." Haha.

She has a larger end goal in mind of course, but in a scale-relative way is still an example of taking the time to create a stable infrastructure before launching off independently. Sorry if it was unclear!

(OP noted that they were surprised by lack of streamers doing independent sites,
so I thought this could at least be something interesting for them to keep an eye on.)

 

[AmberCutie]

Others have given great advice, and I agree with it. But, if you're interested in seeing a successful streamer who is in the process of doing something a bit like what you mention, you could take a look at Newchloe18:

twitter.com/newchloe18

Her aim is definitely broader, as she's developing her own site which will also allow other models to stream on it, but she's done so (as far as I know) by building a fanbase on an established site, and funding her development through her earnings there while still maintaining visibility with a wide audience.

Not ultra applicable to this situation, but she's worth checking out if you don't already know of her, and her story still speaks to the value of first establishing yourself/maintaining visibility on a popular site.

Don’t mean this in a rude way, but has this site launched yet? I feel like it’s been in development forever.

I think this is a good example of "building a cam site is WAY more work than anyone anticipates, even for someone established in the industry."

 

[gddp]

@AmberCutie Phew, yes. Lol. This says what I was trying to say, but in a very clear way. Thank you!

 

[Sunshinexandxsex]

Others have given great advice, and I agree with it. But, if you're interested in seeing a successful streamer who is in the process of doing something a bit like what you mention, you could take a look at Newchloe18:

twitter.com/newchloe18

Her aim is definitely broader, as she's developing her own site which will also allow other models to stream on it, but she's done so (as far as I know) by building a fanbase on an established site, and funding her development through her earnings there while still maintaining visibility with a wide audience.

Not ultra applicable to this situation, but she's worth checking out if you don't already know of her, and her story still speaks to the value of first establishing yourself/maintaining visibility on a popular site.

That's almost exactly what I saw as a potential roadmap. I imagined some hurdles could be lessened though along the way by collaborating with other girls in the beginning to build it and grow it. Like fubu, but for camming. You sexy beasts have shown me the light though. It doesn't make sense to do it for yourself, because you would never NOT be working. And that sounds fucking exhausting. Work smarter, not harder, amiright?? Lol

 

[Sunshinexandxsex]

I think

Others have given great advice, and I agree with it. But, if you're interested in seeing a successful streamer who is in the process of doing something a bit like what you mention, you could take a look at Newchloe18:

twitter.com/newchloe18

Her aim is definitely broader, as she's developing her own site which will also allow other models to stream on it, but she's done so (as far as I know) by building a fanbase on an established site, and funding her development through her earnings there while still maintaining visibility with a wide audience.

Not ultra applicable to this situation, but she's worth checking out if you don't already know of her, and her story still speaks to the value of first establishing yourself/maintaining visibility on a popular site.

It sounds amazing and I'm excited someone is giving it a shot! I'm definitely going to check her out. Thank you!

 

[Sunshinexandxsex]

I hope

MFC is stressful for me bc its a lot more time consuming camming and running shows on a social site. I cammed there for 3 of 4 years and it was very good to me but I switched over to stream about 5 years ago and have been spoiled by not needing a schedule and just kinda logging in doing private shows and logging out and walking away. It is much more expected on MFC for models to keep up social interaction outside of cam time and when your not doing that you always have to be planning your next big show to keep members interested its a lot of work but with that said MFC can be super rewarding money wise and you can create great friendships/regs.

I do plan to go back this year, mostly bc I want to use MFC share and bc I do miss just being able to sit and chill and chat with a cool room of people. Ive also kinda got some life changes coming up this year and I think mfc will help support that lifestlye more consistently. I just know what goes into being successful there and its not something I take lightly... I like to live by the 5 P's there.... Proper Planning Prevents Poor Performance.

I just had a flash of you playing teacher and reciting that to a class full of noob cam girls, yard stick in hand. Boy would that get some views...lol I hope it works out for you. You sound like you have things pretty well under control though.

 

[JerryBoBerry]

It's responses like this one that make people feel small and weak and dumb, and afraid to go after things they want for fear of being ridiculed.

Well, I expected it sooner or later. It's by far the most creative way I've been insulted in a long time, and it made me giggle, so regardless we all kind of won.

But since your opening post was well thought out and well worded and your replies have shown you to be receptive of feedback, I'm disappointed that JBB felt the need to sass ya.

There was no mention of weak or dumb. It was also not an insult. It was by and large very factual. Yes, I exaggerated the number. In reality it's in the dozens. Minor bit of sass. But you're about to lose an awful lot of your time and money, so maybe a bit of sass is a good thing if it will impress upon you the reality of the situation.

The simple truth is this is far more expensive than you think. Whatever you are imagining for a monthly expense, times it by ten (probably more). It's incredibly hard to break into the cam business. Why? Because there are already many established ones to compete with. You also have to compete with the thousands of white label sites out there too. You will be a very small fish in the vast ocean of porn.

Then there's the question no one bothers to ask. Do you already have a freaking boat load of money to pay the bills for two or three years it's going to take to possibly get enough traffic to pay for itself? If not, don't bother. Brutal, but great advice right there.

But don't take my word for it, search the forum for awhile. Maybe talk to this guy about his site he was starting. Except he's not around anymore. Notice his last post is talking about coming up with an alternative to those expensive credit card fees. Guessing he didn't find one.

Here's a thread from someone who actually launched a site around 3 years ago! Hushhushcams.com. It's so hush it doesn't exist anymore.

But, if you're interested in seeing a successful streamer who is in the process of doing something a bit like what you mention, you could take a look at Newchloe18:

Don’t mean this in a rude way, but has this site launched yet? I feel like it’s been in development forever.

...and you beat me to it. Yes, this is another example of a failed site. Let's be honest, it's not in development, it will never happen. It made all the buzz. Models galore excited about it. It was the chaturbate and myfreecams killer (still laughing at that declaration). She had a good thing going there, but it got to the actual money stage with bills being paid and it fizzled. Let's check in on Nood.TV right now...




So, feel free to go for it. Come back and let us know how your site is doing. I honestly wish you well. But you might as well go into it with your eyes open and not filled with the delusions of so many before you. This is not an easy thing to accomplish.

 

[melanieoncam]

I think this is a good example of "building a cam site is WAY more work than anyone anticipates, even for someone established in the industry."

Exactly.

If I remember right she's been "launching" for years and nothing much has happened with it. I'd love to see her succeed but doesn't look likely at this point.

 

[Sunshinexandxsex]

I do both! Why not do both things? I have a few regulars who have found me on twitter, found my website and regularly cam with me outside any bigbox site. I use indiebill as a processor and get 85%.

It's worth it but several things I've learned - most of the time you can not charge as much with indy, even though you keep more money, at least that's what I find. Most do expect a discount so that cuts into the profit you thought you'd get. Also the time it takes and the work to retain that customer also eats into your profit - time is money. I think it's worth having your own site and processor but even though I'm established with mine I still even now often make more on the bigbox sites if I consider the time involved. Streamate is still my #1 money maker even with the percent they take. I work a lot of sites though and enjoy the variety.

Agreed. It definitely sounds like variety is the way to go, not only to make more money but to find out what will work best for your lifestyle.

 

[Sunshinexandxsex]

There was no mention of weak or dumb. It was also not an insult. It was by and large very factual. Yes, I exaggerated the number. In reality it's in the dozens. Minor bit of sass. But you're about to lose an awful lot of your time and money, so maybe a bit of sass is a good thing if it will impress upon you the reality of the situation.

The simple truth is this is far more expensive than you think. Whatever you are imagining for a monthly expense, times it by ten (probably more). It's incredibly hard to break into the cam business. Why? Because there are already many established ones to compete with. You also have to compete with the thousands of white label sites out there too. You will be a very small fish in the vast ocean of porn.

Then there's the question no one bothers to ask. Do you already have a freaking boat load of money to pay the bills for two or three years it's going to take to possibly get enough traffic to pay for itself? If not, don't bother. Brutal, but great advice right there.

But don't take my word for it, search the forum for awhile. Maybe talk to this guy about his site he was starting. Except he's not around anymore. Notice his last post is talking about coming up with an alternative to those expensive credit card fees. Guessing he didn't find one.

Here's a thread from someone who actually launched a site around 3 years ago! Hushhushcams.com. It's so hush it doesn't exist anymore.







...and you beat me to it. Yes, this is another example of a failed site. Let's be honest, it's not in development, it will never happen. It made all the buzz. Models galore excited about it. It was the chaturbate and myfreecams killer (still laughing at that declaration). She had a good thing going there, but it got to the actual money stage with bills being paid and it fizzled. Let's check in on Nood.TV right now...

View attachment 74548


So, feel free to go for it. Come back and let us know how your site is doing. I honestly wish you well. But you might as well go into it with your eyes open and not filled with the delusions of so many before you. This is not an easy thing to accomplish.

I bet you're fun at parties!

 

[Mila_]

Her aim is definitely broader, as she's developing her own site which will also allow other models to stream on it, but she's done so (as far as I know) by building a fanbase on an established site, and funding her development through her earnings there while still maintaining visibility with a wide audience.

Don’t mean this in a rude way, but has this site launched yet? I feel like it’s been in development forever.

I didn’t want to mention anyone by name on my post but she is one of the models I was thinking about when I said that they all come crawling back. When Chloe said she was launching Nood she made it a point to go against CB and she quit the site for about 2 years. But guess who had to come back with her tail between her legs last year? Nood doesn’t look like it will happen anytime soon, if it did she will not be able to pull off her payout promise and keep the site afloat (what was it? 80%?) because she will need money to advertise the site as I doubt her fan base alone will be enough to sustain an entire site.

 

[gddp]

Agh, sorry for derailing things everyone. I agreed with previous advice and meant to use CL as an example of how even streamers with a large and dedicated following will use other established sites to fund their independent ventures and maintain visibility etc, but I worded it badly and wasn't fully aware of the backstory. Didn't mean to shift things in this direction, so I apologize for that.