"Luck" and its role in being a successful cam girl

[AmberCutie]

It's been a hot topic lately among some groups, so I figured we could have a discussion about it (in a mature, non name-calling, non-poo-flinging way!) here to clarify how some people feel about it.

Firstly, it has come up numerous times in the past here at ACF, and one major topic on it can be found here (it's locked since it's old). ''Why I can't make it?!'' I'll also include some notable quotes from it below in case you just want to jump to the focal points:

There are many ways to be successful on MFC. A smart model will try to hit as many as she can, while still delivering a cohesive and quality show/package to those in her chat.

Someone who isn't smart, will throw a tantrum when the site is not what she wants it to be... and blame the site for not providing a market for what she happens to be selling.

Now im NOT saying that models don't bend over backwards and try their best on MFC and do everything they can think of to market themselves successfully and for whatever reason, luck, or a lack of compatibility - fail on the site. And I do understand this is incredibly frustrating. That's why you have back up plans. Multiple ones.

She's also criticizing models, saying you have to be lucky to be successful, and that the members really don't care about you in particular. Sure, some of the top models just got lucky, but I bet you most of them worked their asses off. Just look on mycamgirl.net, plenty of the top girls now had camscores below 1000 at one point.

Of course there's an element of luck in becoming a successful cam girl (being born with the right looks, having the right members find you at the right time, etc. etc.) but there's also this work ethic thing that probably factors in somewhere.

And personality probably helps. And the way a model markets herself is feasibly, possibly a factor. And building a rapport with her regulars... I guess maybe that has a small effect. Or maybe catering to a niche market. I guess that could be a contributing factor to a cam girl's success too. Or experimenting with different hours to see what works and what doesn't. Maybe researching things like camscore and the market could be of benefit too. I suppose producing videos that people want to buy could influence things as well. And maybe coming up with prizes for raffle contests that people want to win would be a good thing.

For me it was a combination of things: preparedness, a bit of luck, and a little of the "x factor" I think. I did some research, I made myself an online presence on a sexy adult related Twitter, made some connections, THEN started on cam. Luck because I fell into it when "girl next door" type American girls were not around in such high numbers, so I lucked out on timing and had a few big tippers right off the bat that helped my score. X factor because I feel completely blessed with some physical assets that draw in a crowd. Having a curvy body, natural huge boobs and a bouncy butt definitely helped. But if I didn't know the most flattering way to flaunt them, I'd have a tougher time.

Then once I started, I was CONSISTENT. I logged on nearly every single day for my first few months.

It takes work. Before and during.

I like to believe we create our own luck. If we are proactive and do the right things, have the right attitude we are more likely to attract success and members that will tip us.

Also a smart man once said "success is 90% hard work (smart work) and 10% talent (includes also beauty in our industry)

I think a girl's expectations going into it are a big factor. If you start out camming and NEED the money really bad, I think it's too much pressure and will come through in your room interactions. I researched camming first but already had a part time job and student loans so I was surviving, just not comfortably. The Roomate (my BF) had watched it before and knew that the top girls had big followings that they had gathered over time, so prepared me to not have high expectations. I would've been happy if I even got an extra $100 out of it when I started! I think that lack of pressure made me be able to really enjoy it and not be desperate for tokens, which in my opinion, scares guys off sometimes. :twocents-02cents:

The luck thing is definitely a factor! I think I just found the right regs soon enough into me starting and we just clicked and now kind of help each other to make the room a fun place to be.

I'd say it's closer to 80% hard work, perseverance, effective marketing, having the right content, etc. etc. etc.; and 20 % luck (you still need to luck out in the looks department and you still need the right members to find you before they wind up in someone else's room).

Your assertion that the way a model looks, or the way she runs her room, don't matter, doesn't really mesh with reality. If it did, we'd be able to take the top 100 models and the bottom 100 models and not be able to see any differences in the way they look, the presentation of their room, the way they engage their audience, the content they've made available, their attitudes, and so on and so forth.

While I'm sure the occasional model is lucky enough to coast by on her looks alone and not have to put in any effort to see the tokens roll in, and some models are fortunate enough to have a few competitive whale tippers find them on their first day and be set, the vast majority of cam girls have to work to build their brand, to produce content, to increase their pool of dependable regulars, to work on shows that members will pay to see, and blah and blah and blah. These things don't just fall into a cam girl's lap while she's sat there looking bored. She has to take the time and effort to achieve these things, ya know?

It's incredibly easy to look at your own circumstances when things aren't going your way, and construct this fallacy around you in which everybody who has succeeded where you failed only did so because they were lucky. It's a wee bit harder to take accountability for your own performance and accept that maybe other people have outperformed you because they're better at their job than you

You'll find a quote from me among the above. Also, I want to quote Ashe_Maree with something she posted on Twitter about the subject recently:

I think people have gotten bad vibes lately from successful girls who post subtweets or blogs with condescending tone to them, insinuating that other girls only need to put in more time to rake in the big bucks. It doesn't come across well to girls who have tried and tried again to no avail. Put in hours, invested in good cam room setup, market themselves, create content to sell... and still only land in the mediocre to low range in terms of rank, camscore and tokens. The posts have caused some conversation (and of course drama comes with, because opposing opinions are ripe with it).

I tweeted today "I've always been one to say that Luck plays a pretty big role in cam girl success stories, whether the girls realize it or not."

I do truly believe that. I'm glad I can look back on my years of great success on MFC and realize that I was in the right place at the right time to catch the eye of a tipper who vastly improved my standings on the site. Which then creates more visibility, which then creates a greater likelyhood that more tokens and fun members flow in. It's all connected. Whether the luck be solely in making the right schedule choices to find that whale or group of users who help set up your camming success, or you luck out in the perfect personality and looks department (that isn't ALL of it, but it helps a lot!), or sign up at just the right time when your "type" is in high demand and you attract the perfect audience... it's still luck. and it IS a factor in success.

I am BY NO MEANS saying that hard work is not involved. I busted ass to be where I was and still am today (though I've put in less time on MFC as of recently, I still feel that I'm an overall successful cam girl still.) Putting in time, both on cam and behind the scenes to master your brand, is the ultimate key to success. Absolutely. A girl who gets lucky with a big tipper and then only logs in once every few weeks after that may feel success for a while but it will fade fast. A girl who is lucky enough to be a perfect physical specimen with the most charming personality will only be so successful so long if she doesn't put in effort and time to really work it.

Luck is NOT everything.

But it's there.

I think denying it means you may have lost grasp of where you started and forgot those magical moments that helped inch you up the incredibly competitive ladder. Don't lose sight of that. Embrace it. Be incredibly proud of the hard work and time you've put in, for sure. And sharing your experiences with others is immeasurably helpful and fantastic. Just be careful not to put unrealistic ideals and goals out there.

There is so much that goes into camming success.

So now that I've shared my thoughts on it, as well as some previous posts/current tweets about it, share your thoughts! Let's have a meaningful chat.

 

[AmberCutie]

Please note that I am DYING for a constructive and mature, fun conversation here. If people start getting super snarky, mean-spirited or completely off topic, this is your warning that I will delete posts that interfere with the goal.

 

[CorinneCooper]

Luck does have a little play-- even on sites like SM. I can sit in a virtually empty room for 4 hours, then get one guy who happens to come in, like me, and spends a long time in private with me.

I've dabbled in CB and MFC a touch. When you are new and relegated to the lower ranks... yes, hard work helps make up the difference in tokens per hour... but one stroke of luck and boom-- you've got a lot of exposure you didn't have before. Luck is by no means everything... but it is part of that "IT" factor

 

[SexySteph]

I think luck and hard work go hand in hand. And I don't think admitting that luck got you started in anyway takes away from how hard you've worked.

Example: In March I finished Top 100 for the first time ever. I worked 106 hours total on cam, not counting the hours I worked off cam as well.Yeah, I worked CRAZY hard but I also had a little luck on my side. I had regulars that had my back and got a ton of traffic from being Top 20 for the first 5 days of the month. I worked HARD, insanely hard, I cried when I finished the month both out of joy and exhaustion but I also got lucky. A large number of my tips came from randoms who popped in, dropped SOOO many tokens and never came back. My top 3 tippers were a regular, and then two randoms that never returned.

Yeah, you can say that luck had nothing to do with it and that happened because of all the hard work I put in prior in my career but I think it's undeniable that there was luck involved. I was lucky that my regs could support my top 100 run. I was lucky that I got the majority of my tokens in the first 2 days of the month because it gave a ton of exposure that helped me for the remainder of the month. I worked my ass off AND I got lucky. Without that luck, working my ass off wouldn't have gotten me anywhere near where I ended up. That doesn't mean that hard work doesn't matter or that I didn't deserve what I got, it just means that luck is a factor and all the hard work in the world can mean absolutely NOTHING if you don't get a little luck too.

 

[Gen]

I am so glad you made this topic because I think it's a great discussion point!

I agree a lot with you, and with Ashe. It can be so frustrating to hear "just put in more hours! Forget about camscore!" when, for so many girls, doing that just sinks them further and further to the bottom.

I think it can be a tricky conversation because nobody wants to believe that they're where they are due to factors beyond their control. But I don't think it has to be a dig at someone's work ethic or effort to say that luck plays a huge role. (By which I mean, the luck of having big spenders or faithful regulars find you, and the luck of fitting an image/style that does well on MFC.)

But yeah, basically anything I'd say would reiterate your points - I think it's silly and honestly I find it rude when a successful model says "just do more" when a girl is struggling. Firstly unless you're super familiar with the struggling model, you don't know her situation, goals, etc. But further I believe that no two models are alike, and so it comes across as tone-deaf to me to say "well this worked for me!" without considering there's more to it than just lots of hours. (Obviously you won't make anything unless you log on and cam, lol, but you guys know what I mean.)

I got a fairly significant camscore (for me) boost thanks to one regular who took a shining to me, back when I was on MFC. Once he started tipping, shows started happening and the room was more active, other guys joined in and things were great! And that made it a whooooole lot easier to log on than it is when your room is empty and you can't even get basics to talk. I think that plays a major factor - it's easier to log on and be social and work more hours when you've had some level of success already. (This is a bit tangential but I think it applies to the topic!)

 

[housewifeswag]

I absolutely think that luck is a factor. It is not the most important factor but it is one. I know plenty of models that do everything "right" and have never seen the top 250 or even top 100 and may never see those the entire time they cam. Then there are girls that get top 100 the first month they cam because of a number of factors but obviously luck is in there. We're lucky if the right members find us at the right time.

I do think that working more/longer hours can increase your chances of those members finding you. Most of the top models do work a lot of hours and put in a ton of work. I don't think that's a coincidence. Unfortunately, some models don't have that availability and have other responsibilities. It's not them being "lazy" or "taking the easy way out" it's just the way it is. To even imply that is tasteless and obnoxious. Camming is great because it allows us to create our own schedule and figure out through trial/error what works best for US. I don't think that it's fair for anyone to try to say that there is one formula to being successful as a camgirl. We're all different therefore the formula to our success is much different.

tldr; yes I think luck is a factor. I don't think it's the only one but it certainly is important. So is working hard and being appreciative of the people who tip you and support you. It's important to remain humble and kind.

 

[AmberCutie]

tips came from randoms who popped in, dropped SOOO many tokens and never came back.

This happens once in a while for me and it blows my mind! In that instance I feel like yes, by putting in the hours I was there for this person to find me that day when he was feeling generous, but I also feel lucky that at just the moment he entered my room, I was saying or doing something that struck him as tipworthy. It feels pretty amazing... but it's also sad when they never come back, because the next time they log on, they must find that next lucky girl who strikes them in just the perfect way.

Dems the breaks!

 

[BiancaBaker]

I went from Pastry Chef to Cam model in 3 months- I could have quit my job after my first week. I got extremely lucky; I worked hard and started off amazing. Three and a half years later I'm still standing, No vanilla job. I work extremely, extremely hard BUT I have luck. They go hand in hand especially in this industry. I have been extremely lucky and will continue working my ass off to stay in this industry until I am ready to retire. Even then I think I will always direct and produce amateur porn. I treat this as a full time job (sometimes more) there have been 50-60 hour work weeks but I love doing this. I never thought in a million years this is where I would end up but I am extremely happy. I could never go back to a vanilla job and I never plan on it. I will continue to push myself harder and have luck help me out too

 

[JickyJuly]

I think it is wildly naive to think there are not factors outside of our control in camming and especially MFC. I think maybe it's the word "luck" that causes some girls to get defensive about the idea. But, you could easily replace "luck" with timing. MFC is not set up so that every girl can succeed. It isn't meant to be. So, it does come off as silly (and in some cases not at all humble) when girls who are far above the average suggest that there is a simple answer to girls being as successful as they are on MFC. Saying that you've been lucky does not detract from your success. Most people who are in the top 10% of their field have certainly caught a lucky break/good connection in order to be there.

Conversely, I do wish the girls who are struggling so hard to force MFC to be right for them would branch out instead of believing this kind of a+b=success thing. Most girls will not be wildly successful on that site. We cannot all be Aspen Rae. However, there is plenty of money in camming for everyone. Failing or flailing at MFC is does not mean that you will not shine and make all the monies elsewhere.

If you're not making enough money, just work more hours sounds like let them eat cake logic to me. It is not going to help anyone who is already cakeless.

 

[SaffronBurke]

Camming is a formula of work+luck that's different for each model, and even different each day. I have regulars who come back frequently because I'm consistent with what time I'm on so they know when to look for me, as well as random fly-bys who see me for the first time and like my look. People are interested in me for things under my control (my lipstick and eye makeup often garner compliments, as do my cheekbones when I've done an exceptional contour job), as well as for things that I have no control over - the size and shape of my butt, the powerful appearance of my arms (yay, farm kid life), etc.

To say that it's JUST hard work or JUST luck would be inaccurate - it really is a combination of both. Some models get a new whale because they're online all the time, others because they happened to log on at a different time.

 

[AerynShade]

I think there's definitely an element of luck. You have to find members that will tip for the combo of how you look AND your camming style AND they have to find you at the right time or you'll likely decide camming isn't for you and quit. Even as a first-page model on SM after 6 months of camming in the same time slot I'd still get guys asking if I was new because they hadn't noticed me before. Six months!

This even goes to clip sites. I can post a really similar clip in one category and never have a single sale despite other ladies making bank, all while making tons on a clip category that no one here seems to do well in.

 

[AmberCutie]

I think it is wildly naive to think there are not factors outside of our control in camming and especially MFC. I think maybe it's the word "luck" that causes some girls to get defensive about the idea. But, you could easily replace "luck" with timing.

I totally agree. I think maybe the word "luck" has been thrown at people who are gorgeous or wildly successful, and it has tainted the word for them. "OMG ur so lucky! Your hair is so perfect, I wish I was as pretty as you, you're so lucky" or "Jeez, you're so lucky, you can just log on and the tokens flow in like candy". So I can see why the word may have a negative reaction for some people. It can be used in a snarky or nagging fashion. I keep repeating myself with "being in the right place at the right time". So yes, timing is a big thing and a large part of the luck factor.

 

[SatanJonez]

I have been playing insane amounts of Fallout Shelter so this may be why I see it like this, but I feel like luck is the only factor about a cam model they cannot change or "up the stats" on themselves. Everything else can be modified (sometimes not cheaply), but in general luck is that one stat that either either get a naturally high stat on or you do not. And it absolutely is a factor, but I think there are different types of luck for different types of girls based on more variables than I can list (where you start, when you start, who sees you first, etc).

It's funny because you can up every thing else (your equipment, physical alterations, attitude, etc) and it's sometimes totally random as to whether or not that raises or lowers your luck with everything.

</coffee driven ramblings>

 

[NerdieBirdie]

I agree with SexySteph & Kickaz. Luck and hardwork, or creating your own luck.

I started in May of 2014 and between that time and September had the "oh shit I need money now" mentality, which resulted in me doing stuff I wasn't pumped about for cheap only to turn out maybe $1200 a month.

From September of 2014 to December I was taking 18 credits and a college library cam girl when I could do it. I had some regulars, but couldn't work much. I'd end the month in the #1400(missmfc) range these months.

In January, over my winter break, I hit a point of "luck." A (in my opinion) well-known person in an industry I was familiar with stopped into my room. He was impressed with my knowledge of a certain topic and he discovered I actually knew what his work was, this resulted in a positive relationship and about a cumulative 7000 tokens that first night together. He is now my third overall highest tipper. He was my first stroke of MFC luck.

Now from January (after I faced expulsion and won but couldn't cam from campus per my school and mfc) to May I was balancing my last 15 credits, my impending graduation, and camming. But I kept a schedule, tried to manage two things the best I could, and continued to crank out ending the month around 1000-1200 in MissMFC.

Once I graduated though, there was no longer any other excuse. It was time for me to put in the hard work. And to be honest it was only the last few weeks I am realizing I haven't been working hard enough, even though I have amped it up. Sure I do alright, where a lot of girls would be happy (currently #611) but I don't work that many hours. The last 2 weeks I have put in 4-6 hours a day but I used to be a 2 hour a day camgirl. Working harder means earning more and doing better in the ranks, but also presents me with more luck. I am encountering more high-end tippers, I meet more people, and for once, I am getting a group of people who sign in when I sign in just for me. I have never built that until the last month.

I feel like those who work hard are more likely to fall into good luck. Some gals wonder why no one is in their room but they don't even do the smallest levels of hard work. Hard work isn't purely about time put into camming. Things like: staying off the cellphone on camera, getting good lighting, hide the nasty pile of trash/clothes in the background. These are small things that drastically change the "luck" of who stays in your room.

In the last week alone with my new approach I have picked up 2-3 higher tippers (of 500+ in a single tip.) They were always there, I just wasn't doing the right work to get them into my room. But now I get it. Its a shame, ya know. Hindsight is always 20/20. But I know my personality is that of a "top girl." This month I have been half non-nude, and only did 1 cumshow. Its all about how I have played the cards, nothing about the viewers changed. I wish I applied these standards sooner, but I am very excited for the future in MFC.

Edit: added something for clarification

 

[CorinneCooper]

And then how do you tell someone like me that luck doesn't exist? If you add up all my time between all sites this week, I've put in about 55 hours..... and I haven't even hit $750 for the week.

 

[JickyJuly]

I totally agree. I think maybe the word "luck" has been thrown at people who are gorgeous or wildly successful, and it has tainted the word for them. "OMG ur so lucky! Your hair is so perfect, I wish I was as pretty as you, you're so lucky" or "Jeez, you're so lucky, you can just log on and the tokens flow in like candy". So I can see why the word may have a negative reaction for some people. It can be used in a snarky or nagging fashion. I keep repeating myself with "being in the right place at the right time". So yes, timing is a big thing and a large part of the luck factor.

Exactly! I think it's a pretty big bummer that people choose not to acknowledge luck, privilege or timing and make those almost dirty words. Like, there are people in the world eating dirt cookies while they starve to death, and I'm standing in front of a cheeseburger shaped cookie jar deciding which cookie I want to eat right now. I am lucky and privileged as hell. No one should even need their camscore or paycheck to tell them that. Hehehe. There is no shame in being appreciative about things outside of our control that have helped to better our lives.

 

[CharlotteLace]

It's comforting to think luck plays absolutely no role. If you tell yourself you control all the factors, and hard work is the only thing stopping you from more success, then the solution to a dry spell is simply to try harder. It's scary to admit that you can be your absolute best at your job and still fail miserably. Terrifying, actually. From personal experience, I have a bad habit of going the route of "it's up to me and I'll work 5 billion hours and I'll MAKE my own luck" and then I get frustrated if it doesn't pay off. It's maddening and can easily make you a neurotic, workaholic mess. Especially if you catch yourself in a cycle of "bad-day--->work harder--->get tired--->worse day---->work harder", and you end up spiraling while telling yourself you just need to push yourself that little bit more.

From that perspective, I can understand how upsetting it would be for models to be told by others that they're simply not working hard enough. That's beyond frustrating.

 

[SexySteph]

It's comforting to think luck plays absolutely no role. If you tell yourself you control all the factors, and hard work is the only thing stopping you from more success, then the solution to a dry spell is simply to try harder. It's scary to admit that you can be your absolute best at your job and still fail miserably

This is so true. I used to refuse to believe in the summer slump. I believed that no matter how bad things were it was YOUR. OWN. FAULT. I've seen enough to know that's not always the case. You can work your ass off and see no results. You can also sit on your ass and see TONS of results. Or you can work your ass off, do super well and believe in your heart that those girls working as hard or harder than you aren't REALLY working as hard as they say they are or they'd be doing as well as you because there was no luck involved in your ascension.

I will always believe that in a certain range you will have the earnings you deserve because it's comforting to me to believe that when I struggle it's my fault and I can fix it. But I think there's a certain point that luck carries you farther than any amount of hard work can or lack of luck leaves you lower than you deserve.

 

[AnneDVille]

I agree. Luck. It's not all about the luck but it does play a major part.

On February 4th I rage-quit MFC because I had a 400 camscore and I was like... fuck it, I'm out! 6 hours later I changed my mind and e-mailed MFC asking them to re-instate my account. 6 hours later and one hell of a 'I don't give a fuck' attitude I logged off 2.5 k tokens richer. In two weeks I managed to get traffic and get my camscore from 400 to 600. Then.. magic happened! Some random whale dude showed up and dropped 23k tokens on me in 1 night. Completely and utterly doubled my camscore. Was it luck? Yes! Whales do not hang out in 600 camscore room. But that one particular night, that one particular whale did. And I started floating. And floating ever since. Would I be floating now if it weren't for the 1 magical night? Probably not. Was it luck? Yes.

 

[TeganTrex]

Ugh. So many thoughts. I'll come back to this when I have it all organized.

 

[Coog]

It's true of any job, sport and life in general, hard work will get you so far but sometimes you need a little bit of luck to catapult you to a higher level.

This can be as small as the newbie model who is having advantage taken of her by basics being directed by a member, who stumbled across her by accident, to this forum for advice. Who knows maybe that has been the difference in the model quitting soon after or staying in camming.

Over the years, sometimes I've gone out of my way to purposefully try and raise a models camscore and we're not talking about a few hundred, we're talking about a few thousand, this of course doesn't happen overnight and no one can keep that sort of pace forever. The higher camscore should draw in others who will also help out and take the load a bit if the model is doing the right things. I'd say the model was lucky that I picked them.

So a model finds herself with a decent camscore, from there it's her job to use that position to expand her room and keep or raise the camscore and that can only be done by getting the cam setup right, having a positive room, keeping active on twitter and all those other things you do.

In the past I've been looking for a new room to camp in, part of the criteria was that they had a low camscore and was on when I would be. So I guess you could say lucky was the model who was on the same time as me.

 

[NerdieBirdie]

I agree. Luck. It's not all about the luck but it does play a major part.

On February 4th I rage-quit MFC because I had a 400 camscore and I was like... fuck it, I'm out! 6 hours later I changed my mind and e-mailed MFC asking them to re-instate my account. 6 hours later and one hell of a 'I don't give a fuck' attitude I logged off 2.5 k tokens richer. In two weeks I managed to get traffic and get my camscore from 400 to 600. Then.. magic happened! Some random whale dude showed up and dropped 23k tokens on me in 1 night. Completely and utterly doubled my camscore. Was it luck? Yes! Whales do not hang out in 600 camscore room. But that one particular night, that one particular whale did. And I started floating. And floating ever since. Would I be floating now if it weren't for the 1 magical night? Probably not. Was it luck? Yes.

But your hard work did that! Your commitment did that!

I hope I don't offend anyone here, but I was raised completely outside of religion and don't have any religious beliefs now. Whenever I hear sports athletes thank "God" I'm always angry for them because I'm like NO! YOU DID THAT! NOT GOD! And I guess that is how I see the luck thing. Your hard work got that guy in your room, not luck. You can look at it as luck, but you did that! I don't know if I make sense though.

 

[Sevrin]

One model I know was doing pretty well for a while. She is very attractive, sexy, tall, smart, etc. She also worked 5 nights a week in the middle the the night her time at a studio. Then along came a whale who was trying to make his regular favourite jealous, and boosted her up to finish #4 in Miss MFC. Her reaction was "I did not ask for this". The whale moved back to his regular fave, but in the meantime, the model in question had attracted the attention of other big spenders, along with a loyal following of middling spenders and her cam score stayed high.

So yeah, she lucked out with that fellow, but she had already lucked out by finding an above-average studio with other successful models and being physically attractive. On the other hand, she also did what it took to get noticed, by making sure she always looked good on cam, and keeping a regular schedule.

I gotta say, that in life, luck counts for a lot. I'm so fucking blessed that I was born a reasonably healthy Caucasian male in a Western country, and brought up to read books, get my first "job" really, really early, live in three different countries by the time I was 10, and stumble onto acquaintances who broadened my thinking and shaped me in ways I had not imagined before it happened. I got into my current career because of a friend who happened to care for a patient whose husband owned a company I went to work for. In other ways I've not been so blessed, but, on balance, I'm in a position a lot of people on this planet are risking their lives to be in. Some of them are being fished out of the Mediterranean right now.

So yeah. Don't take anything for granted.

 

[JoleneBrody]

This is my new favorite thread. 140 characters on Twitter just haven't been the heslthiest way for this debate to be happening the last few days IMO. I think we will all be able to learn a lot from each other's experiences here, even if we don't agree with each other.

I'll be back when I have some time to really be thoughtful in my post but just wanted to say thanks to amber for creating this thread.

 

[weirdbr]

Your hard work got that guy in your room, not luck. You can look at it as luck, but you did that! I don't know if I make sense though.

Actually what you describe is both hard work *and* luck: the luck part is the fact that circumstances aligned themselves in such a way that the tipper decided to go to MFC (or other site) instead of going to watch a movie at that day/time, then opted to go to your room instead of another model's and then got interested enough in you to tip.

It's been a long while since I studied the required maths to do a proper proof/explanation of my thoughts, but the basic idea is that if we assume that there's a constant chance per minute of a tipper appearing and tipping a lot (for example, 0.0001% ), staying longer increases your odds but still not by much (IIRC it's defined as probability per minute times the number of minutes you are online. So staying online one hour means 0.006% chance of success while two hours means 0.012%, which is higher but still not that great.. Even ten hours means 0.06% chance...).

(and yes, I know I probably got the math wrong - I failed statistics twice when I studied it more than 10 years ago )

 

[fandango]

I hope I don't offend anyone here, but I was raised completely outside of religion and don't have any religious beliefs now. Whenever I hear sports athletes thank "God" I'm always angry for them because I'm like NO! YOU DID THAT! NOT GOD! And I guess that is how I see the luck thing. Your hard work got that guy in your room, not luck. You can look at it as luck, but you did that! I don't know if I make sense though.

I'm not at all religious either but to liken cam modeling to sports isnt a good analogy in my opinion. Some athletes are just born genetically superior to others. One of my favourite stories is from Usain Bolt in the 2008 Beijing Olympics while the rest of the other athletes were all probably drinking their protien shakes and perfectly nutriotionally balanced diets he ate nothing but chicken nuggets the whole time he was there because he didnt like the rest of the chinese food. He then broke 3 world records in the 3 events he was in. Do you think all the other athletes had trained any less hard then him? He was just lucky that he was born better then everyone else and then coupled with his hard work took him to the top. The two go hand in hand. So i dont believe God has helped him but he certainly had a head start over the rest of the athletes even though the others will have worked just as hard if not harder. I would call this luck

Now to go back to Anne's story there was a huge slice of luck there. Yes her hard work helped because she was on at the time and if she hadnt been on then the chance of her meeting the whale is 0% but he could have just as easily clicked on the model either side of Anne. The fact he didnt was luck that whatever vibe Anne had going on appealed to this guy at that time.

So everyone needs that slice of luck in whatever you do. Hard work sometimes will only take you so far.

 

[CharlotteLace]

But your hard work did that! Your commitment did that!

I hope I don't offend anyone here, but I was raised completely outside of religion and don't have any religious beliefs now. Whenever I hear sports athletes thank "God" I'm always angry for them because I'm like NO! YOU DID THAT! NOT GOD! And I guess that is how I see the luck thing. Your hard work got that guy in your room, not luck. You can look at it as luck, but you did that! I don't know if I make sense though.

My best day on MFC ever was sheer luck and I can't deny that I put in very little effort to facilitate it. I hadn't signed on in months, miraculously had a new model tag still, and was blessed to have so many friends join me to keep the chatter going. I merely hoped that people would keep me company and talk a little, but on that day a good chunk of the community came to visit me. Loving friends spoiled me and kept me feeling secure on an unfamiliar platform, and somebody initiated a yellow wall. Then this guy comes out of nowhere and tips 7500 tokens. Three times. Never spoke to me after that day. Between him (referred to by everybody else as "Goddamn it, Steve!" ) and my amazing friends, I walked away with over $1000. For 3 hours of work. I was shocked, humbled, and grateful. Fuck, half a year later and I still can't comprehend it. But I can't pretend that it was my doing, that would diminish the kind actions of everybody involved. My friends carried my room that day, and it just so happened I was lucky enough to be spoiled by so many. I was lucky and it made me appreciate my blessings (and my friends) so much more.

Sometimes you need to appreciate how the cards fall, run with it, and try not to take it for granted. I had a good hand that day, but I'll be the first to say that it was more luck than hard work on that occasion. That doesn't negate the typical level of ass-busting I do, either. But it's important to be honest with myself when I fall into good fortune like that. Makes me way more appreciative of what I have.

 

[Rose]

Shit, there is ABSOLUTELY a fair amount of luck that goes into this business. Obviously, or I'd still be hustling for pennies on MFC. Lol...

 

[Vera]

I don't have a lot new to add to the thread, but I think it bears mentioning that success is also relative (though I think longevity is a good indicator.) Maybe some girls wants to live comfortably, save her money, and not be consumed with rank. That isn't necessarily bad, or mean they are lazy. Other girls might LOVE the thrill of chasing rank. They are two different temperaments, so their definitions of success beyond "paying the bills" are going to be different.

I am not a super high-roller, and my HOLY COW days have been "right place, right time" but I consider myself successful. Have I worked hard? Yes. Do I have days when I pull my hair out and wonder what I could possibly be doing wrong? Yes. I don't know. This job has provided me with so much. The flexibility to travel, to investigate subjects that are genuinely interesting, to never stop learning. And, of course, stable enough income. Camming/any form of sexwork is a personal journey and I think it is important that no one's is devalued.

But anyway, in a less woo-woo esoteric sense, luck IS a huge factor in camming. However, I know that personally, the more I work, the better I tend to do. It might not always be instantaneous, but there is a lot to be said for riding out the crappy stuff. Still, there are some nights where things fall into place for no discernible reason, and days when I am left talking to myself for the entire shift.

Ultimately, like anything else, I think you have to try to keep the highs from getting to high, and the lows from getting too low, and keep moving forward.

 

[SaffronBurke]

All of my highest earning days have been from a guy who wants me to show off my panties while demanding that he tips until he hits his daily limit and can't tip any more. I consider that pure luck, because it's definitely not hard work.