Webcam guide 101

When I first started, I personally benefited from these two forum posts written by a former VS model (Ashe Maree), and I am just combining and reposting them since I am seeing a lot of new models looking for tips! It may seem like a lot to read, but it will be worth it.

PART ONE: BROADCASTING!**

ASHE MAREE:

So because I'm far too maternal for my own good, I went on a crazy rage seeing all of these newer models who seem to have been thrown to the wolves without being properly informed. I always, always, always suggest reading the guides that are available to us (under tools) or contacting your studio rep, but I understand it's a bit easier to understand coming from a model's perspective. I am relatively new myself, so everyone is welcome to correct me or even contribute to what I've said, because, shit, I don't know everything. There have been a few changes made to the original email as I have been asked many questions since sending this out. Enjoy. This is just the general gist of what camming is like, what you should expect, the do's and don'ts, all that. This is also just from my experience from working on this site, so I will always suggest that you talk to other models as well and ultimately see what works best for you.

First and foremost: Open Chat

Often times, open chat can feel like we're on display. We'll get a lot of window shoppers (members who stop in, don't talk, and get a feel for who you are as a model), freeloaders (most grey users, people of every member color who request things but don't tip, and people who fake tip or lead you on), and normal paying members. One thing I would want to make a requirement: USE YOUR MIC. Members love, love, love to hear your voice. A lot of models will tell you to tell members "you can hear my voice in private chat bb," but to be perfectly honest, I don't believe that works very often. Hey, some models can still be successful when not using their mic, but you'll stand out more if you talk and not just type. I know, it takes a while to get comfortable, but after a while, it will be like nothing to you. If a member doesn't have audio, you can type to them if you want, but I'm too lazy so I usually tell them no lol. But it's perfectly up to you. Don't mind window shoppers. Just say hello and move on with the rest of the conversation. Sometimes they'll leave immediately, sometimes they'll stay for hours, but generally, they're just very shy. I've had customers come into my room every day for a week before talking to me. Sometimes they never talk and just never come back. Either way, if they don't talk, they don't matter. Say hello and move on.

Freeloaders:

One of the reasons grey users are so despised here is because, well, they're very annoying. They're usually the most demanding, and you know for a fact that they don't have tips, so why deal with them, right? Not exactly. Every member was a grey user at one point. Convincing grey users to make an account can be very profitable. Just let them know that if they sign up for free, they get 120 free credits to spend on you! If they get annoying, just block basic chat or ignore them. But greys aren't the only freeloaders. Freeloaders come in every member color. Freeloaders are the people that ask you to do things yet they won't tip you. Freeloaders are also people who send you fake tips (anything that says it's a tip but IS NOT purple, IS NOT a tip. Tips are ALWAYS purple). Freeloaders are also usually people who say "do this, this, and this, and I'll take you private bb." Then you do it and they never take you private. They get their jollies and move on to the next room. I always tell them "I don't go to -enter name of restaurant here- and ask them if I can lick a sandwich then drive home to get my wallet and promise to pay them later. You can choose to deal with them whichever way you want, but the bottom line is to never give them what they want without tipping. You cannot teach them that if they wait long enough, they'll get what they want without forking something over as well (which I go over more in the party chat explanation). Once you establish a fan base, your regulars will most likely help you by letting the freeloaders know that you won't do such and such without a tip. No matter how long you're here or how popular you are, you will always have freeloaders, always. Find the way to say, "No, I only do that for a tip," in whichever way works best for you. Personally, I almost never show anything in free chat. Sure, get sexy, chat sexy, lay your toys out for the members to see, and tease, but I wouldn't show anything more than MTV would in open chat.

That doesn't motivate the members to take you private or tip you. Why buy the cow when you can get the milk for free? Also, a lot of members will ask you if you will do certain things for power boost points (these points help you in your ranking percentage and ultimately get you more traffic if you get enough). It is up to you to decide whether or not you will do certain things for PB points, but I do not. Power boosts don't translate into money, so my landlord probably wouldn't want me showing too much for them either.

Party Chat:

A lot of models don't like these, understandably, because they're full of freeloaders (like we talked about before). But if you know how to work a party, they can become a significant part of your income. I always wait until there are a good amount of people talking in my room before I start a party chat, to ensure participation. I always set my topic bar with what credits get them what, for instance, my topic is always this: "INDIVIDUALLY 100 for each item of clothing. 300 for pussy play. 400 for dildo play. 500 for cum. 700 for squirt. 200 for every squirt after that." That way, the second people come into your room, they'll know what they can tip for and how much, eliminating most of the questions so you can put on a good show. It's difficult to get people to tip sometimes because often times a lot of people don't want to be the first to tip. I generally tease (without showing anything), dance, talk sexy, etc. Eventually, someone will tip and then they just kind of keep going from then on. Party chats are not always successful, even for me, so don't be afraid to end it if it's too slow. And never show a damn thing if they didn't tip for it. If they didn't pay for it, don't teach them that if they wait long enough that they'll get it anyway (I can't stress that enough).

Group Chats:

Pretty simple concept. Example: You want to do a sexy strip tease, so you start a group chat for around... let's say... 700. You set the countdown time (the time they have to pledge) and the show time (how long your show will last), and if the members are interested, they'll pledge. Always write exactly what you plan on doing in the group chat in the description. That helps weed out stupid questions like, "are you going to do anal?" Just say, "if it doesn't say I'm going to do anal in the description, I'm not going to do anal", simple as that. The longer you decide you want your show to be, the higher your credit goal. For instance: 15-minute strip tease and dildo show: 1200 credits. A lot of members won't tip, as they are afraid that if you do not reach your credit goal, they'll be using their credits and they don't get a show. That isn't true. If you have a goal of 1200 but only get 800 before the time runs out, the members get their credits back and they don't get a show. Don't be afraid to remind members of that because it motivates them to tip.

Private Chats:

Private shows are when you are moved to a blank chat room with only you and one other member. Sometimes it will be a couple members but if they aren't talking, they aren't the ones who bought the private. The members who are just watching are called voyeurs. They can see everything you're doing, they just can't hear you. They pay a lower credits per minute rate to see this and it usually helps them get an idea of what you're like in private so they can decide whether or not they want to do their own show. When a member takes you private, they are paying to DIRECT their own show. Meaning, they will tell you what to do in that show/ what they want to see/ etc. That being said, that doesn't mean you need to do anything you're uncomfortable with, because ultimately it is your choice. If they ask for anal and you don't do anal, tell them no. Sometimes they get mad, sometimes they leave, and sometimes they say okay and move on to something else. Regardless of their reaction, you know you've stayed true to yourself and it makes your job a lot more enjoyable. As you get more popular on the site, you are able to make your credits per minute higher. You generally start off at 60 cpm and can work your way up to as high as 120 cpm (it might go higher but I've never seen anyone use anything higher). Sometimes members will be assholes and say, "why are you at 90 cpm?! That's so high!" I usually just say, "Hey, shut up, I earned this and a lot of members think I'm worth that much and those are the members who take me private, so mlahh!" But you'll learn how to deal with rude members in your own way. Like I said, learn what works best for you.

The Ban Feature:

It seems to me that the general advice given to new models who are having difficulty dealing with troublesome members is to ban them. Personally, and I cannot stress 'personally' enough, I feel the banning feature should be seldom, if ever, used. A lot of people may find that ridiculous, but if it works for me, it can work for you. If a user is asking for something without tipping, don't ban, tell them no. If they keep doing it, don't ban, say something along the lines of, "This ain't Costco, I'm not giving out free samples." If they continue, you can get a bit more aggressive, but more often than not, your members will do it for you. Like I said earlier, once you establish a decent set of regulars, they'll be just as annoyed, if not more annoyed, by these types of members. I actually have a regular who can't tip so instead he 'regulates' my party chats so that I can perform without having to be distracted. He knows enough about me from being in my room for so long that he can answer most

questions so I can do my job. This is a great example of how helpful and profitable it is to be kind to all of your users, regardless of their wallet, but I digress. The point is, banning should be your VERY last option, and I would even go so far as to suggest alerting the admin if someone is being ridiculous enough, before banning. At first, ridiculous members can be rip-your-hair-out frustrating, but in the end, they tend to be the laughingstock of your room, trust me. Don't ban them out, talk them out, the end.

Everything else should generally be in the handbook; otherwise, you are welcome to email me or come into my room with any questions (just make sure to whisper if you visit me. Say / then my name and then you can talk. Just to see if you're whispering correctly, test it out. Say /(model's name) hi, am I whispering correctly? And I or any other model will let you know if you are, and if you're not, walk you through the step of whispering. I hope that helped! Welcome to the VS family!

PART TWO: HOW TO FIND ANSWERS TO ALL OF YOUR QUESTIONS*

ASHE MAREE:

I know that the camming world can be a lot to take in and you're going to have a billion and one questions, and there are many people who are ready and willing to help you in any way they can. Here is a process that we suggest checkmarking before you post a question here on the forums...

Look to the bottom right of your browser. Do you see the contact button? Sweet! Click on it and pour all of your questions and concerns into that lil email box, and you should be contacted shortly. OR if you have a hands-on studio (if you don't know what I'm talking about, you probably don't), you can go straight to your boss and ask them shhhwhatever you want and they can answer it for you or find someone who can.

Do you hate talking to people? Then maybe the first option isn't for you (and possibly not this job, but I digress)! Look up to the top of your browser under the VS logo. See the tab that says tools? SWEET! Hover your mouse over it, and you will find many options to help you such as the Rules and Regulations and The Performer Handbook (These would be the equivalent of a handbook given to you when you start ANY job, except they're actually helpful and not a completely dry read).

The forums are filled with the secrets of camming. I myself have written a forum topic solely to answer questions about different types of chats and various things. There is a handy little search button on the top right of the forums that will help you weed through the hundreds of topics and get you closer to your answer. Ladies, having a problem with your lady time and camming? Search: period or aunt flow or sea sponge, etc. and you will find a solution to your problem. This is just one example of how to use the search bar, but I think you get the idea.

If you've done all of these three things and STILL cannot get your answer (which honestly if you just do option number one, you WILL get your answer), then you should post a topic about your question allowing fellow models and studios to help you out. Unfortunately, we as models don't have all the answers, nor do we always have the time to reply to every model in need. If you post a thread about something that has already been answered OR something that your studio or VS itself could answer, you're going to get many replies just telling you to do one of these three options provided. If you follow this process you are far more likely to get a straight answer.

Finally, and I cannot stress this enough, all financial questions, tax questions, credit questions, and percentage questions should NEVER be posted on the forums. It is against the rules and regulations (option 2) to converse about anything pay related. What you are doing by asking these questions is not only setting yourself up for trouble, but allowing others who also do not know its against the rules and then reply to your questions about their pay to also get in trouble. That's no bueno for anyone.

I truly hope this helps you through the camming craziness. If you have any questions, begin the process. READY GO!