DO’s
- Get yourself a quality web cam. In the beginning if you have to make do with your grainy built in or your camera from back in the AOL days, so be it. Just know that if your viewers can’t see you clearly, or if you look like your broadcasting from a 7/11 surveillance camera, you might not have great room numbers or snag yourself a lot of tokens.
- Turn the lights on, Girl!! Open some blinds and curtains and if you go online after the sun sets, buy some bright bulbs, take the shades off your lamps or invest in some photography lights because brightness is your friend. It knocks the wrinkles, dark rings and even some of your stretch marks right out of the ballpark and how are any of those things a bad move?
- Choose a super fantastic and amazeballs identity and screen name. A lot of sites will not let you alter or amend your screen name once you pick it, so give it some thought. Make it good. And make it something catchy that viewers will remember. Of course, you could always just be yourself and keep your government name, but let’s be honest…doesn’t BACON AND LEGS have a much better ring to it??
- Buy some sexy shit to wear. It doesn’t all have to come from Agent Provocateur. Some of the best things I own and wear are from discount racks and Dollar Stores. Buy what you can afford, what matches your personality and what makes YOU feel cute in it because in the end, your comfort is ALL that matters. Just save all receipts and keep a running spreadsheet of every purchase you make.
- Get yourself an external microphone. If you’re using a laptop, or an older model computer the audio is always kind of cheesy. It can get tinny and sound like it’s splitting or cracking. An external mic will improve the sound quality in your room and allow you to do a show where you are clearly HEARD as well as SEEN.
- Practice, practice, practice. Get comfortable in the front of the camera. Do a few dry runs before you actually go live this way you get the lay of the land and know your limitations and what your comfort levels are.
- Social Media is Magic. MAGIC, MAGIC, MAGIC. Get yourself a slutty Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, Facebook, Snapchat and KIK. Twitter reaches BILLIONS of people. BILLIONS. A simple tweet with a catchy hashtag could be the difference between you having 500 followers or 5,000.
DON’T DO’s
- Don’t quick your fucking day job. Camming isn’t for every one. Some girls are naturals and find their niche and are very successful at what they do. And other’s think they have what it takes only to discover this shit is way harder than it looks. Before thinking you can just turn on your cam and start making bank, try doing this consistently for a few weeks (months even) before you start looking at ocean side real estate and pricing fancy cars and boats.
- It’s really easy to say you can detach yourself from this line of work, but if you get overly agitated or have a really thin skin, this job may not be the one for you. You will get called names, you will get propositioned for sex, you will get called fat, ugly and old. You will get tricked, lied to and deceived. You will get taken of advantage of and let down. Just know that it all comes with the territory and shouldn’t be something you take to bed with you once you turn the camera off. Not everyone will like you and hardly anyone will respect you. Just as long as you respect yourself, and remind yourself that you are NONE of the things and thoughts anyone has about you…you will be just fine.
- Even though it’s okay for your personality to shine through, it’s not really a good idea to share your personal struggles and dilemmas on cam. Yes, your viewers care about you. And yes..they love you and feel connected to you. However, not every single detail of your personal life needs to be shared online. As awesome as it is that you have no boundaries and filters, no one wants to see or hear you talk about your IBS or family crap. Some viewers LOVE that shit, but even the most die hard fans will get tired of the Debbie Downer drama and lose interest.
- Don’t be petty toward other cammers. Sex work is serious business. Even the most confident and beautiful performer has insecurities and issues we know NOTHING about. So, while it’s okay to secretly loathe someone (I am guilty of this fo’ SURE) just let that shit simmer beneath the surface and focus instead on how to make your show better. Don’t compare yourself to anyone else. There is only one YOU. And at the end of the day it’s what YOU do in your show that matters, not what someone else is doing that you can’t understand or get behind.
- Avoid making promises you can’t keep. If you hashtag your room “SQUIRTERS PARADISE” make sure after you reach goal you know how to make it rain in your panties because these guys have memories like elephants and if you stand and deliver and give them something they wanted and needed and hoped for..they will keep coming back.
- Here’s a little rule to remember. Your looks may get you in the door, but your personality keeps you there. So, let that mother fucker shine. If you like music, crank that shit up and dance your ass off the whole show. If you have an artistic soul, set up your easel and Picasso the shit out of yourself. And if you like to hammer your pussy until it looks like chopped meat, you can do that too. Find out what you want your show to be about and who you are as a performer and make that shit happen.
- Have fun. There’s this terrible stigma attached to sex work that implies we are all broken and hopeless and doing this line of work because we are desperate and have no choice. And, while in some rare cases, this is does happen…for most of us, that simply is NOT TRUE. This job has just as many perks than setbacks and you just have to go into this with an open mind and a free spirit and everything will be cool beans.