Agreed. I'm just not comfortable doing bank transfers at all to someone I don't know. Everyone has their own thing. I get it. It's just not for me. And that's aside from legitimate criminals. I'm a cash or no deal kinda man. If someone else is comfortable with that, if it works for them, cool. I've been seeing a provider for over a year. Her, I absolutely would be comfortable doing a deposit or transfer for. That being said, I know where she lives, she knows where I live, quite a bit different from a stranger.
WTF's with the deposit scams?
- Thread starter Hughlongly
- Start date
Just to touch on a few things in response. I believe a website is extremely beneficial to a provider’s business because it allows us to showcase our personalities and unique qualities; assists with safety in communicating boundaries; gives a secure, discreet portal for bookings; analytics to understand who is seeking you out and for what reasons; another and more reliable source of verification for clients, other SWs and SWer organizations (some may even require having a website to join); and offers an opportunity for custom and more information unique to your services, for example if you specialize in kink, offer nuru, have duo partners. I believe a website communicates a greater level of commitment and dedication, it takes time to build and maintain for one, whereas social media profiles can be created in mere minutes and dismantled just as quickly. Clients will logically feel reassured with a more permanent presence that can’t so easily be discarded and rebuilt, especially if we’re requiring deposits.
Social media profiles are important too but just don’t offer the depth and breadth of information you can with your website and in a way that stands out uniquely. And some are better than others.
Tryst has its own RW ID verification system as does Twitter Premium now so provide greater reliability and security however, as was mentioned, are targeted by hackers and can be vulnerable without strong passwords and the knowledge to keep yourself secure. Premium versions will also cost a fair amount and some providers will not feel comfortable sharing ID. As much as I rely on Twitter, I think it’s a mistake to assume all clients use it, there are lots who have no interest or time for social media.
A spa website could be secure and reliable however not unique to you and designed to showcase the spa and its entire roster rather than focusing on you. As a marketing style, it will logically orient clients towards rotation rather than exclusivity. I have also seen that quite a lot of providers want to exit a spa after becoming established (sometimes suddenly due to a rupture in the relationship) and so having a unique website will facilitate becoming independent. This is over and above the legal challenges around offering and marketing hybrid services at a location where this is not legal.
It would be interesting to hear what clients think but in my view the ideal, secure and most verifiable solution is a mix of social media channels, possibly group profiles, with a personal website as a foundation offering at least one direct point of contact. We could have a fulsome discussion of touchpoints and nudge marketing to illustrate this further but that would take this thread into the weeds and some are probably already bored reading this!
Other important issues to address are cost and access to tools. It isn’t lost on me that building a website takes time, skill and at least a little bit of money to host. I have found providers in groups like the OIC can be very generous with their time in assisting others build a site. It is very helpful that Tryst has a basic level profile which is completely free; identifying and/or creating free channels for websites would further level the playing field. And so your question got me thinking about building a separate fund within the PD Fund earmarked to build simple entry-level webpages for some who need that and don’t have other resources (not saying that’s you, just that resources can be a barrier). So thanks for your post
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