I’ve had a fair amount of people contacting me recently, asking about how to get started in camming, so I thought that I would create a quick introduction, that should hopefully answer a few of the questions that people have before getting into the industry.
Who can be a webcam performer?
It’s all skinny, blonde playboy type models, right? Not at all. There are successful cam performers of all ages, genders, sizes, shapes, colours, styles, hair lengths, hair colours. No matter what you look like, there will be customers who will love you. What’s more important is your personality, and how you come across. If you engage people, let them feel like they know you, then they are likely to stick around, and keep coming back to see you
Who visits webcam performers?
All sorts of people visit webcam performers. There are some who simply do not have the time for a relationship, but enjoy being intimate with someone. There are some who are not able to have some of their more unusual desires met in their current relationship. Some are exhibitionists who enjoy getting people to watch them. Just as there is no “type” for webcam performers, there is no “type” of person who enjoys visiting them.
What do webcam performers actually do?
There’s no easy way to answer this one, other than to say that they do whatever they have decided they are comfortable doing. A lot of camgirls do get requests for taboo or extreme shows, but you don’t have to accept these requests if you don’t feel comfortable with them. You don’t have to do anything you don’t want to, you are your own boss, you set your own limits. You don’t even have to take your clothes off!
A lot of webcam girls do vanilla masturbation with toys shows, but there is no reason to do this if you’re not happy. Masturbation shows without toys are popular, as are fetish shows.
Some of the options that are available to offer are cam 2 cam (where you see the other person as they watch you performing), phone (so they’re able to speak to you, and don’t have to try and type while they’re enjoying), group shows, private shows, flashing for tips.
Why?
There are so many awesome reasons to be a cam performer, there’s no right or wrong! The things I love about being a cam performer are the ability to set my own hours, and my own rates. I get to choose what I want to do each day. I get to dress up and feel amazing, I get to show off, I get to meet new people, learn about them. I get to find out about new fetishes, why people enjoy them, and why. I get to help people open up, and feel good about themselves, to show them they’re not alone in their desires.
Where?
There’s two ways of camming, either working for a site, or working for yourself as an independent cam girl. There are broadly speaking, two different types of camsite. The first are token sites, the second are pay per minute sites (ppm).
What’s the difference?
Camsites make it very easy to cam – they provide the software, payment processing, advertising and most importantly customers! You just log in and wait for shows! Most sites will also protect you from chargebacks. However, sites take a large (anywhere from 30% – 70%) cut of your money for providing these services.
Sites
Token sites are sites that allow you to set a target of x amount of tokens to do y in a show. Once you have been tipped enough that your target is met, you do the show in your main chat. Everyone in your room can see the show, regardless of whether they tipped or not.
Pay per minute sites allow you to set a cost per minute for your show. Anyone wanting to view your show will take you into a private or group room and pay the cost per minute for the time they are viewing you. Only people who are paying the per minute cost can see your show.
Different types of sites work for different people – some do brilliantly on token sites but struggle on ppm sites and visa versa. If you try one and find that you’re not doing as well as you’d like, try another one!
Examples of token sites : My Free Cams, Chaturbate,
Examples of ppm sites : Adultwork, Streamate
Independent Camming
Independent camming allows a performer more flexibility, more control, and a larger cut of the money. However, there is also a lot more work that goes into earning that extra money. Independent cam performers do shows via SKype or Yahoo messenger, however, they will have to work to generate their own traffic, and screen customers, to avoid chargebacks.
What will you need to be able to cam?
The things you absolutely need to be able to cam are a computer, an internet connection, a webcam, and personality! Anything else beyond that is a bonus, but a few of the things which will be beneficial are : clean, tidy space to cam from, sex toys, a good lighting setup, sexy/smart clothing, passport or other photo ID. You can start out with the things that you already have, and improve on them overtime.
Is there anything else I should consider before starting?
The biggest thing that you need to remember when you get into adult work, especially online, is that once your image is on the internet, it’s there forever for people to find. There will always be the risk of a customer recording your show and posting elsewhere on the web, or family, friends, or future employers finding you. If your family life or future career could be at risk from you having a history of working in the adult industry, then you need to seriously think about if it is worth the risk.
Where can I find out more?
The most useful resource I’ve found is Camming Connection. It’s full of camgirls sharing advice, and I’d suggest anyone interested in starting camming reads as much as they can on there.