Reviews -- Is it part of the experience???

[gimme_that]

I will gladly read and heed a "penthouse styled review" from the right reviewer over a simple "yes" or "shes great and my new ATF" review anyday. They are descriptive enough to describe what they liked and actually make comments that are not subjective. Its of use to me in who I see based on the reviewer.

Since most HDH ladies are not reviewed or choose behind closed doors not to be...this will fall on def ears for the guys that just seek HDH ladies exclusively right? For guys who just want the best provider period for what they seek regardless of her title, rate, or rep the review speaks volumes to me and only aids my decision on who I might see based on the reviewer in respect to my own preferences.

So a simple yes definitely would not be WORD enough or adequate enough for me.

[Guest042611]

I hate reviews. I used to have some and all were positive, but I suppose I have pretty high standards in what I consider "tasteful" review content. I find graphic descriptions tasteless, and I don't want to draw clientele who are only contacting me because they heard I provide a certain acronym. Since adopting a no-review policy, I see fewer people, but it's become especially rare that I come across a client who I don't like a lot. The guys who contact me these days read my website and see my photos and want to meet me—not just any woman who performs X or Y service.

Since I stopped allowing reviews, I have been so much happier in this business. It was night and day for me.

I have been considering participating in BigDoggie.net since they don't have the same requirement for explicitness that TER reviews do. For now I guess I'm doing ok without that though. Maybe I'll change my mind later.

I understand wanting to brag to a buddy (believe me, girls do it too!), but isn't there a way to be more private and discreet about it? I remember getting a few *very* positive and graphic reviews that, honestly, were totally false and full of dirty details which sounded fun but were beyond even my sexual repertoire (as in, they described positions I had never heard of, experiences with women I didn't know, etc).

I have one close girlfriend who is a provider, and whom I tell everything naughty to (no names or identifying details). I understand the fun, but when it comes to public boards I think a little should be left to the imagination.

[Spaulding Smails]

Originally Posted by pjorourke

Word. Money spent on ladies pays for advertising that keeps the board open.

That raises an interesting question, PJ. What is the best guess on proportional revenue streams for the board: provider ad revenue% vs. hobbyist subscription revenue%? If there was a no review policy for the board, would it survive just as a meeting facilitator, discussion forum, and ad medium for the hobby? Just curious, not trying to do business recon on Eccie. Mods, I apologize if speculating on the business dynamics violates a rule.

From my perspective, I primarily derive value from the reviews for intel and screening purposes. It seems that P411 and other sites already provide solid ad mediums and meeting facilitation. As you guys have mentioned, however, there is value in the discussion forums alone.

[Katy Alexander]

Originally Posted by Natalie

.

Since I stopped allowing reviews, I have been so much happier in this business. It was night and day for me.
.

Natalie I admire your decision .I have gone back , and forth on the idea of having the few reviews that I do have removed for a while now.Even if it cut out some of my business I feel that it may be a good decision for my peace of mind.One of my concerns is that just like cock roaches if I have them blocked from one site newer reviews may simply scatter to other possibly worse sites. Especially since I live in SF where sfredbook is huge. From what I have heard they do not have the same policy when it comes to review removal that ter has .Red book is like the short bus of review sites , so when choosing the lesser of evils I am afraid I may be stuck.

Does anyone know if it is possible to have your reviews blocked from all sites, or is it just up to the individual sites policy?

[Guest042611]

Originally Posted by Becky

Especially since I live in SF where sfredbook is huge. From what I have heard they do not have the same policy when it comes to review removal that ter has .Red book is like the short bus of review sites , so when choosing the lesser of evils I am afraid I may be stuck.

Does anyone know if it is possible to have your reviews blocked from all sites, or is it just up to the individual sites policy?

This is true about Redbook, from my understanding, so I assume every board has its own policy. If you have an across-the-board no-review policy, though, I wonder if sites like RB might be more sympathetic to your request to have something removed.

[discreetgent]

Originally Posted by trojanman

That raises an interesting question, PJ. What is the best guess on proportional revenue streams for the board: provider ad revenue% vs. hobbyist subscription revenue%? If there was a no review policy for the board, would it survive just as a meeting facilitator, discussion forum, and ad medium for the hobby? Just curious, not trying to do business recon on Eccie. Mods, I apologize if speculating on the business dynamics violates a rule.

From my perspective, I primarily derive value from the reviews for intel and screening purposes. It seems that P411 and other sites already provide solid ad mediums and meeting facilitation. As you guys have mentioned, however, there is value in the discussion forums alone.

No idea about eccie.

When ASPD was imploding and it looked like it might be for sale a few of us, who has the technical expertise and systems to take it over very quickly, did some back of the envelope analysis on what would be a sustainable revenue model. I don't recall the exact number but in our analysis it was the ad revenue that would be the key; typically it was recurring monthly or quarterly while many subscriptions were either for posting reviews or a yearly fee (again, don't remember the precentages).

TER clearly has to work on a subscription basis.

[Happy Diver]

I rarely do reviews. While I find them interesting and often a good read, I think there is such a variety of tastes among players that "sauce for one gander" isn't necessarily "sauce for another gander". There are certain providers that are such a high level though that almost everyone seems happy with them. Reviews are useful for determining such providers, but I enjoy variety so I rarely see a provider more than once. I think my own tastes in providers are so specific to me that they really aren't that useful to other guys. So I rarely do them.

[WTF]

Intresting thread.......

[notdeadyet]

The big advantage of a review is that, in addition to providing basic info on services (if that's not on P411), it can provide a "sense of the session" (a mod's expression). That vague phrase goes to the lady's personality, enthusiasm, intelligence, communication skills, etc., all of which make or break the mental connection that some of us find important. But, for me, it's certainly not necessary to get into the intensely graphic descriptions of a session.

[Chevalier]

Originally Posted by atlcomedy

Question -- For the reviewers, is the review & reliving and sharing the details (in all their glory) an integral part of your overall experience?

No.

To some degree, though, it's a different experience. That is, there is some degree of pleasure not from reliving the tryst but from doing something well -- composing something that effectively conveys information to the reader. [*] Call that a very minor example of what Rawls called the Aristotelian Principle. I say "some degree," though, because in recent years I have become increasingly dissatisfied concerning a review's ability to do that. When I first started writing reviews, back in 2002 on ASPD, I also probably got a kick out of a review that was read by a lot of members or that got positive comments/feedback. Standard (and fairly shallow) ego-gratification. That feeling also faded fairly quickly, the more I realized that views and comments bear very little relationship to the quality of the review.

Overall, there is perhaps some small personal benefit from writing the review but nowhere near enough by itself to justify the time and effort to write one. I don't do it for BCD/Premium Access either -- I either pay, or do without.

I write reviews today (descriptive rather than explicit or graphic, and focus on the person more than the body parts) primarily because they're a sort of expectation or obligation in P4P. The client's contribution to the information sharing process, and something that the ladies often need to run their business effectively. But I'm not particularly altruistic, and I am particularly lazy, so I normally only do one if the lady requests. (It'll still be an honest evaluation rather than a white-wash, though.) I don't mind doing one if the lady asks. But if the lady prefers no reviews or isn't interested in one at the moment or prefers reviews from other clients, I am absolutely OK with that.

------------------[*] Effectively conveying information as in

Originally Posted by notdeadyet

a "sense of the session" (a mod's expression). That vague phrase goes to the lady's personality, enthusiasm, intelligence, communication skills, etc., all of which make or break the mental connection that some of us find important..

That's what I try to do, along with perhaps a subtle sense of her approach to sensuality. But it ain't easy, and I rarely hit the mark.