Streamate Traffic
Streamate claims, in their FAQ:
“We provide all of the traffic, advertising and marketing for you. Just make sure your photo and description are set up the way you want them, and members will come to you! Remember to fill out all the details in your profile so that you will show up in searches made by our members.”
So, where is all the traffic? It looks to be directed at certain girls who are promoted on high-traffic sites (a simple search for internet stats, such as those seen on Alexa, shows Streamate has long been declining in traffic). I’m not so quick to believe that, looking around in certain rooms.
Why is it that the only traffic I am seeing are those that have me on their favorites list?
Hard not to think that when I see models with anywhere between 40 and 200 members in their room, just mouse-clicks away from me in the listings. Yet here I am, in the single digits. The other day, for example, I signed in and had a bunch of members. All stayed, chatted, had a jolly old time. A few private shows later and suddenly, when I got the guest room back, one member came in, then he’d leave (for whatever reason). 2 members entered, one left. Two more, both left. Always just one member in my room. It seemed that they were getting booted out. This is not normal behavior for a site that just minutes ago, was able to handle a bunch of members at once. Suddenly, everyone’s getting booted out. Perhaps I could sustain 200 members, too, if only they were allowed to stay in!
In the two weeks around the Christmas holiday, traffic in my room was great. Traffic in other rooms were great. All of a sudden, the traffic decline that I’d seen just prior to this 2 week period, returned. Why, for 2 weeks, at the very worst time of year, do I see an increase in traffic to my room, and now, back to decline again?
What the hell is going on here?
Joy and 
amanda36c 
Joy 3:32 am on January 14, 2012 Permalink |
Hi Amanda,
My personal experience the December holiday’s are always the busiest of the year. Lots of lonely hearts who are feeling the sadness or depression of being alone, or for those in relationships lots of stress which isn’t getting relieved by their partner. That’s how I explain the upsurge in my room’s traffic.
It’s also a month with 2 double paydays (at least here in the states). That means, the people who get paid on the 1st & 15th (government workers, for one) and those who are paid every other Friday, their paydays fall on the same day. That means lots of fresh cash to spend to relieve the pent up stress of being trapped with family at home. Haven’t you noticed that when it’s payday every other weekend that your room is busier (and hopefully more profitable). Mine tends to be. The few other camgirls I communicate with have confirmed they notice the payday increase in business too.
Last year Shawn agreed with me that there is a spike in traffic during the year end holidays. In fact I believe he said that for Streamate it IS the busiest 2 weeks of the year. So I worked as much as I could over the holidays while anticipating the January slowdown as Xmas bills begin to arrive in the mailboxes of our guys. Tax season in April is the next time I expect my revenue to be more difficult to obtain.
As for traffic being down, so is the economy. You can’t wring money out of someone who doesn’t have it. I’m broke too, so I guess I have a real appreciation and patience with “my guys”. I just try to be nice, sweet and entertaining to everyone in my room and I seem, for the most part, to stay pleasantly busy. I don’t need a flood of traffic, just a few who think I’m what they’re looking for at that moment, and so far I am very grateful for what I’m getting. Heck, it still beats working for Starbucks or retail. LOL
Also I make a point of suggesting my room full of guys “favorite me, using the heart above” (and I point up =) so they can find their way back to me when they can play. It can’t hurt and just might be helping.
Stay positive, 2012 can only be better than 2011!
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amanda36c 4:37 pm on January 14, 2012 Permalink |
Hi Joy,
I agree that paydays definitely have an impact on our earnings but mine are more sporadic. After all, the state of the economy can’t be ignored, but we’re all used to that by now (or we sure as heck have our heads buried in the sand, don’t we?). Strangely, it’s not ebbs and flows that concern me. We’ve both been around quite some time and know how that works. This was strange for me because I’ve always seen the holidays bring less traffic, leading up to Christmas. This year, a small two-week period just before Christmas to just after New Year’s day, produced a burst of traffic, consistently in my room. I hadn’t seen traffic like that in months! Several months, in fact. I’m not even talking earnings here, just traffic. Lurkers, freebie seekers, the odd members whose intentions are to use the services provided. Before and after that two-week period, traffic was just horrible. For me, traffic is an indication of my potential, so when I see low numbers in my room, I foresee low numbers in my revenues. That worries me. It doesn’t always work out that way. Sometimes my earnings way exceed my expectations, based on the traffic I had, but more often than not, numbers don’t lie.
Freebie seekers will always be out, come hell or high water. Holidays or not. They’re harder to kill than cockroaches. Agreed? 😉 I’m not even seeing them in my room! Numbers. I want numbers. I can work it if they’re there. It’s hard to work a room with noone in it.
My revenues are definitely down. I’ve always graphed them, to gain an understanding of where I’m at; If I need to work different hours or more hours. Right now, it’s telling me I need to work more hours. By next year, at this rate, if I want to maintain any consistency where my pay is concerned, I will have to work even more hours. What does this tell me? What about in 5 years from now? I will have to work 10 hours more per day just to earn the same thing I’m earning right now? I already look back in regret of the 10 years I put into one particular site that ripped me off entirely, but to think of putting that same effort and time into another similar venture, with the same end result, would make me sick to my stomach.
Remember when we both worked on iFriends and I wrote in the forums one day, a response to a thread full of excuses for why business was slow? I posted an excuse for every month of the year. That post got a lot of attention and a lot of laughs … but it was the truth! I don’t buy into the bullshit. If the guest chat numbers are high, revenues should follow suit. Not exactly, but close.
Yeah, I’m not buying that whole Starbucks story. Sorry, you’re way too smart for that!
I can only remain positive about things that are within my control.
I’m not leaving anything up to fate.
2012 is what we make it! 🙂
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Joy 2:24 am on January 15, 2012 Permalink
Amanda, great response and points well taken.
Hopefully this will be a quick reply. As for Starbucks, no matter what my PAST work history or accomplishments have been, at this age and lack of recent ‘real’ work experience (Has it really been 4 years as a webcam model and 15 years since I left my airline career?) the best I can hope for here in SoCal is just beyond minimum wage (with benefits). It’s tough to explain to employers where I’ve been for the past 4 years and why they should hire me for more than minimum wage when there are so many other youthful candidates who are eager to take the crumbs they offer.
Honestly, my webcam time is by far the best earning (and most fun without a commute or employer issues or union hands in my wallet) I can hope for. And I do enjoy it. Is it perfect? Certainly not! Believe me, after being a flight attendant (talk about being treated like dirt, low pay and un-Godly work hours & conditions for low pay) this gig is a breeze and pays me 2-3x as much per hour…. and I get to work whenever I want, not when they tell me I have too (4:30am airport check-ins … airline jobs are NOT glamorous!)
Other than winning the lottery, if I have to work for a living then being a webcam model is the best paying freedom producing gig I can imagine; and from what I’ve seen SM is the only site offering me the most important features, benefits and pay I’ve seen in the industry.
Anyway that’s my perception.
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