I'm trying to be new!

newbie said:

I am looking to bring n at least 300 a week to survive, is that "easy"?

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There are girls who struggle to bring in minimum wage, and there are girls who can make that much in an hour; most girls fall somewhere in the middle. There is no way to tell before you log on where you will fall on the spectrum. A lot of girls come into this industry thinking that it's 'easy' money, but any experienced camgirl can tell you that it most certainly isn't. It takes a lot of hard work, dedication, ingenuity, and pushing through slow days and burnout to make a steady income from camming. And even then, the most successful models can still have slow months where they make 1/2 of what they usually would. Camming can pay the bills, sure. But thinking it's going to be a steady "I can count on $xxx in my paycheck!" sort of profession is sadly not the reality.

newbie said:

I am trying to raise a family and am sick of the 9-5 and KNOW I can make more doing this on my own anytime availability!

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Please don't quit your 9-5 before knowing if camming will cover your expenses, especially with a family! This is a commission-based job, which means that some days you might make nothing, there will be slow periods, and you'll have to fall back on savings. As a sole income for a family, it *can* be done, but working both on-cam and at your regular job for a while is the best idea. That can give you a feel for whether or not you'll succeed as a camgirl (because not everyone does; the average 'career' of a camgirl is only 3 months,) and give you time to save up at least 6 months worth of what you need to pay for bills/food/etc.

newbie said:

What internet connections are best to use, what cams are best to have, what lighting do you recommend?

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You should get verified as a model, come into Model's Only, and find the answers to all of those questions. How to get verified is HERE.

newbie said:

300 a week is a necessity, so anything will do and help!

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Are you counting taxes into that? A good rule of thumb is that you'll need to sit a *minimum* of 30% of your income back to pay taxes, since camgirls are independent contractors and taxes are not automatically deducted from our incomes. So you'd actually need to make $429 every week (or $1716 per month) to cover both your expenses and taxes.

newbie said:

Another question, has it destroyed your sex life (with a husband or boyfriend/girlfriend) outside of the caming world, or do you suggest do it when you're single?

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No. Most camgirls have significant others of some sort; I personally am married, and camming doesn't affect my sex life in any way. Camming is a *job*, just one where you get naked. If going to an office and working 8 hours a day doesn't affect your sex life, why should camming just because it's more sexual? There's no reason to worry about losing your sex drive or anything, seriously. The only issue that might arise is if your partner is the jealous type, but if you're both secure in your relationship it's a non-issue.

:hello2: hi Newbie!

That's a lot of questions you got there, so here's what I want to advice you and after that I will try and answer a few questions from my perspective. There's a thread right here on getting a model status, then you'll have access to the 'models only' section of this forum where all the questions you have are being discussed. I do think (not sure) that you'll need to be signed up with a camsite before Amber can do your verification but if you're serious about this that's the way to go I'd say.

There are many camsites out there and all have different vibes and feels to it, I think the most used sites are Streamate and myfreecams (see banner on top op this page), have a look around on those. there are also a number of camsites that don't offer a 'free chat' area, where members can only do paid privates straight away. But all this depends on your style and preferences.

Camming is not easy, but 300 dollars is very doable, it's a matter of cloking hours really. 300 dollars can be made in 6 hours, or 60 hours. that totally depends on your success (and your success totally depends on about a hundred different factors, but let's not get into that, that will take ages, and everything is in the models section I mentioned above)

The avarage camgirl makes more then minimum wage but do understand there's a lot more to it then the hours you clock online. I think it's fair to count at least as many (non-earning) offline hours to prepare shows, research, promotions, networking and whatnot. Ánd you'll need to do your own taxes, so about 30% (or more) of what you make you'll need to set aside. It's very rare to make a lot of money right away. It's no secret that camgirls on MFC on avarage make about 20 dollars an hour, before taxes. (so about 12 dollars per ONLINE hour, the hours you work offline don't make you anything in the short run). However, if you happen to make it big, it's really, really good money. (but requires an immense amount of work)

also, there's no garantuee whatsoever, it's far more relaxing to have a stable (slightly lousy) income of which you KNOW you can pay your rent and food, because if you get ill or injured and can't cam for a week, there's no income.

Don't mean to scare you though if you're serious, just give it a shot next to your daytime job and see if it's for you.

:twocents-02cents:


edit; yeah, what Gemma said

Hey Newbie,

I am a new cam model, my advice... or :twocents-02cents: would be for you get into the model section here. I started cam not to long less than a week, maybe? Anyways, I realize even with all my research... I wasn't prepare for camming. I had even found this site (which is a great community), before I set out on my first day. lol But, I felt most of my questions were covered in the general area.. mistake. Now, I can't wait to join the club. Even though all these great girls, are very helpful... I think in the model section they cover things more in depth. The model area seems to be where it is at.

Furthermore, when you start cam there are so many more questions that arise, like is the this a normal amount of tips, what can I do to improve my tips... nobody is watching my cam help, OMG... etc. Most of which, I am told are in the the model section. The model section seems like a great tool to have, when embarking on this.

As for your job, you should keep it in till you build up a following, have a couple weeks on cam... because you never know to expect... after you new tag wears off.

(Hope, I didn't sound rude... wasn't trying to. Good luck!)

newbie said:

Thank you! That's great info to start!! I'll be sure to ask more questions as I go, but I only make 500 every other week at my current job. It's terrible and I do way more work than I am paid for! I am getting ready to start an account at MFC.. Any suggestions once I am all set up, other than create my bio? How long did it take you to get accustomed to the site and private chats ets. any advice on that?

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I strongly advise you to make a premium account in addition to your model account. It's a great way to learn how the site works from a customer's perspective, but this will also help you get a feel for the site as a model, too.

newbie said:

I only make 500 every other week at my current job.

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Yes, but that's $500 *after* taxes that you can depend on always being in the bank. Never underestimate exactly how nice it is to have a reliable form of income as backup while camming. It is remarkably stressful to have camming as the sole income in a household (my husband and I did this for about a year,) and will burn you out quickly. It's definitely better to keep your day job while giving camming a try. Traffic and earnings can be volatile, and one week might be your best ever... the next you might make nothing. It's the nature of the business.

newbie said:

It's terrible and I do way more work than I am paid for!

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You will do more work off-cam than on-cam, and not get paid for it up-front, so be sure to factor that into your desired hourly wage. There have been months when I've worked 80+ hours a week between pulling 6+ hours a day on cam and then dealing with making content/raffles/social networking/website upkeep/etc. I have pushed myself to the point of complete physical and mental exhaustion to take my camming to the next level more times than I can count, and spent nights laying awake thinking of things to try during my next cam session. This is more of an issue on MFC than it is on SM - My 80 hour weeks were all while working on MFC; now that I'm on SM, I work ~20 a week, both on and off-cam. However, that is because I spent soooo much time when I first started building up a reputation, making content, getting my name out there, and researching exactly what I could do to be a better camgirl. If it hadn't been for my time on MFC getting past the 'learning curve' and building up a fan base, I would have most likely floundered and failed on SM.

newbie said:

I am getting ready to start an account at MFC.. Any suggestions once I am all set up, other than create my bio?

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Get verified for model status, as has already been mentioned. There is tons of info for new models inside Models Only!

newbie said:

How long did it take you to get accustomed to the site and private chats etc. Any advice on that?

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I personally jumped in with both feet and forced myself to acclimate to it, there was no time for me to ease in slowly. I only found ACF after I'd already been camming for a few weeks, and really wish that I could have used all the info here while I still had new model status. I ended up doing well regardless (my camscore has never dropped below 1000), but I got damn lucky with that.

Gemma and Fay really hit the nail on the head. And PicNic's suggestion is also spot on. This job is HARD! It's the hardest job I've ever had. It's also the most rewarding, so because of that I'm much more willing to jump through hoops and work really hard at this job to make it as great as I can. But it's hard. We all get exhausted, even after good shifts. Bad days and good days alike can be tough on you. You need to have a thick skin, and a pretty strong sense of self. You gotta know your limits! And be able to say no. A lot. We say no a looooooot! :lol:

But the best part of this job is saying yes! Yes to fun, yes to new friends, yes to orgasms if you want to do cum shows, and yes to boners (because they're everywhere! We live in a magical forrest of boners).

My best advice, beyond what the other lovely ladies have mentioned (model status here, choosing the right website to stream from, doing your research, getting a premium account to gain member perspective) is to remove the word "easy" from your vocabulary if you want to be a serious cam model. Nothing will be easy. Our job, at the core, is to make our hard work look easy. But it's never easy. Even the best days where you get tip bombed and make twice your daily goal in an hour aren't easy.

And if you do get started try not to compare yourself to any other models. We all have our own hustle, our own style. We all have goals that we're working towards, and we all fall short sometimes. Your best token day ever could be someone else's shittiest token day all month. But that's how it goes with camming.

newbie said:

Hello ladies, I am looking for some help! I have been interested in becoming a web cam model for some time, and I am finally going to do it. I am looking to bring n at least 300 a week to survive, is that "easy"? I am looking for information on where to start, what to do, what I will want to do. I am trying to raise a family and am sick of the 9-5 and KNOW I can make more doing this on my own anytime availability!

What internet connections are best to use, what cams are best to have, what lighting do you recommend? 300 a week is a necessity, so anything will do and help!

Another question, has it destroyed your sex life (with a husband or boyfriend/girlfriend) outside of the caming world, or do you suggest do it when you're single?

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You have gotten great advice!

Becoming a certified model on here is one of the best things I did to really get my foot in the door with camming. I have learned a lot and keep learning from everyone here. It's a great little community of ladies and members.

If you are only making $500 every two weeks I can see why you want out of your job! That is rough to raise a family with. As Gemma and Fey have said, don't quit your day job yet- but work at camming for a bit, see how you like it, and save up money as a cushion for when/if you decide to quit. It is not "easy" money, but it can be a lot of fun! The important thing is to do what you want for your shows and never do more than you are comfortable with.

I would say don't buy much for camming just yet, until you know you like it. You can just use lamps at your house and if you have a built in webcam on your computer that might work to start- I have a Mac and mine worked fine. I got a fancier cam about 2 months into camming. I jumped right in, but have taken baby steps with supply upgrades and such because I have to. Budgets, you know!

Also, it has not changed my sex life at all really. My boyfriend has been very supportive of my choice to cam and sometimes even watches my shows! Maybe some sexting has gotten more frequent, haha. Hopefully if you are married or have a boyfriend he is supportive of your interests and desire to support your family.

newbie said:

I am getting ready to start an account at MFC.. Any suggestions once I am all set up, other than create my bio? How long did it take you to get accustomed to the site and private chats ets. any advice on that?

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I would suggest also getting an account on Chaturbate. I was originally going to start on MFC but have now only cammed on CB-- I still have my MFC account I just have not gone live there. There is no cam score to worry about on CB, which might help you at first so you can get a feel for camming and keeping up with goals and the room without potentially being penalized. Chaturbate is a more explicit site in general than MFC, and has all sexes camming on it. That being said, I'm a soft core model (drawing, dancing, stripping, play games) on there except for when someone takes me private, and even then I don't really do hardcore shows.

It took me a good month to really get used to camming and how things worked and I have gotten more and more in a groove ever since.

*edits for typos*

Other people have given really long detailed replies, but just to put it really simply...

You will get as much out of camming as you put into it.
Don't quit your day job until you are established and have a few months living expenses saved up (you should have that at all times anyway). Camming is not always consistent money. There is no Employment Insurance or medical leave.

newbie said:

You ladies are absolutely amazing! Thank you all for the advice! How hard is it to cam live in more than one place? That question being asked, the term "easy" I use very loosely. I can imgine the frustration everyone goes through on the daily considering the amount of people that simply want the free show. You give it your all and they give .00 in return!

The offline time, might I ask suggestions in that? Are you talking about prep? Advertising, hmm, meaning on other sites like craigslist and so on? No too terribly sure what all you would do outside of it. As for a cam, I have one and a built in mic. The suggestion for music is great because I wouldn't have thought of the mic going dead myself!

I am waiting for my approval notice on MFC, but think I am going to go to chaturbate while I wait as well. When I get acceptance do I simply request to become an official model on here or what?

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Everyone has given you great advice, but I think it would be wise to really take people's advice! What most have said is to get verified here and then you will find that most of your questions have already been answered, most likely with intense depth and detail. I would perhaps hold off on more questions and wait to get verified first, then search for your questions/answers in Models Only! Multiple people have linked you the instructions for getting verified so you should read them!

I also agree that watching other models is a good idea. It's really one of the most important things that any model can do, especially new models. You might find a lot of answers to your questions by watching models. For example, it might become more clear what sort of offline work might go into shows as you watch the shows that other models put on.

Also advertising on craiglist is a terrible idea! Omg please don't ever do that, that is incredibly dangerous! And I also agree that keeping your day job in addition to camming for at least a few months and gathering a large amount of savings first is definitely the way to go! Camming can fluctuate wildly, especially for new models (but really any models) so quitting your job first would be an incredibly risky move.

Majority of camgirls cam for like a week and quit when they realize that it isn't for them so I wouldn't quit the other job until you know for sure that you enjoy camming. You might find that it isn't empowering like you thought, the money might not be as easy as you thought, the sacrifices you and the SO will have to make might not be worth it, etc. Not trying to be a downer but camming comes with a lot of negatives, closes a shitload of doors, no paid vacations, no benefits, most barely make over minimum wage(don't just assume you will become a top model and make good money), and lots of other negatives. Camming can be a great job but it can also be a terrible job for some. Good luck, hope you enjoy it.