on escort websites

[+ Tom Isern]

Question to clients: How important is it to you for us working guys to have a website? If you find it important, what do you look for? What should be on a website that is not found on a Rentboy.com advertisement? What do you like/dislike in escort websites? Any favorite examples?

 

I was musing on the possibility of creating one myself, so I started looking around. I was, frankly, overwhelmed at what I found. I understand the need to do self-promotion. But am I the only one who finds many of these sites to be nothing but fat layers of flagrant, gratuitous narcissism? I particularly liked it when the “about me” section switched into the second person: “Big-dick-John is absolutely the most gorgeous, largest-hung, smoothest-skinned, bedroomed-eyed, walking hunk of God flesh in the universe.” What kind of personality writes about himself in this way? How can anyone take this bullshit seriously? Or is it a matter of ignoring the text and focusing on the pics?

[BigGayAl]

This is just a personal opinion of course but, when an escort (such as yourself)has a well-written, information-filled profile on Rentboy (the way you do) and whatever other sites he uses, with up-to-date pictures (like yours, I assume), then I see absolutely no reason to go thru the hassle and expense of getting a website. I can't imagine ANYONE not hiring you when your ads are so well put together just because you don't have one. But that's just me.

[alanalt]

I tend to get truly turned off by anyone who refers to themselves in the 3rd person, in ads or websites. IMO, 'how' someone talks about themself is as important as 'what' they say...

 

I won't say I only hire escorts who have their own websites, but I do think of escorts who have sites as having a significant edge. Seeing an escort's website says something to me as a client in that it tells me that the escort is (usually ) serious about what he's doing, and is doing more than going through the motions of trying to attract my business. It doesn't have to be fanciful or an ego trip or layout the escort's life story in exhaustive detail. The good sites do none of these.

 

What do I look for?

A variety of pictures, and preferably in sizes that don't make me squint (where Rentboy currently falls down on).

 

A sufficient amount of text that tells me something about why I would want to hire him, but still leaves me with more to discover in our first meeting.

 

A bit more about an escort's sexual turn-ons than is provided in the RB stat card.

 

The other standard info, like a travel schedule (if applicable) and rates beyond the hourly...

 

Eric from NYC asked on this a couple of months ago, and I thought there was a lot of good feedback you might want to look up as well.

 

Good luck,

 

Alan

[Kevin Slater]

I occasionally get feedback that someone hired me because of my website. It's a good indicator of my personality, lets me host additional pics, and also makes it easy to see when I'll be in any given city next. I really do think you can get a pretty good feeling of what a guy is like by how he promotes himself on his own site.

 

In NYC there are 350 guys listed on Rentboy, anything to help distinguish yourself from the mass can't hurt. Clients have said that a well done website (and not an AOL homepage, for example) makes them feel more comfortable that the escort in question will more likely be professional and not a scammer or a dud. I often want to reply that a quick check on this site might do the same as well.

 

Lastly, other than the effort to set it up (and I'd suggest you spend quite a bit of time and do it well-- which is not to say flashy), the cost is really low. I pay yahoo $12 a month to host mine (on top of I think a $25 start-up cost which included procuring the domain name). It's an easily justified expense.

 

Kevin Slater

[Guest josephga]

I don't care what a person is selling but when i hear music on a web site I'm out of there. no music. don't describe yourself as being the best. as a massage therapist i look at the sites of the competition and i cant stand guys saying the best massage in town. or the best in atl. or the best period. to me theres no best.

[whipped guy]

Since Rentboy (rightly or wrongly) has a certain fly by night connotation associated with it, it is always encouraging to see that an escort has a website. Not only does the presence of a website establish a certain sense of constancy and reliability, but it shows that the escort has at least to some extent an assured business sense. In addition, a website is usually is indicative of the fact that the escort cares about his clients to the extent that he would want to impart as much information as possible to help any potential client make a correct hiring decision.

 

Clients, especially clients that hire dominant top and S&M escorts, particularly like to get that little bit of extra information that only a well designed website can provide. For example, knowing something about the escorts background, hobbies, cultural predilections, and education helps to establish the all important trust and chemistry that is essential for a successful relationship. Accurate pictures, while absolutely essential, are actually of secondary interest.

 

I my self have had better experience on the average with escorts who have websites… and on average the better the design the better the hookup has been…. Of course there are exceptions to every rule….Still knowing an escort has gone the extra mile by having a website is certainly a plus factor when deciding who to hire.

[JT Brooklyn]

There are those Great "Working Guys", who IF it's a "Part Time" Job really don't have the time to devote to a Website.

 

Some of NYC's Finest have just a Rentboy AD and it works Great for them! One Secret is to change the Damn Pix's once in awhile! LOL

 

;-) ;-) ;-)

[Size Obsessed]

“Big-dick-John is absolutely the most gorgeous,

largest-hung, smoothest-skinned, bedroomed-eyed, walking hunk

of God flesh in the universe.”

 

Where exactly would one find this Big-dick-John fella you mention....?

 

;-)

[Kevin Slater]

>I don't care what a person is selling but when i hear music

>on a web site I'm out of there. no music. don't describe

>yourself as being the best. i cant stand guys saying the

>best massage in town. or the best in atl. or the best period.

 

Absolutely right on both counts.

 

Kevin Slater

[whipped guy]

JT... I can see you point. As usual you give a valid and unique perspective... especially regarding the marketing tool of knowing when to change pictures.

 

Being from Brooklyn you virtually live in the candy store… and since I think you prefer vanilla flavored candy you have quite a selection to choose from… Lucky you…

 

However, when looking for a specialist and the pickings are relatively slim… the more information the better.

 

Still, if a guy only has a Rentboy ad and has quite a number of stellar reviews the need for a website almost becomes superfluous.

 

At any rate, for the average working guy living in the City the jury is still out regarding the need for a website… hopefully that jury won’t be sequestered and out for too long…

[Guest Wetnwildbear]

If an Escort is not reviewed or has only one review I find a website

 

to be of greater importance. As other guys have stated it gives me

 

the sense that this person is for real, a professional and will be

 

around for more than the weekend. I think this is especially

 

important for Escorts who are "travelling/visiting" strange cities.

 

 

 

As to the specifics of what a good website should and should not

 

contain, I concur music/sound effects are a big turnoff and I am

 

outta there as fast as I can close the browser window.

 

What it should contain are

 

1)current pics representing the assets that a client would be most pleased to have access to. I have seen escorts who date the pictures, which I find very reassuring.

 

2) Some information on the escorts background and education.

 

3) A discussion of an Escorts Sexual Likes and Dislikes - When a guy says he can go from "mild-to-wild" I always ponder what does he consider wild? I think that he may not be experienced in things that I would consider to be wild! Whereas a guy who lists interest conveys that he is experienced and confident and willing to partake in these activities.

 

4) Rates and Travel Schedule (If he Travels alot) Nothing worse than researching an Escort and getting no reply when you contact him from a city that you the client are visiting.

 

5) A Brief video of the Escort performing selected sections of the Star Spangled Banner - using only Interpretatvie Dance. }(

 

Hope this helps!

[Guest novabear22031]

>Question to clients: How important is it to you for us

>working guys to have a website? If you find it important,

>what do you look for? What should be on a website that is not

>found on a Rentboy.com advertisement? What do you

>like/dislike in escort websites? Any favorite examples?

>

 

You have gotten some great comments so far - most I agree with. I love the site here, the reviews have been very helpful for me. But there have been a few that I have been interested in that don't have reviews found on different "rent" sites - that I would have contacted if they had their own website.

 

I like getting to know the guy that will join me for what ever time we agree upon. One of my four companions so far has a website of their own. It allowed me a better connection to him because of it. In some ways the multiple emails and calls would have been cut down a bit if more had their own website. (I have yet to have a companion for less than three hours BTW. Been tempted to just call up a guy and see about a quickie one hour session - but that is not my style - like some down time chatting between bouts).

 

The best companions website that I remember is of Lynden of DC (sadly he passed away just a week or so before I was to meet him). He kept it fresh with a blog-ish type of atmosphere. Fresh pictures when ever he could.

 

><snip> I understand the need to do self-promotion. But am I

>the only one who finds many of these sites to be nothing but

>fat layers of flagrant, gratuitous narcissism? I particularly

>liked it when the “about me” section switched into the second

>person: “Big-dick-John is absolutely the most gorgeous,

>largest-hung, smoothest-skinned, bedroomed-eyed, walking hunk

>of God flesh in the universe.” What kind of personality

>writes about himself in this way? How can anyone take this

>bullshit seriously? Or is it a matter of ignoring the text

>and focusing on the pics?

>

 

Some I think forget that in marketing sometimes less is more. I never understood the second person thing - a real turn off for me. Like I mentioned above, I like feeling a connection with my companion. And him for me. When they talk in the second person, I might as well as be trying to have sex while thinking of a baseball game!

 

Lets face it, it is the pics that is the eye candy that brings us clients on board in the first place. For some clients that is all they need. IMO I think a greater number of clients would love to know more about the guy behind the pics than what RB and other sites allow for.

 

Not everyone has found the DR site, or has been lucky enough to have a review posted. So having a website could help. In fact that is how I found the DR here. Did a google looking around and came across a companions website that listed his DR reviews.

 

Hope this helps....

[Epigonos]

I have now been hiring escorts for five years on a regular basis. In all of those five years I have only hired one guy who didn't have a review on this site or MER. I look at escorts web site more as a voyeur than as a serious shopper. Yes I use rentboy but only to check the photos of new guys in whom I might have an interest. If I find an interesting guy I then come to this site or MER and see what others have to say about him. I have come to believe, considering what I read here and on MER, that truth in advertising is even weaker in the escort marketplace than in the general marketplace. Thus I am FAR more likely to trust the opinions of reviewers, who over the years I have come to trust, than anything an escort might say on his web site.

[+ Tom Isern]

Guys this is really helpful. Thanks for the comments so far; keep them coming. And thanks for pointing to the previous thread...

[Guest novabear22031]

You are welcome... it is the discussions that go on here in the DRMC that matter most sometimes.

 

To lazy to do a search to confirm this, but IIRC there was a recent thread that mentioned your being willing to set up a sling for a 2 hour minimum session. If I am wrong, sorry. <blush> Only one review here on the DR mentioned the sling. Nothing about that on RB, and that could be a draw if you had your own website. I know that it peaked my interest in trying to make to NYC for a visit. <EG>

 

You asked before about things we clients might like to see in a website. I also have enjoyed visiting a few that offered a reason to return. Not just for your eye candy, or the hopes of being in the same city at the same time.

 

But also for some insight/instruction on "hiring" or special interests (like your use of the sling) that give us a broader view of who you are as a person.

 

Believe or not, some of us look at companions as being more than just a decent body or a decent cock. One companion that I have shared a few emails with, shares my love of photography. We have shared links to each others works. Again, if he and I are ever to be able to find each other in the same city - I will be sure to see if we can book sometime together.

[Epigonos]

Tom after doing the research I should have done before my last post on this thread let me add the following. After viewing your ad on rentboy and reading your twelve outstanding reviews on this site I can't imagine what you might post on a web site not covered in those two places. Now I need to state that I don't have a shy bone in my body and that if there was any information I wanted not covered on rentboy or in your reviews I would ask you. You simply cannot provide on any web site every answer to every question that every potential client might ask. I have always felt that the client has 50% of the responsibility for determining that he and the escort are compatable. If one can't be honest about sex and sexual desires with an escort then exactly with whom the hell can one be!

[Louis]

I agree with the music, and really don't like it on escort web sites.

What I would like to see an escort do however is talk in his own voice on his web site. I think it would be great to hear an escort's voice. So a person could go to one of his pages where he talks about various intrestes for example or where he has travelled, and see the words written on the screen, but also hear them being read by the escort. What I would do would be to say what I was going to say, then print out the transcript.

So lets say you read a great review on Aaron Mark, where the reviewer also commented about his accent. It would be great to hear Aaron's voice on his web page.

[whipped guy]

Tom… if I can be the "fly in the ointment", I just checked out your Rentboy ad via the link you provided… It states the following:”Check out my new reviews on male4malescorts.com”. Now when one goes to male4malescorts.com one finds a dead end (actually and ironically for this thread an offer to buy a domain name!)… Well all of us here know that M4M is really no more…and while most of us in this forum know where you are coming from… to the uninformed it does not exactly offer assurance and confidence about your reliability and dependability… and possibly could be seen as evidence of someone who is lax and negligent… Consequently, to the average person checking you out for the first time it might even be the red flag that might prevent them from contacting you.

 

Just an observation since I think we are all being honest and forthright in our discussion here…

 

On the other hand, the photos showing you water skiing and horse back riding are a nice touch… it coveys something about your interests and personality… I see those as possibly being the seedlings for an attention-grabbing website.

[OceanTraveller]

I don't think that you really need a website . I was actually looking for your ad twice recently to see if you were still in the business and it is very tasteful and classy. It tells me most of what I want to know and most importantly it makes me want to see you :-) The biggest disadvantage to the Rentboy listing that I saw was that it was near the end of a LONG list for Manhattan and some folks may not peruse that far into the ads. I will say however that once I did get to your ad that all of the others became unmemorable; but I do find you to be extremely attractive and desirable all the way around and that's just my thoughts ! You definitely need to come for a visit!:-)

[+ deej]

You've got some great input here.

 

A website is not an absolute necessity but it does give you a way to present a more rounded and complete "view" of yourself than an ad on Rentboy gives you. (You use that space well, but it can't be all there is of you.)

 

Others have weighed in on sound, and I agree completely. NO DAMN SOUND. ;-)

 

But if you want to give a recording of your own voice, make it something the visitor can click on. They can opt-in to the sound.

 

Just this evening, I bumped into a website for a kid that advertises on craigslist in LA. Interestingly, the photos he uses on CL have his face obscured, but on his website it's on full display. (He's cute!)

 

Sadly, as websites go, his is a bit of a mess. Website design is not a career option for him.

 

The thing NOT to do with a website is to go in half-assed and produce something that does not present you in the best possible light. If you do it right, it can't hurt you. If you do it wrong, it might.

[seattlebottom]

About three years ago there was an escort page with a short 25 second video clip of the escort on it. The guy spoke to the camera and it was pretty hot. Sorry, I don't remember who the escort was or the url. I'm actually surprised that rentboy or another site hasn't taken a look at the youtube phenomena and tried to incorporate something similar on their site.

[Guest zipperzone]

If you do decide to put up a web site, please refrain from turning it into a travelogue. Some escorts think it is smart to impress the potential client with dozens of pics taken in every city & country they have ever visited. And some of the pics don't even show the escort!

 

Nor do we want to see a picture of the escort in every T shirt he has ever owned.

 

If you are a bottom - show your bottom. If your NOT a bottom, by all means show A picture of it, but to show 5 or 6 of the unavailable spendor constitites false advertising IMO.

[whipped guy]

Re: If your NOT a bottom, by all means show A picture of it, but to show 5 or 6 of the unavailable spendor constitites false advertising IMO.[/font color=blue]

 

I recall one "Top Only" escort that used to put a disclaimer on his enticing butt shots. It read, "Sorry guys! Absolutely NOT interested"!

[Steven_Draker]

>I particularly liked it when the “about me” section switched into the second person: “Big-dick-John is absolutely the most gorgeous,

>largest-hung, smoothest-skinned, bedroomed-eyed, walking hunk of God flesh in the universe.”

>What kind of personality writes about himself in this way? How can anyone take this bullshit seriously?

 

I can still take if someone thinks of himself as horse-hung, drop-dead gorgeous God. More power to him!

What bothers me is that an escort who's 45 years old advertises as 39 yo or a barebacking escort promotes "safe sex" on his website ... and the saddest thing is that I'm not making that up.

 

Steven Draker ~

[a href=http://www.hotsexystud.com/uk]website[/a] [a href=http://www.daddysreviews.com/review.php?who=steven_draker_brussels]reviews[/a]

[+ Tom Isern]

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