Returning to the industry

[cromagnonmale]

Just joined the site after years from watching from the sidelines - heya!

I am returning to SW through RM after a hiatus of a couple years, as 1. guys keep hitting me up on Grindr making offers and 2. my longtime sponsor, with whom I had many beautiful experiences, recently passed away, reminding me how important and powerful this work can be. My former profile had face and body pictures and descriptions of things I can provide, but now I intend to be much more selective, and much more discreet. I now live in a small town in a small state where discretion feels right. I posted a new profile, with just two pictures, face cropped out, and a description that I hope communicates that I am warm and friendly and I know what I am doing. I am curious if guys here would shy away from a profile with only two pictures, both without faces. I am also interested in any other general advice you have for returning to the biz in 2023. Thank you so much, and glad to finally join this site. 

[samhexum]

14 minutes ago, cromagnonmale said:

Accidentally posted this in wrong section - sorry, new here! Trying to delete first post, cant figure out how.

Click on the dots in the upper right corner of your post, and

 

[TorontoDrew]

Welcome to the site.

Two pictures might not be enough unless they really show your entire body.  There's a lot of discussion on here about face pics.  For me it's okay but others insist on them.  Do what you feel comfortable with.

Make sure you fill in the Into section and write a good description of what services you provide.

Good luck!

[+ azdr0710]

welcome to the forum.....I'm sure you know by now that it's the best site of its kind and a lot of good comment is offered

two faceless pictures is fine, but be ready for requests for a face picture!......keep the profile upbeat and accurate

and you can spell "discreet"!! 😉  ...always the primary test around here!!......ha!

re: discretion....I hope the "small town/small state" thing isn't too much of a worry for you......

I hope you stick around and offer thoughts and ideas......lots of good people here, except for that one grump!

[pubic_assistance]

1 hour ago, cromagnonmale said:

I am curious if guys here would shy away from a profile with only two pictures, both without faces.

Sorry to hear about your recent loss.

To answer your question: YES. Two faceless photos never gives me any confidence that I will be meeting that person at the door.

I grew up in a small conservative city, so I understand the need for discretion.   but......

If you're going faceless, as minimum you need more than a few body photos to compensate, and I have noticed there are plenty of men who will overlook a chance to see your face if you're showing them a nice dick or ass. ( Not how I am wired, but certainly have observed many who are so ).

Good luck with your return to the business.

[+ DynamicUno]

While I understand and respect your wanting some discretion by not having a face picture, it will cause a lot of guys pass you over.  You should make the most of the pictures you do post, making sure they show you off in the best way possible.  You could also have your face pic available in a private album for serious inquiries as a compromise.

Hope you have good success with your second time in the business.

 

 

[marylander1940]

1 hour ago, cromagnonmale said:

Accidentally posted this in wrong section - sorry, new here! Trying to delete first post, cant figure out how. Anyway:

Just joined the site after years from watching from the sidelines - heya!

I am returning to SW through RM after a hiatus of a couple years, as 1. guys keep hitting me up on Grindr making offers and 2. my longtime sponsor, with whom I had many beautiful experiences, recently passed away, reminding me how important and powerful this work can be. My former profile had face and body pictures and descriptions of things I can provide, but now I intend to be much more selective, and much more discreet. I now live in a small town in a small state where discretion feels right. I posted a new profile, with just two pictures, face cropped out, and a description that I hope communicates that I am warm and friendly and I know what I am doing. I am curious if guys here would shy away from a profile with only two pictures, both without faces. I am also interested in any other general advice you have for returning to the biz in 2023. Thank you so much, and glad to finally join this site. 

First of all, sorry about the passing of your sugar daddy!

Maybe after first contact you should share more faceless pics. I certainly wouldn't hire with only 2 pictures either but let's consider you're in a small city of a small state show many other choices do folks have? 

Good luck!

42 minutes ago, DynamicUno said:

While I understand and respect your wanting some discretion by not having a face picture, it will cause a lot of guys pass you over.  You should make the most of the pictures you do post, making sure they show you off in the best way possible.  You could also have your face pic available in a private album for serious inquiries as a compromise.

Hope you have good success with your second time in the business.

 

 

 

Discretion goes both ways in small towns and states. The OP doesn't want to be recognized and folks hiring him and taking him out to dinner don't want to be seen as someone taking an escort out either. 

[+ nycman]

Normally, a faceless ad would be an "hard pass" for me. 

The only exception would be if some longtime member of this community, whose taste I shared, vouched that you were a stunning and work the risk. 

I believe originally Mike Grey and Junior Stellano did not have face pics. I hired them both based on recommendations from here. Years later, I still dream of both of them and their incredible beauty. 

[cromagnonmale]

Thanks everyone - these are all great replies. I'll need to take some new dick/bod pics that eliminate identifying tattoos. I was also thinking of posting a couple with my body and notecards that say my profile name so that it doesnt look like a catfish situation and perhaps get more creative. 

Also, appreciate the condolences. He was an amazing man.

[CuriousByNature]

Yes, please accept my condolences for your loss, and may 2024 bring you much happiness and success.  You sound like a decent and thoughtful guy 

Regarding the photos, I would be more concerned about the lack of face pictures if your chosen name here was 'neanderthalman' instead of 'cromagnonman'.  And perhaps consider using 'homoerectusman' for your RM profile   

[Jarrod_Uncut]

13 hours ago, cromagnonmale said:

Just joined the site after years from watching from the sidelines - heya!

I am returning to SW through RM after a hiatus of a couple years, as 1. guys keep hitting me up on Grindr making offers and 2. my longtime sponsor, with whom I had many beautiful experiences, recently passed away, reminding me how important and powerful this work can be. My former profile had face and body pictures and descriptions of things I can provide, but now I intend to be much more selective, and much more discreet. I now live in a small town in a small state where discretion feels right. I posted a new profile, with just two pictures, face cropped out, and a description that I hope communicates that I am warm and friendly and I know what I am doing. I am curious if guys here would shy away from a profile with only two pictures, both without faces. I am also interested in any other general advice you have for returning to the biz in 2023. Thank you so much, and glad to finally join this site. 

I feel your plight. Over the years I’ve lost at least 2 or 3 “sponsors” that I was aware of their passing. In fact, I just talked to the mom of one the other day: who’s been in ICU for past 2-3 weeks. I know he told me he went in, but then I hadn’t heard back from him. So I reached out. Sounds like there’s been some improvement, but I don’t think he’ll be able to do any “activity” for awhile…not to mention the financial part I can only imagine. 

That’s also a reason why I try to stay traveling and taking new clients, relying on 1 dependable client can feel like a loss of a spouse depending on the arrangement. I know some people wish for having that 1 rich client to pay all their bills, but I’ve seen it go the other way: The “sugar baby” dying and the client suddenly losing companionship, etc…

Anyhow, going into 2024…it’s definitely probably different since you left. I think small towns and small states aren’t the worst idea, simply because many of the bigger cities are becoming so popular with local and traveling escorts. That can make it hard to stand out, depending on who you are and where. I’d just work your magic, and see where it takes you:

[Simon Suraci]

Welcome! I echo many of the sentiments so far. Cheers to closing a chapter, moving on, and re-entering.

[Guest]

16 hours ago, cromagnonmale said:

reminding me how important and powerful this work can be.

A true professional; best wishes for a happy and prosperous New Year!

[marylander1940]

8 hours ago, cromagnonmale said:

Thanks everyone - these are all great replies. I'll need to take some new dick/bod pics that eliminate identifying tattoos. I was also thinking of posting a couple with my body and notecards that say my profile name so that it doesnt look like a catfish situation and perhaps get more creative. 

Also, appreciate the condolences. He was an amazing man.

I hate to be a bummer but how big are those tattoos and where are they placed? How visible are they when you're fully dressed? 

Are you open to travel to big cities?

[soloyo215]

18 hours ago, cromagnonmale said:

I am curious if guys here would shy away from a profile with only two pictures, both without faces. I am also interested in any other general advice you have for returning to the biz in 2023. Thank you so much, and glad to finally join this site. 

Hello, and welcome back to the industry. Consider your license and certification to practice in all states valid and current 🙂.

As a client, I always want to see as much as possible, but depending on how those two pictures are and what they show, they may or may not be sufficient. I have hired providers who don't show face in their profile. Not ideal to me, but I figure that people have many reasons not to show their face (although sometimes they show things that can identify them, such as tattoos and outdoor places where they pose). If you create a profile with not too many pictures, my suggestion is to make the written portion of it rich in information, so prospective clients can have more information about what you can offer. That can help balance the limited amount of pictures.

I have read discussions here of clients being suspicious of profiles with only a few pictures, or no face. So it could be a problem for you as a provider. Is there a reason why just two pictures? Could you add more, even if they don't show face? Maybe in time? Variety and versatility can be good selling points. Just something to consider.

[+ KensingtonHomo]

I'm sorry for your loss. 

I agree with what others have said. If you don't post a face pic, people may insist on seeing one before they take the plunge. I've made one exception to that rule because that provider had stellar reviews on RM and here. I didn't regret it, and I see this provider regularly. But, I'm not comfortable inviting someone over if I don't know who to expect. 

[nate_sf]

16 hours ago, cromagnonmale said:

Thanks everyone - these are all great replies. I'll need to take some new dick/bod pics that eliminate identifying tattoos. I was also thinking of posting a couple with my body and notecards that say my profile name so that it doesnt look like a catfish situation and perhaps get more creative. 

Also, appreciate the condolences. He was an amazing man.

I think you’re on the right track here. Maybe at least five photos. They don’t need to show your face but should give a sense of what you’re like. I don’t think you need to worry about the notecards with your profile… usually the catfishing involves too-good-to-be-true Instagram type images, and almost always show the guy’s face. With your faceless pics people will just assume you’re wanting to be discreet. 

Speaking of discreet, you could mention in your ad text something about discretion being important to you, and that you’ll offer that in return. That will help explain the faceless pics, and will also offer assurance to clients who may also value privacy. Small town after all!

As for what’s changed in 2023, I’m not sure how long you’ve been away, but the biggest change is probably the communication styles. Lots more text exchanges than years ago. There’s no shortage of discussions in that regard on this forum!

[cromagnonmale]

Well gee golly have I learned a lot in the past 24 hours, both from yall and sources around the web. 

My biggest take away has been that law enforcement is using facial recognition software to target providers and clients alike at international borders and turning them away, which sounds like only the beginning of what this tech can be used to do. My having done SW within the past ten years puts my squarely on these lists, though I am somewhat more free to move around as a US citizen, and that could easily change. This is very scary and does not incentivize me to put my face back on any databases any time soon. I did read that residents of certain jurisdictions can request to have their images removed from a certain image scraping database, but one has to upload their official ID along with their request for removal. Such legally muddled requests to a legally dubious entity does not give me much confidence that it would help, but their not keeping their word only keeps me in their databases, so I am debating whether or not to do so. What a wild time we live in. 

[cromagnonmale]

13 hours ago, marylander1940 said:

I hate to be a bummer but how big are those tattoos and where are they placed? How visible are they when you're fully dressed? 

Are you open to travel to big cities?

Unfortunately, it's a couple of big tattoos, but I am thinking of covering them up to take more pictures. I am open to traveling to big cities but I always struggle to "work" when I do that, as I tend to go into vacation mode and spend the time with friends or boys I meet, often drinking, and I dont love breaking away from friends to "work" and definitely don't drink before a session. 

[marylander1940]

2 minutes ago, cromagnonmale said:

Unfortunately, it's a couple of big tattoos, but I am thinking of covering them up to take more pictures. I am open to traveling to big cities but I always struggle to "work" when I do that, as I tend to go into vacation mode and spend the time with friends or boys I meet, often drinking, and I dont love breaking away from friends to "work" and definitely don't drink before a session. 

I'm sure clients might even like your tattoos once they see you in person.

you can do two things at once, go on a trip, book clients, and after you're done hang out with friends, go out, drink, etc. I know many escorts who do that on every trip. 

[cromagnonmale]

1 minute ago, marylander1940 said:

I'm sure clients might even like your tattoos once they see you in person.

you can do two things at once, go on a trip, book clients, and after you're done hang out with friends, go out, drink, etc. I know many escorts who do that on every trip. 

For sure, and I have done that. The problem I always faced was the fact that guys booking are a. feeling me out, chatting, trying to decide, b. wanting to book during what I call "prime time" which is like, friday/saturday nights, and c. wanting to book at the last minute when I have less than a day left in my trip and I wiped out, using that time to get last moments in with friends or the place I am visiting. Rarely are guys booking and pulling the trigger and wanting to hang in the front end of my visit. 

[+ Coolwave35]

I’ll bite!  
 

what’s your link on rm? 

[cromagnonmale]

CroMagMale - I took down my second pic because it showed the lower half of my face and I have spent the day reading about the horrors of facial recognition software and law enforcement. I am trying to decide what to do with the profile going forward. 

[marylander1940]

3 minutes ago, cromagnonmale said:

For sure, and I have done that. The problem I always faced was the fact that guys booking are a. feeling me out, chatting, trying to decide, b. wanting to book during what I call "prime time" which is like, friday/saturday nights, and c. wanting to book at the last minute when I have less than a day left in my trip and I wiped out, using that time to get last moments in with friends or the place I am visiting. Rarely are guys booking and pulling the trigger and wanting to hang in the front end of my visit. 

Just tell them you're not available after 9 PM on Friday but you have all Saturday free. Escorting is a wonderful way to make money in a fast way but sometimes it requires making choices. 

[cromagnonmale]

Just now, marylander1940 said:

Just tell them you're not available after 9 PM on Friday but you have all Saturday free. Escorting is a wonderful way to make money in a fast way but sometimes it requires making choices. 

For sure, that makes sense. We will see if I can stand out in a city setting without face pics. Really, my ultimate hope is develop some good ongoing relationships, and I am okay with it not working out that way. It might well be my days as a regularly active provider are in the past and this will happen more organically if at all. That said, I really do enjoy this work. It's beautiful and powerful and divine at the best of times. But returning to the website seems more complicated today than it was a few years ago.