Rating the escorts

[BuckyXTC]

While I'm not complaining about the current system of escort reviews, I have from time to time wondered about the feasibility and usefulness of a system much like the one used for rating books on Amazon.com. One of the things I like about the Amazon system is that as each person submits a review, there is a running tabulation of scores with each book receving one to five stars. It would be interesting to be able to visit a page within this site where you could, at a glance, see a list of the five star escorts, or a list of escorts categorized by types, twinks, tops, bottoms, versatile, body builders. Or perhaps an advanced search engine where you could specify escort age range, type, location, price range, endowment size, the list could go on and on. I realize that as a technical issue, this might have been better to post in Daddy's domain, but I wanted to know what the participating users of this site thought about this, more than just the issue of technical feasibility. Sometimes it would be nice to just cut to the chase in finding a desired escort type with good ratings, as opposed to sorting through the wheat and the chaff. Then, on the other hand, sometimes the whole process of exploring reviews one by one can be an entertaining enterprise.

What do you think?

[alanalt]

I dunno. Technical issues aside, I must confess I look at the monthly 'coverboy' voting with a cynical eye -- though I participate anyways, which tells you something! :-)

 

I suppose you could rate out of five stars in several categories, like 'looks' 'personality' 'sexual performance' and 'compatability' but quite frankly, I'm not sure what those indicators will mean to different people and of course tastes/expectations vary.

 

No, I'm pretty sure that I prefer the current system. Yeah, you have to wade through a lot of verbage and, yes, there are occasional frustrations (e.g. 'I found him through his website but I'm not going to give you the URL'), but overall through this system I can get a 'feel' for the reviewer as much as the escort and that's important when evaluating the review.

 

Besides with all respect to Amazon, if i but a book that's 'highly rated' but I think is terrible, I'm only going to be out $5-40. If I'm misled about an escort, I'm out a lot more...

 

Cheers,

 

Alan

[BuckyXTC]

Alan:

 

You may be correct with your misgivings. I wasn't thinking of the Star rating system as being in place of what we currently have, but as an addition. I thought about what you said, went back to Amazon and did a search on my favorite novel. And, as you might guess, some folks loved it and others hated it, so the star rating had it at about 3 and a half stars. Only about eight persons had given opinions, and for a book, that's not a very big sampling of opinion. Two really negative opinions would drag it down considerably, as was the instance in this case.

 

Oh well, maybe it wasn't such a good idea after all. By the way, the novel I looked up was "The Promise of Rest" by Reynolds Price. It is a powerful story with a gay/HIV/AIDS theme written by a man I consider one of America's finest living authors, who also happens to be gay.

[Guest Kalifornia]

Bucky to take it even further the entire escort review form is sort of dated. I also agree the current rating system holds little value.

 

I know this will be unpopular to say, hey what the fuck... HooBoy is like AOL without the censorship. In his mind if the masses keep coming (and they are) and the financial aspect of the busiiness is holding its own, then why change it? Just look at an escort who has had reviews from the start of the site. The evloution of the form, and this site for that matter, has been like removing a tablespoon of salt from the Pacific ocean.

 

Every so often we have seen a slight modification. And that is about all we will ever get

 

Mark -Kalifornia

[Losgatan]

Hoo is currently in the process of totally redoing the review portion of this site. The new version will be database driven -- so some of the suggestions you've made should not be too hard to implement.

 

I don't know how far along this process is or if Hoo would be interested in receiving suggestions at this point. You might try sending him a private email or note and see what happens.

[Guest Kalifornia]

>Hoo is currently in the process of totally redoing the

>review portion of this site. The new version will be

>database driven -- so some of the suggestions you've made

>should not be too hard to implement.

>

>I don't know how far along this process is or if Hoo would

>be interested in receiving suggestions at this point. You

>might try sending him a private email or note and see what

>happens.

 

Logaston, With all respect he has been working on this database for about 14 months now. Too bad the original archive threads were lost (for the lounge). He even had mentioned it several times and at tone point asked for or thanksed several people for their assistance. I miht be wrong but I believe escort Jasen Rhodes from NYC was one who might have helped some.

 

So anyone reading this should not hold their breath waiting for any facelift of this site.

 

Besides HooBoy is probably too busy testing the escorts to worry about anything else at the moment

 

Mark -Kalifornia

[Guest ncm2169]

Good thought!! I've only been viewing this site for a year, but for me, the biggest issue here is the CREDIBILITY of the reviews. I know Hooboy has some sort of checking system, and while I'm sure he's done all he can to make it failsafe, even he admits it's not perfect. So, how do you factor THAT into an Amazon.com-type rating system?? (For example, do you you rank a first-time review less than one from a multiple reviewer?) Frankly, I'd rather have Hooboy allocate resources to verifying credibility. After all, if these reviews aren't credible, what good is this site? I haven't talked (or emailed) to Hooboy about this, but if he is a good businessman and wants this site to last, he surely must acknowledge my point that credibility of reviews is the ABSOLUTE KEY to survival of this site! (Except, unless, Hooboy wants to publish an adult porn fiction site).

[BuckyXTC]

Although we've had some differences of opinion from time to time, I'm more than willing to cut Hooboy some slack on however long it takes to give the site a "facelift". I might feel differently if this were a site where we were required to pay a subscription fee to access it, as is the case with so many adult sites. And if he is too busy to do the facelift because he's tied up sampling escorts himself, I say power to him. Wish my resources would allow me to sample more myself.

 

I started this thread, mainly because of wishful thinking on my part, that it would be really nifty to be able to enter a search for blond, blue eyed 20 year old, cock over six inches, cut or uncut, and find a list of those escorts who fit that description. If it doesn't happen, it certainly won't be the end of the world as we know it.

 

Now I"m poised for the flames from those who will say I'm kissing Hooboy's ass. That's ok. If I hadn't availed myself of this site and started hiring escorts, I might not know what one tastes like, or that I like it.

[Guest ncm2169]

Since I'm lazy and tired at 2:15 am, it's easier to reply to all the "sub-threads" here. First, I ADORE this site! Hooboy is a f**king genius for creating this site! :-)

I thought the poster's issue was NOT Hooboy's creation, nor his lifestyle :9 , but rather whether improvements could be made in the site. It was in that spirit that I offered my comments. I have no clue how to improve the screening for credibility of reviews. I do however know, as a businessman myself, that it takes FAR MORE ingenuity and creativity to build something than it takes to nitpick it once it's built. COME ON GUYZ! Give Hooboy a break. If we have constructive suggestions, let's offer them. For those who draw cynical conclusions about Hooboy's motives with this site, I say, put your money and your energy where your mouth is and, if you can create a better site, GREAT! That's the American Way! But until then, remember, cheap shot artists are a dime a dozen ;-)

[Guest JT]

> Or perhaps an advanced search

>engine where you could specify escort age range, type,

>location, price range, endowment size, the list could go on

>and on.

 

Excellent idea, Bucky! A user-friendly search engine that would allow us to find escorts in a particular location based on a number of search parametes (e.g. top/bottom/versatile, age, etc.) will be great. It would save people's time and make it easier for them to find the escort(s) they like. This is likely to help attract more people to come vitit this site!

 

JT

(Hey Bucky, long time no talk! Hope things are going well with you!) :-)

[Will]

It won't come as any surprise when I say that I'm with ncm: I ADORE this site. One of the things I like about it is the way its apparatus is so transparent to the user. In other words, all the emphasis here is on ideas and information, and not on silly computer-graphics-driven gimmics. I'm afraid I belong to the "if it ain't broke don't fix it" club when it comes to these sorts of things, particularly because I'm easily annoyed by technical geegaws (is that how you spell it?) that seem to serve the interests of the web designer more than the user's. I love the simplicity and straightforwardness of M4M. In fact, its design precisely mirrors its character.

 

That said, I have to agree with Bucky that it would be nice to have some kind of search engine that would comb the escort reviews according to very simple categories. As it is, it's now easy to sort them geographically; but sometimes that's not what's wanted. I have some categories in mind myself -- very broad, general ones -- but I haven't put it all together yet for a coherent expression here. My basic point is that I love this site and would hate for anything to change its feel. On the other hand, maybe some search features would be useful for preserving that character.

[+ Charlie]

Like Will, what I appreciate about this site is its simplicity of use. I also believe that any sorting mechanism is bound to eliminate some interesting prospects that one can only discover by reading the full review carefully.

 

And until he starts charging for it, I will not complain about anything Hooboy chooses to do with the site.

[+ bigjoey]

count me with will and charlie. "if it ain't broke..." also, i have my preference for blond, blue eyed, hung.... BUT i have made some wonderful discoveries from this site of dark, brown eyed... totally not my type but who got such wonderful reviews of their skills and service i thought they needed a try. if i limited my search, i would have missed these great experiences even though they did not match my preferences. through this i have learned to broaden what i like.

 

a rating system would be hard to keep honest. i tend to trust the reviews of certain reviewers but am a doubter on a first time reviewer of a new escort until there are more reviews. it is not only imrortant to know what the review says but who did the review.

 

hoo boy deserves alot of credit and thanks. having the site free brings in more viewers and posters. when i travel, it is a wonderful resource for finding men.

[Guest Merlin]

I think it would be helpful if we could add comments after a review without doing a complete review. For example, the was a recent negative review of Carlito in LA. I thought of adding the comment that he is the same guy who has been reviewed as Ray Acosta and another name (which I forget at the moment). He periodically changes his name and photo (often not his own)to catch some new suckers. There appears to be no way to add this comment without doing another review. Similarly, the guys reviewed as Orlik and Martin are the same guy and he now uses his own name Konstantin Ruzanov, and is one of the most popular bodybuilders in town.

[Guest Kalifornia]

Merlin in the past I have noticed the same thing. I emailed HooBoy who apparently looked into it and placed a flag or a warning by the escorts in question. I think if anyone emails him with something (I consider) this serious he will act upon it. If you email him about a fake review... well you are wasting his and your own time. Again serious situations I have found that he will act on if the information (as the examples you give) are proven correct.

 

The problem with the idea of adding to a review should be apparent. It would need to be "moderated" first as people would abuse an open door. That would be very time consuming since the information would have to be checked in every situation. In this Message Center no one checks the information, it is moderated for well I am not sure what it is moderated for, LOL.

 

Mark -Kalifornia

[Guest Tampa Yankee]

One more echo here of the comments of Will and Charlie – they are bang-on.

 

HB and this site have served us well!! In the past HB has resisted many short-sighted (in my view) calls for ‘innovations’. It seems to me that most of the calls for innovations are motivated by the desire for ease of use for quick data retrieval. However the data must be useful. Ease of use in extracting meaningful data is facilitated by automation not homogenization. The sorting enhancements in the works will be a true innovation for the user.

 

Ratings: they have been tried before and failed. They were not numerical but descriptive as in: excellent, good, etc. Numbers won’t make the difference.

 

In my last three reviews (one yet to appear) I instituted my own ad hoc (and incomplete) rating system (1 to 10) for certain factors and in an instance or two I gave the benchmark for my 10. In the context of a single reviewer a rating means something about what the reviewer likes and what he gets from those he has hired. However, across reviewers there is no correlation of scores – 10’s by two different reviewers might mean quite different expectations were met. The best description is still the written comments that we have. Unfortunately not everyone writes a descriptive review – that’s too bad. However, I don’t think I would have any more confidence in a reviewer’s numerical rating than I would have from his sketchy comments.

 

Bottom line: there is no other review web site like this in the universe (that I know of anyway) and no pretenders within light years.

[Huey]

>One more echo here of the comments of Will and Charlie –

>they are bang-on.

>

In the past HB has

>resisted many short-sighted (in my view) calls for

>‘innovations’.

Short sighted? What is short sighted about a nice looking interface and a searchable database?

 

It seems to me that most of the calls for

>innovations are motivated by the desire for ease of use for

>quick data retrieval.

And this is a problem because....?

 

However the data must be useful.

>Ease of use in extracting meaningful data is facilitated by

>automation not homogenization. The sorting enhancements in

>the works will be a true innovation for the user.

I have read the above several times and haven't a clue what you are trying to say in your view. I do not feel Amazon is "homogenized" and they have a very goods searchable database. Even a few of the escort ad sites have reasonable searches available.

 

 

TY your justification is very weak

 

-----------

WAR IS OVER

if you want it

GIVE PEACE A CHANCE

[Rick Munroe]

>I have from time to time wondered about the

>feasibility and usefulness of a system much like the one

>used for rating books on Amazon.com.

 

Why not take it a step further? You guys should be able to buy our time online, too, just like on amazon. You'd be able to click an amount (hourly, overnight, weekend), put it in your shopping cart, and when you're ready to check out, just pay by credit card and wait for my ass...I mean, wait for your package of joy to arrive. And if you're dissatisfied, you can always resell it on ebay.

 

It's 5:30 AM; this was the best I could do.

[Guest Tampa Yankee]

>I have read the above several times and haven't a clue what

>you are trying to say in your view.

 

I agree.

 

Sort = power search = real innovation

 

Hope this helps.

[+ deej]

>You guys should be able to

>buy our time online, too, just like on amazon.

 

Actually, a lot of guys have been using PayPal for just that. :9

 

I've done it, for the convenience of not having to run around looking for an ATM. The downside, of course, is that you're paying in advance. You KNOW how popular THAT is around here. x( I've only done it with guys I know.

[Rick Munroe]

>Actually, a lot of guys have been using PayPal for just that.

 

And I thought I was being so clever. Actually, I've used Paypal, too, but I haven't sold my ass on ebay yet. Working on it, tho. }>

[Rick Munroe]

Thanks to BuckyXTC, who sent this to me. Let the bidding wars begin.

 

http://members.aol.com/lucyeth/RickEbay.jpg

[+ BenjaminNicholas]

Would it be possible to find this 'special' item from a Marketplace Seller at a cheaper used price?

 

 

Warmest Regards.

 

 

Benjamin Nicholas

Escort@ChiKindaKid.com

http://www.ChiKindaKid.com

[Rick Munroe]

>Would it be possible to find this 'special' item from a

>Marketplace Seller at a cheaper used price?

 

Them's fightin' words, kid. :+

[+ BenjaminNicholas]

*sounds of 'Dueling Banjos' playing softly in the background*

 

 

Who's the Hatfield and who are the McCoys then?

 

 

Warmest Regards,

 

 

Benjamin Nicholas

Escort@ChiKindaKid.com

http://www.ChiKindaKid.com