With other sites closing have you noticed more people on here looking for more than cuddling?

pmvines

For those who either aren't aware or don't really care, Craigslist and Backpage have both within the last week or so closed down their personals sections, and Craigslist has even closed down their therapeutic ads section. This is all due to some new government reg to try to curb prostitution that holds the website responsible. Other similar sites, like ECCIE and Seeking Arrangements I'm sure are soon to follow. I can only imagine this will lead to a lot more migration to sites like this from those either seeking to get or seeking to give more than platonic services. Just curious if anybody has noticed that as of yet.

BlueIris

Since the sex sites and sites with sex ads have shut down, I've noticed an increase in new users on CC with (a) inappropriate photos, (b) filthy screen names and (c) empty profiles. When I get messaged from new people now, it's almost predictable that their profiles are empty. Typically their first message to me is "when are you available," with no sort of personal introduction or small talk. While they aren't blatant about asking for nonplatonic services at the outset, I find that if they're reluctant to engage in conversation and avoid answering the question "did you read the CSA", those are usually two things that are red flags.

I do expect to see more of these guys migrate here. I think if a 25 word minimum were imposed on profile pages, it might discourage the ones who want to get on here as fast as possible and start annoying people with inappropriate messages.

UKGuy

@pmvines I'm familiar with both sites you mention. Backpage personals was 99% women advertising for men (for a fee). I don't think any men advertised on there, or at least I never saw that section. They also had a massage section which was mostly genuine massage adverts, many by legitimate LMTs. I find it highly doubtful many of the women advertising on Backpage would see Cuddle Comfort as a fruitful hunting ground. As for Craigslist, that was very localized and also time-sensitive, so again I cant see those needs being easily transferable to CC. There might be some carry-over effect but I imagine it would not be that great. It's a shame Craigslist closed its Therapeutic Services section as that was mostly legitimate massage businesses run by women. I also saw yoga studios and some pro cuddlers on there. I don't know where they will advertise now. I imagine it will put many women-owned busineses out of operation.

ubergigglefritz

This whole situation pisses me off, honestly. I didn't realize CL closed their therapeutic ads section also, which is even more frustrating. Where do we advertise now? Can we just get out of the dark ages and let people do whatever they want with their own bodies so I can go about my platonic business without all this hoop jumping? :-(

ubergigglefritz

*It's annoying because those people will still find ways to advertise, hidden in other places. Just the way it is. Life will continue. You can't squash a human need and a woman's desire to make a living. Yet it hurts all the innocent people using the categories as intended. Like a lot of government attempted intervention, it doesn't seem to be accomplishing the goal, yet hurts a lot of unintended people :-P

AshleyCuddles

Yeah I asked Mark when they first closed the personals. They are here for sure. Mark said that he has been banning inappropriate profiles like crazy.

mellow

For pros on CC it will be somewhat easy to weed out guys with inappropriate requests, just time consuming. On the other hand the new pros that come to CC from those websites will be a little more difficult to weed out, specially if they are discreet about it but yes I have been seeing profiles where there are topless pics or very suggestive ones with little to no description so those two websites being taken down will create a vacuum and we will see more traffic here and not necessarily the kind of traffic this website wants.
Backpage was useless for trying to find any kind of therapeutic services and forget about the personals, it was just blatant sex for money advertising. What is curious to me though is that a lot of those ads had Facebook links on them and also instagram and twiter, where they would also post their pics and contact info. I wonder how FB is gonna deal with that because if they let themselves be overrun by those ads the same people that took Backpage down and limited craiglist are gonna start looking at Facebook as well.

pmvines

@mellow The reason Backpage had the social media links is they started requiring it in order to make an ad, perhaps they thought it might have curbed some of the blatant sex ads. The majority of the ads were all fake accounts and didn't actually lead to the person. Or they would link to a different persons account.

ubergigglefritz

@mellow, lol. They're always going to go somewhere. It's really stupid and futile to try. It just hurts everyone else. The internet is such a powerful tool for small businesses and the government is only continuing to ruin it more and more. Actions like this only hurt the little guys.

ubergigglefritz

*The only way to stop people finding sex workers online is to shut down the internet. Their customers know what they're looking for. It's easy enough for everyone to continue finding a new place and a new code for finding each other.

pmvines

I have a couple of people I chat with from time to time who used Backpage and other sites to advertise. I spoke to one just a couple days ago and she isn't too concerned about her business as she has so many regulars and contacts all over the US that she rarely advertises anyway.

ubergigglefritz

Exactly. They aren't concerned. Meanwhile, cuddlers and new legal small businesses in the industry are running around like we're chicken with our heads cut off ;-)

pmvines

One thing I will say sites like Backpage did was it enabled what would be your average streetwalker with a cell phone to place an ad and rather than standing on a corner for 30 bucks for a car date could charge 100 and up and have a room, so in a sense it made it safer but the ones with habits to feed and pimps who preyed on them just ended up spiraling downward even worse in a sense because it was so easy and they made more money so more drugs, and also more lucrative for the pimps/handlers so they were more prevalent . Of course not all are like this, there are plenty of fairly normal independent escorts who don't get sucked in. These aren't the ones I am concerned about trying their hand at sites like this, but rather the former with their baggage and drama.

ubergigglefritz

Yeah, that starts to change over into a drug issue... :-/

pmvines

Drugs change everything. Whether they are in it to feed a habit or a habit starts as a result of their lifestyle there arent too many people in the sex business who can make it out without a crutch. I lost someone who was In my life since age 9 just recently from a crack heroin and fentanyl overdose. Another childhood friend recently passed from alcohol related issues. Died in the hospital with inpatient hospice from liver and kidney failure, was in his 40s and could have passed for 70. I got out of all that while still in my teens but a lot of us didn't . I have friends who are dead, in prison and on the street due to drugs and the lifestyle it brings, and so many of them I considered family and spent more time and energy on than my blood family.

ubergigglefritz

I'm sorry for your loss :-( Do you think government assistance for detoxing would help? I thought giving addicts a safe place to get their allotment could help because it's a regulated safe dosage to help reduce overdoses... Getting drugs off the street, you often don't know exactly what you're really getting. But I admittedly don't have any direct exposure to drugs... :-/

rob4u

You guys may be right.

Look at this post:

https://www.cuddlecomfort.com/CallmeJaz

The $200 rate is consistent with what they charge for a 'sensual massage' on BP or CL.

I think the closing of other sites will bring over providers who offer much more than cuddling.

I hope CC officials can somehow weed out the improper professionals.

Mark

There's been a significant increase in Pro applicants but it's usually obvious which ones are likely to cause a problem. Most applicants don't proceed anyway but now there's a lot more rejections than before.

And credit to @reurbo for his effort with problematic accounts in general. Pretty sure he's done more of that than me.

I'm hoping this situation is mostly a post-closure spike that will eventually return to a slightly elevated upwards trend.

rob4u

While CC will earn additional revenue, I think it will adversely impact the quality of the services long term if nothing is done about it.

I can see a scenario where the legit cuddling pros leave because they may be mixed in with the prostitutes aka in appropriate providers.

Sucks

mellow

I wouldn’t count on the additional revenue either because I’m sure accounts of that nature would take the conversation off site pretty quickly and leave CC without their cut.

rob4u

Good point @mellow.

We all need to keep the prostitutes and sex traffickers out.

rob4u

Good point @mellow.

We all need to keep the prostitutes and sex traffickers out. Otheriw

toolie12

Cuddlers are going to have to be upfront and rude to make it plain, "you ain't getting' any here!".

BlueIris

@toolie12 - It can be made clear without being rude. People who are rejected have occasionally come back multiple times with new profiles to harass the person who rejected the improper request, so being rude will increase the likelihood of that happening. I simply report the person who messages me with too many red flags, even though what's requested may be implied but not explicit. It's often the case that improper requests are only alluded to. I don't even tell the person I'm going to report him. I just notify @Mark or @reurbo and let them make the decision.

Mark

@rob4u Maybe I wasn't clear but with the spike in applicants there has also been a significant increase in rejection rate. So don't worry - this website will not have a prostitution problem. And any that get through the net will soon be banned.

rob4u

@Mark. You can't vet each profile. It's very easy to create a profile. Anyway my 2 cents.

Mark

Ultimately it will be down to you and everyone else.

Prostitutes have been trying to use this website from day one. The vast majority don't get past the application stage but those that do very quickly give off red flags. Thankfully this community is great at spotting these things and reporting.

Shadesofblue

yes I have! I have only been getting men who want a hook up on here, and it makes me sick to my stomach! I just block them so they wont bother me ever again, and its manly married men too!

Catloaf

It is already happening in my city - on CuddleUp (ugh, I know, but I HAVE met good people there), one escort has already returned after being mostly inactive for the past year.. She has "new" photos up where her previous ones were clothed. I expect it to only get worse as the legit cuddlers in my city are very, very, very few.

CC can always be trusted for the vigilance of its members... I know already that I will lose business on CU as my motives are clearly stated. Here I am not worried because of the community.

I am hoping to get in touch with the CBC on this so they can relay it to the public, because I think that cuddle sites like CU are obligated to remove those members when it states on their site they are non-sexual. I confronted them on this and they spat back with the lamest excuse that they have no way to screen for escorts and johns. Someone uploaded their full explicit menu on the site. And the worst part is, they use photo approval. I am thinking of worst case scenarios for sites like CuddleUp and I am sure it has happened. Someone's school age daughter could sign up to this site, realize there is little money to be made from cuddling (or that the men in Calgary are dubious about it at best), and suddenly she is flung into selling her body because cuddles aren't cutting it.

I am waiting until the day it gets shut down or hounded.

UKGuy

Backpage had banned the posting of text except for a phone number. So what the advertisers did is describe their terms and conditions in a photo. When they do that, it's impossible to spot unless you click on the photo. Scanning for text won't find it. I've already spotted two new cuddlers on CC who stated they wanted payment but were not pros. I reported them both.

UKGuy

@ubergigglefritz - the whole crackdown is premised on preventing child sex trafficking. Who knows how big that problem really is or even if it exists to any degree at all. But as someone in another forum succinctly said, the easiest way to take away our freedoms is to say 'we are doing it for the children'.