@supadupa The mod edited his original post (at the very bottom of it) to clarify that it was his personal opinion, and that it is not against the rules.
He stated it was not against the rules again, here.
I agree, it is very confusing for a mod to emphatically state that something is "never ok" / "not ok" nine times in a row, when the rules do not state that.
This is not a hill I even care to die on, for the record...I already mentioned that I believe asking for Karma is in poor taste. Just trying to educate and clarify, since it's unfortunately needed.
You can run a search for the word "Karma" on any of the following links, and rest assured that the mod's opinion is not reflected anywhere in the rules...
Terms & Conditions (for everyone):
https://www.cuddlecomfort.com/terms/general
Client Service Agreement (for clients):
https://www.cuddlecomfort.com/terms/client-service-agreement/
Cuddler Contract (for Pro's):
https://www.cuddlecomfort.com/terms/pro-cuddler-contract/
FAQ section on Karma (for everyone):
https://www.cuddlecomfort.com/forum/discussion/comment/35092/#Comment_35092
Forum Rules (for everyone):
https://www.cuddlecomfort.com/forum/discussion/2999/forum-rules-your-moderators
~ Sunset Snuggles
🫂 Enthusiast 🏞 Travel Junkie 📷 Shutter Bug
@supadupa it is not against the rules of the site to ask for Karma.
Moderators are ordinary members of Cuddle Comfort, and we remain ordinary members while we volunteer as Moderators. We book professionals, cuddle fellow enthusiasts, post in the forum and so on. In my opinion as an ordinary member, it is not ok to ask for Karma.
We are conscious that our words carry weight, and so my first post in this thread makes it clear that I'm writing as an ordinary member giving my opinion, not making an official statement as a Moderator. That post also shows what it looks like when a Moderator posts in the forum as a Moderator, not an ordinary member.
The site's terms and conditions (also known as the rules, or the terms of service) were created by the site owners. Moderators do not make the rules. We guide people in the right direction, and enforce the rules when necessary.
It's totally fine to disagree with a member who happens to be a Moderator. I am a very new Moderator, and still feeling my way on how that impacts the way I use the forum.
Does that clear things up?
Bad news travels twice as fast as good news. Especially when it comes to reviews. Asking for a positive review is fine. What’s wrong with saying if you enjoyed the experience I would appreciate it you could leave me karma. Believe me I’ve had horrible experiences with pro’s on here but choose to not leave bad karma. It’s not worth the drama. If pros have no karma and have been on here a long time I’d beware.
@hugitout23 Negative Karma is not "drama", it's informing the next potential victim (in any manner of the word) of what they may encounter.
A reason asking for Karma is often frowned upon is because it puts pressure on people to do something they may not be comfortable with, and/or to lie publicly in the Karma and say it was a positive experience, even if it wasn't.
If people want to leave Karma, they will, with three exceptions... They haven't had time, they forgot, or they don't know Karma exists.
I agree that there's nothing wrong in asking for Karma. But once you've got two or three that show the nervous nellies you're a real human, it's nothing to worry about.
P.S. I almost exclusively write positive Google reviews for restaurants. The wonderful service is what inspires me to take the time. Not everyone only reacts to the negative.
Thanks for the clarification!
So let’s make sure we are clear, falsifying karma is not okay and although some people think asking for karma is rude, there is no rule against it.
Update - last cuddler promised to send karma 2 weeks ago on their own. No request from me. Never received it. We booked another appointment. It’s an odd one way street we have when it comes to reviews
No I totally get it. I left karma for a pro recently and no reciprocation even though she wants to cuddle again. I'll be removing that karma soon. It goes both ways in my book
While I genuinely appreciate the karma I've received (and value testimonials from other platforms), I don't put a lot of weight in ratings systems overall. Having worked in hotels and as a business owner, I've seen firsthand how skewed they can be. I take a Google or Yelp review with a hefty spoonful of salt, and I approach karma the same way.
More importantly: good reviews ≠ safety. Just because someone has been safe with one person doesn't mean they'll be safe with another. Treating high karma as a green light is a surefire way to land in a sticky situation.
I also don't subscribe to the "no karma = bad" mindset -@SunsetSnuggles said it well. New members shouldn't have to pay pros just to build karma so they can eventually cuddle enthusiasts. Seeing a pro is something I genuinely recommend as a form of self-care, but that's a completely different purpose than finding an enthusiast cuddle partner.
I really hope the karma system gets a meaningful overhaul someday. I won't pretend I have all the answers, but as it stands, it feels more like a popularity contest — one that can lull inexperienced users into a false sense of security rather than serving as a true reflection of real experiences.
I agree with cuddlefaery. It needs an overhaul because until karma reviews are anonymous there will continue to be tons of them given to be kind more than honest. There’s no perfect system in this way, though. It’s all betting on people being totally honest and experience has taught me that most people aren’t, and further, often do not appreciate my blunt honesty.
Finding stable cuddle buddies has worked a lot better for me … if you try to develop a good bond karma becomes kind of meaningless … nevertheless, I do tend to understand why karma is so important for many people for different reasons
I left karma for one pro and she never gave me a couple of months went by and she wanted me to pay her for the karma since “we cuddled a long time ago” I never went back to see her for pulling that one on me.
It's a personal choice. If you're concerned then discuss before hand
@yabyum_massage I hope you report that Pro for asking to be paid for Karma because that’s against the rules and TOS for this site.
I don’t expect karma -*it’s always sweet when I get it but i definitely LOOK at karma for someone (male) before agreeing to meet -I have cuddled “no karma” but I would definitely feel a bit better with someone who has a few good sessions
It's not fair to other potential pro you don't leave proper karma for them to help make a wiser decision
One of the last people who asked me for karma quit the site immediately after I wrote it.
He did not like what I wrote.
It would have been more helpful to him to just ask me if there was any feedback I could give him about the session.
If someone asks me for karma it feels like those little emails you get after massage appointments saying "liked your session? drop us a review!"
I never conceived of it being rude or wrong in any way, that's a new one for me.
I have heard from so many clients that do not want karma, is because of jealous pros that they have cuddled with or interact with that will give them a hard time. I think this is absolutely ridiculous, as it is important for us to know how people behave and interact during sessions. I personally love leaving karma for people. The majority of my sessions are absolutely fantastic and I think that those people need celebrated via karma!
I also think that if somebody's weird or inappropriate during a session that they should be reported and banned off the site. I can't tell you how many situations I've been in where people have assumed that I offer "additional services" because other pros have and do.
Bottom line is here, this is a business. This is a business where the majority of us are females and either walk into a situation where there's a strange man or have a strange man come into our home or hotel room. We take major risks by doing this, and the only thing we have to go off of is the reports of other people. So personally, I think asking someone to leave you a karma should not be frowned upon, because if they did a good job or they were a good client, it's deserved.
And at the very least, if you don't wanna leave somebody a bad karma at least report them so that the mods know a little bit of a background in case something happens in the future with another professional.
Of course, before anybody comes at me, there are people that like to protect their anonymity, and I completely understand that, but most people on here don't care about that at at least least that I have encountered.
It all depends, I love leaving Karma on people profiles if they have been great experiences since I would want other pros to know that the experience was good/safe, but I always ask since some people don't want others to know they are using these services out of shyness.
I’ve been on this site FOR YEARS and NEVER knew about “karma” until maybe 2 or 3 ago. You can’t put a lot of stock in it for SO MANY reasons..
@supadupa If it’s not a pro asking for karma, I’d ignore the request. A pro is paid so they have “stock” in it, but NO MATTER WHAT- BE HONEST!!!