There’s a very short answer for this question and you’ll find it at the end of this post.
When I first started to design profile templates and bio pages for camgirls, back in 2011, I had difficulties in “teaching” my amazing collaborators how to add their content editing the source markup code.
I know it was a very difficult process for camgirls/camboys with none to some experience in markup editing. Imagine when I was asked to assist to fix up the mess it was simply a nightmare; horrible to dig up between many lines of markup, sanitize, close tags, remove unnecessary ones, add, fix, edit, upload images online….At that time, my website was holding around 50 designs and over 200 tutorials, topics on “how to…”, code snippets and explanatory samples…
Its true, some performers did managed to tweak the codes outputting a beautiful, well balanced, easy to read bio page (made me feel so proud), but for the majority … as mentioned above, a nightmare.
This major inconvenient was reflecting on sales too with a negative impact which made me ask myself two questions:
1. How can I boost my sales without increasing the price for my products and services?
2. How to make the editing/customization process much simpler for my collaborators that don’t know HTML/CSS?
And start brainstorming for answers lying down facts, pros and cons.
Fact: I’m not a programmer, hell, I don’t even have a degree in web design or graphic design, damn… even my English is rusty.
Fact: I have no financial resources or knowledge to develop an web-app to take the load of my shoulders and help camgirls with their editing process.
Fact: I have no experience in marketing, no PHD in anything related with what’s my business model has to offer. I’m a mechanic in chemical industry for God’sake. (that will surely lift my moral up right?!)
Later on I understood that I’ve asked myself the first two questions that really matter.
So, with no classic job, just custom projects for camgirls from time to time, no resources of any kind, no advanced knowledge in this business, no external support of any type, basically a broke guy with an idea… what’s the next step? Better yet, what do I have? Oh, yes… I have a hobby and the will of moving forward… can I rely only on those?
Well, guess what?! Let’s move on.
Editing simple web pages, markup codes, graphics…yes, my hobby, so I have the starting point.
Webcam performers and studio owners, are my collaborators (always collaborators, never the clients), they are the ones with real need for what I have to offer.
In other words, a service which delivers a necessary product.
And opportunity presented itself one day.
I was browsing my web site’s security logs and noticed some weird URL requests form an aggregate type of service.
Because I was not sure if the service was malicious or not, I’ve contacted their staff to clarify some things for me.
Short answer from their staff, the service was legit but some users were not playing nice.
Anyway, from follow-up support conversation I’ve understood that the developer of the service in question was familiar with programming languages and he was kind enough to explain how some of his registered users try to abuse the service and it was not developer’s intention to do harm … (
tring…).
Long story short, after a few days, we’ve started the collaboration.
Raphael, building the structure and developing user’s interface for my designs to allow camgirls, camboys, studio owners or other web designers Edit stuff in real time without having to learn programming languages or HTML/CSS for that-matter.
2016 we’ve started the first public project with 44 templates, 412 saved project served to 127 registered members in first month after release.
Since then, we kept developing and adding new features to our service. Started as an online template editor for camgirls and now is one of the largest and most complete tool-set for this niche in adult industry, serving over +7k custom projects to +17k registered members all over the word.
Its true that Camgirl.Cloud at first, had only one main feature, the bio editor tool and was enough for the moment, but with time, based on member’s requests we’ve developed an entire platform with management sections for studio managers, environment for sellers, freelancers, webcam performers, markup and image editing tools, directory listing, ranking, customizable member’s profile, private media and user’s dashboard.
In our efforts to provide the needed environment for a even larger audience we don’t stop developing and improving.
In this context, our service was nominated and one of the finalists 2018 XBIZ Awards – Innovative Web Product of The Year.
What should you focus on, when reading my post? – you can see and feel that nothing was working ok at first.
Don’t give up, not even if all odds are against you.
Always think positive.
Surround yourself with positive energy and keep moving on.
Adapt fast and do it the right way.
Learn from your mistakes, but better is to learn from other’s mistakes.
And yes, … don’t accept bulshit, Question everything!
This is my “road map”, my experience, my personal point of view, almost private, with this amazing project.
So, Why and How this platform was born?
Because it rises-up from actual necessity, was and still is needed.
I know comments on posts are closed but if you feel like you want to type something, please do so on this topic.
Thank you, Dan N