A sensible point Soul Girl, but giving us (swingers) what we want, isn't really the remit here.
It is about maximising income from the site, to do that you cater for the bigger market. Who are masturbating single males, who are generally not swingers, but who like the pics, cams, chat and videos on this site. So you make it easy for them to get what they want, more join and hey presto, more money.
Basically our pics, videos etc have now become the wank fodder of the fantasist single male (or female - though I would venture there are far fewer), the site is becoming, as I stated a long time ago in this thread, simply a treasure trove of amateur porn for the online wanker.
The fact of the matter is, swingers are not lucrative enough nowadays. They are too busy trying to have fun and doing what the site was originally intended for. Sadly that didn't include making a shed load of cash for the owners.
Out of the supposed 976,315 members, how many do you reckon are real swinging couples, swinging single men or women? Check how many people are in chat or in the forums on a daily basis, then check how many actually contribute. The actual number is far, far less. The silent majority, who no doubt cast their votes (and more to the point, pay their subscription fees), must then be the ones who need pics sorting and rating for ease of viewing.
Like it or not, financially it makes plenty of sense to do this. Cater for the bigger market. It isn't about improving the site for swingers, it is about improving the site for those who pay and the majority of those, I would venture, have no interest in swinging as such, but simply use the site as a fantasy and masturbatory aid.
The thing is, I can accept that. Who hasn't had a good ogle at pictures and videos on here? I can understand the need to increase revenue.
What I can't understand is the need to try and brainwash the populace into thinking that these new moves will somehow benefit those people on here who actually try and use the site for it's original purpose. There is a tasteless arrogance to the way these have been implemented on the site. The wording used on the rating system is poorly written, laughably ambiguous and will result precisely in the pictures being rated on quality of the content, rather than supposedly the picture quality. It is open to abuse, likely to cause offense and will contribute nothing to the swinging experience.
There is also a somewhat supercillious attitude of "We know what's best for you all, even if you don't" that comes from the powers that be, that I find a little disconcerting. With the greatest of respect, I don't think many people have been fooled by these improvements at all. The arguments for their implementation to help swingers get what they want are not just flawed and illogical, but almost nonsensical. If anything, the fact that now a great many genuine swingers have all moved their pics into private galleries has not only hindered the likelihood of people actually meeting, but also decreased the number and quality of pictures on offer for your intended target market. I can only conclude that it has been entirely counter-productive on almost every level.
I've heard it said that the forum is a "tiny minority" on the site. That may be the case when compared to the reported member numbers. However it is people on the forum, and in the chat rooms, who have made the site what it is. Without their input, photo's and videos, the site would appeal to far fewer people. To dismiss them as a "tiny minority" when the vast majority have profiles that contain little or nothing of use and certainly nothing to attract your target market to the site, is rather harsh.
There is a balance that can be found to keep both sides happy and SH owners in profit. However, pandering to your larger market, while deriding the wishes of the people who bring in that target market, and then riding roughshod over their complaints and views when made, is not the way to do this. If you want more people paying for the site, then make it a swinging site that the swinging fraternity want. They will then put up the very items that attract the majority of your target market. A virtuous circle, everyone gets what they want.
But please, don't take us for fools. I can understand the need to diversify and improve income, but please don't pull the wool over our eyes and pretend it is for our own good. I think that irks people even more than the original 'improvements' in the first place.
We went away for a week, and what has happened on the site this time??
We for one couple will not renew our two memberships when they expire this time, so thats two renewals lost.
I so agree with you Ben, once the internet has something, it is then not safe.
My photos on here have been stolen, and then e-mailed to someone else on here, he passed them off as his wife, the member on here informed us. Also my photos which are on here, are now on another swingers site, a friend showed us, another chap passing them off as his wife again. All SH water marks had been removed.
Disgruntled.
However you dont even have to join the site to view the "Gallery" pictures.
If you log out of the site, you can still see "samples" of the site so if you click on gallery you get a sample of the photos. Also applies to most of the other features the site offers.
I can't help but notice that the admin's original participation to the topic has dwindled to nothing.
Sorry to rant, but how come, even after I have tagged them are they still asking to be tagged!
I had a line on my profile explaining that I didn't want my pics tagged by strangers, and I got grief for it!
I tagged my own, but they are still asking to be tagged......come on, play fair.....
Sorry if this has been done to death but this does not make swinging fun for me...
M
xx
I noticed tonight that you can no longer have pics that are neither public or private. you used to be able to have ones that you could send in mail messages that were completely private.... thats were are face pic was... we'd like this option back too....
come on sh boffins where have you dissapeared to?
You can be quite scary sometimes!! :scared:
:giggle:
