Review rating system

[urquell]

Saying that a 5 for you could be a 1 for someone else, raises another issue which is telling the difference between a factual issue and a personality clash.

A solution could be to add a “helpful / not helpful” button to reviews.
it wouldnt rate the SPs but allow merbites to highlight the reviews that provide useful info. At the same time could also be used to pinpoint reviews that are not credible.

It keeps getting more complicated as it goes, and you're treating this as if the site deals in retail product sales. It doesn't. It deals in humans and human experiences, so it won't work just on that basis. However, even if it did there would be a significant amount of programming that may or may not be possible on this platform..If it is possible then who would do it? and who would pay for it? The site won't, especially when so many people seem to be against it.

The most important thing you're missing though is that if the responses on this thread are any indication the SPs are dead set against it and there have been comments to the effect that they would quite likely leave if that kind of system was put in place. The SPs are the ones who monetize this site, so regardless of what kind of benefit you think might derive from the changes the site would be slitting its own throat if it implemented them. Too much work, cost and downside for a solution that nobody is really asking for. The site would be better served to find ways to proactively drive more reviews.

 

[Lunaseraphim]

It keeps getting more complicated as it goes, and you're treating this as if the site deals in retail product sales. It doesn't. It deals in humans and human experiences, so it won't work just on that basis. However, even if it did there would be a significant amount of programming that may or may not be possible on this platform..If it is possible then who would do it? and who would pay for it? The site won't, especially when so many people seem to be against it.

The most important thing you're missing though is that if the responses on this thread are any indication the SPs are dead set against it and there have been comments to the effect that they would quite likely leave if that kind of system was put in place. The SPs are the ones who monetize this site, so regardless of what kind of benefit you think might derive from the changes the site would be slitting its own throat if it implemented them. Too much work, cost and downside for a solution that nobody is really asking for. The site would be better served to find ways to proactively drive more reviews.

I agree with most of what you're saying, we are not products.. I don't think clients should feel pressured to write reviews tho. Also many SP's are lucky enough to be able to have clients on a regular basis even if they don't have a review thread or only have one or two reviews.

It's always nice and flattering to receive a positive review, I encourage clients who liked their experience with me to leave one because it helps me so much, and I see this system as a "necessary evil" for now.

But I think the vast majority of SP's would refuse to have them entirely if it wasn't going to affect our business, and it's not because we want to get away with giving a bad service of scam/fool anyone. so let's keep it respectful..

 

[Lionelmessi]

It keeps getting more complicated as it goes, and you're treating this as if the site deals in retail product sales. It doesn't. It deals in humans and human experiences, so it won't work just on that basis. However, even if it did there would be a significant amount of programming that may or may not be possible on this platform..If it is possible then who would do it? and who would pay for it? The site won't, especially when so many people seem to be against it.

The most important thing you're missing though is that if the responses on this thread are any indication the SPs are dead set against it and there have been comments to the effect that they would quite likely leave if that kind of system was put in place. The SPs are the ones who monetize this site, so regardless of what kind of benefit you think might derive from the changes the site would be slitting its own throat if it implemented them. Too much work, cost and downside for a solution that nobody is really asking for. The site would be better served to find ways to proactively drive more reviews.

Just to clarify: what I’m proposing isn’t about turning the site into a retail model or making radical changes. These are simple, proven tools that add real value without taking away the human side of the platform. And yes, they can absolutely be implemented and tallied here

• Helpful / Not Helpful: easy to add using existing reaction systems. Results can be tallied per post or per SP. Most forum platforms have reaction or vote tracking built in and even display “Top Helpful Reviews” by sorting.
• “Would you repeat?” (Yes/No): If implemented as a required poll-style field or custom form input, it can be tallied automatically. Could be shown Per SP ex: 87% would repeat, very simple to implement and tally as a percentage.
• Star Ratings: slightly more work, but definitely doable.

These aren’t heavy-handed changes. They’re lightweight improvements that help everyone, including SPs, by encouraging better reviews and more informed decisions.

If anything, the platform would be strengthened by giving users more clarity and giving SPs more visibility when they provide great service.

 

[2fast2slow]

So what if it's time consuming reading reviews? A rating system is even more vague and subjective than a review. A lot of reviews are short and sweet. You don't have to read the entire review if it's too long, just skip over the parts that are useless to you and that's it. I'm really against the idea of a rating system.. we're human beings.

on second thought, I agree a rating system is a little "dehumanizing". I mean sps would be rated as sex workers not as a person as a whole, but the sex work and the human executing the sex work are so intricately tied together, you cant just rate the sex work part.

 

[Lunaseraphim]

on second thought, I agree a rating system is a little "dehumanizing". I mean sps would be rated as sex workers not as a person as a whole, but the sex work and the human executing the sex work are so intricately tied together, you cant just rate the sex work part.

Thank you for considering my point of view! It's also that I feel like you can't objectively rate the service because everyone has such different needs and expectations from seeing a service provider. For example, someone who only offers CBJ could still be an excellent SP and please a lot of clients, but I know a lot of people would not want to see her because of that. Perception and expectation also plays a huge role in a client's experience with a SP, particularly when it comes to her physical appearance..

I wanna point out that whether or not someone wants to repeat has nothing to do with somebody's quality as a provider. You may not want to repeat because you don't have the budget and prefer to focus on someone who offers more ''extras'' or a different service.. You may not want to repeat because just between the two of you there wasn't enough chemistry. That doesn't mean there is something wrong with the provider.

 

[urquell]

Just to clarify: what I’m proposing isn’t about turning the site into a retail model or making radical changes. These are simple, proven tools that add real value without taking away the human side of the platform. And yes, they can absolutely be implemented and tallied here

• Helpful / Not Helpful: easy to add using existing reaction systems. Results can be tallied per post or per SP. Most forum platforms have reaction or vote tracking built in and even display “Top Helpful Reviews” by sorting.
• “Would you repeat?” (Yes/No): If implemented as a required poll-style field or custom form input, it can be tallied automatically. Could be shown Per SP ex: 87% would repeat, very simple to implement and tally as a percentage.
• Star Ratings: slightly more work, but definitely doable.

These aren’t heavy-handed changes. They’re lightweight improvements that help everyone, including SPs, by encouraging better reviews and more informed decisions.

If anything, the platform would be strengthened by giving users more clarity and giving SPs more visibility when they provide great service.

No, they're not simple. The idea is simple, granted, but making the site changes is complicated, and somebody has to do it and pay for it. And yes, these are proven, helpful tools for reatil sales of physical products. Not for talking about people. Are you going to say "I liked her!" and then have someone say that wasn't helpful? Why wasn't that helpful? What's the standard? WHat would be a consistent start standard? Once again, you're still ignoring how this site makes its money, who pays that money, and what their preferences are, or at least appear to be so far in this thread.. There is absolutely no upside for the site owners. I also disagree that the changes would be helpful. I think your proposed changes make things simpler, sure, but they also dilute the reviews and their value and make them less reliable. These would not be helpful changes. Again, these are changes for lazy people that can't be bothered to read, and it's the nuance and detail that make reviews useful. It's your time and your money, and I won't tell you how to spend either, but I would view what you propose as a step backwards and if it's my money that's being spent, as someone said above, then I'm going to invest the time, usually no more than a few minutes, to absorb as much information as I can get.

 

[TheBlob]

Numbers or Stars ratings are so subjective. I have seen many reviews throwing numbers that mean nothing, like a bunch of 10/10 on cherry picked criterias. In the end it's all up to personal preferences.

Same for Stars on platforms like Google and such. Every place has 5 or 1 stars reviews sometimes for ridiculous reasons like "the clerk didn't smile to me, 1 star".

All that to say that the best way to gage a review and get someone else opinion to make ours is to read it.

 

[Lionelmessi]

The most important thing you're missing though is that if the responses on this thread are any indication the SPs are dead set against it and there have been comments to the effect that they would quite likely leave if that kind of system was put in place.

What would you say if I told you that most SP would actually welcome this kind of change? Because for them, it’s not a threat, it’s a marketing tool. When you’ve built a strong reputation, being able to show clear, structured feedback year after year isn’t a downside, it’s an asset.

A standardized format becomes something they can actively promote.People already do it in their review, so what’s wrong with considering actually compiling the metrics to give a general portrait

They already do it with the annual best of the year results by adding to their profile “Voted top performer three years in a row”.
For example an SP Rated 4.8/5 on overall experience or 95% would repeat, would definitely not oppose having it forefront her thread. Even agency would pick it up in their advertising. It builds trust faster than an unstructured wall of text ever will.

the idea that this would hurt SP doesn’t hold up. The ones who consistently do well would be glad to have their strengths front and center, not buried in a pile of inconsistent comments. And if a few people are nervous about it, maybe it’s not the format they’re worried about — maybe it’s what it might show.

And since you brought up money and investment, maybe consider why the most successful platforms all aim to make content easier and faster to process. Wanting tools that make reading and comparing easier isn’t laziness , it’s just common sense, especially when there’s a lot of information to sift through.

 

[Lunaseraphim]

What would you say if I told you that most SP would actually welcome this kind of change? Because for them, it’s not a threat, it’s a marketing tool. When you’ve built a strong reputation, being able to show clear, structured feedback year after year isn’t a downside, it’s an asset.

A standardized format becomes something they can actively promote.People already do it in their review, so what’s wrong with considering actually compiling the metrics to give a general portrait

They already do it with the annual best of the year results by adding to their profile “Voted top performer three years in a row”.
For example an SP Rated 4.8/5 on overall experience or 95% would repeat, would definitely not oppose having it forefront her thread. Even agency would pick it up in their advertising. It builds trust faster than an unstructured wall of text ever will.

the idea that this would hurt SP doesn’t hold up. The ones who consistently do well would be glad to have their strengths front and center, not buried in a pile of inconsistent comments. And if a few people are nervous about it, maybe it’s not the format they’re worried about — maybe it’s what it might show.

And since you brought up money and investment, maybe consider why the most successful platforms all aim to make content easier and faster to process. Wanting tools that make reading and comparing easier isn’t laziness , it’s just common sense, especially when there’s a lot of information to sift through.

It doesn't seem like you're listening to the SP's here who disagree with this idea. Most of us would not be advantaged by a rating system like this.

 

[MCTJ]

So many words... Such a futile question....

@Lionelmessi is a legendary player.

 

[urquell]

What would you say if I told you that most SP would actually welcome this kind of change? Because for them, it’s not a threat, it’s a marketing tool. When you’ve built a strong reputation, being able to show clear, structured feedback year after year isn’t a downside, it’s an asset.

A standardized format becomes something they can actively promote.People already do it in their review, so what’s wrong with considering actually compiling the metrics to give a general portrait

They already do it with the annual best of the year results by adding to their profile “Voted top performer three years in a row”.
For example an SP Rated 4.8/5 on overall experience or 95% would repeat, would definitely not oppose having it forefront her thread. Even agency would pick it up in their advertising. It builds trust faster than an unstructured wall of text ever will.

the idea that this would hurt SP doesn’t hold up. The ones who consistently do well would be glad to have their strengths front and center, not buried in a pile of inconsistent comments. And if a few people are nervous about it, maybe it’s not the format they’re worried about — maybe it’s what it might show.

And since you brought up money and investment, maybe consider why the most successful platforms all aim to make content easier and faster to process. Wanting tools that make reading and comparing easier isn’t laziness , it’s just common sense, especially when there’s a lot of information to sift through.

You're not listening to anyone on this thread, and that's what I would say to you. The SPs are right here, in this thread, telling you that they' not on board with the idea and you're ignoring them completely, as you are the other cost factors. Again you are ignoring that this site is a business, not a hobby, and you're not outlining anything that would be a benefit to the business. You are outlining something that you would like. The SPs that have contributed here so far say they don't want it. You're getting significant resistance from many of the contributors here who also don't see the value, and you've failed to show how the site investing in all the programming and format changes would benefit from the work. Anyway, that's enough back and forth from me. I hate prolonged bickering when it's clearly not going anywhere. Maybe someone else can frame it better than I can or approach it from a different angle, since he's clearly not buying what I'm selling!

 

[Julia Sky]

What would you say if I told you that most SP would actually welcome this kind of change?

I would say "very rich" and laugh at you. I've been doing this for close to a decade and have talked with thousands of other providers. Not a single one welcomes this kind of thing. Hope this helps!!

Actually wild that you seem to think you know what escorts want. What are you - a woman? A hooker? Paying to keep this board alive?

With the way far too many people on this board (and in general tbh) struggle with comprehending very simple concepts, I already know that a "helpful/not helpful" system wouldn't be used correctly. You could say "she's gorgeous" and someone who disagrees says it's unhelpful.


A rating system is rude and irrelevant : men do not all have the same tastes, actually.

As for "repeat : yes or no" that's also irrelevant considering how often we read things like "she was perfect in every way but I won't repeat because I like variety". Again, people struggle with comprehending simple concepts and I wouldn't expect an idiot to understand that the question is "worth repeating?," and not "will you for sure repeat?"

All of those ideas suck.

 

[Lunaseraphim]

Just my opinion so take it as you want.

Anonymous reviews can embolden individuals to leave unfair, biased, or even retaliatory ratings without accountability. This creates a power imbalance with all the power in the hands of the hobbyist.

What constitutes a "good" or "bad" experience is highly subjective in sex work. Client expectations vary and a negative review might stem from a client's unrealistic demands, entitlement, rather than the escort's actual demeanor.

A few negative ratings can quickly tank an escort's average, making it nearly impossible to attract new clients. In a profession where reputation is paramount, this directly translates to a loss of income. A damaged reputation can push escorts into riskier situations, forcing them to accept clients they might otherwise avoid or to work in less safe environments out of desperation. Which is a very fair argument.

Constant scrutiny and the threat of arbitrary negative ratings can lead to significant stress, anxiety, depression, they're people too. These reviews, and I argue, can reinforce negative societal stigmas surrounding sex work by framing escorts as a commodity to be judged and discarded based on subjective experiences.

"Hobbyists" need to be held accountable for their reviews as well. Not sure implementing this is feasible because of anomininity.

Thank you. This is exactly what I've been trying to express. it's one thing to want to protect others from a scam or another type of bad experiences.. vs just being cruel and entitled.

 

[hob12]

The op is touched by the 'tism I think.

 

[Artvandelay_importer]

In my humble opinion, us Johns should have a rating system lol. Because as a PoC it is difficult to meet SPs and if we have good ratings SPs would be more inclined to see us. My humble 2 cents.

 

[Jazzman1218]

Sorry but trying to put a number on this most intimate personal service is ridiculous. Just articulate your experience and let it go at that. Be kind while you're at it too because we are all just imperfect humans living our lives.

 

[LC18]

I rate this idea 2.5/5

 

[Julia Sky]

The op is touched by the 'tism I think.

Wait, can you explain what you mean here? I want to know what specifically makes you think OP is autistic

 

[MCTJ]

The op is touched by the 'tism I think

Not really... What I am seeing more and more on this board are overly analytical or even obsessive personalities. This thread is a good example

 

[EagerBeaver]

In addition to reviews, I wonder if it would be technically possible to have a star rating system to accompany the review because unless you start reading each review for an SP it’s hard to know the general impression first glance
whereas if every time you wrote a review you could include a star rating from 0 to 5 which would add up like you can see in Google review well at least you could already have a general idea of how many reviews are positive and how many aren’t.
It’s just in order to have some form of unified rating system for everyone

Although I haven't read the entire thread, nobody seems to recall that such a system was instituted and used by poster "Robin" over 20 years ago. As I recall Robin provided a thread and a link to his own compendium of reviews.And it was allowed by the Moderators. Robin was EXTREMELY prolific and (apparently) a straight shooter.

Having been around long enough to observe the Robin system, my opinion is it only works if it's a poster like Robin who has 100 other reviews he has posted and you can compare the stars awarded from one to the other. From my own experiences and with some differences of opinion, Robin was generally on target. I do genuinely believe he tried to be objective in writing reviews and assigning stars, although it's an inherently subjective task.

However if you have some novices who have only seen a few escorts their reviews don't mean anything. What Robin posted was a link to a compendium of reviews he spent a couple of years amassing.

In 22 years of MERB, and I have actually been here for all of it, Robin was the ONLY poster who I saw implement such a review system and in my opinion it was only successful for the reasons I have mentioned.

I see a lot of threads going up, including this one, in which people are trying to invent or reinvent the wheel. In this case we are not breaking new ground. There was a pioneer and his name was Robin. I am not certain but I believe he is no longer with us. He hasn't posted in many years and heard some reports he passed, which I have no idea if they were true. He was as prolific as anyone on MERB in around 2001 (pre MERB) until 2005.

Do a search and you will find his intellectual property, which is now dated and worthless.