educational

Global and Growing

If you ask a group of adult webmasters what a webcam site is, chances are they'll tell you it's a model on webcam getting paid to perform. The same group would probably tell you that you can slap a friend's engine on a message board and have a social networking site, or that dating sites are filled with bogus profiles and boring people.

Perhaps they're right, but surely there are sites out there with more than just the same old stuff? A place that's a bit different for a broader market?

Enter the community sites: real people, using real-time tools (webcams, text chat, voice), filling in real profiles, debating, partaking in discussions, making friends, lovers and enemies.

While it may seem that the community site is a new breed of site, trying to fill the gaps where the others fail, such sites have been around for nearly a decade now.

One of the leading community sites of this nature, ANYwebcam.com, is no newcomer to the industry, running from sunny Australia for seven years.

With an active member database of 3.5 million, worldwide, the site is spreading across 100 different countries and available in 13 languages. Based on a proprietary technology, it run tens of thousands of webcam streams to millions of viewers every week.

At any given time of day, hundreds of live webcams with real people, rather than paid performers, ranging in age from 18- to 60-plus are online. You may see the girl next door or you may see her mom.

The secret to webcam community success is simple. Almost everyone has a bit of voyeur — people like to watch. At the same time, there are many people who, if put in front of a camera, also want to show off.

The good thing about webcam sites with real people is that there is plenty to watch, but you can also jump in and join the action. It's an amazing self-confidence booster for the ladies and the men, as there's a niche for everything. Spend a few minutes in the chat rooms and you'll see the compliments flying.

A typical session experience might go a little something like this:

JoeUser logs in to the site and opens up the cam list, of course. Oh wow — Samantha's a cutie! He opens up her profile to see if he can find out more about her. Oh, she likes animals, there's a conversation starter! JoeUser heads into text chat. "Hey Samantha — you're looking stunning tonight.

Even Charlie, my yellow lab can't keep his eyes off of you :)" He's got her. They flirt back and forth a bit. She gets JoeUser to turn on his webcam as well. She asks if he'd like to chat in private. Now at this point, they could either keep their cams in public, or take them private to where only each other can see them.

They decide they like it when people watch them. After several hours of chatting and putting on quite a performance, they call it a night.

It seems that sites such as this have something for everyone — from the college student looking for porn to the retiree looking for a new hobby. In a safe environment, people can login from the comfort of their own home and show the world what they're up to. While some members agree that sites like this are porn sites, others will insist that it's much more than that — it's a community of friends.

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