I just finished reading some of the recent reviews posted by several hobbyists. As usual, some are good and some are not. And I suspect, some are accurate and some are not. In the process, I reflected about what I’ve learned so far and said “what the heck, I’m just going to call it as I see it” in the board message.

I am a newbie and proud of. Intrigued about others’ viewpoints (like more experienced hobbyists) just like a rookie pitcher craves to learn from a soon-to-be Hall of Fame pitcher. And just like a rookie pitcher, he (or she) feels like the world is his (or hers) and wants to fly on its own. It is indeed a great process. As I explore the wonders of this magnificent lifestyle, I realize how much my perspectives have changed in such a brief period. For example, what do you make out of reviews written by hobbyists- whether newbies or experienced. That is, what is the true value of a review?

At first, I must recognize that I gave too much credibility to what was written. Don’t get me wrong, it was very helpful. It gave me a general idea of the likes and dislikes of different providers and hobbyists. It helped me spot two wonderful sweethearts in the Carolinas who are well-reviewed and highly regarded. And my ongoing experience with both continues to be superb.

After some hands-on experience and educating myself with the vast amount of information available here at TER (hobbyists, providers, and moderators), things changed. It would seem like a no-brainer but wasn’t readily apparent at first: a review reflects half of the story, a very valuable one. However, there is another half that’s missing, hasn’t been told, is unlikely to be told, but is equally valuable: the provider’s perspective.  For instance, it does not seem to be uncommon that a hobbyist will use harsh words (and will reflect it in scores) when the experience he went through wasn’t exactly what he hoped for. This is trivial because the logical follow up questions are: (a) were you assuming that you automatically deserved to get a particular service, (b) did you omit anything in your interaction that would be considered a major turn-on for another human being, and (c) did you do anything that would be considered a major turn-off for another human being. If you answered yes on either one, I suggest you remind yourself that a provider IS a human being and will react in the same way as you would if you were faced with similar circumstances (or at least I would hope because if not, that’s a big red flag). I don’t think I’ve read yet something like “the provider didn’t engage in DFK with me because my mouth stinks”, “the provider didn’t let me DATY because my teeth are rotten and she’s rightfully concerned about acquiring a vaginitis” or “the provider just laid there and didn’t engage in MISH because I’m a 350-lb crushing this 120-lb beauty”.

My point is that hobbyists are likely (for multiple complex reasons) to artificially attribute a successful session to their unparalleled sexual maneuvers but will fail to acknowledge their active contribution to a disappointing session. To me, that is as biased as it can possibly get. To state the obvious (but all too often forgotten), a review must be interpreted cautiously and with a healthy degree of skepticism. A provider’s reputation cannot and must not be exclusively determined by the amount of “model material/once in a lifetime” appearance or “I forgot it was a service/once in a lifetime” performance- though many of us would agree that if a pattern unfolds, there might be a lot of truth to it.

In the end, I am convinced that there are many providers whose TER ratings are probably not within the above-mentioned parameters but in my book, they have everything in place to become more “one in a lifetime” type of experiences. Just my thoughts...