The last time I brought this idea up, there were several well-reasoned responses suggesting that paying for reviews would be illegal (i.e. "aiding and abetting").  Let's try another tack and see what the responses are.

Given that all the current reviews on TER are, of course, works of "fiction", would not paying for reviews constitute legal payment for a literary work?

Moreover, since TER already risks legal action for posting these fictional reviews, would more risk really accrue from paying reviewers for their reviews? Couldn't you actually say that TER would be at less risk if it paid for reviews, i.e. literary works, in the same manner as other publications?

Finally, given that TER likely gains more viewership based on increasing number of reviewed escorts, paying more (or only) for reviews on not-previously-reviewed escorts would be prudent and reasonable, would it not?

Of course, TER might not be interested in doing the TOFTT thing, but I don't see that it would create greater legal risk for them. On the other hand, great care would need to be taken to avoid prompting a bunch of spurious first reviews but I think it would be manageable. Some rules: the "date" must be confirmable (though not the details, as these are fiction), vitals on the escort must be accurate, etc.

Any thoughts?

I get paid very well for my services in that regard.  I think paid reviews would start bartering sessions that would consititute a severe conflict of interest.

Sometimes a dude posts an idea that is so dumb-fuck that you think he is a front for Jerry 'Mini-Schlong' Falwell, and his holy roller minions of micro-brained, nano-dick southern Virginia.

Sure, TER should pay for reviews. ROTFSMDO

Every dishonest fuck south of Santa Barbara would then start cranking out reviews by the schmuck-load. Are there any HONEST fucks south of Santa Barbara? Right, but both are in hiding! LOL

If you think we are generally dumber than you, then stay out of the sun for a week or two. And while you're at it, maybe you should take that moron surf board and place it in total darkness up yours. LOL Just kididng. You could never figure out the instructions/ Too many multisyllabic words!

In a conference call, all of the aliases on the entire board agreed that at most we would help fund you for a ninth attempt at your GED, provided you did community service for five  years in the geo-locale you hate most, which is probably the Library of Congress.

Nice to know a simple message can prompt such a lengthy response. Perhaps I should have posted this on the SF board so riker could enjoy some more activity there.

Sorry for the delay in responding to BA's thoughtful and sensitive message...I had to look up all those multisyllabic words, including "multisyllabic", in my dictionary.

Flame away.

Why should TER pay if we are already willing to do it for free?

BAD idea IMHO. I dont see how it improves anything.

You do get paid for the reviews in the form of 15 days of VIP access.

I do not like the idea of paid reviews.  A number of TER members already share their TER handle with providers as a means of verification and to put the providers at ease in the hope of having a better date.  In many cases I doubt that these individuals can realistically be expected to provide accurate reviews.  Certainly many of them would not submit a negative review.  I would suggest that the review process already has serious flaws but is better than anything else out there.

Unfortunately, I agree with Big Anaconda, though I might attempt to be nicer about it. I think I've already contributed to the fund.

CrazyFool, you may be both. Your plan is fraught with problems that make it absolutely unviable. First, TER has little legal exposure by simply being an entertainment sight for public posting. Paying for stories about potentially real people is a whole different thing. Secondly, I’m fairly certain they’re in the business of making money, not spending it frivolously. Corruption and coercion is what has brought down others, and your suggestion is the invitation for that on a wide scale.

You’re always welcome to post on the SF Board. Mostly, I’m super supportive mister nice guy there. But I’m glad you posted this insanity here, so we could enjoy Anaconda’s colorful response.

All Respect,
riker

This post has been sponsored by PerformancePerfe, and brought to you in exchanged for promotional consideration.

would be if the reviewers were paid not for the reviews but as TER staff... the same way a magazine has a book reviewer on staff: he is paid a salary to provide objective reviews and is certainly not paid for reviews because that would be a conflict of interest.

If TER went to a more magazine-style format with, say, four reviewers covering major regions of the country (SE, NE, SW, NW) and if these reviewers were selected based on some kind of editorially sound basis... well, it would be an interesting job to say the least.

Of course this would kill the interactive quality of TER... everyman gets to vent and be a very minor celebrity... but it might boost the veracity of TER reviews.

Of course this isn't going to happen... noone is going to pay four guys $70k/year each to have sex with escorts every day and write about it. They would save the money and do it themselves if they went with the "objective" model.

O.

Of course this is a fear, but the idea would be to *reimburse* for *first* reviews, or at least offset the donation. As for fears about the aliases being known to the provider and thus making unfavorable reviews less likely, these reimbursed reviews could be funneled through a single alias. That would also serve to point out the reimbursed reviews.

Thanks riker. I expect almost complete opposition, not to mention that TER has little (apparent) incentive to try setting this up since TER works pretty well as is. Nevertheless, I'm kind of enjoying noodling this idea and seeing what others think.

To your points:
1)  I think TER's legal exposure actually works in favor of this idea. Since all reviews are fictional, why wouldn't TER pay/reimburse for additional stories (reviews). The increased legal exposure would seem to be minimal. As for involving real people, these real people can already request that the current stories/reviews be removed and could continue to do so after the TOFTT implementation.
2) Since people come to TER to read reviews, and since the more escorts reviewed the better, providing an incentive to provide reviews of unknowns might actually result in greater profit. Depends on how much they actually make and how much more business they might get from the increased number of reviewed escorts. OR, the decrease in profit might be offset by a steadier cash flow.

Of couse, this is highly speculative, to say the least.

The idea would be to pay for FIRST reviews, so that people might be more inclined to take the risk to see that hottie on eros.com that has no reviews. Since most are disinclined to see someone that they know nothing about, it takes a fool or a brave soul to see an unreviewed escort. Taken to extremes, no new escorts would ever be reviewed. Of course, there are fools and brave souls, so some newbies do get reviewed. But this might prompt much more of such reviews.

TER benefit: reviews on unknowns

TER Customer Benefit: seeing a hottie at reduced risk of a ROB

Actually my comments about the aliases being known was not directed at your idea Crazyfool.  It was just an observation related to Melvinator's comments.  We already have issues with reviews being bartered for and gentleman who always tell the provider their alias to put her at ease with the fact that they never write negative reviews.