Permanent&Prominent slave Market?

[Habibi]

A thought that has crossed my mind several times since joining this site is: Why is there not a PERMANENT and PROMINENT slave Market established? I have run across posts about the "Slave Auction" (which to my knowledge is no longer running), and the "Slave Economy" which doesn't seem to be that prevalent or active (to my knowledge).

Still, lurking through the forums I have seen posts/blogs/ads from several different Masters/Mistress' and slaves alike, that show a clear passion and enjoyment for the activities that are done on this site; you can see this through the creative and well thought out dares from the Masters to the well detailed reports from the slaves, as well as the enthusiasm to experience and play with new activities/ideas from the newer members (such as myself).

I have encountered several different issues, as I am sure many others have, while on these forums. I would like to list out a few problems, that I believe are prevalent, from both the Master's/Mistress' perspective as well as the slave's:

Master/Mistress

1. slaves who are NOT owned are difficult to find/contact.
2. OWNED slaves who are still available to casually "play" are difficult to find/contact.
3. slaves become inactive/non-responsive (suddenly or gradually).

slave

1. slaves find it difficult to find a Master/Mistress who meets their needs.
2. slaves are controlled by an abusive Master/Mistress who risks/endangers their safety/security.
3. slaves are abandoned/"trashed" by their Master/Mistress.

Another problem, that I personally think is an issue, is that there seems to be a lack of "strong community". I do not mean to say that everyone should become best friends or that this site is unwelcoming (quite the contrary!), what I am trying to get at is that there seems to be a "void" between new members and established/experienced members. Many people may just pass this off and say "well they should just post a thread if they have any questions/concerns." I do agree with this suggestion, however, it also has some "holes". For example new members might not know what they are looking to become, they may be completely new to this type of community. A situation like this, in my mind, requires a "mentor" of sorts; it may be a personal mentor or a multitude of people over a period of time. Another point that should be made is that even if people go on the forums to get "open" advise they may NOT be getting the correct advise. For example a common misconception that MANY experienced members try to correct is that "just because you are a Dom/Master does not mean that you can automatically control anyone you want, it is in fact a RELATIONSHIP!"

I feel as though having a PERMANENTandPROMINENT slave Market run by Masters/Mistress' AND slaves would be a significant step for the community. I am willing to put in a large chunk of personal time and effort to realize this idea to it's full potential if it is something that the community feels would be good; as well as if I am able to recruit some help from SERIOUS and PASSIONATE members!

The basic concept that I have when I think of a "slave" is NOT someone who is ONLY a "meat bag", useful for nothing but sexual activity and self-pleasure; although there may be some of you out there and I completely respect that, there will be a place for you in the Market. When I think of a slave I think of an individual trained in many different aspects of life; whether it be cooking, cleaning, beauty, literature/writing, physical activity, etc. It is someone who is looked at and PRIZED for being able to pleasure their Master(s)/Mistress' in more than just sexual ways (although this is also important).

Working off of that idea I have a basic concept in mind for "the Market"; I hope to flesh it out with the help of other members and make it a robust system that will function well after its "Founders" are gone.

To start off, the creation of an account SOLELY dedicated to the slave Market would have to be created; it would be maintained by the Founders including myself. This account would handle the creation of specific threads relating to the slave Market, as well as act as a "base of operations" for the market. Other Masters/Mistress'/slaves who are "employed" to aid with logistics and general maintenance are REQUIRED to report to THIS account.

Each Master/Mistress/Slave will have to register BEFORE being accepting into the Market; the following is a basic list of what MAY BE asked of you:

1. Username
2. Occupation (Slave/Master/Mistress)
3. "Personal Ad" explaining what you are looking for, your skills, etc.
4. "Proof of Person". This MAY BE a requirement based on community reception, basically you are required to attach a "time-stamp" along with your ad. I believe it would be a good idea, purely to establish a slight ease of mind.

**Personal Ads WILL BE held up to high standards. Ads such as those in the "Top Advertisements" section should be used as templates.**

After your registration is approved you will receive a notification as well as any relevant information. You would be REQUIRED to advertise your association with the Market in your signature; a link to a specific post would also be REQUIRED, this link would have the names of all APPROVED members of the slave Market.

Depending on a variety of factors that will be discussed in more detail during planning, such as experience, a member will be assigned a "tier". This will serve as a general ranking for a member in regards to the Market. BOTH Masters/Mistress' and slaves will be assigned tiers. Restrictions or special benefits MAY play a role in combination with the tiers.

**It will be possible to BOTH lose and gain in tier levels. The number of tiers, as well as details, will be discussed during planning. It may also be changed into a different ranking system all together!**

A standardized "currency" will be distributed as the MAIN commodity to be used for ALL transaction.

**Other means such as loaning out a slave, or going into servitude may also be used at the discretion of the involved parties. More on distribution and possibly "inflation" will be discussed during planning**

As I have mentioned earlier I want this slave Market to bring the community together. Jobs will be offered BY THE MARKET, to help aid with logistics and general maintenance. This will allow new members or members "down on their luck" to make money to get back into the Market. This can also be a task Masters/Mistress' could send their slaves to apply for to bring in money.

**Job positions offered by the Market will possibly be chosen through a random lottery. Any money made by an OWNED slave will go to the Master/Mistress that ORDERED the job. Masters/Mistress' may allow slaves an "allowance" on their own discretion.**

For experienced Masters/Mistress' as well as slaves, they may train/mentor people in their occupation of a lower tier and be paid for their work. Hopefully this will instill a sense of a "stronger community" and bring additional and constant activity to this great site as well as the Market itself.

**slaves who train others during their "free time" or while not under the orders of a Master/Mistress may keep ANY and ALL money from that transaction for themselves.**

**Money owned by individual will be kept track of by the Market as well as individual. Reports of personal wealth are to be made at MINIMUM ONCE A DAY; failure to do so will result in fund for that day NOT being counted in your total.**

Now you may be asking yourself: why should I work for "fake money?" For one, this slave Market will ONLY be as good as the members make it! The money will be used to buy slaves, the higher the tier the higher the price of course. It'll allow you to buy lessons from other Masters/Mistress'/Slaves. It'll allow you to buy "benefit" items during large, hopefully, site wide events.

**Many other uses will be discussed in detail in the future.**

Speaking of site wide events, I would like to hold regular competitions between the various Master/Mistress' to showcase their slaves proficiency in certain areas; these may include sexual as well as non-sexual activities and tasks. This will showcase not only the slave but also the skills of the Master/Mistress as a trainer, it will instill a sense of pride for the Master/Mistress (in theory).

This is an idea I've thought on and pondered for a bit and decided to pass onto you, the members of this lovely site. If you wish to add your own perspectives/thoughts on this feel free to reply. If you are as passionate as me I would love help making this into a reality!

**Please remember that ALL thoughts are incomplete and that NOTHING written here is set in stone or currently being implemented.**

**Please be respectful with your responses to EVERYONE not just me. Thank you!**

[shadew21]

I would love to be a part of this in any way shape or form. I believe in all your thoughts of slavery as a relationship and not just an ownership of property. There is trust and relation that is needed to be built between a master and sub. There is relation that develops through respect someone and not try to defile someone against there own limits or ways. There is trust that you will not harm the other person and they can take trust you with personal things. I have seen many relations and the lots I have seen do not work because they lack something usually in the relation between respect and trust. These relations usually do not last and hurts both parties. The belief of working this system, seemingly by your description, will help teach and create a better community for relation building as the market will be a community in itself. It will be a community where if one person is lacking the group falls. However, if everyone works together you do not just benefit yourself, or the market community, you improve the community of slavery as a whole.
Now in addition to relations not working because of a lack of something in the relation, there are lots of people out there that do have that something that are not being used because they cant find someone. I have seen many ads with many doms that have everything that an ideal master would be. However they are always overlooked, simply for the fact that many people do not want to read the actual content and want a quick read to get someone. Another problem is the people who post something and just choose right off the bat with in seconds who they want or need. This most of the time shuts out the person looking for a valuable relation to maybe actually finding a good relation and a person that could give a good relation from achieving one. The slave market will separate these people one by quality and two by money. The quality will be shown for the higher slaves or dominants. Thew will be higher priced and more worth the time to achieve something like a relation. This will help organize relations for people who want a quick one night stand from the ones that legitimately want a long trusting relation.
I speak all this from experience. I have dealt with a lot of those problems that Habibi posted for master/mistress problems. I look over the ads and many people post, but only so few are worth while being there time put into the ad and the ad isn't just one line. There is also the problem of people just taking the first person they see respond and giving no others a chance. If no others get a chance, like me when I have A. posted a through and time taking ad and B. apply to ads, but am never looked at because they chose someone, then it becomes highly difficult to actually find someone right or get anyone at all. This is the reason I give my full support. I believe this will achieve something new and make finding someone easier.
Now a recommendation I would have for this would be that the ads here are still used for looking and format, however, the actual selling and trading and lessons actually be done on another site where it could be more easily managed and there could be moderators for the selling or trading of slaves or lessons. Another possibility is there is some other sub forum added into the slave section or an entirely different sub forum all together. I know all that would be way down the line if this thing grew, but it is just food for thought. The primary thing that needs to happen right now is more people need to take interest in this and start to try to commune together on this project.
Thank you Habibi for creating this idea. As I have said before and shown I am in full support of this and plan to share it on kinktalk and fetlife as your idea of course. I would love to see this flourish and thrive. Also I would like to help in way I can.
-Shadow

[redhusky17]

Nice idea for an RP, and fun. Might actually help some get an relationship going on.

This only works for members (master, mistress, slave) who want to search others members and to form a group. In the same time it would work if this members dont just want it for a short or rare time. What you want you need members who wont just use the market once every month. You need more active members or else it will be like a ghost town, mostly silence. I'm not saying you need those who try to live it as a lifestyle, just somebody who at least checks in min every week.
Another problem could be compatibility ,not all dom or sub are compatibility with one another. A marketplace suggest this isn't an issue, that if an master/mistress 'buys' a slave, that slave will be his/hers regardless if the slave likes it or not. A slave who dislikes or doesn't like his/her owner , can play nice, like a good slave, but it's just matter of time before the slave wont.

[shadew21]

I posted it on kinktalk. Now only time will tell when and or if it helps it grow. And in response to husky, it only takes one step to create an avalanche. It only takes a few masters/slaves to be dedicated to begin the process. Once the process is initiated then it is open to people who would like one night stands or a long relation/ If the small community works it can grow successful and more and more would use it. Plus I know many people in the shadows and have sen many people that would be willing to do this if they knew about it, but they just don't know or if they did know would feel a lot of pressure, but would still support.
So in turn it does not necessarily require a group as it just needs word to spread. One person could run things or two or three. just like getdare, not every admin or moderator is on all the time. They come on when they need and regulate things when needed. For the most part things run successfully by themselves. Like I said it just needs the initial support to grow and thrive.
As for the issue pertaining to the case of not all masters or slaves getting who they need, the system for sure wouldn't be perfect. However, it would definitely help the current community which is most of getdare with slaves and doms. And if the slave isn't compatible, it is not like it truly means the slave needs to stay or nothing could be "refunded". Just like you stated a good rp idea so nothing would ever be truly permanent and the slave could leave. The reason it is emphasized for a long lasting relation is because that is the goal and hope, not the actuality of everything. Plus the compatibility is regulated by the more prestigious masters would have more money with the more prestigious slaves having more cost. And the way you would know they were more prestigious would be by the way of activity they had and the want/desire between the master and slave for each other. More money = more activity and more want=more money= a stronger chance for more compatibility.

[SandMguy]

Ill sign up as a slave but only for females.

[SMslavelimbo]

i would like to sign up as slave to female and male

[SlutPuppy]

It sounds like a nice RP idea or a fantasy... But the whole concept mostly confuses me.

1st: The word "permanent" is going to scare a lot of people away. No one wants to be stuck in a "permanent" D/s relationship with someone who just randomly comes along.

2nd: Users on GD are only allowed 1 account. I don't understand how you plan on doing this and making people create new accounts just for it?

3rd: What exactly is the "currency"? And how will it be dealt out/handled?

4th: Why would an owned slave need to make an ad, just to conform to your markets rules?

5th: A lot of what youre saying comes across as this being an off-site thing rather than a thing on GD. GD is primarily based on Truth or Dare, which is why the Slave auctions don't stay around for very long - people just lose interest.

Just thoughts, and I have more on it but it's 3am lol.

[Habibi]

I'm glad this topic didn't fall on its face and burn out :P. To make something clear this is NOT something that is actually happening right now; I love that people want to join and participate but there is nothing to participate in! The primary reason I wanted to make this post, aside from relieving boredom yesterday :P, was to bounce this idea around and see how the community would react.

In response to redkusky17,

This is something that will rely on the community; by community I mean the people who are active in the Tangent Forum: Slave/Master Area.

NOT to be confused with the whole of getDare!

It does not take a large group of people to INITIALLY form this like you've said, however, community activity and active promotion within the community is something that will make-or-break this idea.

As for the compatibility aspect, the entire process of buying or selling will have to be discussed in more detail (more than I wish to discuss on this reply). It will probably function in a way where slaves are directly/indirectly given "choice" between a set of Masters/Mistress' that meet their criteria who will then buy/bid on said slave. I also believe that Masters/Mistress' will gravitate towards slaves who share their interests; this isn't a set-in-stone fact, there are many variables to take into consideration!

In response to SlutPuppy,

1. The word "permanent" was meant to describe the slave Market as an entity rather than the relationships formed within it. In no way am I trying to establish "permanent" relationships with everyone in the Market, if that is a result for some members then more power to them!

2. I do not intend to make anyone create a new account. I merely suggested that the CORE GROUP/FOUNDERS create an account to act as a "central point" for the Market, rather than relying on a personal account owned by one person.

3. Talks about the currency, as well as MANY other details about the Market, are something I want to discuss in detail with a core group of people. This is in no way a finished concept. Again I only wanted to gauge the communities perspective on this idea.

4. To bring this back to the idea of permanent and non-permanent relationships, if an owned slave finds themselves without a Master/Mistress then having an ad would immediately allow them to get back into searching; if they wish. It would also be useful to see the "skills" that said slave possesses for purposes of "mentoring". Think of it as a "resume"; even if you have a "job" you also (most likely) have a "resume".

5. I understand that GD is a site primarily for truth/dare, however, there is a niche community who are interested in these sorts of activities as well. However large or small that community may be this is for them. Again this is something that will thrive on community input and activity if the community doesn't want it it will die, if they do it will thrive. In the future if it thrives enough it may become a site all its own, however, there is no need to think that far ahead while still conceptualizing!

**Just to be clear, anyone may participate. If they are interested in casual dares or short-term relationships then that will, hopefully, be accommodated. People who are interested in that may have a different "tier" or rank indicating that they are primarily interested in those forms of relationships. The phrase "Rent a' Slut" came to mind, I mean NO OFFENSE in that statement, it just made me giggle :P**

I would be happy to discuss/clarify/reply to more thought SlutPuppy, as well as from ANYONE else.

[forrest.livingston8]

An internet forum is not the best format for roleplaying. Optimally, you would get yourself a programmer to put together a website which keeps a database of all data, performs all scheduled updates/events, and processes all applications/removals/dropouts/etc.

It wouldn't be a very complicated project for a college level webdev, so that'd likely be the best thing for you to look into if you're seriously interested in making this happen. Asking people to help you will only get you so far, whereas building a system that makes it easy for everyone to take part without too much work on their part will make success a much higher probability.

You would also be able to make it site neutral so people could invite others from other sites. This increases your theoretical membership population to a near limitless level, limited only by your advertising campaign. Speaking of advertising, you'd likely be able to get by with just word of mouth on a few large sites such as KinkTalk and getDare.

The main downsides would be that there would be the initial cost of getting it designed and created (although this may be waved if you can find a programmer interested in completing and upkeep on your project because they like the concept), the ongoing hosting costs (this can be as low as a few dollars a month), and the time required to put together a functional system.

[Habibi]

In response to forrest.livingston8,

That would be an IDEAL plan, and I have thought about that as well. Sadly I do not know any programmers who are able AND willing to get involved with a project such as this :P.

[forrest.livingston8]

Originally Posted by Habibi

In response to forrest.livingston8,

That would be an IDEAL plan, and I have thought about that as well. Sadly I do not know any programmers who are able AND willing to get involved with a project such as this :P.

Nor do I, but that does not mean that there aren't some watching us, right now. Of course, that is rather unlikely, which means that you'll likely need to do some legwork if you want to try and set up a slave market that is going to have any real staying power.

Good luck!

[Habibi]

In response to forrest.livingston8,

Watching us, sounds like something out of the Matrix :P. For the most part I wanted to gauge how excited people on this site would be for something like this. It was a random thought that I decided to run with, a few people seem interested. Sadly I don't have the skills, such as programming, to set something like this up. Hopefully I'll run into someone with those skills, but if this ends up just being a "dream" then that's just fine too; makes for good conversation though!

Thank you for your support!

[Sindrato]

I like your idea. I appreciate the amount of thought you've put into it. However, it has one, basic problem: It won't work.

Now, I understand it sounds presumptuous and arrogant of me to just outright spit out that it won't work, but, if experience is any indication, it won't.

First of all, let's take a look at GetDare demographics. I'm not sure if there was at any time any research about that, but I think it's a pretty safe bet to say that males outnumber the female population, and by a large margin. Also, my personal estimate is that the ratio of submissives to dominants goes somewhere along 2.5:1. Now, a well balanced market, of any kind, needs to have a right ratio of supply and demand. In this case, the supply of male submissives is huge, with little to no demand for it, while at the same time the demand for female submissives rises, without adequate supply.

And this would cause the same problem that all of the far less thought-out slave markets have faced. You would get dozens of potentially good male submissives just waiting to no avail, while at the same time any female would immediately get bought, no matter the price tag you put on her. So, the only one whom this system would benefit would be female masters looking for male slaves. They would have got many slaves at one place to compare and take a pick, but, to be honest, they don't have much trouble finding someone as it is.

The second problem with your idea is also one that is inherent to online slave markets, and not the design fault. Pretty simply, you can't throw together two random people and expect them to make a connection. Of course, you have ads, and you expect that people pick based on mutual interest. Yet, it doesn't work that way.

When you place a normal ad at this site, you get essentially the same thing. People find someone they figure out is compatible, they talk with them for a while, get into D/s relationship and so on. However, putting a price tag, even a virtual, imaginary price tag onto slaves skewers the whole process. If I pay for something, I'm paying to get it right away. I do not pay to talk to the submissive, I pay to get them naked and take a [Insert phallic object] into their [Insert hole]. I'm overdoing it a little here, but you understand my point. Markets take away the whole compatibility checking process, and ultimately, the only people that actually get something out of them are those looking for a quick wank, and even then only it they manage to overcome the first problem I've stated. And that is something that makes people looking for permanence and prominence turn away in disgust.

Now, I know that I've gone onto your idea quite harshly, but I figure it's better to throw it right out to at least warn you about what you're getting into. Again, don't get me wrong, I love the thought you've put into it, and, hell, I might even be inclined to check it out if you can make it work. I just don't see it ever coming to life.

[Star Shadows]

Originally Posted by Sindrato

I like your idea. I appreciate the amount of thought you've put into it. However, it has one, basic problem: It won't work.

Ive largely been sitting back and trying to keep out of this idea but I really do agree with Sindrato, I feel that there are two many problems that just this system would fail to address any better than the current system on the site does. Agreeing that the biggest one will be, and always will be is the fact that there are so many more male submissives than anything else and your system is no better equipped to fix them up with people and they would have little to no market value in this system. I really think its a whole lot of work to put in for something that to me at least seems destined to fail.

[Happy Me]

Originally Posted by Star Shadows

Ive largely been sitting back and trying to keep out of this idea but I really do agree with Sindrato, I feel that there are two many problems that just this system would fail to address any better than the current system on the site does. Agreeing that the biggest one will be, and always will be is the fact that there are so many more male submissives than anything else and your system is no better equipped to fix them up with people and they would have little to no market value in this system. I really think its a whole lot of work to put in for something that to me at least seems destined to fail.

I was staying out of this too. The problem is exactly what she says, there is a supply and demand problem. I, as a female, do not have a hard time finding appropriate people to have d/s relationships with on getDare, so I would never sign up for your market, because I just don't need it. In addition, a huge part of the reason I choose people has to do with their entire personalities, and no one else can do that research on my behalf. The people who would sign up are the people who have a hard time finding people, which is primarily male subs. The market does not fix the supply/demand problem.
Now, if the market was geared more towards males seeking males, it might maybe work?