Jen,
There are 2 ways of thinking about it. Some people think that it is a good idea to shoot everywhere because that gets your face out there and you are introduced to more potential members that way. And others think that it is more beneficial to only model for your own site so that when people want to see you, they have to come to you. While I don't know of this girl that you are speaking of and what arrangements she has made with these affiliates, I do know that I've often pondered what the best way to go about my own career was.
I've been offered shoots with most of the big glamour sites out there. And while the money is tempting plus you get content for your site that you don't have to pay to produce, I still hesitate. I've actually worked with very few of these sites. Even though the pay and deals that they make are good, I've been pretty tight about shooting for other people.
A friend of mine has recently been shooting for all of the glamour sites out there. I talked to her boyfriend about it and I was like, "How's that going for her? Is she doing well with that?" I was curious because I always thought that it wasn't a good idea to shoot for everyone else and "play yourself out" all over the net. My theory is that why would people want to join your site if they can go everywhere else and see you there instead? And most of the time these sites are cheaper to join than your own official site. I sometimes wish that I had never modeled nude for any other website but my own but it's too late for that now. I really haven't done that many shoots for other people so I don't think it's hurt me much. And I wonder if my friend's decision to model for all those sites will turn out to be a good thing or a bad thing. Only time will tell. I do know that she is moving up in the ranks on alexa. But I'm not sure if that's because they have been linking with a lot more sites, or because she is getting more exposure by appearing on all these other sites, or a combination of both.
My friend's boyfriend says that he thinks that it's going to help her out. He said that she gets paid for the shoots plus she gets to use the content for her own site. So it saves them money as far as producing the shoots are concerned. Plus he said they do all the retouching etc. And he said that he is still producing exclusive content of her. So if people join a glamour site and fall in love with her, they will still get exclusive stuff thru her own site. So he doesn't think it's going to hurt her. But when is the fine line where you spread yourself too thin and oversaturate your own market?
Thoughts on this anyone? Great subject Jenn!
XoXoX,
BB