I will be moving to HK later this summer and wish to hit the ground running in terms of gaining karma.  I have read all the faqs I could find and didn't really see anything on this so thought I would ask.

From what I can tell, there are a lot of basics that people need to do in their reports to generate more karma than your average reports.  These include:

- length and level of detail of the report
- pictures
- whether the girl has been reported on before and is currently available in HK
- whether the venue is a new place that hasn't been reviewed.

These are fairly obvious things.  My question is whether or not there are other things that might not be as obvious that could land me extra amounts of karma.  I'm a pretty indescriminate monger so I really dont care if i do walkups, hg, saunas, streetwalkers.  What i do want to do is get my RA up as fast as possible as I really want to have access to better information.  I have some guesses on things that senior bros may look for, such as:

- russians - apparently they are notorious for subpar service so anyone willing to take one for the team and report on new russians would seem to deserve extra karma.
- illegal places - anyone reporting on places that are illegal would seem to deserve extra karma for taking the risk

Unfortunately, there's really no way for me to quantify this so the only way to really figure this out is to ask senior members for the scenarios where they tend to dish out extra karma.  Anyways, any feedback would be appreciated.  Thanks.

Bro, the short answer is "authentic accounts of your own experience".  

Here are some guidelines
1. follow the recommended format - it helps you include the stuff people want to know
2. be current - watch the db for new girls, be the first to see her, especially HGs
3. Yes, pictures attract more attention and more K - but make sure you have her permission

Do NOT assume that illegal = better.    Why do you think senior bros want to risk their ass???  

Also I don't see any point going after sub-par girls - why would we care?  
Unless, of course, you find one that is exceptional in an unusual place ... in that case you do get credit, but it's not for the risk you took.  You get credit for your skill in finding a gem.  

Suggest you don't try to strategise too much, better to just go out and have fun doing what attracts you.  Then write it up.  If you're writing about something that you found fun, or are proud to have figured out, you'll get credit.  

AND
You'll get more K from writing two or three "OK" reports than you would from putting the same effort into one "perfect" report.

A couple passages from "Forum etiquette/Forum Guidelie" FYI:

- Write up good informative reports in the spirit of sharing/caring – Format/check list of information favored - http://forum.sex141.com/eforum/viewthread.php?tid=15731

- Read at least a few reports on the forum to get acquainted with how things are done here.  Observe the pattern of Positive (+)/negative (-) point awards as guideline for your own report.


SEAJ

don't be too concerned about karmas.
when writing the report, just keep this in mind {SHARE and CARE}


the more you think about karmas, they longer they take to come.
when you stop thinking abt them, you will realise you suddenly has become a forum senior.

Ok, thanks for the advice.  I've used the template before but that was a few years back when I was in Macau.  Looks like I shouldn't sweat trying to find high value targets but rather just do what I want to do and let the karma take care of itself.

Pics do help, but for me, writing style is key. My favorite reports are written by bro Rico because I'm always just smiling reading his reports. I'm not sure if writing style can be copied, or if it's just innate, but the better written reports get more karmas, which makes sense. We're all reading this and punting to be entertained .. right?

Dude, this is not a role playing exercise. As Bro Mod Kaka correctly pointed out, the better way is to write for both yourself (not caring about the Ks) and for the community in which you're a member. While others might see it differently, I can't abidesuch a brazen "where are the shortcuts" approach. In anything worthwhile, there are no shortcuts.

If you are a good member, a good poster and informative and helpful reporter, the rest will take care of itself. I'd spend moretime on that instead of viewing it as a game or race where you try to get to 250 or 500 Ks ASAP. The latter is clearly the wrong way to look at it, and the more senior guys will see through it quickly.

i concur with kaka and paladin here: the Ks do take care of themselves IF u hold up yr end of the bargain:

punt/observe/post/repeat.

stellar experience? great! even better if girl allows pix!

lousy experience? happens to us all. yr post may help other bros. read the board: reports on lousy punts earn respect.

don't be a "K-watcher," concentrate on treating girls well, observing, having fun, and reporting. don't worry about "writing badly": if u write from the heart and let yr personality thru, there's no such thing. how did you FEEL? what turned u on, what turned u off? it's best if u write up yr punts as soon as possible after they occur, while they're fresh in yr mind.

follow yr INSTINCT. if this hobby is for you, yr in the right place.

look forward to yr reports bro.

JtB

[ Last edited by  JackTheBat at 23-6-2011 16:50 ]

Trying to make reports entertaining doesn't work for me, in the end the style I started writing in does not mesh well with the ending making some of my reports turn into bunk...

I dont want to edit them because they get their point across.  I will never write as well as JtB, however, when I want to, I can go back and remember what made me write the things I did the way I did.  A sort of state memory of sorts.

RA is slightly useful at 30, not sure about at 40, but I just enjoy sharing my experiences with the group as a whole.  Not like I can sit at most bars and discuss the things we discuss here.

The more I punt the more I realize it might not be a good hobby for me.  Once its not fun anymore, I am sure I will stop.

good observations, J7. however, this i believe:

writing is HARD. some people have more aptitude than others, and some take courses in it, read books on it or just keep at it until they make their peace with the craft. if u ask me, i'd say borrow/buy a copy of William Zinsser's "On Writing Well" and read the first few chapters.

it's nervewracking. the empty page/text-box stares at you mockingly. what RIGHT do YOU have to spill your words here?!? you ask yourself this as you go to the coffeepot...only to realize your cup is already full.

accept this and you're on your way. you say you like to share your experiences, and i'd like to read them. let me make some suggestions--you can think them over, or discard them, or whatever. or you can read that Zinsser book--altho it's US-centric (he teaches at Princeton) it's been in print since the 70s and has sold over a million copies. partly because--it's the TRUTH about writing, distilled by someone who's really, really good at it.

your first sentence is what prompted me to write this post: "in the end the style I started writing in does not mesh well with the ending." like many who CAN BECOME good writers, you know your own situation. you're self-aware. this is farther than most writers ever get, trust me.

now i can't tell u exactly where things are going wrong, but this i also believe: you are forcing a style on yourself that isn't YOURS. that's why the beginning and ending don't mesh. u mentioned u might want to give up punting (nothing about punting says u have to WRITE about it...u cd write about another topic, the web is full of opportunities), and there may be something about the subject matter, or other stuff u read on this forum, that makes u feel u have to write in an "entertaining style" or whatever. that's what's twisting up the reports. u need to find that and say NO to it. what we want to hear is YOUR voice.

i write for the same reason you do: i want to remember. if you do want to progress in writing, you will need to do some self-editing (one of my writing teachers wrote "ALL WRITING IS REWRITING" on the board before classes, that's not strictly true, but rewriting and editing DO help bring out your voice. the one you share with. and somewhere, you're trying to force another voice in there. that's all i know for sure.

it's up to you, but i've got some exercises to try:

- start a report by writing the ending FIRST. then write the beginning. now you need to go in and fill in the middle bits, but again, try to do all this in your own words. forget this forum, forget the world. how do you want to tell your story?

- take a report you felt went wrong and read it ALOUD. that's right, read it OUT LOUD. do you notice any parts that don't SOUND like you? sometimes, an out-loud reading will flag the spots where you're trying to force it.

- you ARE discussing things at a bar, just a private one, with us, your fellow mongers. it's just a bar where we get up and read our reports aloud. ten mongers will have ten different voices, and they are ALL good. we are all different: ethnicities, language skills, upbringings, ages, experience...but we share a hobby, and we like to learn more about it.

you're already writing, and yes it's DIFFICULT to write. hopefully writing a different way (start at the third paragraph, why not?) and using your own words will help get you started. but, no one writes perfectly right at the start. for a good report, u need to go over it and fix the mistakes. a spell-checker is REALLY good because it stops at misspellings and gives u a random sample. u can use grammar-checkers too, they're wrong half the time but they also give you another look. these computer functions are self-editing tools i use all the time.

what i do: as soon as i can, i write the rough draft of the report. then i edit the fotos. then i spell-check and have a look over the text. then i go in and fix my mistakes. it's still not perfect but what the hell? it's good enough! slap it online. share, as you want to do. people WILL read it.

u did mention wanting to stop punting, that's not something i can advise you on. if it's causing problems in your life at present, probably best to give a rest for awhile. but the good thing about writing is that there are so many interesting subjects to write about, and the more u stick with it, the better u get.

make sense? do u think, well that fine, but *I* can't do it? we've ALL felt that way, J7--it's normal. writing is HARD. recently i had a session with my favorite technician and couldn't maintain an erection. my reaction was: well i'm sorry it wasn't a wild dragonfuckin' session, but ya know what: i have an opportunity to write about MY FAILURE. because i do know this gal well, and i had been sick, she understood the situation and was able through great effort on her part to get me off. i didn't like being sick but i did have the opportunity to write about my human failings. but i could never do it if i didn't have a procedure i follow, having learned the principles from many, many different people.

if you want the reports, the memories, then don't stop writing. doesn't have to be this board, this subject. just don't give up. find YOUR voice. personally, i think you want to. try to not to put pressure on yourself or have high expectations. just try some different approaches. relax as much as possible. this is a MONGER board, not the Pulitzer Committee--we've read some sloppy reports that were GREAT because the writer had a fun/unique experience and just tapped on the keys until he'd described it, and filed the thing. yr taking things more seriously--that's good, but it's also more painful. different approaches may help stop the forcing and allow words to flow. it happens.

again, it's up to you, but don't worry about the Ks, don't worry about anything, just observe and write. i think if u do enough of this, rewriting/editing will seem more like a good idea than something you don't wanna do. if posting monger-reports is your thing, this board's the place. but good writing is a VERY useful skill in many disciplines. it takes time, practice, and sometimes learning from books and other writers. but it's not like sports, where you're often washed up at 40. as a writer, 40 is where hopefully yr starting to cruise, u have DECADES to get good.

keep at it, and thanks for posting.

JtB

Jack, you're one of the few members here who puts as much thought and effort into your non-report
posts as you do into your reports, and in your case both kinds shine with well-observed pearls of wisdom.

Writing may have started off being hard for you, but clearly you loved it so much it became second
nature to you. Mastery of anything worthwhile -- a sport, playing a musical instrument -- is like that:
it's hard at first, then if you're lucky enough to have the talent and the persistence, it becomes
something that almost does itself. You still have to work at it, but it's no longer work, because you're
in the zone. This is true of writing and probably true of seduction and even of sex.  

The best piece of advice in your post is this: "just observe and write. i think if u do enough of this,
rewriting/editing will seem more like a good idea than something you don't wanna do." This is what
your teacher was getting at in a more cryptic, condensed way, but your formulation has the ring of
practical truth to it. As always, it's all about love -- in this case, loving what you do. If the act brings
you joy, you will want to do it well; doing it well brings you joy. And sometimes others too.

[ Last edited by  Mister at 24-6-2011 01:01 ]

thx again mister, for yr kind words and superb analogies.

people often associate that term "in the zone" with sports, but it applies elsewhere. sports is a good metaphor, tho. consider this:

most sports have some element of chaos (opponents interfering physically, yelled commands, crowd noise). let's take one of two events where those distractions are minimized:

- a cricket bowler delivering the ball
- a basketball player shooting a "free throw"

in both instances, professionals will have practiced so often that the movements are in "muscle-memory," their job is to take their BRAINS out of the equation. the free throw is a perfect example, distances never vary, they can be practiced 100x daily by a single player. variables are noise and crowd-distractions (assuming no cross-wind or changes in air pressure).

AND what's going on in your brain. if it's muscle-memory, park yr brain in neutral and u shd hit it every time. that's "the zone."

writing isn't exactly that way, because there are different zones. i play in several--the 141 stuff is just one of them, but i like it. when reporting, you need to explain WHAT happened, but HOW you explain it depends on yr mood, yr observations, the other person or persons involved, the setting, etc. but first, u need to find YOUR voice, otherwise you will always be fighting against something. only your voice gets you "in the zone."

yes it's hard, but so is playing a musical instruments, or professional sports. things worth doing generally require effort and practice. that's the deal.

the beauty of rewriting is here's where you play better than Michael Jordan (whose free-throw percentage wasn't stellar). you control the ball AFTER it's thrown. going to hit the left rim and bounce off? rewrite it...a little to the right. WHAMMO!

that's why writing-zones are more useful that sports-zones, heh heh.

JtB

I find rewriting (or adjusting) serves another purpose too ...

fact is the conscious part of the brain has a very small bandwidth - something like 56kb of data, i.e. about the same as an old v.42 dial-up modem: virtually nothing compared to all the stuff happening in the other parts of the brain.  

So when you write and correct, you are able to use that small bandwidth for different purposes

First I like to get the overall shape of the piece down quickly, and don't pay any attention to grammar spelling or good style.  This is where my voice speaks out and I try to suspend critical judgement, instead using my sense of feeling.  
Then I go back and correct the worst stylistic blunders, and make sure I've not left the reader behind by making chasmic jumps in the flow.  Also trim down bits where words or sentences are redundant or longwinded.  
Then fine-tune precise words, maybe using a thesauraus to pick different metaphors or adjust the visualisation.  
If I'm writing with a commercial impact (reports, contracts etc) I'll next try to spot and eliminate potential misunderstandings or loopholes.  
Finally the grunt stuff, spelling, punctuation, layout, formatting

Each stage needs a different mindset, a focus on a different dimension ... and doing them in roughly the right order helps a lot.