Switter: The Sex Work Friendly Alternative To Twitter

We can’t deny the fact that sex workers are blatantly under attack, especially on social media platforms. This has always been one of my struggles when it comes to building a fan base. Thankfully, Switter has become a refuge and a mainstream social platform where you can chat publicly with your clients. Since it was launched a few months ago, thousands of people have signed up. Whether you’re a camgirl, escort, or a pornstar, you can use Switter without the risk of any bans. Below is everything you need to know before you navigate through the Switter realm.

How Switter started

A group of friends formed Assembly Four with the goal of empowering sex workers. Twitter, Instagram, Google Drive, and Squarespace were removing sexual content without warning. Consenting sex workers had their livelihood taken away. Switter started as a rough idea, but the social network had exploded in popularity to 56,000 users in a month. However, the celebration didn’t last for long. A cloud flare kicked them off without a warning. When the team asked for clarification, they were told they violated the terms of service. The only solution was to change the name servers and move to a CDN (content delivery network). And that’s when Switter made its official debut.

Tweet deck function

Just like Twitter, Switter has a series of columns for notifications, sent posts, and overall feed. The tweets are known as Toots and allow up to 500 characters. If you’ve ever used TweetDeck before, you’ll find the platform very similar. Additionally, it’s divided into instances or individual networks each with their own server. The platform is also sex worker-friendly—there’s no shadow-banning because it works like any other sex site. Everything feels natural and is pretty much identical to Twitter. You can also share hashtags and links to your posts. The only difference is that you’ll find multiple feeds arranged in columns.

Switter is built on Mastodon

This is an Australian-based organization that provides an open-source network. It’s hosted on the webmaster server. Because sex work is legal in Australia, the network is unlikely to be intercepted by the authorities. This platform is also immune from U.S domestic laws. Mastodon is not a social network which means there’s no central authority, data mining, or advertising.

Cross-poster

The developer has come up with a handy tool where Twitter users can sync their account with Switter. For this to work, you need your full username. Keep in mind everything you tweet will be posted in Switter. The integration is simple just like in other apps. It’s worth mentioning that you can copy paste your Twitter profile to Switter. Although you may face a challenge transferring the photos to your account, the artwork is similar.

Listing section for escorts

The platform has a section that makes the escort listings public. While there’s no guarantee that law enforcement agencies will not monitor you, this should not be a cause of alarm. To make the most out of this section, give the actual location, list your contact information, and use the hashtag #swlisting.

Privacy settings

If you don’t want your account to appear in the search engines, you can indicate that in your account. You can set the account as hidden which means it can only be accessed via links. It’s also possible to restrict the number of followers. When it comes to spammers, the user can use the settings to keep them at bay. It’s important to underscore that although the platform uses https, the messages are not encrypted. 

Why sex workers need It

In recent years, sex workers have struggled to find new ways to connect with their clients. Some tried to use Twitter, but most accounts that shared nude photos and other explicit content were erased. Alternatively, the visibility of tweets is limited (downranking). Sex workers tried to take precautions to keep their accounts private. Switter has become an indispensable tool for sharing a few tips with the rest of the online community. You can link Twitter with Switter with a cross-posting tool so you can reach to a new audience and get even more potential clients.

How to use Switter

While Switter is a sex work-friendly space, there are some rules. They don’t accept content that endorses sexism, racism, and discrimination of sexual minorities.

Once you create a profile, it will be reviewed within two business days—you’ll get a confirmation email. You can change the display name the number of times you want. Choose a username that is easy to remember for others. Secondly, enter your phone number which works as a form of identification in case you ever lose your account. Make your account secure by choosing a strong password.

Just like Twitter, you can swipe to tweet and retweet. The tweets show up in the order they happen. Usually, the new ones appear on the top while old ones are at the bottom. Tweets can contain images, videos, or GIFs but are limited to 500 characters. If you haven’t signed in for a while, you’ll get a notification of all the tweets you may have missed. Next, choose your interests. This will help you know who to tweet next and gives suggestions of the people to follow. If you’re not sure what to tweet, you can click “skip for now.” Keep adding people, and you’ll notice there is a big difference between the tweets and show up in your feed.

Since the idea of Switter is not to capture everyone’s post, you might not see everything that is said. The platform will occasionally filter the timeline showing your favorite people first- it helps you see everything that happened when you were away. Still, you can turn on notifications if you want to keep track of your favorite clients. The only way you can get everyone’s attention is to use Tweetdeck. This feature will also help you make private lists. Remember, everything on this platform is public by default but you can make your own private experience. And if someone is getting on your nerves, you can block or mute them.

Final thoughts

Unfortunately, most social media platforms are not adult-friendly, which is not good for sex workers and their businesses. However, with Switter, you can safely connect with the online sex community. This platform has a desktop and mobile version. It’s run by Assembly Four, an enterprise made of sex workers and a group of technologists. If you know how to use Twitter, it will be quite easy to use Switter. It has made finding sex much safer, and it’s quite easy to spot and engage with potential clients online. Try it out today!