Briancan wrote:
I find it very odd that so many male models in my locale do not have the courtesy of any type of response when you reach out about a potential photo enquiry. If they are not interested I fully understand but at least reach out, thank me for the enquiry and or compliment. It's common courtesy. I don't have this issue on instagram.

I don't see it as an issue, at least for me it wouldn't be an issue. Sometimes they reply, sometimes they don't, that's it. I don't always reply to enquiries from models, if I'm not interested in what they're offering and just too busy. Usually I reply to them.

Briancan wrote:
I find it very odd that so many male models in my locale do not have the courtesy of any type of response when you reach out about a potential photo enquiry. If they are not interested I fully understand but at least reach out, thank me for the enquiry and or compliment. It's common courtesy. I don't have this issue on instagram.

Instagram is a social platform. Mayhem isn't.  Still, like you say, common courtesy would be nice. Myself I reply interested or not. Can't tell if I might be interested at a later date. No since in putting people off that you may need later. This business is cold enough without taking it below zero.

Briancan wrote:
I find it very odd that so many male models in my locale do not have the courtesy of any type of response when you reach out about a potential photo enquiry. If they are not interested I fully understand but at least reach out, thank me for the enquiry and or compliment. It's common courtesy. I don't have this issue on instagram.

Ideally, I think we'd all like a response.  And thus, I try to respond to everyone that inquires with me. 

Follow up with a second message if you'd like, but otherwise, don't sweat it.  Move on.

Briancan wrote:
I find it very odd that so many male models in my locale do not have the courtesy of any type of response . . .

OTOH we have male models complaining about lack of opportunities!

Brooklyn Bridge Images wrote:
Frankly your expectations are completely out of line with the way things work here.
If you get a response to 1 message out of 10 (even paid gigs) you are doing good.
This isnt Linkedin or some site of MBAs.
This site is overwhelmingly populated by amatuers and your expectations should take that into account.
Also courtesy on the internet is not at all common.

BeachTog757 wrote:
A huge Plus 1 for @brooklynbridgesimages for telling it like it is.  Good job!!

Amen to that!
If a model does that to an agency they'd never give the model another chance of getting a gig.

MM response rate is at an all time low... and I have lots of references and verified credentials displayed, too!
(I can't imagine how tough it would be for a newbie with no references or credits). 

A popular model that I've worked with before is coming back to LV and asked me to set up a shoot / event with her and another model or two (once again, if I was a real prique to work with I highly doubt the model would request a shoot with me again).

The gig I offered can't be all that bad. 7 out of 10 models that I've contacted have not replied at all.  Most of those 10 haven't logged in for a week or two (which was before I sent a message) but because MM no longer has a message system requiring people to log in I have a feeling that those models read the message via email and were either too lazy or too conceited to bother replying.   It's a sign of the times.

There are other websites that monitor if the person that received a booking request has replied to it, and they show the percentage of replies that the person sends.  It's an ideal system.  When someone that fits the casting is displayed but shows that they don't usually reply, you know right then and there not to bother contacting them.

That type of system would greatly enhance MM and get rid of the people that are bringing the site down to a level that's equivalent to Craigslist.

On the relatively rare occasion that I receive a response from a MM model that politely declined me I'll still recommend them when I learn of castings from other people that are looking for a model that fits the description.  It doesn't happen very often, but there's been a few MM models that got booked in a great gig for that reason.

If they're too conceited/lazy/whatever to reply I simply block them so I don't make the mistake of asking them again.  A few otherwise qualified models lost some good gigs and they didn't even know they would have been considered.

Dea and the Beast wrote:
Speaking as a female here (cis, whatever), sometimes when one responds even just in thanks to a kind message, sometimes one gets (for lack of better wording,  don't give me shit about this one now) dragged into email chit-chat that one rather wouldn't be spending time on. 

Other times it's plain retaliation anxiety ("didn't wanna work with you anyway, you [insert unkind remark about body parts/ character, etc] .

Also: this isn't were professionals hang out.

Also:
No response is a response.

sfevans wrote:
Insightful and spot on. Inaction is action; and, fear of relation from, a "no" response is real. It's hard for anyone when you don't get the response you wanted -for me the imposter syndrome really kicks in at times.

We must curb expectations.

Where do the pros hang out?

I used to live in Santa Cruz in the mid 90's. It was cool

Briancan wrote:
I find it very odd that so many male models in my locale do not have the courtesy of any type of response

It's not odd at all. It's human nature. Male, female, and all points in between. I've never seen a marked difference in rudeness or indifference that can be broken down by gender or orientation or any other factor. Some people are considerate and professional and some aren't.

If they are not interested I fully understand but at least reach out, thank me for the enquiry and or compliment. It's common courtesy. I don't have this issue on instagram.

You'll save yourself a lot of anguish if you accept the dictum, "No response is a response." A no-response is far better than getting trolled by wannabes who aren't really here to find shoots, only the ego boost of being asked for a shoot.

Count your blessings. Would you rather get silence to your inquiry or would you rather go through days or weeks of communication and planning and prep, only to get a no-show on the day of the shoot?

Tony Lawrence wrote:
Years ago a model on Facebook was asked how she booked so much work by a fellow model there.  She replied, I show up.  This may sound  so simple but in life over 75% of things is showing up.  I've been at group model shoots where ten models were supposed to come and only two showed.  A few hundred wasn't a lot to make for a full day but they agreed to the amount yet no showed and no called.  This extends well beyond modeling though.  I do market research studies.  They typically pay $150 to $300 for three to five hours.  The companies send follow up emails and calls to confirm and reconfirm and even so a lot of folks just don't show up.

"Availability is the best ability"
                           -Bill Parcells

Lallure Photographic wrote:
This is a major problem on MM. I have it also.

Rick

Yes!  We know!  Again, are you checking the last log in date? It's on every profile.  Also look to see if tehy have a Facebook or Istagram. The messaging is better on those two platforms.

Dea and the Beast wrote:
Speaking as a female here (cis, whatever), sometimes when one responds even just in thanks to a kind message, sometimes one gets (for lack of better wording,  don't give me shit about this one now) dragged into email chit-chat that one rather wouldn't be spending time on. 

Other times it's plain retaliation anxiety ("didn't wanna work with you anyway, you [insert unkind remark about body parts/ character, etc] .


Also: this isn't were professionals hang out.

Also:
No response is a response.

You basically summed it up.

I think it's best if we can all just agree to not expect a response, but if we get one, then yay!

It's not just models. Photographers do it, too. This has been a conversation since the very dawn of ModelMayhem. lol

SayCheeZ!  wrote:
That type of system would greatly enhance MM and get rid of the people that are bringing the site down to a level that's equivalent to Craigslist.

Don't knock craigslist. When I run casting calls for models it's the first place I go to. If I take the same casting call, run it on:

Model Mayhem
Facebook Photography/Modeling Groups
Reach out to local IG models
Craigslist

The response I get off craigslist is 10X more than all the others combined. I'm writing an article for petapixel right now and needed a model for the shoot for the article. I ran an ad on craigslist as a TFP shoot and got 10 responses in an HOUR, two from models exactly what I was looking for. I'm booking one for the main shoot and the other for an unrelated one.

In my experience lately, craigslist generates the best results for models. MM is by far the worst.

SayCheeZ!  wrote:
A few weeks ago I responded to a model's MM casting call.
Crickets.
The model hasn't even logged on to MM since placing the casting call, and the days of availability are fast approaching.

I just looked at the models MM profile again.
Buried in everything is a line that gives the email to contact the model, none of which is mentioned in the casting call.

These kind of delays and hoops to jump through would be eliminated if MM had a closed loops system that I've recommended several times before...

... but no, it'll never happen,

The developers of the site checked out years ago. Not long ago I saw a casting call from a model who had it posted as a TFP shoot but in the description said she wanted to get paid for her casting call. I emailed her about it and explained that when you post a casting call it specifically says you cannot ask for pay in a casting call, either you are paying or it's a TFP shoot.

Her response?

"I apologize for my prior mistake but I am extremely offended by your response. "

Yeah. LOL

SayCheeZ!  wrote:
A few weeks ago I responded to a model's MM casting call.
Crickets.
The model hasn't even logged on to MM since placing the casting call, and the days of availability are fast approaching.

I just looked at the models MM profile again.
Buried in everything is a line that gives the email to contact the model, none of which is mentioned in the casting call.

These kind of delays and hoops to jump through would be eliminated if MM had a closed loops system that I've recommended several times before...

... but no, it'll never happen,

Of all the sections on this website, Casting Calls, and Market Place could be busy and profitable for this website IF someone were to set it up better and market it.  Modelmayhem is like a boat a drift at sea with no one at the helm. It's a rather sad situation.

Lachance Photography wrote:
I have always gone with the assumption that no response is a response that means not interested.  If you go by this you won't be so disappointed.

Sometimes no response is indeed a response. But it can also be an oversight. Who among us hasn't occasionally lost sight of something?

Here's an example. In July of 2021 I sent an e-mail to the editor of a photography magazine in which I proposed a series of articles. I never heard back from him and, like you, said to myself that no reply is a kind of reply.

Last month, figuring I had nothing to lose, I followed up with another e-mail to the editor. This time he replied, saying that he didn't remember ever having gotten my original e-mail, and that he was open to having me write a couple of articles.

The point is that we don't know for sure what the lack of a reply means, and I see no harm in following up.