Where is everyone?

[fountainhall]

When the smoke clears 2 oh so different from eachother forums are likely to survive....Gaythailand & Gaybuttonthai......what niche does Sawadtee fill, other than being a sounding board for 2 or 3 dieharts. Gaythailand for reasons that elude me has totally eclipysed this board.

Both conclusions present an interesting conundrum. Seriously what niche do any of the forums now fill? When this and others now dead started, the internet was not as widely consulted and so they presented a major source of information for expats and visitors alike. They also gave groups of expats (mostly) a forum for a general discussion of their lives that was pretty much closed to outsiders. Inevitably that evolved to become Pattaya-centric, if only because expats in Bangkok tend to be far more spread out around the city and less 'clubable'.

I'm not sure what plans Surfcrest and Moses have for this site, but both injected cash and so presumably it's not a personal plaything like Gaybuttonthai. That will presumably only last as long as gaybutton is happy to run it. I posted for several years on gaythailand when it seemed to cover a much wider range of topics than nowadays. It was then not just the Thailand forum - the Beer Bar was also much more active then than now. Where gaythailand seems to beat the others is the number of new/recent posters. Is that because it now has a lot more graphic trip reports? Probably.

I used to like the gaythailand Board policy. Before it was easy to read. Now it's been reduced to one massive block of difficult to find tiny text and how anyone finds out what the rules are totally beats me! But it does say this -

The Gay Thailand Message Center forums are provided as a venue for the discussion and exchange of information about Thailand and other related issues. It is a place to submit queries and share experiences, information, concerns, news and views, and maybe even a little humor for the benefit of members . . .

That Message Center members shall be expected to behave as adults is not an undue burden. The expected conduct standard for the Gay Thailand forums is the same as that observed everyday in society by adults in our neighborhoods, towns, and cities. It is based on straightforward mature behavior, civility and courtesy that you find in a neighborhood Pub or Tavern where neighbors and acquaintances joined by occasional strangers come together to socialize in good temper, to share conversation, and to hoist, in moderation, a glass of favorite beer or wine or a cup of coffee or tea. These forums are NOT presented for abusive arguing and name calling, score settling, thread stalking, or general cyberspace blood sport for the chronically bored.

I cannot believe this represents a description of either gaythailand now or this site!

Given the number of Boards and other more general information sites which started up and then have collapsed and died, the present 3 must be doing something right. As to their future, I have zero idea.