Thailand Message Boards on the decline

[bucknaway]

Years ago when I first considered visiting Thailand I did a web search hoping to find useful information. That search produced a hell of a lot of results! There was Boxertravels.net, gaypattaya, dragoncastle, thaiboy, thailandout, dreadedneds and on and on. Even Babylon had a message board on its site. Gay Patong had video of events as well as a personals section and message board.

Now there only seems to be a small amount of message boards on gay sites and their information is bland or old. Very few offer a personals section similar to the way it use to be. Some sites were once a favorite to visit and now I have to scratch my chin while trying to remember their name and web address.

Could it be that this decline in Thailand's gay web community of travelers is in some way linked to the decline of "NEW" gay tourists?

[bruce_nyc]

Well, remember too that GayRomeo, and Camfrog, and Grindr, and Jackd, and Craigslist, and all the rest, are also offspring of the web... And they certainly are not in decline.

Just a guess, but maybe the "newer" people are using sites (or apps) like that... in lieu of the old-fashioned web forums, chat, etc....?

After all, let's face it..... In "the good old days", there were no "personals ads" as sophisticated, feature-rich, and convenient, as GayRomeo or Grindr.... with such complete profiles and messaging features and even your gps location!

With all these new "matching" apps and sites, even gay bars are on the decline in most cities...

[Thai Dyed]

Have to agree with Buck. A new type of "gay" has evolved over the last fifteen years. The majority are generic and have found a kind of "normalization" (or sameness) around the technology rather than through the richness and depth of face to face contact.

Sadly this has resulted in less diversity and that is the most tragic aspect of our age. The most interesting boys I meet today have no phones, don't use computers and may not even know how to read and write. Usually I find them to be far better connected to the reality of life around them as well as to the people they encounter. There are a few left at the bars, but mainly you have to hit the streets to find them. What happens is that you end up creating a far more tactile world of your own which can be a far happier and satisfying place than the ersatz gay Disneyland that technology and the modern gay idiom have to offer.

[Oliver]

It maybe a question of age. My impression is that most posters using these boards are of much the same age as many of the gay falangs I see in Pattaya- in other words, the over 50s. And, frankly, we're dying out.

..A new type of "gay" has evolved.....and have found a kind of "normalization" (or sameness) around the technology rather than through the richness and depth of face to face contact...

Why don't you just say Cam-Wankers and we'll know what you mean, dear

Yes there has been a decline in the number of webboards - there never was enough demand for so many about Thailand. I've seen a newish one recently with no content at all. As for personal ads, there are still lots of sites with those, including gayromeo, I think tingtong still has ads, and dragoncastle does. New tech like grindr has taken some of the market too. Social sites seem to be more popular than web boards as there is lots of instant interaction. Bangkok apparently has the largest facebook membership of any city in the world, and there are lots of gays of all ages online every day.
As for farangs dying out - yes but each generation is replaced by the next; its doesn't suddenly stop!

... each generation is replaced by the next; its doesn't suddenly stop!

Yes but the point being that each successive generation does not necessarily mirror the behaviour of the preceding one - e.g they are perhaps less likely to be patronising the gogo bars in favour of organising encounters via GR etc.

As an example- look at newspapers - in the UK (at least) nobody is buying them these days, circulations are in free-fall.
The older newspaper-buyers are dying off and the next generation taking their place are getting their news elsewhere.

Yes its true things have moved on but if your a first time visitor and dont know or use gay romeo...you might lok at boys town and sunnee plaza sites to get you first info...like what i did before my first visit...but they have never been added to or changed for years so are missleading.....i dont know why i have them on my favourte list cause thier's no up to date info
We foget..but remember before your first visit to Thai..when everything seemed shinney and new ha ha

[bruce_nyc]

The only ones I know of are: SGT, Gay Thailand, and Gay Button. I've never been to TingTong, is it? Also I see that BahtStop has shut down now that Baht-Stop is back up. There is also a brand new board which seems to have only sprung up a couple weeks ago. It has few members so far, but seems to be growing. It's called GayTouri.com

I think age does make a difference. I also think it's related to the purpose, and attention span, of the user.

Message boards are more for discussion and sharing stories and information. At the opposite end of that spectrum is Grindr. It's for, "Let's hook up Now. Right Now."

I think older people are more interested in sharing information and stories and discussion. Older people might also be into reading lengthy personals ads.

Younger people have 10 second attention spans and want to hook up now. Reading anything longer than a tweet or a text message is practically impossible for them.

What might be dying off are the arts of reading and writing and story telling and conversation.

[Oliver]

Some of the boards replicated each other in terms of subjects, style and even posters. There was period a few years ago when they became vehicles for unhappy old men to abuse (usually obscenely) other posters. This drove me from this forum years ago and I know of others who felt the same. The situation has recently improved and so I hope that the boards will thrive....and provide the opportunity for vigorous but civilised debate and information-sharing..
However, the fact is that we few, we happy few who are retired have more time to post than our unfortunate working brothers. And let the boards specialise; different strokes for different folks...or issues.

[thrillbill]

I would have to agree with one of the posted replies that most likely the members that use Sawatdee and other gay forums is the "older" generation that is comfortable with this kind of communication (and feels comfortable to share information and opinons). And most likely true, gay bars are no longer needed to meet someone -internet has taken over. A comment I keep hearing from my friends (straight and gay) that deal with the business world is how the younger generation, in their 20's have difficulty feeling comfortable communicating with people at work face to face and understanding what is "accepted" and not "accepted" in conversation. When one thinks about it, how many times do we see guys in their 20's sitting at a table drinking beer -not talking to one another, but looking at their cell phone or text messaging someone. The ultimate scene I saw in Bangkok one Sunday morning was a Chinese Thai family having breakfast together...but, dad was on his Blackberry checking his email, the mother was talking to someone on her i-Phone, the teenage boy was playing some game on his i-Pad, and the little 6?? year old girl was playing a game on her cell phone. No communication what so ever. Can you imagine going out with your parents at a restaurant and not talking??? And I read the other day that teenagers would rather chat or text message their friends now days than phone them and talk!!!

[Khor tose]

To Narakamak:
You must put yourself to sleep each night thinking up this boring drivel.

[bruce_nyc]

They call it IAD, Internet Addiction Disorder. It's a real thing ; no longer a joke, and it's a global epidemic.

Newsweek did a great cover story on it. Highly recommend reading it.

From Newsweek Magazine, "Is the Web Driving Us Mad?" by Tony Dokoupil http://www.thedailybeast.com/newsweek/2 ... -says.html (http://www.thedailybeast.com/newsweek/2012/07/08/is-the-internet-making-us-crazy-what-the-new-research-says.html)

[Narakmak]

To Narakamak:
You must put yourself to sleep each night thinking up this boring drivel.I don't sleep at night so don't make any assumptions, dearie.

..I don't sleep at night ....

Are you a Vampire?

If you are - I guess there's no point brandishing a crucifix at you - eh?

:ura1:

[Narakmak]

That is correct. :help:

[christianpfc]

The most interesting boys I meet today have no phones, don't use computers and may not even know how to read and write. Usually I find them to be far better connected to the reality of life around them as well as to the people they encounter. There are a few left at the bars, but mainly you have to hit the streets to find them.

Can you repeat that please? Your met significant numbers of Thai boys who have no mobile phone? I remember two encounters, but I think they had no interest in me and didn't want to give me their number or had lost their phone when we met. The rest is in love with their phone. I don't know any Thai boy who doesn't use computers. I thought I knew one illiterate Thai, but it turned out that can read Thai, but not write.

[Neal]

There was period a few years ago when they became vehicles for unhappy old men to abuse (usually obscenely) other posters. This drove me from this forum years ago and I know of others who felt the same. The situation has recently improved and so I hope that the boards will thrive....and provide the opportunity for vigorous but civilised debate and information-sharing..

Tonight I had the extreme displeasure to view another forum and it is safe to say that "old men who abuse" is still alive and well, unfortunately.

[bruce_nyc]

The most interesting boys I meet today have no phones, don't use computers and may not even know how to read and write. Usually I find them to be far better connected to the reality of life around them as well as to the people they encounter. There are a few left at the bars, but mainly you have to hit the streets to find them.

Yes, I was intrigued by those same comments.... ( I didn't want to go too far off topic, but... )

Two questions came to my mind: How the hell do you find boys who are "off the grid"? and..... What makes them more interesting? What on earth do you talk about?

Do you have to speak Thai to them are there a lot of them in Pattaya I thought all the boys there are hookers who speak enough English

[GWMinUS]

Younger people have 10 second attention spans and want to hook up now. Reading anything longer than a tweet or a text message is practically impossible for them.
What might be dying off are the arts of reading and writing and story telling and conversation.

I think Bruce is right on!! (Am I showing my age???)
Anyway, I often meet younger guys from the Philippines on GayRomeo.
And invtie them to chat on Yahoo or Skype.
It is impossible to carry on a conversation even though they mostly speak English.

If they cannot ask for money in 10 lines. The conversation is over...
Daddy George
:happy7:

[Thai Dyed]

@christianpfc
You think I'm going to tell you my secrets? Dream on! Better stick to your highfalutin cryptococcus job search. In other words, you stay in your world, and I'll stick to mine. OK?

Maybe Thai Dyed's "secret" is to take the Victorian London approach:

Tour the back streets and alleys at dusk.
Offer the equivalent of a "pretty penny" to waifs and strays on the street.
Then get their knickers off.

Maybe he's Jack the Stripper.


:occasion9:

Oh scots!! :-) i bet you've been waiting YEARS to be able to use that joke !!! Lol

[christianpfc]

My experiences with Thai boys on camfrog are different. It is possible to have over an hour of conversation (in written form), with some in English, with some in Thai, about general subjects, and money was never mentioned.

[bruce_nyc]

That's only because you're so hot on cam, Christian.

That's only because you're so hot on cam, Christian.


A chest wax, a pair of plastic tits and a piece of Sellotape over the lens works wonders.

So Joe552 told me anyway, and I trust him.

:occasion9:

[joe552]

giving away more of my secrets, scottie! I don't think I'll be quite so open with you in future :violent1: