Sawatdee Network Update

[Surfcrest]

Friends,

As some of you may have noticed these past few months, I haven't been able to be here as much as I once could. I'm still here each and every day to work on the software maintenance, check on any spam and do some light moderating. You may notice me cleaning up the new membership or editing Nicky's daily post at al hours of the day depending on what part of the world I'm in.

There are a great deal of things going on in my professional life that are making it more and more difficult for me to read each and every thread thoroughly.

So, I have approached two esteemed members to assist me at first and then to take over the moderating of the Board entirely. I have asked each member already, so if it wasn't you please don't be broken hearted. Each of these two members will remain anonymous in their roles as moderator and will keep their personal membership separate and private. I have chosen both of these two great guys based on their warm heartedness and based on the fact they've never had a disagreement with anyone here before that I would know and this counts for a lot.

I will continue to manage the membership and the spam for now, unless I can delegate that responsibility as well. I will also mange the front end of the site the WP Pro, the Google promo stuff, the affiliate postings and all the Security "tools" (lol). I've dissolved most of the Network, although Bangkokbois will remain on our site for the time being. I'll probably be moving us off this server over the coming 6 months in order to reduce the monthly costs...I can't guarantee I'll be able to hold on to Bangkokbois after that, but I'll let you know first before I disconnect it.

In the coming year, I would like to pass the Board on to the next owner...or administrator. I still believe the site has the potential to make a substantial amount of revenue or to add to the community with supporting and promoting charitable causes. For me to have created that for this site, I would have to be there in Thailand with the time to meet with people. I'm in no rush to move ahead with this, I'd just like to plant the seed...hopefully inspire someone to think about it.

Comments are welcome on this thread and suggestions. If you'd like to privately discuss any of this, please send me a PM but please be patient with the response.

Thank you,

Surfcrest

[arsenal]

Anonymous authority. Mmm. Are you sure that's a good idea? Because I'm not.

[scottish-guy]

... two great guys based on their warm heartedness and based on the fact they've never had a disagreement with anyone here ......

The indicated criteria certainly promotes anonymity - I can't think of a single member of any note who can fit that description.

I thought I could - then I remembered his comments about how the nasty allies had all ganged-up on poor Germany during WW2.

:))

[Tobi]

Jellybean*, you rancid blob.
*1 down, 1 to go.

[scottish-guy]

Really Tobi, it's bit harsh calling Jellybean a rancid blob - I've never met him myself, but I've heard he's quite thin.

[Rogie]

Thank U Surfcrest for telling us your plans and the reasons for them. I don't intend to try and guess who the two chaps you've chosen are, although we wouldn't be human if we didn't have our favourites - one guy (American) in particular stands out for me. Regarding Jellybean, he is a great poster who I enjoy reading, but according to a post he made some time ago, his health is up and down, so making rude comments is definitely below the belt IMO.

[cdnmatt]

What's the cost? I remember I asked Neal once, and he quoted a ridiculous figure like $40k or something. I understand you've put yourself in more of a maintence role than development role, and you're quite obviously open to selling, so what's your price for this place?

[latintopxxx]

i for sure would miss this site. Been so much better since you know who left.

[Jellybean]

Jellybean*, you rancid blob.
*1 down, 1 to go.
Crikey Tobi! Such a beastly comment and from a relatively new member, which actually made me splutter into my morning coffee. What a start to the day! But IтАЩm sorry to inform you that I am not one of the new moderators. Firstly, I would have failed at the first hurdle as I donтАЩt qualify as an тАЬesteemed memberтАЭ and secondly, I have neither the time nor the inclination to perform such a role.

In any case, I would regard such responsibility as a poisoned chalice and perhaps one reason why the new moderators have asked for or been given anonymity. Just a thought.

So Tobi, I think you should go and sit on the naughty step immediately and remain there until further notice. Dear-oh-dear, whatтАЩs this forum coming to, rancid blob indeed.

And, to paraphrase Smiles . . . but do carry on with the speculation.

=))

What's the cost? I remember I asked Neal once, and he quoted a ridiculous figure like $40k or something. I understand you've put yourself in more of a maintence role than development role, and you're quite obviously open to selling, so what's your price for this place?
In Bitcoin?

i for sure would miss this site. Been so much better since you know who left.
No, we don't know who.

[francois]

Jellybean*, you rancid blob.
*1 down, 1 to go.

There is no one more gracious than Jellybean, a true gentleman. Your remarks Tobi only serve to demean yourself.

[Surfcrest]

Anonymous authority. Mmm. Are you sure that's a good idea? Because I'm not.
As you know, I'm not an anonymous moderator. I was a member long before I took this over from "what was his name?" But do you really know me? Moderating has been broken down into simply administering the Board, based on our few Rules. (The exception to the rule, as you know is kommie...I delete his nonsense indiscriminately now) I try to include the Membership when "we" change a rule and so I, and the new moderators will continue in that direction. One of the new moderators actually wrote the rules for me after I bought this Board and so he, I know is quite familiar with them. I think you would all be very happy with the two gentlemen who have volunteered to assist me / us.

Surfcrest

[arsenal]

So, you are asking us to accept the authority of someone of your choice who will remain anonymous but that's OK because YOU'RE sure that we would like them. Can you give me any examples where this system is employed and is successful elsewhere?

[lonelywombat]

So, you are asking us to accept the authority of someone of your choice who will remain anonymous but that's OK because YOU'RE sure that we would like them. Can you give me any examples where this system is employed and is successful elsewhere?

The alternative is somebody you do not like, and you leave.

If the owner has selected people to replace him, who cares what is done elsewhere.

You accept or leave.

[Surfcrest]

So, you are asking us to accept the authority of someone of your choice who will remain anonymous but that's OK because YOU'RE sure that we would like them. Can you give me any examples where this system is employed and is successful elsewhere?
No, I don't think running the site or moderating the Board has anything to do with authority. I don't have any authority over you as the Board owner and as you the member. The moderators that are going to take over (I hope) won't have any authority either. When authority needs to be dealt with inside the rules, it should be by the authority of the membership.

Case in point, you have been rather good over the years at spotting bogus new members, even from before I took over here. We talked about it as a group and the administrator of the day would oust them to all our benefit. There shouldn't be any need for any more authority than to do what the membership wants. The moderator, as he does now should tidy things up and listen to what the membership tells him / them.

I think what I was trying to explain when I suggested "you would all be very happy" was that when I took over from "what's his name" you didn't get a choice and when he took over from Bob, we didn't get a choice. I'm sure my taking over was just as bad news for some as it was for "what's his name". Now you're getting another fresh start with two completely neutral moderators. I'm not suggesting you're getting a choice, as this was a stipulation I thought necessary to attract the right talent for the job. It's not easy continuing to post as a member when you are the moderator / owner and so I didn't want to take that away from either one, by taking on this challenge for us. I hope you would agree!

Surfcrest

[Tobi]

But IтАЩm sorry to inform you that I am not one of the new moderators.

Drat. Of course, that's what an anonymous moderator would say. Ha!!

[a447]

Tobi, it's a bit rich of you, of all people, to beat up on Jellybean. He's a poster of impeccable credibility, unlike yourself. After all, you were the one who started that ridiculous thread about buying iPhones for all the boys and boasting about staying at the Kempinsky. Remember?

[scottish-guy]

I think Arsenal has made a valid point and like him I really don't see the value in the new mods being anonymous, in fact it could be counter productive.

At this stage it really doesn't matter who the anointed ones are - because as far as we know they have yet to do anything controversial.

However the time will inevitably come when another member, perhaps even one who is equally "esteemed" (if there are other such members) has his post moderated and proceeds to kick up fuck about it. To think this won't happen is naive in the extreme and I suspect that there are members right now rubbing their hands in glee at the possibility of a post being moderated and giving them an excuse to start a fight about it (I won't mention names)

It will be at that point that some reassurance will be sought (not only from the poster who has been moderated, but from other members) as to the impartiality of the person who moderated the post, because (despite Surfy's implication that two virtual saints who have never argued with anybody have been appointed) we all know that certain members have "history" with other members.

When (not if) this happens, well-balanced people (like me of course O:-) ) might have told the complainant to stop screaming because Jellybean (used purely an an example) is a reasonable guy and wouldn't act out of order. Unfortunately the aforementioned well-balanced people will not be able to make that point in relation to an anonymous moderator, so disputes will just escalate.

Basically, time will tell - but good luck to the two anonymous mods with what is a totally thankless task. The best they can hope for is an honest and supportive Admin.

[Jellybean]

Drat. Of course, that's what an anonymous moderator would say. Ha!!
Crikey! YouтАЩre like a dog with a bone Tobi!

So, after wrongly outing me as one of the two new moderators you persist in your delusion rather than exercising your little grey cells by outing the real new moderators.

Okay. LetтАЩs just say for the sake of argument that I was an тАЬesteemed memberтАЭ and asked by Surfcrest to be a moderator.

And letтАЩs also say for the sake of argument that I thought of myself as an тАЬesteemed memberтАЭ and important enough to act in the high office of moderator of this glorious forum and agreed to accept the appointment.

I know, most members will regard this as rather farfetched, but please indulge me while I try to satisfy TobiтАЩs finger pointing and false accusations.

Right, where was I? Ah, yes. Had I accepted the high office of moderator, I would have insisted, as a pre-condition, that I moderate under my present forum name of Jellybean. What reason would I have to seek further anonymity? After all, I already post anonymously.

The other advantage is that if the moderator posts as a member then, on the same topic, posts as a moderator, all will be above board and open for all to see. Again, there would be nothing to hide, no need for cloak and dagger shenanigans and the membership would, I venture to say, be totally satisfied with the openness weтАЩve come to expect on Sawatdee Network.

As it stands under the proposed new system of moderation, when these two тАЬesteemed membersтАЭ post under different names as moderators, there will be more than a whiff of partiality, or unfairness, wonтАЩt there?

So, in conclusion, I say to our two тАЬesteemed and very important membersтАЭ, come on guys, fess up and moderate under your current forum names. What have you got to be scared about? Had you done so from the outset, I dare say no member would have batted an eyelid and would, in all likelihood, have wished you all the best and asked you to moderate professionally and without fear or favour.

Now Tobi, don't think I've forgotten about you. Who said you could come off the naughty step? I said you were to remain there until further notice. As a further penalty for disregarding my instructions, I hereby fine you 20 bitcoins.

See, arnтАЩt you glad IтАЩm not one of the new moderators. IтАЩd be as strict as a Prussian general . . . Lol!

Ah . . . thank you a447 for reminding me of when Tobi first started posting on this forum. So Tobi, when the two real new moderators make themselves known, I hope to receive your public apology and a slap up meal, at your expense, at the Dusit Thani when you are next in Bangkok. And Mr Moneybags, donтАЩt claim poverty, we all know you are loaded, after all, as a447 has just pointed out, you wanted to buy all the bar-boys you met top of the range iPhones.

And thank you Fran├зois for your kind comments. After acting as the oldest bell-boy in Christendom last week by carrying your suitcase up and down the stairs at various sky-train stations in Bangkok on route to the Ekkamai Eastern Bus Terminal I was expecting a 20 baht tip, but IтАЩll happily settle for the kudos your post has earned me. Lol!

Finally, thank you also for your kind invitation to tomorrow nightтАЩs weekly piping in of the haggis at All of Me bar in Sunee Plaza, Pattaya. Ooops . . . wrong function, I meant, of course, the piping in of the meatloaf. May I be so bold as to request that you ensure the meatloaf is fresh and in no way rancid. And can you also ensure it is fat free. I donтАЩt want any other member accusing me, with any degree of justification, that I am rancid and a blob. Lol!

=))

[arsenal]

Wombat: You have, as usual missed the point. :-\ I don't care one milligram who the moderator(s) is/are. I just want to know who it is. However, there is a reason why we are not being told. We are not getting the full picture here. That much is clear. Also, if they've never had a cross word with anybody, what's the fucking point of them being here?

Oh and by the way. Thanks for the streaming site info. They're fantastic. :ymapplause:

[Jellybean]

Ah, I didnтАЩt see the post made by scottish-guy when I posted my previous post. He has made the point I was trying to make more effectively than I ever could.

[firecat69]

Although he once banned me, I find the Moderation here very light , which is as it should be if you want a Board that breathes new ideas and constantly has threads where a large number of members respond .

Those are the kind of threads that keep a Board interesting even when some acrimony shows its head.

I see absolutely no reason to know who the Moderators are and just hope they rule with a light hand and don't get upset when someone complains to them. (goes with the Job)

[scottish-guy]

Firecat - is that an undertaking that should you personally have a post moderated/edited/deleted in the future you'll just be accepting it and won't be demanding to know WHO did it?

Just asking, so we can all be clear.

[francois]

But IтАЩm sorry to inform you that I am not one of the new moderators.

Drat. Of course, that's what an anonymous moderator would say. Ha!!

What I would say to you Tobi, is ASSHOLE.

[firecat69]

Firecat - is that an undertaking that should you personally have a post moderated/edited/deleted in the future you'll just be accepting it and won't be demanding to know WHO did it?

Just asking, so we can all be clear.

I would not want to give you 100% on the sun coming up tomorrow. However when I was banned , I easily continued to visit and if I had wanted to I could have registered under another name .

I choose not to because the guy who pays the bills has some discretion even if I might think he is wrong.

Since the Moderators are an extension of Surfcrest , I doubt I would be bothered enough to care. And besides what gives any poster here the right to determine how the Board is run. They can make suggestions and if they don't like it they can leave.

Until the posters pay the bills , I feel their rights are very limited if any!

[Smiles]

Drat. Of course, that's what an anonymous moderator would say. Ha!!
Which, because of it's pure and unadulterated speculation and total lack of factual knowledge, driven - for some unknown reason - by your pure, unadulterated and nonsensical intensity of dislike [see below] for Jellybean ... and thus rendered useless as any reasonable semblance of an intelligent observation.


Jellybean, you rancid blob ...
Which, because of the aforementioned personal dislike of Jellybean, constitutes an insult which exists for no apparent or specific reason, and thus deserved to be ridiculed by the members of this board to the greatest degree possible, and then relegated to a board cesspool [if one was available] ... where you obviously live your life.

In a more simple way of putting it [which you might understand, being simple] ... to echo Francois above; you're an asshole.

[scottish-guy]

.....Until the posters pay the bills , I feel their rights are very limited if any!

OMFG, Neal's being channelled thru Firecat!

What's next - "It's my playground and if you don't like it not only can you fuck off but I'll have you killed"?

:))

[cdnmatt]

I can't believe everyone is getting pissy about a couple guys coming in to help Surfcrest out. I think we can all agree, moderation here has been excellent while Surfcrest has been at the helm. Assuming he continues to be at the helm, I don't see the issue.

I'm sure many of you remember what this place was like before. Posts were being modified / deleted left and right, because it was "his playground" as he put it. That doesn't happen anymore, so unsure what everyone is getting worked up about.

I agree, the new mods should probably reveal themselves, but I'm sure they will in time. GIve it a couple months, and we'll know who they are. :)

Place your bets people! Place your bets! I'm going for PeterUK and bobsaigon.

[firecat69]

.....Until the posters pay the bills , I feel their rights are very limited if any!

OMFG, Neal's being channelled thru Firecat!

What's next - "It's my playground and if you don't like it not only can you fuck off but I'll have you killed"?

:))
Totally inane argument. First of all Surfcrest has proven himself not to be like the former owner over quite a period of time. Not only that he has taken suggestions and changed some things that members suggested.

There is no reason to think the members he has chosen to be Moderators will stray very far from what he has established.

Complaining about nebulous things before anyone has anything to complain about just seems to be a waste of time.

Wait and see something that you don't like with the change before you complain about it.

[scottish-guy]

Missed the point completely! By a country mile too!!

If you can see a criticism of Surfcrest or a complaint about the board in the quote you have highlighted, you're hallucinating.

[bobsaigon2]

cdnmatt wrote: Place your bets people! Place your bets! I'm going for PeterUK and bobsaigon.

bobsaigon announces that he is not one of the chosen two associate moderators (but if he were, you would no longer see any posts by two of the board members whose names you can easily guess). :)

[arsenal]

Firecat: How can you complain to the moderators if you don't know who they are? This is an emotive board with some strong characters. One by one they will disappear if this place is governed by some faceless bureaucrat. I have an idea this decision (by Surfcrest) is in part due to Kommies despicable and underhand attack recently which I suspect was posted in the middle of the Canadian night.

I also suspect that one of the moderators is in Thailand and that contrary to what Surfcrest says we wouldn't be happy about it.

[PeterUK]

Place your bets people! Place your bets! I'm going for PeterUK and bobsaigon.

Let me hazard a guess. In your wild and carefree youth (ie in the days before you were married) you liked to have a little flutter on the geegees. Finally,though - a sadder and wiser man - you gave it up as a bad job.

[arsenal]

So no actual denial then PeterUK! :-?

[bruce_nyc]

We could just ask every single member point blank.... then tally the ones who didn't deny it... :D

[a447]

Surf's got us all involved in a guessing frenzy!

It would be hard to find someone who hasn't crossed swords with others on the forum, and that would surely have to be a prerequisite.

Bobsaigon and Jellybean come close, though. But they've already told us it isn't them.

Nirish would be a candidate - he's always calm and collected when he posts - but he's had a few run-ins with others. Besides, he'd be too busy and would have to interrupt his constant holidays along with his frantic fucking. Lol

Mmmm.....let's keep guessing.

[Surfcrest]

This is an emotive board with some strong characters. One by one they will disappear if this place is governed by some faceless bureaucrat. I have an idea this decision (by Surfcrest) is in part due to Kommies despicable and underhand attack recently which I suspect was posted in the middle of the Canadian night.

I also suspect that one of the moderators is in Thailand and that contrary to what Surfcrest says we wouldn't be happy about it.
No, actually I could care less what kommie posts because it all vanishes with the push of a button. If this is the worst we have, then we are pretty lucky these days :)

Unfortunately, your suspicions are incorrect. I'm not sure who you are thinking of or if this is just the process of elimination ;) Please trust me arsenal, I've given you no reason not to!

I'll be spending a great deal of time over the coming months with my family in Central America. I'll still be here on a regular basis to work on the administrative chores, if something happens that we are unable to resolve together or that still needs my assistance

Surfcrest

[cdnmatt]

Ok, if it's not bobsaigon, I'm going to go with ChristianPFC. Even when people have poked fun at him, he's always kept himself well composed. Plus he lives in Thailand, so the time zone works.

Or Surfcrest could just save us the suspense, and say who they are. I trust Surfcrest's judgement, so I'm sure who he picked is fine. We'll eventually figure it out anyway. You can only fake your writing style for so long.

I'll start by saying I'd like to thank Surfcrest for the impeccable way in which he has administered and moderated this Forum. Moderating is, as scottish-guy points out, a thankless task; moderating posts from a bunch of mostly elderly, bitchy queens undoubtedly adds a layer of complexity.

Is it worth the effort? Surfcrest wants to sell the Forum - as far as I can tell he wants to dismantle the "network" which just leaves the Forum standing. What is its value? In money terms, whatever a willing buyer will pay for it. According to the site Worth of Web (http://www.worthofweb.com/website-value/sawatdeenetwork.com/) the network as it currently stands is valued at slightly less than $3K. SitePrice (http://www.siteprice.org/AnalyzeSite.aspx?url=www.sawatdeenetwork.com) responded with a "Adult Web Site" message and a suggestion it should be valued by a more appropriate site. Don't trust me - the figures are publicly available. If the Forum is the only thing remaining then - possibly - the value is even less.

Surfcrest asserts that it has "potential" as a money spinner. Neal claimed the same. I certainly had a similar dialogue with Beachlover via PM. However, there are really only two main models for monetising a site - advertising or subscription. I always have Ad blocking software running in my browsers, so if there are advertisements on the site now I never see them, and that's an increasing trend these days. The other is subscription; I recall this being tried, with various subscription levels entitling members to have their own blogs, for example. Since it was discontinued I assume it didn't work.

The alternative is a funding collective. Bob sort of ran the old Forum this way - periodically he'd run out of money, the Forum would go offline, and various people would send him money. Many members possibly have a Western Union card (back in the days) that has Bob as a regular assignee of money. However the only way for that to be successful is if it's on a no-strings-attached basis. The money sent bought the sender nohing, no entitlements, nada and that's the only way such a model can work otherwise you get some posters with an exaggerated sense of entitlement. The funding collective therefore doesn't see the Forum's value in money terms; they have a qualitative rather than a quantitative perspective

[Jellybean]

Well, my money is on fountainhall for the great office of the Lord Keeper of the QueenтАЩs Peace (otherwise known as a moderator).

He certainly qualifies as an esteemed member in my book. I believe he would moderate fairly, sparingly and without fear or favour. He also appears to have a detailed and extensive knowledge of a broad range of subjects. He lives in Thailand. From my reading of his posts he appears to be well travelled with an in-depth knowledge of many Asian countries. And, although IтАЩve never met him, he comes across as a perfect gentleman who would, I believe, be utterly capable of defusing an inflamed situation without causing undue offence.

If IтАЩm wrong, then we are fast running out of likely candidates. And, IтАЩve put forward only one possible тАШesteemed memberтАЩ, I canтАЩt think of another member other than Smiles. Perhaps it's a case of going back to the future. Well, he certainly knows the ropes and is no stranger to the role of moderator.

This guessing game is becoming quite enjoyable. Is there a prize for the members who correctly name the two new moderators? I think there should be. Maybe rich as Croesus member Tobi can donate two top of the range iPhones as a sign of his contrition for his earlier ill-judged, unfounded, undeserved and offensive comments.

[Surfcrest]

According to the site Worth of Web (http://www.worthofweb.com/website-value/sawatdeenetwork.com/) the network as it currently stands is valued at slightly less than $3K. SitePrice (http://www.siteprice.org/AnalyzeSite.aspx?url=www.sawatdeenetwork.com) responded with a "Adult Web Site" message and a suggestion it should be valued by a more appropriate site. Don't trust me - the figures are publicly available. If the Forum is the only thing remaining then - possibly - the value is even less.

It's not so much about value, as it is about commitment. We need to have an administrator who is committed to being here and dependable to looking after the Board well into the future. If you don't have an attachment to it, there's not going to be a lot of trust from the membership into how the Board is administered, whether days go by without serious issues being noticed, that the site goes offline sporadically...and on and on. The last thing I want to do is to have to buy it back from someone, just to keep it alive. I've been there...done that already.


Well, my money is on fountainhall for the great office of the Lord Keeper of the QueenтАЩs Peace (otherwise known as a moderator).
Yes, fountainhall would have been an excellent choice...even to take over!

Surfcrest

[scottish-guy]

Alternatively, Surfy could just "do a Neal" and install a multiplicity of hydras - any two of which could be the anonymous moderators at any one time - so I'll be watching out for Captain Crunch and Just Me making an appearance any day now.

:))

[a447]

Yes, fountainhall! If we had a vote, I'd certainly back him.

[bucknaway]

I heard Hadda is one of the new moderators.

[scottish-guy]

Hadda Dickinmee?

[bobsaigon2]

In our guessing game, because he has been silent for some weeks, we have overlooked our highly esteemed colleague from the Emerald Isle.

[Smiles]

If IтАЩm wrong, then we are fast running out of likely candidates. And, IтАЩve put forward only one possible тАШesteemed memberтАЩ, I canтАЩt think of another member other than Smiles. Perhaps it's a case of going back to the future. Well, he certainly knows the ropes and is no stranger to the role of moderator.
Thanks for the thoughts Jellybean, but not a chance.
I gave up the board to Elephantspike for a couple of reasons, the main one being I was just tired of running the thing. I was both owner and moderator in those early days ... can I say 'burnout'.
As well, this is a different board technically: the early board was an EzBoard configuration and much easier to handle for a non-geek-non-techy like myself. Sawatdee is now a phpBB board and much more complicated .... my brain does not do software anything, internet-tech, bitcoin-speak etc etc.

I wish the new Moderator(s) the best of luck, and hope and pray they will always keep in mind the deadly dangers of 'over-moderation'.

[francois]

For me, I believe the moderators should remain anonymous; only reason to know their identity would be for personal attacks on them. Baht-Stop had an unknown owner(s) and mods and worked quite well. GayThailand Forum now has unknown moderator(s) and a fictitious owner and no problems.

[lonelywombat]

I heard Hadda is one of the new moderators.

Did you mean the infamous Hedda?

[a447]

Hedda Gobbler??

[bruce_nyc]

My vote goes to Whitemouse as solo moderator.

[francois]

I cannot tell a lie, I am one of the new moderators. :^O

[bruce_nyc]

I can imagine it being used as a fundraiser... You can buy the privilege of being moderator for a month.... For a flat dollar amount donation.

Imagine... You'd have the ability to ban any user you wanted to.

If I could ban any user here.... It would be....

Hmmm

Neil.

It might be fun to just randomly edit people's posts though.... Just to f*** with them. :ymdevil:

[bucknaway]

I heard Hadda is one of the new moderators.

Did you mean the infamous Hedda?

None other! :AR!

[scottish-guy]

How could Hedda possibly meet the stated criteria of:

1) Being "esteemed" by the SGT membership and being "warm-hearted"
2) Not having "ever been involved in a disagreement with anyone here"

Frankly, none of the candidates mentioned so far meet both criteria - some suggestions do not even come close to meeting ONE criterion never mind BOTH and even the best of the bunch fail on one or the other.

I rather suspect that if and when the anointed ones emerge from the shadows, we'll find they only met both criteria by virtue of Surfy's rider on criterion #2 "....that I would know of" which can be loosely translated as "Oh I forgot/didn't know about/overlooked THAT catfight"

:))

[arsenal]

Ooh! Good call Scottish. Very good call.

Now look what you've done Surfcrest. You've got Scottish and I agreeing with each other. Go to you room and don't come down until you're ready to apologise. =))

[bruce_nyc]

1) Being "esteemed" by the SGT membership and being "warm-hearted"
2) Not having "ever been involved in a disagreement with anyone here"


If I were in charge of selecting moderator assistants.... Number 1 would be a requirement. But number 2 would prove that they would *not* be up for the job.

A moderator who "never gets involved in a disagreement"... Is like a policeman with a serious phobia of guns. Silly. Very silly.

Getting involved with disagreements.... pretty much is the *description* of the job.

[Tobi]

I hereby fine you 20 bitcoins.

No probs. I just need to check the tulip bulb to bitcoin exchange rates. ;)

[bruce_nyc]

I hereby fine you 20 bitcoins.

No probs. I just need to check the tulip bulb to bitcoin exchange rates. ;)

At this moment..... 20 bitcoins is USD $8,577. That's quite a serious fine. ;)

[Jellybean]

I hereby fine you 20 bitcoins.

No probs. I just need to check the tulip bulb to bitcoin exchange rates. ;)

At this moment..... 20 bitcoins is USD $8,577. That's quite a serious fine. ;)
Oh my God! Well, bruce_nyc, IтАЩm really surprised. Clearly IтАЩve not been paying enough attention to the long and, I must say, highly technical exchanges between you and cdnmatt. I was under the erroneous impression that 20 Bitcoin equated to approximately ┬г20 or $20 (a minor fine, in other words).

Perhaps, I should re-read the exchange, but reading the posts first time round almost frazzled my brain, so God only knows what would happen if I attempted to read them a second time. :-\

[Tobi]

Oh my God! Well, bruce_nyc, IтАЩm really surprised.

Oh, puleeze, we can all see you're in cahoots with Surfcrest to monetise the board prior to its sale through a series of outrageous fines. :AR!

[bruce_nyc]

Surfcrest,

Simply install the free app on your phone... https://airbitz.co/bitcoin-wallet/

Then, post these images on the site.... linked to your email address. Done.

:ymapplause:

[bruce_nyc]

Here's an example of one web service I use, and how they solicit donations.... including via Bitcoin....

When the money starts rolling in..... You'll be so happy you added that option.

By the way, whenever I see a Bitcoin Donation option, I *always* send a donation... because it only takes 2 seconds... and I always show my support for any enterprise that has the foresight to adopt Bitcoin.

I just now sent them a 1000 baht donation using bitcoin....

[Surfcrest]

We're a quirky bunch here at SGT. While membership activity seems to be pretty strong for what we have here, we don't always get the best results when we reach out to the membership for participation, whether that's with a Poll (At best maybe 20 would respond, even to the best ones), advertising (A lot of the previous stuff I removed, I removed because it wasn't getting any activity) or the fund raising drives that Elephantspike used to have when it was his site.

There are some great ideas here, but I'm not really looking for money to keep the Board going or to pay for the expenses. I've been happy to do so for now, but from a business perspective for the Board itself...we're paying for things we do not need, or use and so it simply makes sense to tighten up the micro business plan before I pass it to someone else. I'm not looking to get out of this site what I put in, what I paid Neal or what I've invested into it since. That's all irrelevant. The investment for the new owner is the commitment, the commitment a modest investment and a new owner committed to protecting their investment and looking after the site for the membership.

Surfcrest

[scottish-guy]

..Oh, puleeze (Jellybean) we can all see you're in cahoots....

Really? I thought he was in Pattaya....

Boom Tish!

:ymparty:

We're a quirky bunch here at SGT. While membership activity seems to be pretty strong for what we have here, we don't always get the best results when we reach out to the membership for participation
looking after the site for the membership
I'm curious to know how you reconcile the two, since the former implies you can't know the latter?

[christianpfc]

Ok, if it's not bobsaigon, I'm going to go with ChristianPFC. Even when people have poked fun at him, he's always kept himself well composed. Plus he lives in Thailand, so the time zone works.
Thanks for your suggestion. I have not been asked to be moderator, and I'm more than busy with my blog.

My sincere condolences to the two moderators!

On the other hand, if I were moderator, I would take great pleasure in headlining each of your and latintop's posts with

"The identity of this member has not been confirmed.
The reader is advised to treat all events, places and persons as fictitious."

[cdnmatt]

On the other hand, if I were moderator, I would take great pleasure in headlining each of your and latintop's posts with

"The identity of this member has not been confirmed.
The reader is advised to treat all events, places and persons as fictitious."

haha

р╕Чр╕╡р╕Ър╣Йр╕▓р╕Щр╕� �р╕бр╕Др╕гр╕▒р╕Ъ р╕Ьр╕бр╣Др╕бр╣Ир╕гр╕╣ р╣Йр╕Др╕╕р╕У р╕Ьр╕бр╣Др╕бр╣Ир╕гр╕╣ р╣Йр╕Др╕╕р╕Ур╕Ир╕░р╕� �р╕│р╕нр╕░р╣Др╕гр╕Цр╣ Йр╕▓р╕Др╕╕р╕Ур╕бр╕▓р� ��Ър╣Йр╕▓р╕Щр╕Ьр╕б р╕Др╕╕р╕Ур╕Ър╕нр╕Бр╣Б р╕ер╣Йр╕зр╕Др╕╕р╕Ур╣Д р╕Ыр╕Др╕Щр╣Бр╕Ыр╕ер╕Б� �╕лр╕Щр╣Йр╕▓р╕Цр╕▓р╕б р╣Ар╕Лр╣Зр╕Бр╕кр╣М р╣Ар╕Вр╣Йр╕▓р╣Гр╕Ир╣Д р╕лр╕б

Ok, I'll admit, I looked up a couple words, but 95% of that was my own writing. It wasn't Google translate or anything. And yes, I'll admit, I suck at Thai, but I can generally get the point across to people when needed.

And don't worry Surfcrest, it's nothing bad. I basically just said, "this is my home, I don't know you, nor do I know what you will do here. You've already admitted you go up to random strangers in parks and ask for sex." -- that type of thing isn't allowed where I live.

[dinagam]

You missed the last three Thai words.