Sawatdee Network is For Sale [Archive] - Sawatdee Gay Thailand the oldest and most popular gay forum on Thailand and South East Asia

Surfcrest

January 20th, 2016, 22:53

Sawatdee Network is For Sale

Members,

This site is officially for sale.

I bought this site to take it away from Neal. I don't have any technical background and I'm not interested in learning this sort of stuff this late in life. I thought I could keep the site based on a little assistance from friends, but the assistance has not be reliable enough to meet the basic needs of the membership.

I bought this site from Neal for $ 7 000 and have invested considerably more than that to bring it from where it was back in 2012. I will sell it for no less than $ 3 500 USD.

The traffic figures are very good, for what this site is. The history goes back here at least 15 years, the membership of approximately 750 active members appear to be active at least once a year, if not considerably more. The site will come with the WP Pro package, including the ability to add sites to the Network and provide all optional WP Pro bells and whistles. It will also include the Bangkokbois archives and the ability to reactivate that site. You will need to move this site to another server, I will be divesting in our server as well.

If you are interested, please send me a PM.

Surfcrest

arsenal

January 20th, 2016, 23:58

Surfcrest: Overall I think your tenure has been good for the board and membership. I am sure you'll find a buyer within a reasonable time.

scottish-guy

January 21st, 2016, 00:48

I agree with Arsenal (!) - we are indebted to Surfy for rescuing the board from the clutches of a tyrant.

I have even less technical ability than Surfy claims to have, so it's not for me - but I hope a white knight can be found.

:ymparty:

Tobi

January 21st, 2016, 00:49

This site is officially for sale.

Do you take bitcoin?

scottish-guy

January 21st, 2016, 00:56

I dunno about Bitcoin but I hear a447 has offered 10 wanks, 3 blowjobs and a fuck!

:ymparty:

Surfcrest

January 21st, 2016, 01:03

Do you take bitcoin?
I may, if it comes to that.

Surfcrest

Tobi

January 21st, 2016, 01:22

I dunno about Bitcoin but I hear a447 has offered 10 wanks, 3 blowjobs and a fuck!

OK, that just leaves him $3,476 short then. ;)

Brad the Impala

January 21st, 2016, 02:37

Thanks Surfcrest, sorry that you feel that you have had enough, but quite understand. Like Scotty I have no useful expertise in this area to offer, so it's not one for me either. Your price seems very reasonable and thank you for your tenure. Let's hope that a suitable buyer can be found.

Surfcrest

January 21st, 2016, 04:05

Smiles

January 21st, 2016, 08:11

Do you take bitcoin?
Yes ... a tragedy if that happens, if the name starts with a 'B'.

And yes again: Surfcrest saved this board from Neal's crazed version of what was quickly approaching an unadulterated disaster.
As an ex-owner of Sawatdee I have nothing but huge thanks to him for that.

a447

January 21st, 2016, 11:11

I'm also sad that you are giving up the board, surfcrest.

If you hadn't stepped when you did, the board would have disappeared.

I'm kind of hoping you don't find a buyer and you'll be "forced" to continue.

Whilst not always in agreement with your decisions, I've always appreciated your tireless work in maintaining the board for all of us and admired your patience in dealing with those who took delight in biting the hand that fed them.

At times I know it has been a thankless task, but I, for one, am very grateful for all the time and effort you've put into running this board.

I wish you all the best.

Moses

January 21st, 2016, 13:51

Surfcrest

January 21st, 2016, 14:05

I have been member since 2010 http://66.199.190.19/~sgt/forum/viewtop ... 52&start=0 (http://66.199.190.19/~sgt/forum/viewtopic.php?f=9&t=20452&start=0) but suddenly yesterday found myself unregistered. So I had to make account from scratch and now my PM doesn't work yet.

I have questions about this offer, how I can contact you?
I remember you and I think I have fixed it now so that you can post and use the PM function freely. You can also reach me at surfcrest@hotmail.com
Our previous owner deleted many past members and I'm afraid, based on the time lines since your last visits...you may have been a casualty.
Your old posts still all remain here in the back pages...elephantspike was able to reattach some members to their deleted membership...it is possibly, albeit difficult (impossible for me).

http://sawatdeenetwork.com/forum/post216158.html#p216158

Welcome Back Moses!

Surfcrest

Smiles

January 21st, 2016, 17:28

NOTED: Moses' handle and Surfcrest's avatar share a duality which cries out to be recognised.

arsenal

January 22nd, 2016, 09:06

There is only one bar (Nice Boys) that I would miss more than this bear pit.

lego

January 23rd, 2016, 20:10

Hard to believe that someone would actually pay money for the "privilege" of having to admin this site...

Surfcrest

January 23rd, 2016, 23:49

That's only how it is in your small mind lego. Had I not paid a tiny sum pf money, you wouldn't be here right now writing this. I've explained this many times, others knew Neal enough to know that and for those that don't, they probably recall what happened to Neal's final project when he died on that plane.

Don't try so hard to turn into kommie!

Surfcrest

lego

January 24th, 2016, 02:30

You're actually proving my point with that sort of reply: Would someone really want to pay money to inherit your job here? It's so obvious that it's a burden to you. Quite frankly, I would expect to get paid to deal with all the crap, and quite handsomely so, instead of paying even the tiniest amount.

I don't get the remark regarding me trying to turn into kommie though. I've been the same ever since I started posting here. Your obsession with Neal (long dead), kommie (only temporarily absent, I'd hope) and others is quite troubling. If that's what running this board is doing to you, well, read my first paragraph again and you might just get my point.

Surfcrest

January 24th, 2016, 04:16

If that's what running this board is doing to you, well, read my first paragraph again and you might just get my point.
I don't get your point, not interested in putting in the least of effort to. Actually running the Board has been a piece of cake, even better if it weren't for the ulcers here...like specifically you and kommie. If you're detecting something more than that pal, perhaps it's because I have a heck of a lot more going on than just this. Leave the psychotherapy to the professions, not the patients!

Surfcrest

Brad the Impala

January 24th, 2016, 05:15

Quite frankly, I would expect to get paid to deal with all the crap, and quite handsomely so, instead of paying even the tiniest amount.

Rest assured, no one is ever going to pay you!

Smiles

January 24th, 2016, 07:45

A couple of pertinent questions for Surfcrest:

~ Has a new Moderator been chosen yet (and agreed to do it)?

~ And if so has he/she taken the helm yet?

~ If you get no reasonable offers at all, and/or fail to persuade someone to pay a price, do you intend to turn off Sawatdee's lights.

~ Or, in light of that above would you opt to simply let the new Mod run the joint for the foreseeable future?

Surfcrest

January 24th, 2016, 08:28

I asked two members if they would be moderators and one declined after contemplating it for a bit, the other member began the assignment but then vacated it due to how one of our threads turned out. Not a worry, I am looking after it again...as you can probably see.

I have indeed had some interest in the site, or the package deal that I am offering. I hope to move this along in the very near future. There would be no reason in the world that I can think of for turning out the lights.

The forum needs a new direction to stay relevant. The phpBB software is outdated and doesn't provide the platform to attract more interest than what we have here already. The WP front end software was just a bad idea from the get go. Without the technical knowledge or aptitude, I was stuck with what Bob wanted to work with rather than the software I purchased when I bought the Board and that has never been used. The server idea was to generate a little income for Bob, as I wasn't able to keep him on as a paid employee given the size of this venture. Unfortunately, that has made us quite top heavy in terms of our monthly expenses and without reliable help, unable to keep up with the pace of technology. That has been the most truly frustrating thing about being the administer here, my own inability to give the membership what they want. The longer this goes on like this, the less relevant we are becoming in this small landscape of Gay Thailand Forums.

I still think, given the right person you could easily turn this into an income generating business easy enough. I receive emails from people who want to advertise that I have to send away because our phpBB ad software is corrupted. This Board still has a lot of history in the community, especially the Bangkok, Pattaya and Chiang Mai community and the opinions here are both respected and feared somewhat by the businesses at large. I've been in other parts of the world theses past few years and was unable to leverage that myself, but I'm sure someone else easily could.

There is a tremendous amount of history locked up in the pages of this Forum that everyone as a member here has been a part of and I think I can say, speaking for all of us that we'd like to see that information and history looked after by the next administrator.

Surfcrest

lego

January 24th, 2016, 11:32

I don't get your point, not interested in putting in the least of effort to. Actually running the Board has been a piece of cake, even better if it weren't for the ulcers here...like specifically you and kommie. If you're detecting something more than that pal, perhaps it's because I have a heck of a lot more going on than just this. Leave the psychotherapy to the professions, not the patients!

Surfcrest
I wasn't around yet when Neal was still running the show, but that's kind of how I imagine him reacting to posts that are mildly critical of his views. If you have to resort to insulting your members, that again just proves my point and I'm happy to leave it there.

But better don't add fuel to the fire: Running this board has been a piece of cake, you say, yet the simplest of technical issues haven't been fixed in years. Running a successful message board isn't just about managing the membership, and since you've mentioned leaving things to professionals, let me just agree with you this one time.

Smiles

January 24th, 2016, 11:54

Thanks Surfcrest for your quick reply to the questions. Clear in my mind.

a447

January 24th, 2016, 18:39

I wasn't around yet when Neal was still running the show, but that's kind of how I imagine him reacting to posts that are mildly critical of his views.

No, that's not how he would have reacted. First, you'd get a barrage of vile, threatening PM's. Then you'd be banned.

scottish-guy

January 24th, 2016, 19:50

True a447 - then you'd have him PM'ing other members to try to find out if they knew your Name, Address, Phone Number, personal/work email, Employment, and other personal details or photographs they might have had

lego

January 24th, 2016, 21:54

Fair enough, Neal was the devil. I find it unlikely that his threats would have intimidated me, but I cannot tell with certainty, as I wasn't here. I live a pretty open and squeaky clean life in Bangkok, so there's little potential for blackmail or threats of outing me etc., but I do realize that things can be much different for someone in a less fortunate situation.

scottish-guy

January 25th, 2016, 06:47

fountainhall

January 25th, 2016, 11:12

The question has been asked before тАУ many times: is there really any need for a Board like this? We know the number of Boards has fallen in recent years and the variety of content on those which remain has narrowed. Overall figures for memberships and readership may be reasonable but the number of regular posters surely is not.

Topics not unnaturally centre on bars and boys, along with requests for info on accommodations, a few on travel issues and less than a handful on political and other issues. The Boards that remain are generally Pattaya-centric with some posts about Bangkok, yet little info occasionally on the rest of the country. Of course times inevitably change especially in the age of the internet, and people change too. Sadly two of the most interesting and informative individual sites - Shamelessmack and BangkokBois тАУ have long since disappeared. Christian manfully gives a wide variety of information in his own blog тАУ but generally it does appear that interest in obtaining information from internet sites is very much on the wane.

I sometimes have a look at the Singapore site Blowing Wind and am quite amazed at how different this is тАУ blowingwind.org. Discount the fact that almost all Singaporeans speak English and so language is not the barrier to such a site as it definitely is here in Thailand where an English language board will rarely attract other than a small number of native English speakers, most of them in the upper age range. Even though Blowing Wind has only 30,000 registered members it permits posting by non-members. Consequently there is a huge active readership and posting base along with a very wide range of topics. Looking at its statistics, as of 12 noon here today there had been 69 posts made within the previous hour! ThatтАЩs almost more than this board sees in one week! And this is the middle of the day when many readers would be working or taking lunch!

Discount, too, the fact that there are flamers and a fair amount of immaturity in the posts since the general age of the membership seems to me to be around 30 and so lots in the teens and 20s bracket, certainly way lower than any similar gay Thailand English board тАУ again for obvious reasons. But sift through the dross and there is quite a bit on that site that really does provide info on quite a number of issues other than just saunas and bars, as well as a wide-ranging TravellerтАЩs Hut section with 24 specific countries/cities as well as general discussion threads. As a regular traveller this has given me quite a number of extremely useful tips.

Blowing Wind does have some advertising and gay-related promotions, but it seems not many. How they run and finance the site, I have no idea. But it surely illustrates once again a point I have occasionally made over the years on this and another Board. Unless an internet site like this can obtain and keep a much larger membership, readership and contributor base, itтАЩs success will depend solely on one person тАУ the owner, and for how long he is prepared to put in the time and effort. Once the novelty or whatever wears off, itтАЩs likely to go down the tubes, sadly, just like those which have gone before.

Tobi

January 25th, 2016, 14:58

scottish-guy

January 25th, 2016, 18:35

I think Tobi is right regarding travel information - it's accessible from lots of sources now, covers all venues, and you can usually find something bang up to date. No need to consult forums for this.

The main thing that SGT has going for it a sense of camaraderie - even if it sometimes manifests itself as bickering and bitching - I'd be sorry to lose that

Manforallseasons

January 25th, 2016, 19:41

As for me after living in Thailand for many years the thrill is gone, I've been there done that so I am not interested in a board that talks about ashtrays in a Go Go things are soooo different here then they were that when I read travel reports My reaction is "you should have known it when I first came. The natural response is why do you stay here simple It is still dam cheap to live, have a nice social life, and never see a winter. All I expect from a board is banter and somewhat intelligent exchanges. I've enjoyed my short return to SGT and I hope nothing much changes because the fist board is stifling, the cheesecake board is pathetic and gaythailand is like a coffee table surrounded by the same 4 people.

firecat69

January 25th, 2016, 20:09

...but generally it does appear that interest in obtaining information from internet sites is very much on the wane.

I disagree. It's more that in the last few years specialised sites have become much more inclusive and now cover topics and places of interest to the lgbt community. You can find reviews for gay bars and short time hotels on Trip Advisor. Likewise, if I want travel info. flight comparisons, reward schemes or "best" airlines, then I'll go to a site that focuses specifically on that. There's also the general lgbt travel review sites like Gay Cities.

From my own limited experience, the visible sex industry worldwide appears to be undergoing a sea change, contracting to become more of a tourist attraction than anything else, just something a bit naughty to be visited once during a fortnight's holiday. There's also the cost, what with entrance fees, drinks, off fees and tips, I noticed the total price in Bangkok easily reaches $100, more if you're paying for short time accommodation as well. The hookup apps not only provide better value, you also don't have to wait for a noisy smokey bar to open. I also imagine that for many people the pricing nowadays means there's less incentive to travel half-way-around-the-world when $100 will buy you an hour-or-two a lot closer to home.

I guess these changes means there's less to "discuss" on a board such as this.

I enjoyed my time in Thailand, and will returning for a short visit shortly. However, I didn't find anything unique that made me feel I'd want to become a regular visitor, let alone live there. I felt I'd probably missed that vibe by 20 years or more.

Sorry! :(

I agree with a lot of what you say. Maybe I missed it, but context on your comments would help if we knew your home country? Although I use Trip Advisor and agree there are now many comments on Gay Establishments , I find the site can be very unreliable since they allow posts with no way of verifying their personal knowledge. This is especially true in regard to Hotels where anyone can post a review whether they actually stayed there or not. I find Booking.com reviews much more valuable because you have to paid and checked out in order to post a review.

Of course I have eliminated Hotels completely in my travel on any trips of 2 days or more. I find I get far more value out of VRBO and Airbnb. Better places at less money and usually much more helpful owners then Hotel personnel.

The value of recommendations on a small membership board , you can find which members actually give worthwhile information and once you have taken advantage of that info you can seek comments from the same member .

Tobi

January 25th, 2016, 20:55

I'm based in the UK.

I agree about sites that verify hotel stays, and no doubt there are a lot of fake reviews on Trip Advisor, but in truth they're pretty easy to weed out. If someone has only posted one review that's the red flag in my book. I also find what gets-the-goat and a 1-star review from a lone-female traveller may well be a major plus to me!

I've benefitted from forums such as Sawatdeenetwork but I also appreciate the up-to-the-minute info. on other specialist sites too. I also think forums are not the easiest format to glean info. from especially where threads meander across topics or get derailed entirely. The younger generation especially will expect an instant answer from a search, not having to sift through a lot of often irrelevant dross to find those few nuggets of gold.

I remember visiting San Francisco back in the 1970s and like Mary Ann in Tales, thinking "wow, yes I could live here". I visited again a few years ago and couldn't wait to leave, the place and vibe had changed beyond all recognition. I feel the same way about London. I undoubtedly missed the boat with Thailand. Please don't get me wrong, it's definitely a fantastic place to visit, I loved Chiang Mai, but for me "scene-wise" nothing currently beats a Sunday afternoon shopping expedition to Farme beach in Ipanema. :)

Manforallseasons

January 25th, 2016, 21:11

After a long career that entailed much globetrotting I limit my air travel to 3.5 hours one way direct, and I only stay where others I know and respect their opinion as for restaurants Trip advisor is useless how many "wonderful " Fabulous, The best place" can people write? After going to a few "Wonderful " eateries posted on trip advisor I don't bother looking at it anymore.

francois

January 25th, 2016, 22:38

The main thing that SGT has going for it a sense of camaraderie - even if it sometimes manifests itself as bickering and bitching - I'd be sorry to lose that

Agree with you Scotty about camaraderie, it would be a loss.

lego

January 26th, 2016, 01:08

Even now I don't think you fully appreciate the extent of the vindictiveness - we are not talking about mere threats of "outing" or "blackmail".

We are talking about threats of physical violence up to and including death, Solicitors letters/emails threatening to have you arrested on charges of libel the minute you set foot in Thailand, constant telephone calls 24/7, and publishing of photographs of members (surreptitiously scoured from social media).

All this just for disagreeing with him, and telling others how he REALLY was.
Two things:

Firstly, living in Thailand, I'm well familiar with Thailand's criminal defamation laws. "Telling others how he really was" can actually constitute a crime in Thailand, unlike in many (most?) other countries. So in that case, Neal did unfortunately have leverage, and he benefited from the fact that Thai law protects even crooks against a loss of face.

Secondly, I might not fully appreciate how evil he was, but he'd have had a hard time trying it on with me. I wouldn't have given him any legitimate grounds as described above, obviously, and whatever baseless threats he might have issued wouldn't have impressed me much.

It's a bit like with the famous jet ski scam. It works well on tourists who don't know how things work in Thailand, and you cannot really blame the victims for feeling intimidated. But I wouldn't exactly call the perps criminal masterminds either.

scottish-guy

January 26th, 2016, 04:35

Ah well Lego, it must be great to know everything.

Unfortunately I'm only 99% of the way there.

:))

fountainhall

January 26th, 2016, 08:23

The main thing that SGT has going for it a sense of camaraderie - even if it sometimes manifests itself as bickering and bitching - I'd be sorry to lose that

Fair point, and one I had overlooked. Yet, does it not merely reinforce the point I was making? Surfcrest has done a great job, but what I wonder is the benefit in this day and age to any new owner of ploughing cash into a Board, supervising and moderating it, spending more cash updating its technology from time to time etc. when the number of active posters interested in being members of what is a club/fraternity call-it-what-you-will is, let's be honest, minuscule. Obtaining cash advertising for a site that has only a few dozen posers is surely impossible, unless it's a case of friends of friends. And without advertising, surely the cash and time outlay is only of interest to someone with a very personal interest in keeping the site up and running?

That said, a board focussing on all things gay in Thailand really ought to have a much, much larger market. No-one yet seems to know how to achieve that!

cdnmatt

January 26th, 2016, 09:20

That said, a board focussing on all things gay in Thailand really ought to have a much, much larger market. No-one yet seems to know how to achieve that!

I have no idea whether or not this would work, but personally, I'd say turn it into more of a high-quality dating site focused on Farang-Thai relationships (and Thai-Thai of course). Folks like Grindr and Hornet already have the hook-up scene taken care of, so concentrate on something a little higher quality, more involved, with a good sense of community. SGT has lots of English speaking gay guys who love cute Thai guys, and there's still a good number of Thai guys looking or Mr. Right Farang.

Revamp the forum, but also restructure everything so the forum is only one aspect of the site, instead of the entire site itself. Add a bunch of social media bells & whistles -- online chat, ability to follow people, each user has their own timeline they can post to, mobile apps to allow things like instantly posting images you've taken with your cell phone with one button, etc. Allow more extensive profiles with full stats, journal / blog, photos, etc. Maybe allow people to post events, and ask for RSVPs. Then obvously, multiple Thai language sections as well.

Attracting people may not to be too difficult, depending on your moral compass. Just write a few bots to scrape all the profiles off Gindr, Hornet, and GR, then spam them to let them know about the site. "Find the farang / Thai of your dreams" type of thing. If the site took off, income for the new owner would be an non-issue, as you'd probably have tons of dating sponsors lining up to advertise on your site.

Problem with this is it's a massive project, plus a complete gamble, and one of those projects that could easily suck the soul right out of you. Once the initial revamp is done, you could easily get stuck in a downward spiral because you're adamant on making it work, so continue devoting time and resources to at. At the end, it could be all for nothing. On the flip side, if done properly, it could also turn into a very vibrant community that produces good income.

bkkguy

January 26th, 2016, 19:09

I have no idea

the rest of your post supports this so you should have just stopped there

I know it is still considered perfectly reasonable for Internet startups to have no idea about their real target market and even less idea of how to build a revenue stream from that target market but give me a break - a high quality web site with the combined features of facebook and Ashley Madison but just for gay Thailand that is going to drive its membership by spamming pickup apps and get its revenue from other dating web sites beating down its door wanting to advertise?

one thing you are right about is it is a massive project that is never going to be achieved by some "expert"/wanker in Nakhon Nowhere after buying the software scraps and handful of eyeballs from Sawatdee Network with his life savings

the gay market is fragmented and complex in most countries and both experienced old media (print/TV) and new media (web) companies still have problems understanding and surviving in this market segment let alone Internet startups with their head in the clouds (or usually the "cloud")

the Thai gay market is even more fragmented and complicated and then there are the language issues etc ... you just need to look at the casualties in the mainstream print media, the freebie print media and web sites over the last few years - but not just in Thailand, pick any other SE Asian or other Asian country

if you really want to address "all things gay in Thailand" you are going to need significant resources, skills and capital and it is still doubtful that the revenue stream will ever be there to justify the investment, else stick to tightly focused sites that require limited resources and can survive on limited revenue or just play at the hobby level like many sites do now - not just the English language forums!

bkkguy

lego

January 26th, 2016, 19:10

Ah well Lego, it must be great to know everything.

That's not at all how I meant it. After you've lived and worked in Thailand for some years, you simply know more - not everything - about local laws and customs than your typical visitor. That's why it's unlikely that i would walk into a defamation trap. Getting scammed could happen to me, too, but maybe it would be more likely to happen in Malaysia or in Vietnam, where I only travel occasionally and don't know a lot.

Tobi

January 26th, 2016, 19:41

That said, a board focussing on all things gay in Thailand really ought to have a much, much larger market. No-one yet seems to know how to achieve that!

Where's the successful board focussing on all things gay in America or the UK? For the younger generation, there's less-and-less of a gay/straight divide, they don't base their whole identity on being gay. It's only niche pursuits that aren't addressed by mainstream media sites, for example the gay sex industry that now drives traffic to boards such as this. The average lgbt tourist to Thailand is more likely to simply flick through the latest online copy of Thai Puan http://www.thaipuan.com/ and be good to go, rather than ask questions or dig through posts on a forum.

arsenal

January 26th, 2016, 21:06

Were this my board, which it isn't and nor will it ever be, but. I would simplify it right down to two forums. Thailand and everything else. Too many forums means interesting things get missed and are therefore less likely to be posted on. Indeed I myself have posted some Nobel standard writings on some of the less visited forums and thought is it really worth the effort considering how few actually read it.

Manforallseasons

January 26th, 2016, 22:17

As topics in The main forum on Thailand almost alway meander to content other than Thailand why not just have the 1 main forum?

arsenal

January 26th, 2016, 22:37

MFAS: Personally I think we need/like a forum just devoted to Thailand but we also want one to talk about all the other stuff. For example Scottish and I need somewhere to continue throwing saucepans at each other.

Manforallseasons

January 26th, 2016, 22:53

Arsenal why not do it in the main arena if one is not interested they needn't look!

cdnmatt

January 27th, 2016, 05:32

if you really want to address "all things gay in Thailand" you are going to need significant resources, skills and capital and it is still doubtful that the revenue stream will ever be there to justify the investment, else stick to tightly focused sites that require limited resources and can survive on limited revenue or just play at the hobby level like many sites do now - not just the English language forums!

Isn't that basically exactly what I said? It's a massive project, would also be a huge gamble, and not one I'm interested in. Nonetheless, the current membership of this board is dieing off (literally), so unless it's revamped to somehow attract a broader audience, it's most likely going to be offline within 24 months. Simple as that.

lonelywombat

January 27th, 2016, 10:03

Were this my board, which it isn't and nor will it ever be, but. I would simplify it right down to two forums. Thailand and everything else. Too many forums means interesting things get missed and are therefore less likely to be posted on.

As topics in The main forum on Thailand almost alway meander to content other than Thailand why not just have the 1 main forum?

I agree totally with both of you and others that have suggesting this for some time

Why do we need a listing for gay romeo Why not keep it as another thread in Thailand

Two threads and one for the political rubbish for those who need it.

fountainhall

January 27th, 2016, 11:10

Two threads and one for the political rubbish for those who need it.
I've always been in favour of several threads. There are readers - those living here as well as visitors - who like/want to travel to other parts of S. E. Asia, for example, and who appreciate othersтАЩ experiences. Having to wade through a host of Thailand posts to try and find the latest info on Myanmar or Vietnam etc. might be a turn-off. And even though existing boards have search boxes, they do not always seem to throw up precisely what one is looking for.

On the other hand, the title of the site makes it is clear it is about Thailand. So perhaps info on neighbouring countries could be seen to loosen that focus. Yet it does seem that the more you focus exclusively on Thailand gay issues, the less attractive the Board becomes to possible new members. To stay alive and relevant and at the same time maintain the sense of camaraderie that Scottish mentioned, surely a Board surely has to be open to as wide a range of topics as possible in as readable a format as possible.

the current membership of this board is dieing off (literally), so unless it's revamped to somehow attract a broader audience, it's most likely going to be offline within 24 months. Simple as that.
I am sure others believe this is the root of internet Board problems. Unless the list of active posters can somehow be increased, is there a future? As Tobi pointed out, the average lgbt tourist nowadays is unlikely to go through a site like this. They have so many other more targetted info sources. They are also certainly likely to be younger and increasingly far more likely to be Asian than the existing readership. Leaving aside the cameraderie issue, has this Board ever had an Asian member? gaythailand has just one, I believe, and he posts only very occasionally. Earlier I mentioned the Singapore blowingwind site. Its Traveller section has a huge 96 pages on Bangkok alone with some very detailed info on gay places, and a further 3 on Chiang Mai. Frankly, it has more info for the gay traveller - understandably the younger gay traveller - than any of the existing Thailand-based forums. Most there speak good English. Shouldn't at least some of these Asian tourists who often come here two or three times a year be part of Sawadee's target market? I believe that makes sense. But how then does an existing Board like this maintain its sense of camaraderie without alienating potential new members who feel they won't fit in?

I wish I had some answers!

a447

January 27th, 2016, 14:02

Frankly, it has more info for the gay traveller - understandably the younger gay traveller - than any of the existing Thailand-based forums.

There's the difference. Both boards cater to a totally different demographic; this one to the...errr.....more experienced gay man and tends to focus on paid sexual encounters. Hence, we have posts here about tips and where to find money boys.

The boards catering to a younger crowd are all about where to meet sexual partners where no money changes hands.

There will always be plenty of guys who find they are at an age now where they have to pay. We all reach that stage sooner or later. And I think this board caters pretty well for them. So I don't see the demise of this board in the near future. Older members die off but there are lots of guys coming up behind them to take their place.

The board just needs to find an avenue where it can advertise to these older guys. That's the only way membership will increase.

Tobi

January 27th, 2016, 14:55

Older members die off but there are lots of guys coming up behind them to take their place.

I'm not sure there are lots of guys coming... !!

It's only an impression on my part gleaned from a small number of guys in their 50-60's but the visible sex industry in places like Thailand appears to be irrelevant to them. This also seems to be just as true for the straight girlie bars too, there are just so many alternatives nowadays for those who wish to pay-to-play, across a multitude of other countries. I'm afraid that Thailand no longer appears to be leading the pack of gay-friendly places to visit either and the sex industry certainly isn't dirt cheap for those on a tight budget as from my own limited experience the cost of offing a boy from a Bangkok bar can easily reach $100+ in total and escort services are charging 8,000-10,000 Baht for an overnight.

I also believe app and website freelancing are vastly preferred by the majority of working boys and girls instead of being enslaved to a bar, club or brothel. It leaves them fully independent and in control of their working day-or-night, able to pick-and-choose their clientele, and grants them a much higher degree of anonymity.

Jellybean

January 27th, 2016, 15:41

. . . The board just needs to find an avenue where it can advertise to these older guys. That's the only way membership will increase.
I wholeheartedly agree with your comment above a447.

What about advertising Sawatdee Network in the local Thai gay magazines? Did Neal try this? IтАЩm not entirely sure, I have a vague memory that he may have advertised in foreign gay magazines.

In my case, I had been travelling to Thailand for 4 or 5 years before I was even aware of this forumтАЩs existence. A friend sent me a link, and after about a year of being a reader, I joined what was then SGT and became a member.

When IтАЩm out and about in Bangkok, Silom Soi 4, or Soi Twilight, I always see many fa-r├аng in my age group. But, given how few Bangkok members we have, and even allowing for visitors from Pattaya, the vast majority of the English speaking westerners I see, clearly do not post here. Like me in years gone by, I wonder if they are even aware of Sawatdee Network. It is possible that there is a an untapped group of potential new members right here on our own doorstep, so to speak, waiting to be enticed to join we few, we happy few, we band of brothers. ;)

I also believe app and website freelancing are vastly preferred by the majority of working boys and girls instead of being enslaved to a bar, club or brothel. It leaves them fully independent and in control of their working day-or-night, able to pick-and-choose their clientele, and grants them a much higher degree of anonymity.
Talking of boys тАЬfreelancingтАЭ or even moonlighting, I met a Thai guy off PlanetRomeo last night. I was surprised to learn that he worked in one of the тАШSoi TwilightтАЩ bars. Why, I asked, was he on Planet Romeo? He explained that many of the Chinese or other Asian customers who visit his bar, are more interested in watching the show than offing the boys, so heтАЩs not making a lot of money from working in the bar. Well that suited me perfectly, because IтАЩm not really interested in watching the shows any more, IтАЩve seen them a 100 times before. And, I didnтАЩt have to buy two costly drinks and pay an off fee to meet my visitor. The boy also benefited financially and, because I saw him early in the evening, he was able to go off to work in his bar and not be penalised for turning up late and still, potentially, meet another customer.

francois

January 27th, 2016, 16:29

Change the name of the Forum! Sawatdee Network is meaningless. Try Gay Network Thailand or Gay Sawatdee Thailand, or something similar with words such as Gay, Thailand, etc. Sawatdee means nothing to the first timer and Network sounds like a TV station or computer shop.

When doing a google search for gay thailand the first site that pops up is gaythailand.com. Gotta give Michael for creativity.

a447

January 27th, 2016, 16:37

Yes, i agree; the name is meaningless and doesn't suggest anything gay.

fountainhall

January 27th, 2016, 17:23

There's the difference. Both boards cater to a totally different demographic; this one to the...errr.....more experienced gay man and tends to focus on paid sexual encounters. Hence, we have posts here about tips and where to find money boys.

The boards catering to a younger crowd are all about where to meet sexual partners where no money changes hands . . .

The board just needs to find an avenue where it can advertise to these older guys. That's the only way membership will increase.
I entirely agree with the first comment. But can any one Board continue with the past policy of catering almost exclusively to those in the older age bracket seeking paid sex? Is there no way to go some way to marrying the needs of existing members with the desires of new and younger ones? I am with those who believe the nature of the market in Thailand is now changing quite rapidly, only in part due to the social networking sites. The boy Jellybean met is correct when he says the new Asian customers in the bars mostly want to watch, not off. And that I think is one reason why drink prices in such establishments have been escalating rapidly.

And although Jellybean says he agrees with A447's comments, I suggest his point about the Gay Romeo boy somewhat negates that view. Gay Romeo caters for hook-ups. This Board doesn't!

As for those already living in Thailand not being aware of this Board, my own view is they are probably not many. There are two guys around my age living in my building. I recently asked if they read any of the Boards. They told me they did before they moved here some years ago but soon after they gave up. They said they find what they want from word of mouth or other sources. So I really cannot see how the membership can be expanded from that particular source.

Lastly, I also agree wholeheartedly about the site name. Sawatdee Network doesn't even imply what it is or used to be. With all respect to Surfcrest, nothing about the name suggests it is the place to find out about things gay in Thailand.

Tobi

January 27th, 2016, 19:00

I met a Thai guy off PlanetRomeo last night. I was surprised to learn that he worked in one of the тАШSoi TwilightтАЩ bars.

I found quite a few bars had freelancers hanging about, no doubt they're also on Planet Romeo or similar. I didn't think to check at the time. I also found the escort services seemed to have a monopoly on the real stunners, both male and female, although that might have been something of a fluke.

The boy Jellybean met is correct when he says the new Asian customers in the bars mostly want to watch, not off. And that I think is one reason why drink prices in such establishments have been escalating rapidly.

It goes back to what I said earlier about red light districts becoming tourist attractions, the same is true in the Netherlands and Germany according to their local media, a visit is now just seen as a slightly risque stop on the average traveller's itinerary.

cdnmatt

January 27th, 2016, 22:19

I am sure others believe this is the root of internet Board problems.

It is. People these days are looking for a) real-time communication with those of the same interests, and b) real-time information at their fingertips, not sifting through tons of threads. That's why forums such as this are dying. It's not just SGT, but majority of forums of this format are dying a slow death, or at least are slowing down. SGT is a bit of an anonalmy though, due to the general age of its membership (ie. retired folks).

arsenal

January 27th, 2016, 22:26

This is my point in reducing the number of forums. It's likely to become a 24 hour conversation place with Thailand as the main draw but a variety of other topics all trundling along simultaneously.

Manforallseasons

January 28th, 2016, 13:34

Just go back to "Sawadtee Gay".....ever think of creating an app ?

loke

January 28th, 2016, 23:25

I only log-in here to check if there is any news about Pattaya , new bars etc, and other information .

The rest is focused on a few members arguing about silly things . Yes, this is a stoneage board and will probably die on its own sooner or later.

scottish-guy

January 28th, 2016, 23:32

Given that you've made THREE HUNDRED AND SIXTY posts, reasonable people would assume you find this forum at least somewhat interesting.

Manforallseasons

January 29th, 2016, 00:22

I believe Loke is more at home in the sanctuary where the "Fist" reigns; you can even get recipes there!

fountainhall

January 29th, 2016, 10:53

Given that you've made THREE HUNDRED AND SIXTY posts, reasonable people would assume you find this forum at least somewhat interesting.
Out of curiosity, I checked the posting list on the members site. Seems there are approx. 790 actual members of which 26 have made more than 1,000 posts and a further 141 have made more than 100 posts. (This excludes 6 deceased members but includes the largest poster of all - Beachlover with over 5,000!) Given that many of the remainder made less than 10 posts and many have not posted for over a year, the posting membership is somewhere around 167.

Much more worrying for the future, I suggest, if that roughly half the membership joined 5 or less years ago. Of these, four have made more than 1,000 posts ( believe two had returned after an absence) and only about 23 more than 100. The remainder are mostly either in single digits or have made no posts.

Assuming the figures on the membership page are accurate, the site is definitely being carried by long-term posters. For whatever reason, the vast majority of those who joined since January 2011 are not finding reasons to post. That surely is not a good omen for the future.

Smiles

January 29th, 2016, 11:26

' ... Seems there are approx. 790 actual members of which 26 have made more than 1,000 posts and a further 141 have made more than 100 posts. (This excludes 5 deceased members but includes the largest poster of all - Beachlover with over 5,000!)
Nothing to do with the actual topic of this thread [pardon me] but does anyone on this board have any clue what happened to Beachlover.

His last post was almost two years ago now [March 1, 2014]. This quote below was his last post; short and sweet -- not normally Beachlover's MO, he was a mouthy bugger -- and certainly not a post containing any drama. A tiny bit of funny insult to Brisbane but not enough to send him off a cliff.

Frankly I never go and visit the peasants in my own country and I have no desire to do so in someone else.
Mate, I think you ARE one of the peasants in your own country... hahahahaha.

Shirley someone has a clue to this minor mystery.

roguebear

January 29th, 2016, 11:45

Who knows, maybe even the honorable Beachlover was in attendance.

No. I wasn't. :P

Dboy

January 29th, 2016, 11:48

Is the join date accurate? I think I've been posting here longer than the stats say. I for one hope this board stays around, even though I don't post much anymore.

fountainhall

January 29th, 2016, 12:14

Nothing to do with the actual topic of this thread [pardon me] but does anyone on this board have any clue what happened to Beachlover
After he was banned from gaythailand.com, one member (not me) wrote that he had reappeared under the name Snapshot. Certainly the posts were very much in the BL mould, two being from Aug 2012 and Jan 2013 -

what I see is a bunch of 60yo+ farangs obsessing and fretting over a dynamic young guy who gets their hearts racing. :P

One thing I'm finding more and more spending more time in the higher end 5-star hotels (as opposed to the lower end of the 5 star range) is they tend to give you the minibar for free, or at least soft drinks and beers. I think it's cool!

I don't get through much, but it's nice to know it's there. And cool to offer friends a drink when they visit.

The other thing I'm liking more often is having a Nespresso machine in my room. I love that! The next best thing is having a butler service with free tea/coffee any time.
- Soon after, Snapshot disappeared from that Board.

Surfcrest

January 29th, 2016, 12:41

http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y69/Surfcrest/DavieandBute.jpg

In my opinion, the demographic coming to Thailand has changed and we haven't caught up. The older guys that are coming to Thailand to enjoy the fruits of the commercial industry are in decline. As Thailand modernizes, fewer Thais are participating in the commercial industry and more Thais through social media are aware of that aspect of their country's business and the negative attitudes associated with it. Someone may have been able to leave their village, be a barboy and not be found out...but I suspect that's not so easy anymore, hence the increase in foreigners from neighbouring countries in the business, replacing the Thais.

When I first came to Thailand in the early nineties, most of the people I met here and became friends with were American. When I first bought into the Jomtiem Complex, most of the residents in my building were Italian. Over the years, through the political events that have happened...the Americans coming to Thailand have whittled away. I still have the same American friends in Thailand, but they are getting on in years now and are probably enjoying the sun and the sand more so than the boys anymore...so the topics here aren't always relevant. Most of the Italians in my building have been replaced by straight Scandanavians and there is a sharp increase in Thais owning AND staying here. The Gay beach isn't as gay as it once was and so the draw as a gay beach destination isn't really there anymore...especially with the amount of pollution in the water. Dontang Beach was a wild and crazy place...once upon a time! So was Pattaya...so was Thailand.

But it's not all doom and gloom...just the sunset of one era and the beginning of another. People still travel to Thailand and because of their income status, gay men love to travel and tend to spend quite a bit of money when they do. While us Canadians and Australians are struggling with a low dollar, the gay men with two incomes are still able to break through the cost barrier and travel, especially in pairs.

I live down in Vancouver's very gay neighbourhood, it's the place to live, not just because it's the most beautiful part of the City where all the beaches are, but because us gay people like to stick together. If it isn't hanging out together, eating in restaurants and sharing some drinks in the bars it's hanging out nearby to catch a glimpse of who's hot, or who's being towed around these days by who's hot. The need will always be there for us to be together because that's where the sex is and you never want to be far from the watering hole. (no pun intended...lol)

So gay men are traveling, they are traveling to Thailand...but this new generation of men coming may not be coming for the commercial scene. Probably about 9 out of 10 new members that take the time to register, have a look around...and we never see them again. The front page articles that we publish here promote all aspects of Thai tourism and attract interest, but it's not always interest that has them staying. It doesn't help that some of the front page widgets are not functioning anymore, giving the initial impression that the site isn't sharp and professional...as is expected these days with the amount of competition for people's attention. There are probably visitors that never even make it to the forum or who leave through exit links before exploring the whole site. The traffic on the Board is very different than the front end. It's two separate groups of readers and so the key is to capture that interest and to retain it.

Some of the conversations here have been about Forum reorganization. I've had several suggestions on Forum reorganization and I've done that many times...even recently by moving the Flaming Room, The Sunday Funnies and Thailand Resources out to the Shop. All of this is easy, but while doing one thing makes someone happy...it will be sure to make another unhappy. If you have something you want me to adjust, I can. The reality though is that I have bigger things to fix and I've never been here so many hours of the day lately...working towards that. I am starting to make some good progress finally on some of the technical things I'm working on.

I've had some good discussions with some members that have expressed interest in purchasing the site. As I said when I first started this thread, I wanted to put the idea out there for people to give some honest thought towards. I am going to continue working on improving the site, whether or not a sale happens in the near future or not. The site does indeed have a purpose, especially as world population grows, the one in ten factor applies and Thailand continues as a popular destination for tourists and expats in the world. If this site is going to continue to be meaningful in the landscape of Thailand and being Gay in Thailand...it needs to evolve with the demographic and that will continue to be the direction I take the site. My first priority is to reduce the monthly costs, updating the software and reintegrating the information better to make it more one site, than two ugly Siamese twins. :-B

Surfcrest

francois

January 29th, 2016, 14:37

Nothing to do with the actual topic of this thread [pardon me] but does anyone on this board have any clue what happened to Beachlover.

Haven't you heard? He is all washed up. Somewhere in Australia I believe.

Smiles

January 29th, 2016, 15:31

' ... Haven't you heard? He is all washed up. Somewhere in Australia I believe. ... '
Nice beach. Spectacular wave motions. The blue/green water looks pristine, as does the stiff.

' ... When I first came to Thailand in my early nineties ... Surfcrest. '
I've often wondered whether Surfcrest is older or younger than me [Canadians do that a lot], and now, exposed as a geezer.
No wonder the board is on it's last legs . . . the owner can't make it down the stairs to address the on-going mayhem.

Tobi

January 29th, 2016, 22:13

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/news ... onths.html (http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/newsbysector/retailandconsumer/12127737/Travel-agency-for-gay-friendly-holidays-turns-over-1m-in-three-months.html)

fountainhall

January 29th, 2016, 23:03

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/newsbysector/retailandconsumer/12127737/Travel-agency-for-gay-friendly-holidays-turns-over-1m-in-three-months.html
I'm curious - what is a gay-friendly flight? Cute all-male flight attendants and free trips to the crew rest area? How about the cockpit crew? I guess these could not include Qatar and Emirates, two of the best airlines in the world.

Tobi

January 30th, 2016, 00:18

I'm curious - what is a gay-friendly flight?

I'm not altogether sure, but assume it's airlines that won't have you arrested for holding hands or snuggling up to a same sex partner. I've never had any problems on Emirates whereas I was warned about flying Kuwait Airways by a crew member of BA, they even apparently ditched a route recently rather than allow Israelis on board. I'm sure some of the African airlines would be high risk in more ways than one.

scottish-guy

January 30th, 2016, 01:11

Is the join date accurate? I think I've been posting here longer than the stats say. I for one hope this board stays around, even though I don't post much anymore.

Join the club - I have been posting here FAR longer than the date given. The earliest of my posts I can find is from August 2008

In my case the discrepancy was due to being banned/deleted/excommunicated by the previous owner and when I came back, the deleted and re-registered "Scottish-Guy" identities could not be matched up

arsenal

January 30th, 2016, 13:44

Gay friendly flights. I agree with Tobi, what does that mean? Personally I can well do without any shenanigans of that nature while I'm locked in mortal combat with the Kevlar standard wrapping around the bread roll.

Manforallseasons

January 30th, 2016, 14:50

Try Havana tour! http://youtu.be/F1Q2GNe91cw
[youtube:2mfridhd]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F1Q2GNe91cw[/youtube:2mfridhd]
Guided tour!
Krazy Dragon (Dragon Loca Havana) https://youtu.be/SwFC9QKCzgw
[youtube:2mfridhd]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SwFC9QKCzgw[/youtube:2mfridhd]

Nirish guy

January 30th, 2016, 16:16

Thanks for links, you've just reminded me I'm due a rematch of those great movies, although the down side of dating a younger Asian guy....I just said to him "ohhh we'll maybe watch The Godfather again tonight" only to get a "watch the WHO ?" as he had no idea what I was talking about :-( young people today, if it's not on an App they're not interested it seems :-( Philistines the lot of them ! :-)

Dalewood

January 30th, 2016, 20:11

Do you actually make money on this board, or is it just, "Thank God I broke even this month!!".

I couldn't see anyone running this board who was not retired, so that counts me out.

scottish-guy

January 30th, 2016, 20:44

Never mind NIrish - I'll attend your "Whatever Happened to Baby Jane" movie night even if the twink/s wont.

I presume it'll be ratatouille for dinner?

[attachment=0:tdjf3vmr]dinner_is_served.jpg[/attachment:tdjf3vmr]

Nirish guy

January 30th, 2016, 21:40

Aw they just don't make movies like that anymore. I would normally have chef rustle us up something, but I might give him the day off so beware ! :-)

cdnmatt

January 30th, 2016, 21:50

Do you actually make money on this board, or is it just, "Thank God I broke even this month!!".

Where would the revenue come from? There's no ads on this site. He goes into his own personal pocket to keep this board running, and for that, we should all be grateful. It's unsustainable though.

He's also spending far more than he needs to. This board could cost around $10/month to run, and I think he's spending around $250/month to keep it online. Up to him

Surfcrest

January 31st, 2016, 00:28

This phpBB software that the Board, here in the back of the site, runs on is unforgiving in it's limits. The WP front end is much more modern in it's capabilities. but doesn't marry well with the phpBB and requires a lot more expertise in the management of both software platforms to keep them integrated with each other. Additionally how media is managed between the two platforms creates redundancies with the amount of files we need to store and managing the storage locations and file libraries, so that these files continue to work (ie. the wallpaper in Smiles" signature).

A few years back I bought vBulletin software for the site that was described to me as a lot more modern for Forums and Message Boards that would address many, if not most of our long standing issues with this site and it's limits. By moving the site from two platforms to one should allow me to shrink the overall disc space the site uses, so that I can move it over to a cheaper server arrangement. I'll also be able to cut the WP portion of the site off and save the monthly fee on that. I'm working on moving us to vBulletin 5 in the near future, which is why I posted the Sawatdee Network Update thread as an announcement.

I'm hopeful that these changes will make the site more manageable for me from a time perspective. more cost effective and more enjoyable for you the user by addressing the issues we've had (viewing the site) and by expanding the functionality of the site for you the membership.

If the site with it's new look and sleek framework becomes more attractive for someone to manage after me, that would be great. I'm going to continue discussions with the one interested party remaining, if he is still interested in taking over the site. If that doesn't pan out then we'll work on making the new site on vBulletin software great, more interactive for you and within the Web to capture and retain the new traffic coming to Thailand.

Surfcrest

BonTong

February 1st, 2016, 04:04

In my opinion, the demographic coming to Thailand has changed and we haven't caught up. The older guys that are coming to Thailand to enjoy the fruits of the commercial industry are in decline. As Thailand modernizes, fewer Thais are participating in the commercial industry and more Thais through social media are aware of that aspect of their country's business and the negative attitudes associated with it. Someone may have been able to leave their village, be a barboy and not be found out...but I suspect that's not so easy anymore, hence the increase in foreigners from neighbouring countries in the business, replacing the Thais.
Completely agree. Not just social media but even the old TV. I remember going to some villages back 15 years ago, most people lived in wooden shacks with barely a window or electricity let alone TV. Go to the same places now and its modern houses with windows, indoor bathrooms, Satellite TV. A/C and a pick up or two parked outside.

Times have changed, but some of the old die hard sex-pats get quite upset when you point this out.....

Surfcrest

February 1st, 2016, 15:49

I recall spending a few days up in Mai Sai back in the early nineties (I was thirty Smiles...LOL) when there was still gunfire to be heard near the border. There was nothing there back then but paths through the woods and now it's a bustling dusty little border town with big paved roads and all.

Fortunately, the 1 in 10 rule definitely applies in Thailand...maybe leaning more to 2 and if your gaydar is working okay...you should still probably find someone, no matter what corner of the country you're in.

Surfcrest

latintopxxx

February 2nd, 2016, 01:01

One simply has to keep up with the times. Entertainment is still easily available, only its moved onto the online platform and I dare say its actually still very very affordable. Sure the peasants no longer live in mud huts but there are more of them thanks to modern medicine and they all want modern shiny objects which can only be obtained via cold hard cash...so onto line, gayromeo, grindr they go.
Sure I do prefer to go to an old style bar where the boys flock around you, treat you like royalty and you get to play/grope several before making a choice, but these establishments are no longer what they used to be as lots of the good stuff is online.

oldfarang

February 2nd, 2016, 03:58

Haven't checked here for a few weeks and find this surprising topic, not really, was mentioned earlier as planned, just not this fast.

It really is a shame that there is nobody out there who actually has the skills and business sense to make something like this work.
That includes the other 2-3 gay Thai forums, just as hopeless.
Somebody mentioned the Singapore website, which I know and in the past sometimes posted on as a guest, which I think is a great feature.
Moderating a forum is done to members if needed, why not guests also. It breaks an extra level which some do not want to take.
Then if I remember correctly, as a new member, your post has to be approved, which can be hours up to a day with 1 moderator.

As I mentioned before and the owner acknowledges, this site is out of date.

My opinion is (not that anybody cares) it is out of date, because new members are not welcomed. View any topic, all gets back to a few hardcore longterm "gay" members, who fight together over about just everything.

Well this is my foolish attempt to get this topic back on track, sorry, I'm a lost cause, always hopeful.

Anyway best to the current and future owner. #-o

PS. I just saw I can not reply to the other topic, it is locked.
I know for a fact my email will not be valid anymore, because for any social media I always use an onetime email address. In this case hushmail, but the free option, that stays valid for 3 weeks. This email address is long deleted in their system, so I guess I will just have to signup as oldfarang2 then or something when the time comes.

fountainhall

February 2nd, 2016, 12:45

Somebody mentioned the Singapore website, which I know and in the past sometimes posted on as a guest, which I think is a great feature.
I mentioned the Singapore site. I dip in occasionally. Once you sift through the threads/posts geared specifically to the present day's young/very young generation, there are usually some nuggets. I have found more there regarding useful gay travel information about much of the region than on any other Board.

But I disagree about guests. Again from my limited reading, it is the guests who provide most of the troll posts there and some guests' personal attacks seem to border on actual libe!! That's not a result of lack of moderators because they seem to have at least 6. It just seems to be a more open Board policy. But that seems to contradict the policy which states upfront - "BlowingWind Board Without An Attitude. A forum for the mature Singapore GAY man." I suppose it is just inevitable that many of the postings pay no attention to the description "mature".

What I do find extraordinary, though, is the latitude given to that Board by the Singapore government and its censors. There have certainly been threads and comments which could never appear in, say, The Straits Times.

cdnmatt

February 2nd, 2016, 13:09

What I do find extraordinary, though, is the latitude given to that Board by the Singapore government and its censors. There have certainly been threads and comments which could never appear in, say, The Straits Times.

The site is hosted by a company in Chennai, India from the looks of things. The Signapore government can't touch it. I guess they could politely request the hosting company takes the site offline, but not much else, and good chance the hosting company would just say, "we like having our monthly invoice paid, so no, we're not taking it down".

I guess they could add it to their firewall for Singapore residents, but that's about it. And if the average membership is as young as you say, then they probably all know how to get around a firewall.

fountainhall

February 3rd, 2016, 10:48

The site is hosted by a company in Chennai, India from the looks of things. The Signapore government can't touch it. I guess they could politely request the hosting company takes the site offline, but not much else, and good chance the hosting company would just say, "we like having our monthly invoice paid, so no, we're not taking it down".

I guess they could add it to their firewall for Singapore residents, but that's about it. And if the average membership is as young as you say, then they probably all know how to get around a firewall.
Just for clarification, that site is openly accessible in Singapore - and everywhere else, even mainland China.

I mentioned it merely because it is a site with a large active membership which accepts members and guests, some of whom - as another poster has pointed out - are non-Singaporeans. However, it is virtually unique around the region in that English is one of the national languages in Singapore. It's therefore both easily accessible and readable by non-Singaporeans. I'm sure the Thai language chat rooms - and indeed those in Japan, Taiwan and others around the region - have equally large memberships understandably restricted almost exclusively to locals. Readership of the few remaining English chat Boards centred on gay Thailand, however, is limited to a tiny clutch of the expats who live here, mostly centred around Pattaya, and a far tinier fraction of the tourists who visit. Surfcrest is well aware of this. I'm sure the owner of gaythailand.com is also. Yet both sites carry on seemingly losing more members than they gain with many topics returning regularly as the occasional new members seek out information seemingly without bothering to search for it (although some past info is inevitably outdated)!

Having been contributing to various sites over the last 10 years, I don't like being a prophet of doom. But looking at all the changes in travel patterns, technology, society, politics etc. that have taken place in that time, looking at how the bar scene is changing - there is a thread today about yet another bar closing in Sunee - and how the younger Thai bar boys, at least in Bangkok, are increasingly being replaced with guys from Laos, Myanmar and other neighbouring countries, at how so much of the fun has disappeared from the commercial bar scene, sadly I don't see the future with much optimism.

cdnmatt

February 3rd, 2016, 14:43

I completely agree with you. As I said previously, if this board stays in its current format, I give it 24 months maximum before it's offline.

That doesn't necessarily mean it's doomed though. Depends what the new owner does with it. There's still lots of Thais out there who are a) looking for a long-term relationship with a farang, and b) willing to take their pants off for a little money. From what you guys say, I guess many of them aren't desperate enough to move to Pattaya and work in a go-go bar, but they're still out there.

I'm not buying the board, but if I was going to, again, I'd revamp it to concentrate on Thai-Farang hook ups, so the Thais out there can keep their exploits low key, and don't have to worry about the social stigma of working in a bar. Huge gamble, more than likely would be a complete flop, but chance it could be quite successful as well.

Tobi

February 3rd, 2016, 14:45

Tobi

February 3rd, 2016, 14:49

...I'd revamp it to concentrate on Thai-Farang hook ups...

It'd be incredibly hard to compete with hookup apps like Planet Romeo et al and dating sites like Thai Cupid and Thai Friendly.

cdnmatt

February 3rd, 2016, 15:04

...I'd revamp it to concentrate on Thai-Farang hook ups...

It'd be incredibly hard to compete with hookup apps like Planet Romeo et al and dating sites like Thai Cupid and Thai Friendly.

Yes, it would be, hence the "huge gamble" part. Definitely possible though. Slant the marketing angle towards Thai-Farang hook ups / relationships, instead of just general dating, and there's a chance of success.

Costly project though. $3500 isn't bad, but it's another probably $15k of sweat equity, plus about $50k to hire a quality marketer who knows what they're doing. It would have to take off in a huge way to get your money back, but still possible. I've worked on projects that went from $0 to $200k/month within months, so nothing's impossible.

Tobi

February 3rd, 2016, 15:11

Yup, but why would you want this forum for that? You'd set up a Wordpress site with a theme such as SweetDate http://seventhqueen.com/demo/sweetdatewp-modern/ at the very least, or purchase a turnkey dating solution such as SkaDate https://www.skadate.com

cdnmatt

February 3rd, 2016, 15:18

Yup, why would you want this forum for that?

Because Google has some love for this board. $3500 isn't going to get you better marketing than the current search engine rankings.

Oh, and shame on you for using Wordpress. :)

Tobi

February 3rd, 2016, 15:36

You won't keep the rankings with a change of format, not that this board ranks for "thailand gay hookups" anyway, and the brand name isn't exactly memorable. You'd be better off starting from scratch than trying to port this site's content to a new format, and use the $3500 to pay for advertising.

Wordpress currently powers 74,652,825 sites, almost a third of the internet, and has some remarkably large players in that number too. ;)

cdnmatt

February 3rd, 2016, 15:45

Ranks #3 for "gay thailand" though.

Obviously, you'd keep all the posts for history & link juice, so Google doesn't deindex you. Nonetheless, to rank #3 for terms like "gay thailand" is probably going to cost you more than $3500. Plus it's an aged domain, so that counts for something as well, versus firing up a new domain.

Tobi

February 3rd, 2016, 15:51

It's actually #6 you need to use an incognito tab so that your previous browsing history doesn't affect the ranking. If you kept all the posts, you'd have exactly what you have now, a Wordpress front end with a bulletin board tacked on the end. I'm afraid that no longer works. Oh, and a memorable brand trumps all. :D

cdnmatt

February 3rd, 2016, 16:07

Fired up a VPN + Tor, and sorry, but both google.com and google.ca are #3 ranking for "gay thailand". Not sure which locale you're using.

And yeah, Wordpress would be the first thing to go out the window. Wordpress is meant for throw away sites you setup in 10 minutes, not for proper online operations.

There's ways to revamp everything 100%, while keeping all posting history and URL structure. Link juice wouldn't get affected too much.

Doesn't matter anyway. I'm purely a tech guy, not a marketer, so revamping this place would take a lot of resources that I don't have. I'm not willing to drop say $65k on this place, which is about the minimum it'd be.

Tobi

February 3rd, 2016, 16:24

Fired up a VPN + Tor, and sorry, but both google.com and google.ca are #3 ranking for "gay thailand". Not sure which locale you're using.

You need to use an incognito tab in Chrome to check google.com absolute rankings.

Wordpress is meant for throw away sites you setup in 10 minutes, not for proper online operations.

Oh, maybe you should let the Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, Reuters, et al know that. =))

http://torquemag.io/2015/08/brands-cele ... wordpress/ (http://torquemag.io/2015/08/brands-celebrities-famous-websites-using-wordpress/)

cdnmatt

February 3rd, 2016, 16:40

Which Google site are you using? google.com.au ranks this forum #4 for "gay thailand", and google.co.uk ranks it #7. google.com and google.ca however both rank it #3. The locales matter when it comes to search engine rankings. Google changes the rankings depending on country.

Tobi

February 3rd, 2016, 17:17

Google changes the ranking depending on a lot of things, whether you're logged in to Google or a Google service such as Gmail or YouTube, cookies stored, previous browsing history, etc. etc. it's why you need to use an incognito tab in Chrome. However, even absolute rankings can change minute-by-minute, depending on the popularity of the keyword. It's also academic as "gay thailand" in this context is a very weak keyword, no-one searching for a hook-up or a date would type that. If you search for "gay thailand hookup" or "gay thailand dating" using an incognito tab in Chrome you'll find that this site appears many pages in, if it ranks at all.

cdnmatt

February 3rd, 2016, 17:51

Are you by chance a tech guy, or more of manager? If the latter, take my word for it. VPN + Tor is far more private than an "igconito" tab in Chrome, because if you do that, you're still usng the same IP address which gives you away.

There's a reason Google is king, and it's not because they're stupid. From the sounds of things, your search results are doctored & personalzed more than mine.

lego

February 3rd, 2016, 17:59

I'd say it's a silly idea. Popular hookup apps work anywhere and everywhere, why even focus on the Thai-farang theme that is going out of fashion? Farang who come as visitors can simply use Grindr, Hornet and similar apps. Often they visit addition countries in the region anyway, especially the younger ones. Those who stay long-term can participate in the Thai-language groups on Facebook and Line - I'd say the existing Thai-language hookup web sites are faced with similar prospects as the farang forums.

Tobi

February 3rd, 2016, 18:13

If the latter, take my word for it.

Hahaha, from the guy that reckons "Wordpress is meant for throw away sites you setup in 10 minutes, not for proper online operations". =))

cdnmatt

February 3rd, 2016, 18:30

haha, for the guys who prefer to look for problems instead of solutions.

fountainhall

February 3rd, 2016, 20:34

...it is a site with a large active membership...

That's probably because men can still be imprisoned for up to two years for being gay in Singapore although it's rarely enforced. I imagine there's likely to be a lot more activity and interest in countries which are fighting for basic lgbt rights.
You are correct about the Law in Singapore. For years the government has said, whilst it is not prepared to abolish the relevant Article, it will not enforce it. And this seems to be more or less true except for those who prey on other guys openly in swimming pools etc. Singapore actually has quite an open gay scene with a number of saunas, gay bars and meeting places. It is also extremely cruisy! There certainly used to be police harassment. That cute guy making overtures to you on the beach was quite likely to be a cop out of uniform wishing to add to his arrest total. That doesn't happen nowadays. But as for fighting for basic rights, very few on that Blowing Wind forum seem to care much. I see occasional posts but the feeling of most Singapore guys I come across is basically don't push the government; live-and-let-live.

My own gut feeling is that the government is quite happy to keep that site up and running as long as it does not get involved in politics. It can also be monitored. Better to corral the unwanted gay community into one closet where they can talk about their feelings and sex without being a nuisance to law abiding citizens!

I can take Singapore for 3 or 4 days maximum and then I just want to get away!