Sawatdee Network is For Sale

[Tobi]

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/

[cdnmatt]

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]

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]

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]

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]

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]

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

[fountainhall]

...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!

[Tobi]

I only took a peek at Blowing Wind but posts such as "Is Penetration Important?" and "Is Masturbation Sinful?" just gave me the impression of an oppressed or repressed group taking a much needed opportunity to discuss privately what we in the West now happily discuss very, very publicly. In fact, too publicly sometimes!! I was on a train a few weeks ago and earwigged on a group of young men in school uniform. They were unabashedly discussing which of their girlfriends liked anal and whether or not anyone had ever found a girl who would rim them. Oh, how the times have changed.

[Nirish guy]

"Oh, how the times have changed"

Really, hmmm maybe not so much as I recall my friends and I having many similar conversations on the school bus, all outdoing each other about how far we were getting with our respective girlfriends and what dirty horny bitches they were and how we were shagging them senseless every other day - when of course the truth was that most of us wouldn't have known a fanny if it had jumped out and bitten us on the cock ! Hmmmm, maybe not that different to this board perhaps not that I think of it either if you replace the fanny with paid ( or very VERY very cheap ass - actually the cheaper and more used the better for some it seems) maybe :-)