Guest wowpow Posted May 12, 2007 Posted May 12, 2007 I wonder if the moderators are aware or if it's a blip during maintenance. Thanks to LetmetellU on Swatdee for exposing this and his concern that GB may be miffed or more. Quote
TotallyOz Posted May 12, 2007 Posted May 12, 2007 I wonder if the moderators are aware or if it's a blip during maintenance. Thanks to LetmetellU on Swatdee for exposing this and his concern that GB may be miffed or more. No sure how it was exposed as it is clearly visible for all to see. It is not a blip. We just added a banner management area to the site and will be adding in more things in that area in the coming months. One nice thing we added that I like is on each profile, it shows the last 50 to view that profile. Just an easy way to view other profiles. There are several things on the To Do list that we have for the programmers and are excited about adding them to the site. We also hired a new group of programmers to improve the speed of the site and optomize it. All of this cost money and the banner ads will help us to cover these expenses. We also have plans for the future to add a pay area to the site. No one has to pay for the forums, viewig profiles, blogs, photo galleries or other areas. However, we will add many full featured videos to an area that is for paid only as they will cost us when someone views them. The things you now see for free are remaining free. Quote
Guest wowpow Posted May 13, 2007 Posted May 13, 2007 GT you can hardly be surprised when this board has been vanilla for so long and then we get explicit photos. It used to be that the merest hint of a pubic hair got photos deleted because of concerns regarding the Thai censor. I have no problem with pornography. I think that it is a natural facet of many peoples sexuality which is evidenced by it's popularity on the internet. If it helps defray the expenses of running the board or even turns in a profit than that's great. My light hearted comment about let me tell u's post on sawatdee was in deference to the deep affection he shared with GB - Ha! "The sedate old fashioned Grand Dame of the forums has now gone into sleeze, you can now tour www.gaythailand.com Porn. Try this for a start http://www.amvs.com/index.cfm?nav_Tab=1&method=Home What ever Dame Gaybutton will say when she reads her beloved Clean cut gay forum has turned Blue. I think porn on gay web sites is ok, as long as it does not cost you to much money, what do you think, see for your self. nothing left to your imagination now". Quote
Gaybutton Posted May 13, 2007 Posted May 13, 2007 What ever Dame Gaybutton will say when she reads her beloved Clean cut gay forum has turned Blue. "Dame Gaybutton" couldn't care less. People seem to think this is my web site. It isn't. I'm only a moderator on the message board. The rest of the web site has nothing to do with me. I don't particularly care for porn, but I also have nothing against it as long as there is no kiddie porn of any kind. Quote
TotallyOz Posted May 14, 2007 Posted May 14, 2007 An interesting discussion over at the other two sites about this one. I thought of responding to each but decided to do it here. WowPow linked to one above. This is the one from Baht-Stop: http://www.baht-stop.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=1929 I wrote this after the 3rd post with someone accusing the Village Idiot of going to adolescent bars on a nightly basis. The Village Idiot is a lot of things and his name certainly gives a lot away. But, he is not one of those in the younger boy bars gawking at the shows every night. He actually detests them and stays away from them. Most of his friends love the shows but you do not judge a book by where it sits on the shelf but what is inside the cover. The Idiot much prefers older bulky men as opposed to the younger thin lads. What his friends do or enjoy is not a personal reflection on him. If that were the case, I think many in Pattaya would be friendless. This post wasn’t really about porn on the gay sites as the Idiot likes porn. He is just a little pissy with me and wants to take digs at me or my site at every opportunity he can. It is called an agenda. Hide it under a bushel but if it walks like a duck, talks like a duck and has web feet, it is usually a duck. As far as gay men only liking sex, I think that is absurd. I don’t know of any gay man who doesn’t like sex but it is not the only thing they have on their mind. I think straight men also like sex but it is not the only thing on their mind. Perhaps, in a city like Pattaya, sex may be so in your face that it is all one thinks about but Pattaya is an anomaly and not the rest of the world. Many men in Pattaya think about sex more than every 2 minutes. It is hard not to. The beach, the malls, the streets, the bars, the clubs all have beautiful guys roaming and smiling and looking for a customer. I have seen the videos that the Idiot talks about taking advantage of Thais. I have never liked them and only bought one and that was to see a friend who was on the cover of the video. The quality sucked and I didn’t buy anymore of them. But, if you think that links to legitimate porn companies and those videos have anything in common, you are again wrong. The Idiot said, “I guess the money to be made is outside of Thailand and it is the boys/men of Thailand who are to be exploited, abused and lied to by the purveyors of filth and garbage.” Perhaps someone can explain this to me. I have yet to see how links to porn sites have anything to do with boys/men in Thailand being exploited. Perhaps he is carrying on different conversations and trying to merge them all together? Porn is a part of gay culture. Just go to any circuit party and see who the stars are. They are the porn stars. Many events cater around them. Porn and escorting are very similar. They are both ways for younger gay men to make cash. There are some companies that exploit both but mostly, they are businesses trying to make money. As I have known more escorts in my day than I have known money boys in Thailand, I will say that the vast majority of the escorts and porn stars did not and do feel exploited. They used their bodies and their appeal to make cash at times when they needed it. If this were not the case, the bars in Pattaya would be empty. There is little difference in my mind in someone taking a boy from a bar and paying him for his service and a company paying a boy for photos or videos. Is there really a moral difference? Is one more exploitive than the other? An average bar boy goes off with someone double, triple or even more his age. Often double, triple or more his weight. An average porn guy has sex with a guy who is of comparable looks. There is usually a guy there with a camera or video. Is either scenario worst than the other? Before the critics jump in, I see nothing wrong with either scenario as long as both are adults and understand what is going on. Perhaps the Idiot is just referring to a few guys who say they took the video, were paid for it and signed waivers for them but did not know they would actually be used. Well, I can’t really answer that question, as I am not sure why they agreed to be videotaped having sex in the first place if they did not know what was going on. If the Idiot is just happy that the baht-stop is there without any commercial means, I will agree with him. That is great. I applaud them. Kudos to them! As we all know, it is a lot of work that goes into managing a message board and I am very happy they are so good and willing to do this for free. As for me, I don't mind a few links on sites that you get access for for free. It iis part of life and the way to actuallly make ends meet. We did not bombard the site with ads and links and we do feel they are well placed and not too intrusive. On Sawatdee, Buck said why pay for something you can get for free? I agree. Don't. The links here go to video sales and to live video cams. If you can get either for free, go for it. If I can get a Whoppper from Burger King for free, I'd do that too. As for LMTU, I appreciate him pointing out to others we have porn. He surely knows how to get people going doesn't he? Quote
Gaybutton Posted May 15, 2007 Posted May 15, 2007 Personally, I think criticism of this, or any other, gay web site because of links to porn is absurd and is coming from people who seem to spend their time trying to find something to criticize. The way I see it, it's very simple: If you want to click on the links, then click on them. If you don't want to click on the links, then don't click on them. What's the problem? If people have an objection to the fact that the owners of these web sites wish to generate enough money to at least cover the costs of providing the web site and maybe make some money for themselves, too bad. Nobody is twisting the arms of anyone to come to these web sites if they dislike them. And before anyone starts accusing me of lining my own pockets with the porn now available on this web site, I remind you that I do not own this web site and have no financial ties with it of any kind. I have not asked for so much as one baht from money generated from the porn links and none has been offered to me. I can't help but notice that those who criticize the most vehemently are never people who spend a single baht out of their own pockets to provide a web site themselves and never offer any financial support to the web sites they utilize on a daily basis. They get to use these web sites absolutely free and then criticize the owners for trying to make some money. Perhaps they would prefer that the porn links be eliminated and user fees be charged in order to be able to even read the messages, let alone do any posting. They're out there getting a free ride, and then jumping down the throats of those who provide them with the ride. Way to go. Quote
bkkguy Posted May 16, 2007 Posted May 16, 2007 Personally, I think criticism of this, or any other, gay web site because of links to porn is absurd this had me ROTFL as it jars very strongly with my memory of your comments in you own forum about porn generally and Sawatdee's use of porn links specifically! bkkguy Quote
Guest wowpow Posted May 16, 2007 Posted May 16, 2007 "This website is geared toward an adult audience. However, we are not an adult pornographic website. NO posting of nudity in any form is allowed. Any such posts will be immediately deleted. There is also no discussion of underage sex. In Thailand and in most places in the world, sex with minors is illegal. Anyone that promotes sex with someone under the legal age of consent will be reported to the authorities." GayThailand Message Center Policies It's a pretty dramatic volte-face to move from banning nudity to promoting it. I have no problem with that and it's good if it helps the board finances. Website finances seem a bit of a mystery as some seem to make profit and some cost money to run. This board has had a massive membership from day 1 so I guess it joined into something existing. No matter!I am not sure why anyone would choose this route to porn. A quick Google on sex sites will give you 50,300,000 sites to choose. I wonder if the Home page is the best place for links. I have bookmarked the Message Board and rarely go to the home page. Perhaps you are planning to post the links on other pages already? I presume that the number of times that the page they are on is opened affects the income? Or maybe you have to click on one? I must say ,it's funny how discussions about this board take off on Baht Stop. It's about the only bit of levity left on that board. Quote
Guest jomtien Posted May 16, 2007 Posted May 16, 2007 I have no problems whatsoever with links to porn as long as none of the links leads to a naked GayButton in any form. Quote
TotallyOz Posted May 16, 2007 Posted May 16, 2007 "This website is geared toward an adult audience. However, we are not an adult pornographic website. NO posting of nudity in any form is allowed. Any such posts will be immediately deleted. There is also no discussion of underage sex. In Thailand and in most places in the world, sex with minors is illegal. Anyone that promotes sex with someone under the legal age of consent will be reported to the authorities." GayThailand Message Center Policies It's a pretty dramatic volte-face to move from banning nudity to promoting it. I have no problem with that and it's good if it helps the board finances. Well, our first step is a bit of a grey area. We don't have actual porn on the site in members profiles. We have links to other sites that do. We have yet to decide if we will allow members to post actual nude pics. It has been a discussion for a long time. We are working on a way to do this that keeps the site very tame. I wonder if the Home page is the best place for links. I have bookmarked the Message Board and rarely go to the home page. Perhaps you are planning to post the links on other pages already? I presume that the number of times that the page they are on is opened affects the income? Or maybe you have to click on one? There will be links in other areas and on the message board area. No money is made from the banners being looked at. No money is made if someone clicks the link. Money is only made when someone purchases a video. Currently, most of the links are to a video store and money is only generated if someone buys a video. There are other links to Flirt4Free and no money is made unless someone signs up and takes a model private. I love Flirt4Free as you can see live cams of the guys and chat with sexy ones for free. It is only if you want them to get naked and do other things for you that you pay. I have also met over 20 of the models from the site on a personal basis. Many use to be from Canada and I would chat with them and then we would arrange a meeting. My best was a guy I knew from Flirt and I was heading up to Montreal for Black and Blue Circuit Party and he wanted to go with me. I flew him in and he spent a week with me. He was great fun and we really clicked and he spent several weeks with me in NYC and in Europe. Anyway, in the public chats, not one penny is charged or made. If someone takes a guy private that is where the money is made. I must say ,it's funny how discussions about this board take off on Baht Stop. It's about the only bit of levity left on that board which seems to specialize in doom and gloom. I am glad that we can be of service to them. I have no problems whatsoever with links to porn as long as none of the links leads to a naked GayButton in any form. Dammit! I was in negotiations with him. You nasty comment may make cost me in the final contract. Thanks a lot! this had me ROTFL bkkguy BkkGuy, anything we can do to get you FOTFL, we will attempt. I hope you have a cute Thai boy that cleans your place. I hate dustballs. I like balls in general but dustballs are a bit of a nono for me. Quote
Gaybutton Posted May 18, 2007 Posted May 18, 2007 this had me ROTFL as it jars very strongly with my memory of your comments in you own forum about porn generally and Sawatdee's use of porn links specifically! bkkguy For a while, I thought George Bush was going to turn out to be a great president. That opinion also changed over time. Quote
Guest wowpow Posted May 20, 2007 Posted May 20, 2007 I thought I would have a peek at Flirt4free and went to the Home Page. The adverts and links are not there? Everything changes! sometimes faster than one expects. Quote
TotallyOz Posted May 20, 2007 Posted May 20, 2007 I thought I would have a peek at Flirt4free and went to the Home Page. The adverts and links are not there? Everything changes! sometimes faster than one expects. haha. Yes, it does. But, they will be back. We are doing some upgrades on the server this weekend. Quote
Guest kenrfc Posted May 26, 2007 Posted May 26, 2007 I hate to say it but the Home Page is getting pretty junked up with smut. It does NOT look attractive or inviting. In fact it's becoming off-putting. Mind you I enjoy smut as much as the next guy but that's not really what I'm here for. The "eye-candy" pics were a nice intro to the site but now you have to search for it. Suggest the banners be put on the side or on the bottom. Quote
Gaybutton Posted May 26, 2007 Posted May 26, 2007 Suggest the banners be put on the side or on the bottom. I agree. Although I am a moderator on the message board, I have nothing to do with the rest of the web site or its design, and I am not involved with the decision making. I believe people come to this web site for information about gay aspects of Thailand. I have no particular objection to the existence of porn links, but I don't think that should be the first thing people should see when they access the web site. It makes the site appear as if its main focus is porn, rather than information, and I also think it diminishes the credibility of the entire site. In my opinion, if the web site owners wish to include porn links, that's their decision, but I think the placement of those links ought to be reconsidered, as Kenrfc suggests. Quote
Guest wowpow Posted May 26, 2007 Posted May 26, 2007 kenrfc - I wonder if we are looking at the same Home page? I see a 3cm high strip with 3 adverts for porn - that's all and it has not changed in size since introduction - as far as I can see. Junked up and off putting to one who does not object to porn?? It seems to be on virtually every page except the Message Board. I can imagine that some might not care for the strip of faces and names now near the top of this and every other page. Currently they are nearly all westerners and it does not sit well on a Gay Thailand Message board. It's distracting but I can live with it. Quote
Guest kenrfc Posted May 26, 2007 Posted May 26, 2007 kenrfc - I wonder if we are looking at the same Home page? I see a 3cm high strip with 3 adverts for porn - that's all and it has not changed in size since introduction - as far as I can see.... I think we are seeing something different. The banners I'm seeing now are about 10 cm with the new strip of euroguys. In fact, aside from the top "Gay Thailand" banner that's all I see now unless I scroll down. I suppose I could link directly to the message board but I kinda did like the "eye candy" popping up when I opened the site. Quote
Guest wowpow Posted May 27, 2007 Posted May 27, 2007 Oh! I just found out that the faces are a link to Flirt4Free where you can join and talk to a guy for only US$6 a MINUTE. I guess I don't understand the 4Free bit. I suppose that the size of the strip of adverts depends on one's computer/browser preferences. On my 20" of joy ( Apple Mac G4 ) it's only 6 cm in total. My bookmark is set to take me straight into the Message Board so the Home Page set-up does not worry me. For a whole bag full of eye candy see Gaytongtong's photo competition entries: http://www.gaytingtong.com/images/asianmen/index.html Quote
TotallyOz Posted May 27, 2007 Posted May 27, 2007 Oh! I just found out that the faces are a link to Flirt4Free where you can join and talk to a guy for only US$6 a MINUTE. I guess I don't understand the 4Free bit. What happens is that you can chat with any guy on the Flirt for free. You are in a Public room and you can see the guys in their underwear and chat to them. There is NO cost for that. When you want to see more than that, you can opt to take them into a private room and tell them what you want them to do and they do it with no clothes on. JO, Play, etc. If you get a couple on there, they will actually perform for you. It is not everyone's cup of tea as those of you living in Thailand have the live thing nightly, but many enjoy the chat and the flirting. Plus, I have met many guys from the site in person and even had one of the in Thailand with me on a previous trip. The cost is high. So are escorts in NYC. Going rate now is upwards of 300 an hour and that is about the same in LA and SF. I know many who do not mind paying that. I know some who refuse. To each his own. Quote
Gaybutton Posted May 27, 2007 Posted May 27, 2007 The cost is high. So are escorts in NYC. Going rate now is upwards of 300 an hour and that is about the same in LA and SF. I know many who do not mind paying that. I know some who refuse. To each his own. Tell that to the people who object to the idea of giving even as much as 1000 baht (about US $28) to a boy in Thailand they've taken "off." Quote
Guest wowpow Posted May 27, 2007 Posted May 27, 2007 GayThailand, Sorry I stirred things up a bit. I thought your reply was the best advertisement on this website. I see that Cruising for Sex now have the flirt4free faces atop their page as well. US$300 an hour! WOW! and I thought that God who visited Hong Kong and wanted US$1000 was expensive for overnight - now I see he was cheap. Gaybutton - Why do you bash the guys who tip less than 1000 baht a time? If the boys are happy and the punter is happy why aren't you? Quote
Gaybutton Posted May 27, 2007 Posted May 27, 2007 Gaybutton - Why do you bash the guys who tip less than 1000 baht a time? If the boys are happy and the punter is happy why aren't you? Considering the number of times this has been discussed over the years and the number of times I've made my stance clear and my reasons for it clear, I'm not going to get dragged in to another discussion of it. Sorry. Quote
Guest wowpow Posted May 27, 2007 Posted May 27, 2007 OK Gaybutton, but if you don't want to discuss it further please stop bringing the topic to reader's attention. Not everyone, including me, has read or remembers every word on this board and who wrote it. Sounds a bit like " Don't confuse me with the facts, I have made up my mind". Quote
Gaybutton Posted May 27, 2007 Posted May 27, 2007 OK Gaybutton, but if you don't want to discuss it further please stop bringing the topic to reader's attention. Nope. I won't do that. Very sorry, but I'll be the one who decides what I wish to discuss and when I wish to discuss it. I didn't say I won't discuss it further under any circumstances, but I won't discuss it on this thread. I don't feel that this is the appropriate thread for that discussion. I really don't see much value in going through this same old debate again, with the same people posting the same positions they held the last time, and the last time, and the last time, but if you want to bring it up on a separate thread, feel free. We can get involved in yet another debate about it on that thread. Quote
