Important Notice - Some Changes

[TotallyOz]

Dear Members,

Recently, in our porn forum, I have had over 40 DMCA requests to remove images. These were sent to both me and the host. I am complying with these requests. It is also quite problematic as images cannot be on the site that copyrighted. We remove any we see that are copyrighted but it is a massive undertaking. Regretfully, we are removing the entire porn photo section from the site. I know that some of you love this area and visit daily to see the massive amount of sexy guys. However, I am not willing to be sued based on these images.

As the site is also slow at times, the site will be merging with another site called gayguides.com.  This will allow a broader base of membership with guys who have similar interests. Most of the gay guides members are experienced travelers to Asia. Most of the ones for boytoy are more experienced in South America and Europe. A couple of years back, the gaythailand site merged into gayguides and soon other sites will be merged to create a more active forum.

Since the beginning of this site, originally maleescortreview.com and then boytoy.com, members have been loyal and provided great discussions of escorts and places to travel to find great guys. I hope that this continues. There is nothing anyone needs to do on gayguides right now. In several days, the merge will happen and your login for boytoy will work on the other site.

Currently, we are removing all names from members who have never posted on boytoy (over 30,000) and people who have not logged in for several years. This will help us when we merge the two forums into one. Part of these are already removed but the process removed about 200 per hour.

The boytoy domain name will point to gayguides.com for several months to ensure all members that are active know where the site is.

Transitions are always hard and tough and no one likes change. For me, this was a hard decision, but one that will be easier for me to manage and maintain.

Thank you for being a member and I hope to see you on the new site when the transition is complete.

Oz

[Lucky]

Wow! Oz, you do sometimes surprise me. I have never liked the boytoy name, but the gay guides is on the opposite side of things. What does that stand for? A feistier name might be good.

But, bottom line, I support you in your decision as to what is best for the site.

[Suckrates]

 

Oh well, I suppose I will be packing my bags and moseying along ?  

Best of Luck !  

[msclelovr]

Let’s hope the newly combined site has plenty of participants. 
 

FWIW I never liked the boytoy name. And I never saw the point of the Porn forum with endless reposts of images already available online. 

[Latbear4blk]

I will stay no matter the name, although I will miss "boytoy" and I am not so fond of anything including the word gay. I will keeping doing my best to support the forums.

Question for @TotallyOz. It is clear you will remove the photos forum, but it is not clear to me whether or not you are changing the overall policies for pictures in the rest f the forums. For instance, when I publish a review or an article in my blog, and I share about it in here, I usually include pictures that can be porn. If the boundary is whether or not the images are copyrighted, perhaps I could keep posting my own pictures but not the ones I "borrow" from others.

I am excited to meet new members!

[Lucky]

I just noticed that my comment above was my 8000th post on this site. I guess I won't make it to 9000!

[TotallyOz]

Just now, Lucky said:

I just noticed that my comment above was my 8000th post on this site. I guess I won't make it to 9000!

Congrats and Thank you! And, yes, post counts, content, etc are all moved over.

[TotallyOz]

33 minutes ago, Latbear4blk said:

I will stay no matter the name, although I will miss "boytoy" and I am not so fond of anything including the word gay. I will keeping doing my best to support the forums.

Question for @TotallyOz. It is clear you will remove the photos forum, but it is not clear to me whether or not you are changing the overall policies for pictures in the rest f the forums. For instance, when I publish a review or an article in my blog, and I share about it in here, I usually include pictures that can be porn. If the boundary is whether or not the images are copyrighted, perhaps I could keep posting my own pictures but not the ones I "borrow" from others.

I am excited to meet new members!

Thanks. I am unsure of the other porn. What I would prefer is that you put a R photo and link to your site.

[RockHardNYC]

10 hours ago, TotallyOz said:

I have had over 40 DMCA requests to remove images.

And there's plenty of motivation for others to report your hosted imagery to authorities. Plenty of people who would enjoy seeing your site fail. Who didn't see this coming?

Copyright laws are changing by the minute, especially in the age of the internet. Technically, all creative content is copyrighted by default. There are layers of copyright required before any filing can be prosecuted in a court of law. For one, images need to be registered, and I have no idea how the rules affect screenshots. The bottom line is: It's extremely difficult to know what images have proper legal protections and what images don't. So this, coupled with all crackdowns on under-age pornography and sex trafficking, how can any web host be expected to deal with the issue? Who wants or needs this headache?

I think the name BoyToy is fucking brilliant. I was very surprised to learn that Oz had the dot com. Hats off! Madonna made the name famous on a belt buckle she wore in her Like A Virgin video. One might have thought she would be its owner. Jean Paul Gaultier used the name for a fabulous fashion collection in the 80's. I'm jealous that I never thought to grab it, although, what could it possibly be worth now?

My initial criticism was that Oz changed the name years after the MER site was created and established. Changing names post-establishment is a serious rule breaker in Business 101. Most people in marketing/advertising would label that decision "stupid." But it turns out there are no rules on an escort board's survival. At least not many. If Hooboy can turn into message-forum and still thrive, you probably can call this site "eat shit" and the escort lovers would follow.

Changing the name isn't going to keep the haters off anyone's back. As long as competition exists, there will be haters.

Of course, having a flashy, sexy name does make one feel a bit exclusive. But it also attracts attention. A double-edged sword these days. Perhaps, with this merger, Oz might want to use this opportunity to re-brand. "Gayguides" certainly does nothing for my erection. I hear hungry.biz is for sale.

Edited December 29, 2020 by RockHardNYC

[RockHardNYC]

10 hours ago, TotallyOz said:

this was a hard decision

I feel your angst, and I'm sorry you have to endure this. This small, horny community is no threat to anyone (except Daddy and deej). It's too bad a few bad apples get to spoil our fun. Life was never fair. Only the strong-willed survive. If I were the board owner and this happened to me, I'd come back swinging. Nothing stops a creative heart and soul from beating.

As long as Daddy and deej have no ownership stake in this forum, I'll keep on writing.

PS  To be perfectly honest, I never visited the Porn Forum other than to feed my thread on NewTumbl. I thought my little porn thread was a fun way to attract new members, with videos they might never get a chance to see or comment on, especially from sites like OnlyFans. Editing is a talent that comes very easy and fast to me. I enjoyed giving the board a simple attraction that didn't require a ton of my time. Now that time is mine. I can't say I'm unhappy.

Edited December 29, 2020 by RockHardNYC

[Suckrates]

[RockHardNYC]

2 hours ago, RockHardNYC said:

what could it possibly be worth now?

Truth is, BoyToy may be toxic in this anti-porn/escort environment we currently find ourselves, but I imagine the BT dot-com could be worth some serious money. I could see the name coveted by cosmetic, fashion, art, and film companies. Even record companies. If you do end up selling it Oz, I hope you make a bloody killing on it.

The mere fact that you jumped on it when you did and secured it, makes you a far more formidable force than any competition out there.

Edited December 29, 2020 by RockHardNYC

[SolaceSoul]

2 hours ago, RockHardNYC said:

I think the name BoyToy is fucking brilliant. I was very surprised to learn that Oz had the dot com. Hats off! Madonna made the name famous on a belt buckle she wore in her Like A Virgin video. One might have thought she would be its owner. Jean Paul Gaultier used the name for a fabulous fashion collection in the 80's. I'm jealous that I never thought to grab it, although, what could it possibly be worth now?

If one is selling early 80s Madonna paraphernalia, it’s a brilliant name. For a site plagued with posters that think it’s cute to post pornographic photos of young men that look like they could be underage (which could prompt investigatory measures), and other copyrighted photographic images (which could prompt costly legal filings), no, it’s NOT “brilliant”. It’s actually quite the opposite of that.

Regarding your comments about competitors or haters making DMCA copyright violation claims, some content owners are very protective of their intellectual property rights — and some make good money protecting them by filing suit against offenders and making settlements. One site (x-art), with a great lawyer, collectively made $10 million in settlement claims by aggressively going after individuals who post their copyrighted images without permission. So, I agree with you on this one point: why would a site webmaster / forum owner allow its members to post such content at all, knowing that the owner, not the poster, will be the one who has to pay for the offense? You’ve been here long enough to know that some posters are just not very smart. Is their moronism worth bankrupting (and/or possibly a federal investigation of) a site owner? 

[Suckrates]

1 hour ago, SolaceSoul said:

If one is selling early 80s Madonna paraphernalia, it’s a brilliant name. For a site plagued with posters that think it’s cute to post pornographic photos of young men that look like they could be underage (which could prompt investigatory measures), and other copyrighted photographic images (which could prompt costly legal filings), no, it’s NOT “brilliant”. It’s actually quite the opposite of that.

Regarding your comments about competitors or haters making DMCA copyright violation claims, some content owners are very protective of their intellectual property rights — and some make good money protecting them by filing suit against offenders and making settlements. One site (x-art), with a great lawyer, collectively made $10 million in settlement claims by aggressively going after individuals who post their copyrighted images without permission. So, I agree with you on this one point: why would a site webmaster / forum owner allow its members to post such content at all, knowing that the owner, not the poster, will be the one who has to pay for the offense? You’ve been here long enough to know that some posters are just not very smart. Is their moronism worth bankrupting (and/or possibly a federal investigation of) a site owner? 

Moronism ?   Why you are sounding like a hollier than thou bitch, I would take a moment to reflect on the COMPLAINTS many of your contributions AND attitude in the Travel section have garnered.   It's only a MORON than would make such comment.  And I am not exactly certain WHAT photos YOU were looking at, but I never saw CHILD porn on this site, nor would Oz allow it, and for you to infer that, once again shows WHO the moron is !  

[unicorn]

Well, I'm obviously not happy that years of work collecting photos into categories has gone down the toilet with a click of a button--especially when all of those photos are readily available to anyone on the internet, just not categorized. I would clearly have preferred to see the 40 questionable photos removed, rather than throwing away the baby with the bathwater. I'm not sure how Daddy's avoids trouble, but I guess I'll have to go back there. I feel a bit like an artist whose work has been vandalized....

[Cany10011]

5 minutes ago, unicorn said:

Well, I'm obviously not happy that years of work collecting photos into categories has gone down the toilet with a click of a button--especially when all of those photos are readily available to anyone on the internet, just not categorized. I would clearly have preferred to see the 40 questionable photos removed, rather than throwing away the baby with the bathwater. I'm not sure how Daddy's avoids trouble, but I guess I'll have to go back there. I feel a bit like an artist whose work has been vandalized....

Sadly, I think it has more to do with the labor and time involved in responding to taking down the photos. I've never visited the porn page and probably wouldn't miss it. 

[SolaceSoul]

1 hour ago, Suckrates said:

Moronism ?   Why you are sounding like a hollier than thou bitch, I would take a moment to reflect on the COMPLAINTS many of your contributions AND attitude in the Travel section have garnered.   It's only a MORON than would make such comment.  And I am not exactly certain WHAT photos YOU were looking at, but I never saw CHILD porn on this site, nor would Oz allow it, and for you to infer that, once again shows WHO the moron is !  

And a hit dog hollers?

It’s not about the actual impropriety or violation of law, but the semblance of it that prompts investigation. So, sexual or nude photos of models that *look* under 18 would easily prompt a check to see if there is proof of legal age. You see, like it or not there’s this U.S. federal law, requiring any webmaster or content provider of adult content to maintain proof of age of any model or subject in a photo of prurient nature.

And it’s “holier”. One L. 

A moron is as a moron does. 

[unicorn]

19 minutes ago, Cany10011 said:

Sadly, I think it has more to do with the labor and time involved in responding to taking down the photos. I've never visited the porn page and probably wouldn't miss it. 

[Suckrates]

30 minutes ago, SolaceSoul said:

And a hit dog hollers?

It’s not about the actual impropriety or violation of law, but the semblance of it that prompts investigation. So, sexual or nude photos of models that *look* under 18 would easily prompt a check to see if there is proof of legal age. You see, like it or not there’s this U.S. federal law, requiring any webmaster or content provider of adult content to maintain proof of age of any model or subject in a photo of prurient nature.

And it’s “holier”. One L. 

A moron is as a moron does. 

Stay in your lane, asshole...  Surely you have some chaos to create in the travel forum ?    And good to know you were Spelling Bee champion !  

You are certainly entitled to an opinion, but your opinion is more "pot stirring" than constructive.  The Gallery is GONE, so no need for you to beat a dead horse OR disparage anyone that contributed to it.    Only a MORON does that ! 

Edited December 29, 2020 by Suckrates

[Axiom2020]

Well, I will miss the porn section, for the two or three major contributors did a stellar job in their almost daily postings.  If Oz thinks it's best to do as what is being done, I'll accept and adapt.  But I will miss the montages.

I thank the two or three men who contributed regularly and I thank you profusely.   

...very unfortunate that it did not get the traffic that it so deserved!  

Axiom/Eduardo12

[Pete1111]

I didn't spend much time in the porn threads, but more in the Think I'll Have Asian thread,.  Maybe that WAS a porn thread.  I still don't navigate across the forum well.

Sad to see those Asian images go.  My posts there were not porn.  I admit the images originally did belong to someone.  I did not realize the problems that might cause.  I wish there was a way to overcome this.  So many beautiful Asian men images were shared.   

[Latbear4blk]

Although I do not care for the gallery or the porn forums, I do care for the contributors who put time and effort in a project now vanished. Have you reached privately to Oz? Perhaps there is a way to transfer access, and even ownership to those files. I am not fully literate on the digital universe, but I understand nothing is actually deleted. All those folders are probably saved but not publicly accessible. 

[Suckrates]

1 hour ago, Latbear4blk said:

Although I do not care for the gallery or the porn forums, I do care for the contributors who put time and effort in a project now vanished. Have you reached privately to Oz? Perhaps there is a way to transfer access, and even ownership to those files. I am not fully literate on the digital universe, but I understand nothing is actually deleted. All those folders are probably saved but not publicly accessible. 

Noone, except perhaps for Unicorn, enjoyed posting pics to the Gallery more than I,  but for the reasons explained, the Gallery is now gone and we all need to move on from that...

But if Unicorn is that attached to his files, you are correct that he can reach out to Oz and see if there is any way he can get them for whatever personal use he might have ?  

I envision ALL the deleted pics of beautiful guys, some doing naughty things, now in a Very HOT landfill......

The new Branding of the Boytoy site sounds to me like a modern day Reboot of a Damrons Travel guide, a great asset for those into gay themed travel.

Not sure how useful it will be for anything ELSE gay related ? 

Edited December 29, 2020 by Suckrates

[RockHardNYC]

4 hours ago, SolaceSoul said:

For a site plagued with posters that think it’s cute to post pornographic photos of young men that look like they could be underage (which could prompt investigatory measures), and other copyrighted photographic images (which could prompt costly legal filings), no, it’s NOT “brilliant”. It’s actually quite the opposite of that.

I think I was pretty clear when I wrote, the name "BoyToy may be toxic in this anti-porn/escort environment we currently find ourselves." But "a site plagued with posters" who like kiddie porn? Hmmm. I may not be the greatest judge on this, but that hasn't been my impression of reality here.

I tend to be overly liberal on this subject. When I was fifteen (passing for eighteen), I had my hand on a fair amount of nineteen/twenty-year-old cock. No one was screaming ABUSE, TRAFFICKING, or MONEY LAUNDERING in those days. My hard, bulging, pubescent cock knew exactly what it wanted, and where to find it: my backyard. No gun to my head. No one forcing me to do anything I didn't want to do. Some of it with older cousins.

Early on, I made the mistake of posting controversial visuals from Tumblr on this board. No one who looked under fifteen, but still controversial. When my brain woke up to the controversy, I asked Oz to remove everything, and he did. Since I come from the world of modeling, I've learned to accept that my thinking on youthful sexuality and exhibitionism is not shared by average folk. I've worked with quite a few guys and gals who at twenty-years-old, look like fifteen in photos. Without proof, it's often difficult to be sure of age.

But the law requires proof of age, and in my business we have official releases. With porn on the internet, there really are no boundaries or barriers.

4 hours ago, SolaceSoul said:

some content owners are very protective of their intellectual property rights

And I am one of those, too. But let's get real. No one here is making any money off of some copied photos pulled from elsewhere on the internet. And I can promise readers this: 72ppi image files have almost no monetary value, especially if the file has been re-saved. IMO, the photos we share here are no different than the music cassettes we shared amongst friends in the 80's.

But now there's a big bad wolf and the onus is on board owners and hosts. On top of that, we have the haters. And it seems they won, even though Oz's server may not be in the U.S.

[unicorn]

3 hours ago, RockHardNYC said:

... No one here is making any money off of some copied photos pulled from elsewhere on the internet. And I can promise readers this: 72ppi image files have almost no monetary value, especially if the file has been re-saved. IMO, the photos we share here are no different than the music cassettes we shared amongst friends in the 80's.

...

Not just that, but I'm sure some of the photographers (credited) and models got business due to the postings. Sometimes I even publicized the OnlyFans sites for these people. It was a win-win for everyone.