Important Notice - Some Changes

[RockHardNYC]

2 hours ago, unicorn said:

I'm sure some of the photographers (credited) and models got business due to the postings. Sometimes I even publicized the OnlyFans sites

The free publicity aspect is absolutely correct, and should never be discounted. Many OnlyFans' guys appreciate whatever shout-out they can get, as long as you're not attempting to rob them blind. It's forums like these that introduce new guys to the public all the time. That certainly was my goal. Strip the board of this harmless visual fun, and publicity goes right back to words only. Or you're stuck doing G-rated stuff on YouTube to acquire attention.

I think the whole scared-of-sex thing is absurd, but Americans always over-react to almost everything. We're a bunch of drama queens. I'm all for protecting children. After all, I raised one, and he's a damn great straight guy. If protecting children is your goal, then you can start by removing the guns from your home. If your fifteen-year-old son or daughter is running to Tumblr to film a masturbation scene, then maybe shouldn't have been so quick to buy them a phone, and figured out a way to provide the healthy attention they need.

[TotallyOz]

15 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!

It is a good name and I did think since everyone loved Rentboy that Boytoy would be the same. It wasn't.

15 hours ago, RockHardNYC said:

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

I can assure you that they will never had any stake and the site will continue. It is not about making money but about a true passion for me.

 

12 hours ago, SolaceSoul said:

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?

Correct.

11 hours ago, Suckrates said:

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 !  

It would not be allowed and I would report anyone who posted it.

10 hours 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....

It certainty was not my desire to make you feel vandalized. And, I do sincerely apologize for this. But, it is not just 40 photos. They always state "and any other" which could lead down a tough pathway.

10 hours 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. 

It is not only time and labor but how quick things are done. Anything not removed fast, you are liable for damages. Not a risk worth taking.

 

9 hours ago, Axiom2020 said:

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

Yes, I agree. My hats off to them!

 

9 hours ago, Pete1111 said:

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.   

I love the Asian guys as well!

8 hours ago, Suckrates said:

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 ? 

We will see. But, an open forum allows for so much more.

3 hours ago, unicorn said:

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.

True. But, that is just some appreciate it. To be fully appreciative, links to them work. In one thread that was mostly from Tumbler (I think) there were over 80 images that were removed by the owner due to cc issues. That is not in the 40 I got notice from.

1 hour ago, RockHardNYC said:

The free publicity aspect is absolutely correct, and should never be discounted.

Agree if done the right way for sure.

 

Thank you all for your comments. I know there are hurt feelings, confusion, and uncertainty.  All I can say is that the photos are an issue and I solved that problem in the best way I could. Also, I am assure you that the I'll continue to work to grow the forum and the board and try to make it even better than before. Try is all I can do.

[Suckrates]

6 hours ago, TotallyOz said:

Thank you all for your comments. I know there are hurt feelings, confusion, and uncertainty.  All I can say is that the photos are an issue and I solved that problem in the best way I could. Also, I am assure you that the I'll continue to work to grow the forum and the board and try to make it even better than before. Try is all I can do.

 

I dont think there should be any HURT feelings in this matter.  Disappointment perhaps ?.. but it is a business of sorts and the owner has to do what they must.  With the incomprehensible loss of life around the world due to Covid, especially in the USA, it seems so silly and disconnected to lament the loss of a few hundred "pretty boy pics"..

As I said before, the situation IS what it IS and everyone needs to move on from it..... If the desire to post "pics" is that strong, there are other outlets for that hobby, and everyone is free to post THERE....   No worries Oz....

[RockHardNYC]

7 hours ago, TotallyOz said:

It is a good name and I did think since everyone loved Rentboy that Boytoy would be the same. It wasn't.

I'm not aware that "BoyToy" was ever used to create an ad agency for escorts, a direct competition to Rentboy, RentMen, and/or Men4RentNow, etc. What you created here is an offshoot of Hooboy, an entirely different animal, and not a fair comparison. 

Changing this website's name from MER to BoyToy, after all the launch went through, was not the best way to promote the strength of this dot com moniker, IMO. I could mention other aspects about the MER launch that disrupted a strong branding effort, but that's for another time, perhaps.

With expert branding and styling, BoyToy is a KILLER name. No one can convince me otherwise.

However, given what we know now, had you created a killer competition to Rentboy dot com, where would that get you today? I'm hearing that NewTumbl is paying a fortune in attorney fees. Let's see how long that site lasts in this climate. Maybe, just maybe, they stand a chance with a changing administration, but I'm doubtful.

[caeron]

 

We'll see how this goes. I hope for the best.

I won't personally miss the porn stuff, because there are so many places on the internet for porn. 

But sometimes community changes work, and sometimes they don't.

[RockHardNYC]

2 hours ago, caeron said:

there are so many places on the internet for porn

And have you seen what's happened lately to PornHub now that they've trashed so much content? The site is abysmal. I expect pay-site AEBN may get a surge.

[Latbear4blk]

I guess it is related to the changes going on in the background, but I have noticed two improvements right now. The website speed is significantly faster, and I am back to going to my last read post in each thread!

[Latbear4blk]

The faster speed is still here, but I lost going automatically to the last post I read in a thread.

[caeron]

On 12/30/2020 at 10:05 AM, RockHardNYC said:

And have you seen what's happened lately to PornHub now that they've trashed so much content? The site is abysmal. I expect pay-site AEBN may get a surge.

 

There was a new york times article on child porn and the like on the big porn sites a week or so ago. I think they all collectively freaked out (appropriately) and pulled a ton of content. Better to remove way too much than leave that behind..

 

 

Edited January 1, 2021 by caeron

[Suckrates]

On 12/30/2020 at 2:39 AM, Pete1111 said:

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.   

 

Yeah, how DARE they get rid of the "Today I Think i'll have Asian" and "Asian Lust" threads !

 

[TotallyOz]

Just to be sure that everyone understands, any photos that are posted that are nude or X will be deleted.

[Suckrates]

13 hours ago, TotallyOz said:

Just to be sure that everyone understands, any photos that are posted that are nude or X will be deleted.

Got it NOW....  it wasnt clear before.  Thought you were only speaking of copyrighted or "pornographic" pics ?  The ones you JUST deleted, although nude, were tame...

Sorry.... its crystal clear now.... I will find pics of the AMISH.  

[Latbear4blk]

I just found out how to jump to my last read post!

I do have a question, although I am almost sure this is not new. I never noticed before that some threads are listed preceded by a circle, and others by a star. Does anybody knows what exactly is the difference? I guess is something related to responses and reactions, but does anyone know what exactly is? 

[TotallyOz]

1 hour ago, Latbear4blk said:

I just found out how to jump to my last read post!

I do have a question, although I am almost sure this is not new. I never noticed before that some threads are listed preceded by a circle, and others by a star. Does anybody knows what exactly is the difference? I guess is something related to responses and reactions, but does anyone know what exactly is? 

I think the circle means you have not read the last post in that thread.

I have no clue what the star means. I thought maybe someone you follow?

[nycman]

2 hours ago, Latbear4blk said:

I just found out how to jump to my last read post!

Care to share the secret? 
 

Having to scroll through entire threads every time is just about the only thing I don’t like about this forum. 

[Latbear4blk]

1 hour ago, nycman said:

Care to share the secret? 
 

Having to scroll through entire threads every time is just about the only thing I don’t like about this forum. 

When the circle or the star are filled, it means you have not read all the posts in that thread. Instead of clicking on the title of the thread, you have to click on the circle or the star. You have to be inside a forum to be able to do this, you cannot do it fro the home page because you have no circles and stars there.

2 hours ago, TotallyOz said:

I think the circle means you have not read the last post in that thread.

Nop, none of your suggestions seems to explain the circles and stars. The fill means you have not read the last post in that thread, for both stars and circles. I am not following anyone, and I have currently no members blocked. 

[cbusbearister]

On 12/28/2020 at 10:27 PM, TotallyOz said:

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. ....

Will discussions of escorts be permitted on GayGuides?

Sorry if this has already been answered but I couldn't see it anywhere in the responses to this thread. I know that forums all have different rules, and bigger sites attract more attention from authorities who may feel this violates SESTA/FOSTA and the crackdown that the US has gone through over the past year. A lot, of course, depends on where the servers for Gayguides is located, but if they're a US Based company I imagine some of the ruels are going to need to get tighter on how much people can share about their experiences.

[tallstud8]

Sad to see this site go

[amanchris]

Gayguides doesn't have Latin America etc? Will they have new forums?

[yourlonelies]

As a newbie of Boytoy and a veteran of Gayguides, I feel quite surprised for the news that Boytoy merges into Gayguides (formerly Gaythailand).

Unlike here, people in Gayguides mainly talk about travel experience in Thailand, and approximately only 20% posts involve content of other countries in Asia, with almost no content of coutries outside Asia. So the merger between Boytoy and Gayguides is such a great idea because we could now enjoy the various and exciting travel experience around the world, just in one site. 

However, every forum indeed has its own unique characteristic, and consequently there would be some merger problems to sovle. Like the post rules and etc. Furthermore, when you enter Gayguides.com in your brower, you will see a destination-oriented travel information page instead of the main body (forum) of Gayguides, which might be a little bit confusing. To view the forum, you need click the colorful button besides the logo, then you could find the content you want to see. Frankly speaking, this design, which may serve for the purpose of making Gayguides.com to a sexy version Lonelyplanet.com, is not friendly for Boytoy user to find their new place.  

By the way, I have an Gayguides account which has the same username (I mean, both my Boytoy and Gayguides accounts' name is yourlonelies). So just out of cuirosity, what is the consequence of my accounts after the transition? Looking forward to Administrator's reply, thanks a lot!

 

[cbusbearister]

4 hours ago, yourlonelies said:

...

Unlike here, people in Gayguides mainly talk about travel experience in Thailand, and approximately only 20% posts involve content of other countries in Asia, with almost no content of coutries outside Asia. So the merger between Boytoy and Gayguides is such a great idea because we could now enjoy the various and exciting travel experience around the world, just in one site. 

However, every forum indeed has its own unique characteristic, and consequently there would be some merger problems to sovle. Like the post rules and etc.

...

 

Good to hear from a current gayguides member! Thank you for sharing your experience. Is discussion about escorts and sex tourism permitted at gayguides?

Although in most of the countries discussed here (e.g. Brasil, Netherlands, Spain(sort of), Domican Republic....) prostitution is legalized and regulated, in others it is illegal (e.g. Egypt, Morocco, etc.), which means that the posts are discussing illegal activity.

[Latbear4blk]

2 hours ago, cbusbearister said:

Good to hear from a current gayguides member! Thank you for sharing your experience. Is discussion about escorts and sex tourism permitted at gayguides?

Although in most of the countries discussed here (e.g. Brasil, Netherlands, Spain(sort of), Domican Republic....) prostitution is legalized and regulated, in others it is illegal (e.g. Egypt, Morocco, etc.), which means that the posts are discussing illegal activity.

Prostitution in the USA is not legal, and we have never had any issues discussing it.

[Latbear4blk]

7 hours ago, yourlonelies said:

Looking forward to Administrator's reply, thanks a lot!

I advice to tag the admins if you want to make sure they read you: @TotallyOz

[RockHardNYC]

6 hours ago, cbusbearister said:

Is discussion about escorts and sex tourism permitted at gayguides?

Is this a travel forum or a gay escort forum with serious new porn restrictions? I'm totally confused. Years ago, Daddy spoke of switching his board's focus to more services like travel and restaurant reviews. I suppose it was an attempt to deflect attention. I wonder how that idea has worked out?

[VancBCMan]

On 1/2/2021 at 7:04 PM, TotallyOz said:

have no clue what the star means. I thought maybe someone you follow?

Here is what I found:

a) black circle means new unread messages in that thread

b) Star is shown alongside a thread that I posted in and there are new unread messages