what happened to www.gaybutton.com?

[ChristianPFC]

In some old posts (in in recent one), a website www.gaybutton.com is mentioned, which is no longer available in the internet.

 

Why did you (Gaybutton) discontinue the website? What about the book you were writing on?

[Gaybutton]

Very sorry, but I removed the link you posted. The Thai government blocked my old web site for reasons I still don't know today and have never been told, so the last thing I need is for you to post a link on a web site I'm moderating.

 

At the time, several gay web sites were blocked by the Thai government. Mine was the first they ever blocked. No reason was ever given. They simply blocked it. I took it offline for that reason. I had no idea, and still don't, what the legal implications for me might have been. Also, it's a little difficult to run a web site that I can't even access.

 

Besides, it was getting to be too much work trying to maintain everything and keep it all up to date, so in that respect they did me a favor. It was getting so that I didn't have time to be doing anything else. Moderating this message board, GT gets to be the one who has to deal with all the headaches (including the ones I cause for him).

 

As far as the book is concerned, the message boards have become sophisticated enough that I really can't think of anything to put into a book that isn't already thoroughly covered on the boards, so I dropped the idea.

[Guest TomUK]

GB (Gaybutton)

 

I always enjoyed reading your web site and especially your trip reports. I am really annoyed with myself that I never thought of copying and saving them to my harddrive when your web site still existed. Any chance that you could post them somewhere on GayThailand? I bet many more people would like to read your trip reports.

 

TomUK

[Gaybutton]

Thank you, TomUK. Any of my old articles are available by Email request.

Gaybutton@gmail.com

[ChristianPFC]

Sorry to hear that your website caused you trouble. I started reading about gay Thailand last year, so I learnt about your website by chance by reading old posts.

 

Most things on the internet are for free, but the internet is not for eternity. Now I save everything I like, and it already payed off: I have copies of the now defunct websites gayboythailand and pinkvn.

 

In what format are the articles you offer to send by email? Is it just text (word, pdf or whatever) or html with pictures? Do you have a complete copy so you could put the site back whenever you want?

[Gaybutton]

In what format are the articles you offer to send by email? Is it just text (word, pdf or whatever) or html with pictures? Do you have a complete copy so you could put the site back whenever you want?

The format depends on the article.

 

I have a copy, however I have no intention of ever reestablishing the web site. If something ever happens to this web site, I would consider starting up another message board, but I would also consider 'retiring' from the boards.

[KhorTose]

GB (Gaybutton)

I always enjoyed reading your web site and especially your trip reports. I am really annoyed with myself that I never thought of copying and saving them to my harddrive when your web site still existed. Any chance that you could post them somewhere on GayThailand? I bet many more people would like to read your trip reports.

TomUK

 

I wish to add to this by saying I would not have had nearly the fun I did on my first trip to Thailand without all the valuable information on GB's board. He had information and advice that I found on no other board. It was informative, accurate and well thought out advice. Instead of blocking his site, Thai tourism should have given him an award. I would hazard a guess that this board helped hundreds of gay men and made many choose Thailand for their vacation spot. Even when I am in disagreement with him, I can never forget the debt I, and I am sure others, owe to him and his board.

[Guest Jason105]

I wish to add to this by saying I would not have had nearly the fun I did on my first trip to Thailand without all the valuable information on GB's board. He had information and advice that I found on no other board. It was informative, accurate and well thought out advice. Instead of blocking his site, Thai tourism should have given him an award. I would hazard a guess that this board helped hundreds of gay men and made many choose Thailand for their vacation spot. Even when I am in disagreement with him, I can never forget the debt I, and I am sure others, owe to him and his board.

me too

thanks again GB

all the best

[Gaybutton]

In the "The Story of Your Screen Name" thread I explained how my old web site came to be in the first place. Over time I learned how to do more and more with html (hypertext markup language) and experimented around. That's how the web site slowly grew and was continuing to grow until the day Thailand decided to block it.

 

I enjoyed working with my web site, but in all honesty toward the end it was becoming much more of a chore rather than something I enjoyed doing. It just got to be too much. I was not only trying to run the web site, but was also trying to single-handedly keep current everything there was about everything gay in all of Thailand, along with general information. It was more than I could handle by myself.

 

I had retired and moved to Thailand, and I was spending more time trying to keep up with the web site than anything else I was doing. Most likely, if the Thai government hadn't solved that problem for me, sooner or later I would have either taken the web site offline anyway or would have severely cut back on what I was doing.

 

So, my web site is history, but like it or not I'm still here trying to do the best I can. It's very nice to know at least some people appreciate the effort, especially in light of the fact that most of the time all I ever get is complaints, accusations, put-downs, and sometimes I even get threats.