Should Some Gay Thailand Chat Rooms Merge?

[Guest fountainhall]

This is really a rhetorical question, but has been prompted by the seeming disappearance of Baht Stop which has been inaccessible for several days. Since I rarely read it, I am not sure if this was planned downtime for maintenance or some other reason, but it has set tongues wagging on at least one other Board.

 

Of course, each of the various forums supposedly has its own particular character – although even that seems less true now than a few years ago. The reason for the question, though, is that clearly there are both posters and readers common to several. And I seem to note an increasing tendency for posters to start threads with 100% identical posts on several sites. Recently, there has been a most moving Report about a sad death, news of the death of a boy who worked in a Sunee Bar, a visa question and one about sunburn. It has got to the point where anyone wishing to follow these threads requires to keep checking all the sites.

 

As a question for discussion therefore: would it not be more sensible if 2 or 3 of these Boards merged?

[Rogie]

(Fountainhall, I see you use the expression Chat Room in your topic title. I assume you intend that to mean the same as Message Board. I just mention that because a 'chat room' often refers to a place where people can 'talk' to each other in real time).

 

It's very rare for me to be following the same thread that'd been posted onto more than one Message Board. One reason for that is very few new topics posted on this Board are simultaneously posted elsewhere. I don't think I've ever done that and it seems others do that rarely, if at all. Exceptions are those topics posted by bar owners and the like and that seems fine to me as they are running a business.

 

I agree that in order to make the 'only post a new topic on one Board' rule practical there has to be a critical mass of members willing to respond. IMO we just about manage that here. It would be nice to have a few more chipping in though.

 

If I am reading another Board and notice a topic's been posted on multiple Boards i am far less inclined to contribute any comments I might otherwise have posted. But that's just my preference - anyone that's happy to go chasing around to see if anyone on one of several Boards has replied to your post, fine, you have more stamina than me!

 

As to whether any Boards should merge?

 

There's only a finite number of people who are likely to want to read and post on the Thailand gay Boards. Are there enough new readers and members coming in to replace those who die or drift away for any reason?

 

Having said that the existing Boards, other than one which is coming up to its first anniversary, have been around for several years and the readership on the whole is mature. There's a lot to be said for leaving things as they are rather than any mergers. The mature, the long-established members, know what they like, and they read and post on the Boards they feel comfortable with.

 

A Board may appear to be struggling but very often appearances can be deceptive. As has so often been said numbers of posts is not the critical thing. To my mind it's the atmosphere of a Board, whether you feel comfortable reading what others have written and whether you feel comfortable posting yourself. At the end of the day, it is supposed to be enjoyable, if you don't enjoy it, why bother?

[Bob]

I can't see it happening although Ting Tong and this board seem to have somewhat compatible moderators and moderation styles and I suppose a merger is possible there provided the owners would have the desire.

 

All of the other boards seem to be a bit different. BS, of course, is simply out of the question in my view given the proclivity of it's lockstep political views (and general anti-Israel rantings) and, additionally, its allowance of 3-4 morons to romp in the halls. GB's board is rather Pattaya-centric and both that issue and Mr. Iron Fist's style would likely present some hesitations for some people. The Sawatdee Board seems to be escaping it's 2-3 year decline caused by the likes of Beachlover and his band of smart-asses (who helped BL fuck up that board but now disingenuously assert they never liked him or particpated in his games). The changes in Sawatdee in recent months have been dramatic and long overdue in my view and I'm really hopeful that the changes are long-term as Sawatdee truly has some top-notch posters who've been around for a very long time; heck, maybe I'll even end my own self-imposed posting absence there someday.

 

In any event, can't really see any reasonable possibilities of mergers of boards and I guess I'm not even sure about the need. I've thought for whatever reason that the interest of people in the message boards has waned over the last decade and I actually don't see that trend reversing. Doesn't seem to be any new blood and too many of us are getting a bit long in the tooth (although, if we last as long as Geezer, I suppose many of us will still be around for another decade or two...haha).

[ChristianPFC]

The boards in order of decreasing activity (by my estimation): Sawatdee Gay Thailand, Gaybutton, Gaythailand, Baht-Stop, Gay Ting Tong.

 

One could argue if Baht-Stop is about Thailand, as the Israel-Palestina conflict and general bitching (not related to Thailand) take a large part of it.

 

I read Sawatdee Gay Thailand and Gaybutton daily, the others once per week.

 

I post parallel on Sawatdee Gay Thailand and Gaybutton as these two boards have a very different audience (just a matter of vanity, I want to reach as many readers as possible with my precious thoughts.)

 

Strangely, some people who vehemently deny reading certain boards are often well informed of current affairs on that very board.

 

But back to the original question: sure, some boards could merge. The atmosphere in Gaythailand and Gay Ting Tong is similar. Gaybuttonthai was created during the confusion whether Gaythailand will remain or not. It did remain. So these three boards could merge as they are largely compatible.

 

Sawatdee Gay Thailand, Baht-Stop and Gaybutton are completely incompatible.

[kokopelli]

I hope such a merger will never happen. The moderation of the various boards is so diverse that any merger would be a disaster. Hopefully Baht Stop will reappear as it did serve the needs of a certain group of posters and was much different than the other forums. Some of their posters, such as Dolly, were excellent to just name one. Hopefully Dolly and a few others will come to Gaythailand if and when.

 

Ting Tong is a basketcase due to the multitude of subforums which the owner/mod seems to desire.

[Rogie]

If you are reading a forum and do not appreciate a particular poster's style just ignore him. I do that on Baht Stop and there are several posters who, if i see their name against a topic, my internal traffic lights turn to red and I screech to a halt, do a U-turn and speed away. Equally there are some posters I like to read as I know they are intelligent and don't lecture to or insult the intelligence of the rest of us. Unfortunately that Board is a bit too idiosyncratic. One Forum was closed and its posts left as an archive - potentially very useful as there was a lot of erudite political discussion there. One day it simply disappeared into thin air. Maybe that could happen to its single remaining Forum too, without warning . . .

 

Ting and Tong Forum could usefully benefit from a reduction in the number of forums and sub-forums so I agree with koko about that.

[Guest]

I agree that Ting Tong is the nearest to directly compatible with this board.

 

However, a merger with somethinglike Baht Stop would be unthinkable.

 

As for the Ting Tong sub forums, just edit your bookmark to open on the "show new posts" option, so there's no need to navigate sub forums to view new content.

[ChristianPFC]

I think the forums mentioned can be classified the following way:

 

Gay Thailand, Gaybutton and Gay Ting Tong are for serious people looking for or providing information about gay Thailand.

 

Baht-Stop is for talking (?) about world politics (mainly Israel-Palestine) and bitching and moaning and abusing other members, and they sometimes write about gay Thailand too.

 

Sawatdee Gay Thailand is for entertainment and banter about gay Thailand.

 

(Rough genralizations.)

 

And then there are inter- and intra-forum animosities between members. And levels of literacy (especially punctuation) vary widely. And localities (in Thailand or Asia in general) covered vary.

[Guest thaiworthy]

As a question for discussion therefore: would it not be more sensible if 2 or 3 of these Boards merged?

 

I personally believe sensible doesn't actually apply here. I agree with Koko. There are too many diverse personalities on some of these boards that are encouraged or restrained by moderators. If boards were merged, the overall complexion would be homogenized and far less interesting.

[Guest Hedda]

My apologies for dropping by to disagree with some veterans here, but Bahtstop was a "must" board to read or post if you are a Thai expat or visitor primarily interested in politics in Thailand, America or the world, with a real emphasis on Thailand and its struggle for democracy.

 

I realize that many posters on Thai boards don't share these political interests, especially those who enjoy the boards as a guide to night life and small talk, perfectly fine pursuits. In my view, however, it shows a real lack of style and maturity to carp about a board like Bahtstop because your personal interests lie elsewhere. I can say without qualification that there's nothing in the Thai expat posting board community that I know of that can remotely match the calibre of the political discussions on Bahtstop.

 

I understand from a post on another board by Bathstop veteran, Uncle Sam, that Bahtstop's moderator is ill, which explains its being offline. I hope he is soon able to resume operating the board, with my best wishes for a speedy recovery. You are missed.

[Rogie]

Thank you for your contribution Hedda. I agree with your assertion that Baht Stop's forte is a good source of informed political news and views as well as often heated discussion, indeed as I commented on another Board recently, Baht Stop has carved out a niche in that area.

 

I do feel you made a mistake in closing Hedda's Hopper, that was the natural home for posters wanting a proper (I.e. civilised) discussion. Now anything and everything gets lumped together onto just one Forum which makes it far too helter-skelter IMO.

 

I am sorry to hear about Baht Stop's owner-cum-moderator being ill. There used to be Baht Stop himself, Mod 1 and Mod 2. That seemed to me a good set-up. Could it be the current situation lacks a certain amount of flexibility in the event of just such a problem?

[TotallyOz]

I realize that many posters on Thai boards don't share these political interests, especially those who enjoy the boards as a guide to night life and small talk, perfectly fine pursuits.

 

I have always enjoyed political discussions about Thailand and I loved her Heddas Hopper on Baht-Stop. I think you are wrong in that many don't share political interests in Thailand politics. That has never been the case with those I have met and talked with.

 

Yes, I guess I prefer to talk about the bars and the scene there as I know that area. I am not as up to date on politics in Thailand as you and others and could never really contribute to your discussions on any board about this as I had little to contribute. However, you may have more readers and followers that you know and I always enjoyed your take on these issues.

[Guest fountainhall]

I cannot see that Hedda has anything to apologise for. There have been some interesting discussions on Thai politics on Baht Stop. I often wish there were a Board dedicated to Thai politics (maybe there is, but I am not aware of it). Unfortunately, I have much less interest in US and Israeli politics, and I am no fan of the “bitching and moaning”, as ChristianPFC mentioned, of a small group of its regular posters.

 

I am indeed sorry the Board owner is unwell and trust that he will have a speedy recovery.

[kokopelli]

Speaking of Baht-Stop, I see that two of their notorious posters are back at it, posting pro/anti Israel/Palestine rhetoric on two of the other gay Thailand forums, Sawatdee and TingTong. Hopefully GayThailand will be spared.

[Guest robbins]

Bahtstop 2, is now available.

 

http://www.bahtstop.com/

[TotallyOz]

Congrats. Did you loose all your content? Where did all the threads go?

[Bob]

Bahtstop 2, is now available.

 

Since I have no idea who's behind this version and since the registration requirements are unusual and in my view onerous, I'll sit this one out. I'm not providing my real name to any board owner until I know who's behind it and I trust him/her/them. I've provided my email address and other data to board owners over the last 15+ years but I don't remember ever being required to provide my real name; regardless, it's a question of personal trust with me.

 

Bahtstop "1" essentially had 3 groups of posters: (1) a reasonable group of posters who, although there was a lot of cut-and-pasting of news reports by one or two, reasonably engaged in discussion; (2) the group of 3 or 4 who love to bash Israel as well as anyone who should dare to post a contrary or more moderate position; and (3) the group of 3 or 4 morons who should never have been allowed to infest the place (most of whom have been kicked off of one or more boards before). When/if I figure out who's behind the new version (and he/she is from the first group mentioned above), I'll maybe reconsider my current choice but it's very doubtful I'm giving my real name to any board owner that I don't know at all.

[kokopelli]

As for registering with one's real name, just use a pen name. Who is going to know the difference? The same for a birth date. Whoever the new owner/mod is, it seems he is a Brit judging from the info on the registration form..

At least he is not asking for a poster's dick size as is asked when registering on this forum.

[Guest fountainhall]

although there was a lot of cut-and-pasting of news reports

 

I wonder if anyone using the site has read through the lengthy Legal Terms and Conditions. Seems they are far more stringent than the old Baht Stop and may severely curtail posting. Here’s a couple of points.

 

3. You acknowledge that you are solely responsible for all materials, text, entries, communications, content, information, forum contributions, materials, pictures and any video links or other materials provided by or contributed by you on this Site (collectively, the “User Generated Content”). You further agree that you either own all User Generated Content provided by you or is properly obtained from the appropriate owner with full permissions to post such User Generated Content on the Site.

 

6(a). You may not post or transmit any message which is libelous, defamatory or which discloses private or personal matters concerning any person other than yourself.

 

Item 3 will surely prevent quotes from any copyright material, and Item 6a prevent some of the more personal name-calling. Or have I interpreted it wrongly?

[Guest fountainhall]

Yet another forum has started up. This one's titled http://gaytouri.com/

 

On one of the first posts a few weeks back, the owner/moderator says this -

 

This forum is all about traveling the world and enjoying the paradises that are out there.

Have hot tips or info for us?

 

Whilst the focus is clearly on Thailand, it has about 55 sub--forums covering many other parts of the world. Interestingly, one of only two posts on these 'other' forums is a click-and-paste job of one of the posts from this Board - with the proper acknowledgement.

 

As there is already quite a number of gay travel sites and most existing message Boards have a travel section of some sort, I just wonder what niche gaytouri will fill.

[Guest]

Nearly all the posts on that forum are by the founder. They will struggle to gain critical mass, when so many other forums already serve the same market.