Where Is The Good Old Blowingwind?

[Guest hstnasia]

Damn... I miss the good old blowingwind where the grown ups are logging in to exchange conversation and sharing opinion on a decent topic. I remember 10 years ago when blowingwind was a place where people share their story writing, everybody reading it with respect, no bitching comment, just purely reading material.

Nowadays, at least to me (or perhaps a few others), this forum has becomes a place where people bitching, fighting, advertising and full of personal ads cruising for sex. To make matter worst, a place where kids who can no longer post their sex search on sgboy (trevvy) comes in make a rude comment and discriminating about a more mature guys.

Maybe it's just me thinking too far, who knows one day this place would become a place where postitutes will start selling their service.

Is there any other forum for a working adult who respect each other that anyone can recommend?

Alright, this is purely my very personal opinion, AND IF YOU ARE LITERATE, PLEASE DO NOT REPLY TO THIS POST WITH A BITCHING / MEAN COMMENT.

Thanks.

[Guest j.pokkemon]

Totally agree... And most of these undesirable posts were made by non-members hiding behind anonymous guest names, where reputation is a non-issue so they can shoot whatever they like irresponsibly...

Who knows, one day, all members might decide to just post within the Members Lounge... safer, more peaceful...

[Guest hstnasia]

  On 8/26/2010 at 5:44 AM, j.pokkemon said:

Totally agree... And most of these undesirable posts were made by non-members hiding behind anonymous guest names, where reputation is a non-issue so they can shoot whatever they like irresponsibly...

Who knows, one day, all members might decide to just post within the Members Lounge... safer, more peaceful...

Agreed.. a lot of anonymous posters. Should the rule be that non-member can't post any single darn thing here at all? Anyway, even in the member lounge, what's it with the sex finding post? Shouldn't those be inside the personal forum? Just a thought.

[imchaser]

  On 8/26/2010 at 4:00 AM, hstnasia said:

I remember 10 years ago when blowingwind was a place where people share their story writing, everybody reading it with respect, no bitching comment, just purely reading material.

U already mentioned it yourself 10 years ago. Ten years ago BW is virtually unknown and only got less than probably a hundred people as members that knows one another. Btw if u pay attention to the banners its actually just their 5th anniversary, not 10 years....

Now 5 years later, BW is considered one of the top forums in Singapore for gay people with probably more than multiple thousands members plus thousands more guest thats been reading it. Even guest from overseas log in to read. Just google "Singapore Gay Forum" and guess which came out the top list? In few more years probably the forum will became so popular it will be full of advertisement and platform for pink business opportunities.

The numbers of guests logging in the forum, as we know from the statistic, is ultimately always 4 or 5 times more than members itself. We shouldnt again and again questioning why the guests allowed to post and etc, when we members are actually the minority here.

Guess one just have to go with the flow and not got stuck in time. Have to give and take.

This is just my personal feeling. Im not trying to be bitchy nor being illiterate.

Edited August 26, 2010 by imchaser

[Guest j.pokkemon]

  On 8/26/2010 at 7:53 AM, imchaser said:

The numbers of guests logging in the forum, as we know from the statistic, is ultimately always 4 or 5 times more than members itself. We shouldnt again and again questioning why the guests allowed to post and etc, when we members are actually the minority here.

Guess one just have to go with the flow and not got stuck in time. Have to give and take.

This is just my personal feeling. Im not trying to be bitchy nor being illiterate.

I think in moving with time, all the more we should re-assess our rationale for doing certain things. Why? Because technology evolves over time, and solutions not previously available may now become easily accessible.

But one thing's for sure - that BW is run by volunteers with very limited resources... on this, indeed, we MUST give and take

[oralb]

  On 8/26/2010 at 7:53 AM, imchaser said:

U already mentioned it yourself 10 years ago. Ten years ago BW is virtually unknown and only got less than probably a hundred people as members that knows one another. Btw if u pay attention to the banners its actually just their 5th anniversary, not 10 years....

Let me clarify, though it is stated 5th anniversary, the actual history goes way back than that. You can check out the archive section, which Hendry has painstakingly compiled, for the past postings and developments.

in a nutshell, BW didnt start off as a forum, it was more of a blog (if that word exist during those days) by BlowingWing the man, the readers participation was more of commenting on his various entries, meaning there wasnt topics and discussion, more of long list of comments.

Overtime BW the man, due to his personal reason, decided to let of the site, we then took over and converted it into a forum format 5 years ago.

[oralb]

Coming back to hstnasia's comment, the discussion of whether should we allow guests to post anonymously has been done before and you can search for it.

Personally I believed in freedom of expression, on the above debate, we had even create "Members' Lounge", a place where only members can reply. We gave topic initiators a choice to start a topic in a free for all main folder or a member's only avenue. Should more topics are created and discussed in the members' lounge, that would entice guests to register as a member to participate, the reverse is true as well. In the end, more topics were created and responded in the main folder instead.

It is not that we do not see the trend or the issue, we even had to create a folder called "The Flaming Room" to contain such negativity so that it will not spread over to the main folders. We are, and will still, do our monitoring and moderating.

A forum works on users' participation, hence I would like to take this opportunity to urge our readers to practice Class 95's advertorial tag of "only listen to the good stuffs". Ignore the bitchy comments and concentrate on constructive discussion.

[Guest j.pokkemon]

  On 8/26/2010 at 8:39 AM, oralb said:

Coming back to hstnasia's comment, the discussion of whether should we allow guests to post anonymously has been done before and you can search for it.

Amusing... if the main reason for not revisiting an issue is simply 'because it was done before', then we can never improve.

  On 8/26/2010 at 8:39 AM, oralb said:

Personally I believed in freedom of expression, on the above debate, we had even create "Members' Lounge", a place where only members can reply. We gave topic initiators a choice to start a topic in a free for all main folder or a member's only avenue. Should more topics are created and discussed in the members' lounge, that would entice guests to register as a member to participate, the reverse is true as well. In the end, more topics were created and responded in the main folder instead.

It is not that we do not see the trend or the issue, we even had to create a folder called "The Flaming Room" to contain such negativity so that it will not spread over to the main folders. We are, and will still, do our monitoring and moderating.

Yes, we all treasure freedom of expression (hence this post... ). Has it ever occured to any one that the fact that BW allowed guests to post is in itself a self-fulfilling prophecy? With more guests, obviously more discussions took place in folders that allow them to post. Moveover, the naming of the folders matter. So I think your conclusion above is flawed.

Anyway, I just want to put across these points:

(a) Allowing guests to post anonymously need not be the only solution that supports freedom of expression. We can allow guests to post, but ask that they use a guest name that corresponds to a valid member id (their own). In other words, everybody that want to post should register as a member once (should not be difficult for anyone to locate one pc from which they can register with the privacy they need). After that, whenever they want to post, all they have to do is to use their member id as their guest name. And then there are also technically feasible ways to ensure that impersonation won't become a problem.

(b) Diligent monitoring of questionable posts need not be the job of moderators alone. With (a) above, we can always automate a simple process to delete posts with guest names that don't correspond to a valid member id. Afterwhich, moderators should have much simpler job of monitoring only posts from members or guests (with member ids) that are of questional reputation - voted by other readers over time.

Now... the above method can result in many phantom member accounts created just so that guests with ulterior motives can post ugly messages... but at least this allows us a way to collect 'track records' more objectively, rather than banning members that involve themselves in arguments with anonymous guests simply because members 'can be banned'.

  On 8/26/2010 at 8:39 AM, oralb said:

A forum works on users' participation, hence I would like to take this opportunity to urge our readers to practice Class 95's advertorial tag of "only listen to the good stuffs". Ignore the bitchy comments and concentrate on constructive discussion.

Of course, as mentioned in my earlier post, BW moderators work on limited resources (and I only posted this reply due to the 'amusing' logic above).

As individuals we are all entitled to our own views. And since I've already raised this issue many times before (here and elsewhere) with little concurrence, I'll stop here and focus my attention elsewhere

[biscuits]

I'm not an active BW member but i always enjoyed the old past BW spirit. It was a bunch of mature men discussing bout things that matter. I found that so very charming. It was like an online gentleman's club.

But now like said before, I was shocked to see the uncalled remarks and raunchy "fxxk me's" you would usually find on trevvy.

I personally feel that the integrity of BW and its previous online social culture can easily be upheld. Just practice the kind of culture you wish in the forums.

Ignore those who don't qualify for your attention.

We can always bring it back to what it used to be.

We are our own filters.

Need not we depend on others.

PS. 19 yo here. Not all youngsters are here for the fun.

Edited August 26, 2010 by biscuits

[Guest j.pokkemon]

  On 8/26/2010 at 4:48 PM, biscuits said:

I personally feel that the integrity of BW and its previous online social culture can easily be upheld. Just practice the kind of culture you wish in the forums.

Ignore those who don't qualify for your attention.

Yup, that's what the general members can do - simple. The key beneficiaries of my suggestions above are the moderators (job simplification) as well as the longer-term viability and credibility of BW forum.

PS. I said I would stop pushing my idea, but I'll still return to clarify unclear points in my earlier posts

[Guest Ironrod]

I am a new member but my bf use to read BW A LOT which sort of influence me to read the forum too.

I was quite shock that these days BW becomes like irc or any sex forum ~ is being gay really just about sex?

The only reason why i don't visit Trevvy, or fridae site is because I use to think BW is more then just a gay sex place.

These days it sorts of changed my mind.

[Kage]

*Shrugs* times are changing..

I'm never looking for pleasure without love...and no I'm only 18 LOL..(Not all 'youngsters' seek for fun)