What things don't you like about the Forum?

[Admin]

Greetings everyone,

I think there's a lot to like about the ISG Forum, but there's always room for improvement, and so I decided to do a survey to identify what it is about The Forum that the members do not like.

Every Forum rule or limitation is there for a reason, but there are no sacred cows, so this is your opportunity to let me know what bugs you.

This is a multiple choice survey, so you are welcome to select all of the choices that you believe are applicable. In addition to the survey, you are welcome to post your criticisms in the thread. Be cool, no personal attacks.

This survey is setup not to display your individual votes so as to encourage objective participation.

Thanks,

Jackson

[Knuckhead]

Greetings Jackson!

You know as well as anybody else that I LOVE the forum. You asked what I DON'T like about it, so here I go:

To emphasize the point, I am only sticking to one aspect of the forum. It is not specifically a criticism of your forum, rather, a general problem with any chronologically indexed forum. There really is no good way to go to a given country's thread and quickly gain the "basics". Basically, good information gets mentioned at a point in time, and over time it gets burried under page after page of new posts. If one is not following any given thread regularly, he will end up searching through sometimes thousands of posts to come up with a "mongering 101" for any specific city.

Over time there have been a number of attempts to help with this situation. The search function, of course, is very useful. The FAQ sections as well as reports of distinction sections are also helpful. In the Brazil section, Bubba boy's guide is fabulous. In your sister board, Argentina Private, the Moondog's guide as well as the Buenos Aires tip sheet sections are welcome additions.

It would be great to have uniformity between different sections, either a "tip sheet", "FAQ" section, or a "newbie" thread. I would imagine that this would be worthwhile at the city level for major mongering venues such as Rio, Prague, Amsterdam, Bangkok or Moscow. In the case of small countires or those with a low key mongering scene, obviously the whole country could have a single FAQ, or nothing at all. Lichtenstein, I'm sure you will agree, does not need and FAQ, for example.

How to do this? I'm sure it will not be possible in each and every case, but wouldn't it be great, for example, to have a Carioca monger edit the FAQ for Rio or a Porteño edit the FAQ's for Buenos Aires? Those of us familiar with the "Andres Reports" in old WSG can remeber that this section was just that!

I would love for others to throw in their ideas, but how about opening a FAQ section for each major city and inviting volunteers to post links of the essential, information packed reports in that section? After about a month or so when the thread is populated with useful links you could designate a single person to edit it. This person could either be a veteran monger of that particular city, or better yet, maybe even someone local.

All of this, of course, takes an immense amount of time. The process above naturally seeks volunteers and distributes the work among those with an interest in each section.

Sexplorer

[Panya]

Hi Jackson,

Congratulations, and a big thank you on a great job!

From the list of complaints you provided, I could not find any that applied -- just proves what a good job it is.

My only request is to make the navigation for Private Messaging easier. Right now, it involves 2-3 clicks of the mouse to get back to the "Main Page" of the PM area. <I wouldn't say that I "dislike" it at the moment, though.>

Other than that, I think I enjoy the "freedom" on the board very much, and also the fact that the level of monitoring you are doing is just nice, i.e. not too strict, not too loose.

Best,
Panya

[Adhin]

Would it be possible to start a forum for the girls who provide services--without their being allowed to advertise or solicit. Just some comments by them?

=================================================

Hi Adhin,

Women are welcome and encouraged to participate in the Forum, either by advertising or simply as a contributing member.

Thanks,

Jackson

[Excess]

Greetings - Jackson and All,

I have made my high level of satisfaction with ISG clear in both Posts and in PM.

Here is an area where I believe a simple change would bring improvement:

Designate on Posters' Nicks if they have PM rights or not.

It is slightly annoying to go through the clicks to PM a poster, create a message, send it and then have the response back that the Poster does not have PM (most likely), or does not wish to receive PM's (less likely). The suggestion would eliminate this up front.

Human nature being what it is, it probably would also encourage the use of PM's for communication that is not especially useful in the threads themselves

Finally, this also provides an opportunity for a bit of marketing, Jackson. :-)

Thanks and keep up the good work.

ADDENDUM: The PM also tries to block out urls - I do not see the sense in this as it is a PM. Looking at the behaviour of the software, it appears that PM's are handled much like any other post. To make this change might be significant work, if this is the case. Possibly not worth the effort if a major change - this too is annoying though.

============================================

Hi Excess,

Regarding your suggestion regarding having the Forum indicate if a person can receive PM's: I've considered the possibility of adding a line below the forum member's title (Regular Member, Senior Member, etc) that would indicate if they were forum subscribers, which would mean they could use the PM system. My concern is that it's possible that some members would believe that this would be a identification issue. The idea is open for discussion.

One easy way to identify if a member can receive PMs is to go to one of their reports. The Send PM button is only visible when the member's PM is activated.

Regarding your observation about the URL's in PM's: I have no problems with URL's in PM's. It's just the way the software functions, but I'll see if I can change it.

Thanks,

Jackson

[X Man]

This web site has been a great source of information for me.

At the top of this page are the words, "InternationalSexGuide" in a large font. Since I sometimes use the web site when others are around, I often try to position the page so that the title is hidden.

So, my suggestion is to have a more discrete header such as "ISG".

X

============================================

Hi X Man,

If you purchase a subscription, you will be able to view the forum in Stealth Mode which displays only the text, with no banners, headers, etc.

Thanks,

Jackson

[Vincent Van Ho]

This web site has been a great source of information for me.

At the top of this page are the words, "InternationalSexGuide" in a large font. Since I sometimes use the web site when others are around, I often try to position the page so that the title is hidden.

So, my suggestion is to have a more discrete header such as "ISG".

XI too often read the site at a local university. A more discreet home page would be great. Thanks Jackson,

Tenderfoot

============================================

Hi Tenderfoot,

If you purchase a subscription, you will be able to view the forum in Stealth Mode which displays only the text, with no banners, headers, etc.

Thanks,

Jackson

[Excess]

Tenderfoot
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Hi Jackson,

Is this what you mean by the PM button ????

If so, it does appear on Tenderfoot's post.

If not, could you point it out as I don't see it - not that I am seeing that straight after 7 hours on the PC - and no not all on ISG !!!

Sorry Tenderfoot, no offence intended - I just used you as an example.






Greetings - Jackson and All,

I have made my high level of satisfaction with ISG clear in both Posts and in PM.

Here is an area where I believe a simple change would bring improvement:

Designate on Posters' Nicks if they have PM rights or not.

It is slightly annoying to go through the clicks to PM a poster, create a message, send it and then have the response back that the Poster does not have PM (most likely), or does not wish to receive PM's (less likely). The suggestion would eliminate this up front.

Human nature being what it is, it probably would also encourage the use of PM's for communication that is not especially useful in the threads themselves

Finally, this also provides an opportunity for a bit of marketing, Jackson. :-)

Thanks and keep up the good work.

ADDENDUM: The PM also tries to block out urls - I do not see the sense in this as it is a PM. Looking at the behaviour of the software, it appears that PM's are handled much like any other post. To make this change might be significant work, if this is the case. Possibly not worth the effort if a major change - this too is annoying though.

============================================

Hi Excess,

Regarding your suggestion regarding having the Forum indicate if a person can receive PM's: I've considered the possibility of adding a line below the forum member's title (Regular Member, Senior Member, etc) that would indicate if they were forum subscribers, which would mean they could use the PM system. My concern is that it's possible that some members would believe that this would be a identification issue. The idea is open for discussion.

One easy way to identify if a member can receive PMs is to go to one of their reports. The Send PM button is only visible when the member's PM is activated.

Regarding your observation about the URL's in PM's: I have no problems with URL's in PM's. It's just the way the software functions, but I'll see if I can change it.

Thanks,

Jackson

[Finrod]

I'd like to see improvements in the thread search function. As it stands, it doesn't appear that I can do searches by multiple keywords or searches for exact phrases. So it's a pain sometimes when doing my due diligence on something, then I'll have to execute the thread search a number of times with different words in the phrase or keyword list and hope that I can find what I'm looking for. Thanks.

================================================

Hi Finrod,

I agree with you that the search function could be improved, but that's beyond my ability to modify. I do think that the publishers of the VB software need to rewrite this function.

Thanks,

Jackson

[HarryR]

I have no problems with this site as it is and has been an excellent site for me. I just wish every one has a PM function.

Many thank, Jackson.

Harry.

[1Ball]

I wonder if a chat room by country is possible, and if there would be any interest?

[Nefarious]

I think the forum is amazing the way it is now in most ways. I noticed that many of the respondents wanted to change the delay in posting regular member reports. When I was a regular member, I was annoyed by that too at times, but even then I could see how it is needed to avoid filling to forum up with posts that would just waste our time or defeat the purpose of the forum.

If Jackson allows the posting of gay or transvestite information, I think he should consider making a special thread for that. Some members are just to old and set in their ways to accept anything other than man-woman relations.

[El Austriaco]

that's my vote. if i was really nitpicky and had to point out a thing or two, then for me, it would be primarily the way serial antagonists are dealt with. a while, ago, i suggested the following:

"i know that in the past, you’ve relegated whoever you deemed to be the (a) serial antagonist to a separate thread. i don’t think that this approach is very fruitful, as shown by the proliferation of separate threads in many country sections. in addition to uselessly wasting bandwidth (and your money) and cluttering up the individual country sections, i think that many of the guys relegated to their own thread actually feel some sort of weird pride about it, which actually might even contribute to the problem rather than solve it. almost like a twisted sense of recognition.

i think the most effective way to prevent similar incidents in the future would actually be to downgrade senior members to regular members and ban regular members that violate the forum rules regarding serial antagonism. all of us can engage in heated discussions at times, but those who do so on a constant basis should have their posts reviewed again and re-earn their senior member status by actually posting useful information in accordance with the stated purpose of this forum. people that fail to provide actual information that helps others should certainly not enjoy the privilege of being able to instantly start, engage in, continue, further, or fuel flame wars. senior members who have made and continue to make contributions who abuse this privilege should be relegated to regular member status again until they improve their signal-to-noise ratio."

http://www.internationalsexguide.info/forum/showpost.php?p=424145&postcount=60

senior members that are relegated to regular member status would have a real incentive to comply with the forum's rules (rather than being allowed to go on posting with total disregard until the third strike comes) as they are stripped of their privilege of instant posts. if possible, maybe a special membership category could be created for these "yellow-carded" members so that jackson will pay special attention to their contributions in the future.

on second thought, a "newbie questions" thread in the individual country sections would be nice, too, as a central place for all questions posed by those that just don't rtff and that have been answered over and over again.

on a final note, yes, i do agree that the moderation delay for regular members' reports can be frustrating at times. i liked the old system, where senior members could suggest regular members for instant senior member status based on the quality of their reports. that way, those who make significant contributions to the forum in the eyes of their peers would get instantly rewarded whereas those newbies who only ask questions and comment on photos would still have to wait until finally achieving senior member status (and really, those members shouldn't complain in the first place).

but really, those are only very minor quibbles or suggestions on how to possible improve the status quo a bit. thanks for a fantastic forum, jackson.

ea

[LatinBull]

And the best of its kind.
I would like to suggest a new section for uploading videos.
Of course, that means more space and bandwith, thus a premium fee.
Saludos.
LatinBull

[Artisttyp]

The forum is great I only wish I could contribute more than what I take.
However Im amazed at the arguing that takes place over nothing but the joy of sex. Who needs those types to spoil a good thing.

Thanks,

Artisttyp

[Rubber Nursey]

Jackson,

I agree wholeheartedly with El Austriaco. These tossers who are given their own thread seem to think they're some kind of celebrity. It's not a punishment - it's like, as El Austriaco said, "a twisted sense of recognition" and worn like a badge of honour. In order to get where they are now, they had to have broken the Forum rules numerous times. If someone repeatedly behaves like an dickhead at a party, you don't put him on the stage and hand him a microphone - you throw his arse out the door.

As for the poll, you know I love this site :) (I've probably spent half my adult life here!! LOL) so I only ticked three boxes. Along with the regular member report delays, I'll admit that I voted in favour of gay/transgender/transsexual discussion on the Forum. I'm sure there's plenty of gay or bi mongers out there who would appreciate the information and it's something that many 'straight' mongers also dabble in - whether they admit it or not. If people have some sort of issue with seeing gay threads on the Forum, they can just not read them. I think a gay thread would need a fair amount of moderation, though. I know what I've gone through at times on this site as a woman and as a hooker - I shudder to think what those people would say to a gay man, or worse, a gay sex worker.

The only other thing I would complain about, which was not an option in the poll, is what appears to be an obvious slide in - how can I say this - the 'morals' of posters, particularly in regard to their treatment of women. Many moons ago, you used to advocate for respect of sex workers and women in general. Posts were routinely deleted and posters banned for promoting certain behaviour or attitudes towards women. The software also used to blank out particularly derogatory terms - which it no longer appears to do.

Now we have people, ALL over this site, espousing cruel and sometimes dangerous views on women - even bragging about their disgusting behaviour and getting patted on the back for it by other posters. One particular poster, who was recently given his very own thread, is using that thread to give 'lessons' on how to sexually assault sex workers bareback and asking for other posters to contribute their own sick methods. Sharing this sort of information is a) extremely dangerous for sex workers and b) exactly the sort of stuff that attracts the eye of anti-prostitution crusaders to your site.

Your message to Adhin below says that women are 'encouraged' to participate on the Forum. I have to say, it takes a woman with very thick skin to read the sort of thing that's being posted here these days and continue posting. There have always been people who don't want women posting (and that's cool - everyone is entitled to their opinion) and there have always been posters who treat women like dogs in the real world and use this Forum to brag about it. However, those people used to be in the very small minority, but not any more. I don't know that I'm actually asking you to do anything about it - I just wanted to make you aware of it. Very few women will post on this site and feminists and anti-prostitution crusaders will have a field day if they stumble onto it.

Otherwise, as always, this site is an awesome resource. Thanks, babe! :)

PS Adhin: Some of the female posters (chatting, not soliciting) can usually be found in the Opinions and Editorials section and the Special Interests section.

[Love The Ladies]

Jackson,

Much credit goes to you my friend. You run the best fourm on the entire internet. Keep up the great work.

The only minor thing that could be done better is to have a group of your trusted senior members stomp out the flame wars. You simply don't have enough time to do it all yourself.

Keep up the great work.

LTL

[Love The Ladies]

I think even Senior members would be willing to pay for it. I certainly would. Is there any possible way to make this financially feasable?

[Unboncoit]

I'd like to see the foto galleries become just that. Galleries full of fotos, and nothing but.

How about a filter to prevent all posts that do not have attached fotos?

Too many ignorant dickheads just post comments, opinions, start unrelated threads, post any garbage they like, without fotos.

I bet more than 50% of the foto gallery posts do not have a single foto.

That should stop; it would be a BIG improvement.

==============================================

Hi Patron,

I agree 100%.

Now, do you have any ideas for how to enforce this?

Please let me know.

Thanks,

Jackson

[Horatio]

I thought it said what "do" you like, not what "dont" you like so the things I voted for were the exact opposite of what I think.

On the whole it is a great forum. Kudos to Jackson.

Horatio

==================================================

Hi Horatio,

Tell me what you voted for (what you "liked") and I'll adjust the votes accordingly.

Thanks,

Jackson

[Excess]

This strikes me as being very apt to add to this discussion. I think it says just about it all.

With apologies to the member who PM'd me very recently concerning matters female. I am sure that he will not mind me extracting a non-identity revealing and very slightly modified snippet from his PM to me.

"I too have corresponded with "Membername" in respect of "Girl in Question", but your message was the first indication that you also knew him - this ISG is great! There are not many of us mongers researching in "this area" and so it is nice to know each other!"

Arrangements are being made for a joint beer session and to meet and to provide some near live field reports over the table. Written posts of the same will follow, of course.

Keep up the good work, Jackson. It is appreciated. "You can satisfy some of the people some of the time but you can't satisfy all of the people, all of the time".

[Bingo 143]

There is no system where you can jump to say report #600 in a thread of 1000 posts/report.

[Too Jaded]

Jackson,

This is an excellent survey, and just the list of choices shows how 'in tune' with and 'on top' of things with the ISG, while posting the survey itself shows how committed you are. Thank you for all that you do.

Because of this I was really torn between saying 'nothing' and 'Jackson's slow response to flame wars and serial antagonists'. Ultimately I went with the latter, because too many threads have become cluttered with too much flaming or clique chatting. But I know that this is impossible to police, nor can I imagine the legalities of delegating responsibility to moderators on a board such as this.

So take my vote and all the votes with a grain of salt. No matter the results you deserve more thanks than you can possibly get.

Lev

[Unboncoit]

Here's a way, a little ruthless, but it'll work eventually:

Post a warning where everyone can see it: all messages to foto galleries will be deleted without warning if they don't contain at least one foto.

Then do it; it will be a lot of wotk at first, but even the thickest idiot will quickly learn that foto gallery messages without fotos go to the garbage.

Patron



Hi Patron,

I agree 100%.

Now, do you have any ideas for how to enforce this?

Please let me know.

Thanks,

Jackson[/blue]

[Yogin]

However, I don't understand why we can't put addresses of "competing" websites. Afterall, that's how I found this site: from such a site. That's part of what makes the internet what it is.

[The Tax Man]

I still think all forums should be like this. I like the fact that typing in all caps is prohibited and that chat room spelling is discouraged. Most of the posts are helpful and many are very interesting to read.

However, I do agree with Patron that something should be done about the photo galleries. My recommendation is that every post must include at least one photo. It is nice when someone explains the photo but I really don't need to know other people's general comments. Perhaps we could have one string of pictures and then another grouping of just comments and discussion of the pictures.

Thanks again Jackson! I'll buy you a beer if I ever meet you out in the clubs.

[Gaudente]

I guess the main problem with this forum is that you must read pages starting from the bottom and then going to the top (where the last message always is). Yes the printable version is made the right way (that is pag.1 is the older one and the last message is displayed at the bottom) but links are sometimes less easy to spot , poster names are less evidenced, posts themselves are less neatly separated and so on.

[Iron Duke]

I enjoy the photo threads and agree whole-heartedly that posts without photos should be discouraged. Ideally they should be eliminated. If it's not possible for the system to do this automatically, then selective deletion on an ad hoc basis should do the trick.

However, I have another problem with the photo gallery and that's when guys post several, almost identical, photos - often taken in poor quality light and/or with a cell phone camera so the picture is almost unviewable. One such picture is ok if that's all that's available. But two, three, four or five repeats just clutters up the site.

It would be so much nicer if guys would choose the best of several similar pictures and just post one.

[Macphisto]

I'd like to see the 60 seconds between searches reduced. Other forums I use have a lot less time to wait.

[Tom2004]

Hi Folks,

is nobody concerned about the high number of users wishing to post information about TV/TS???

I always considered them as a trap in our activities, called once for a girl and got trapped myself, and obviously the majority share this view to some degree, thus the high percentage of users requesting to post this information is embarassing.

May I state I would prefer to keep this topic of the forum,

Greetings to all,

Tom

[Regulr Travlr]

The forum has been immensely helpful to me in my travels. I try to give back as much as possible.

I responded to the choices you gave in the survey only as opportunities for improvement. I belong to a couple of other boards and without a doubt this is the most active and also the most current. Keep up the good work.

My number one opportunity for improvement is removing the delay on Regular Member posts. I sometimes miss some important info because I do not scoll back to see a post that had been added.

One are we need to enforce and deal with it is members sharing the forum and photos with providers. I think this should be the harshest of punishment. A complet search on IP addresses and prevention from future use. This sharing of information is completely opposite with the stated purpose of the board.

[El Austriaco]

One are we need to enforce and deal with it is members sharing the forum and photos with providers. I think this should be the harshest of punishment. A complet search on IP addresses and prevention from future use. This sharing of information is completely opposite with the stated purpose of the board.
Let me see if I understand this correctly. Mongers take pictures of P4P providers and publish them here on ISG. Obviously, this is done WITHOUT their knowledge: because if these pictures were taken with their consent and knowledge that they will be published on the Internet, this wouldn't be an issue, right? So in your opinion, it is OK to post them on ISG for tons of OTHER people to see, but it is definitely NOT OK to tell the very same people that pictures of them have been published, especially published against their will and without their consent?

Wow. Talk about shooting the messenger.

And obviously, this sharing of information between mongers and providers doesn't take place on the forum, anyway. So IMHO, contrary to the claim that this "sharing of information is completely opposite the stated purpose of the board", this is simply a moot issue.

Personally, I feel that immediate corrective action (banning) should be taken against mongers who publish fake photos (you know who you are) or not taken by them personally without clearly disclosing this. IMHO, this does run counter to the stated purpose of the forum, which is "the exchange of information between MEN regarding sex with WOMEN", considering that this information is second-hand at best and deceptive/fake at worst. I think everyone that posts pictures should be under obligation to clearly state whether the picture was taken by themselves or not.

EA

[Sasha Coffee]

Definately the photos,

To take and publish on the internet someones photos without their written permission and even worse to take the photo with the intention of putting it on the net without the subjects permission is terrible.

Photo boards should require the written permission before Jackson allows the photo to be published.

Or at least the photo should also have the face of the client who took the photo, or is that an invasion of privacy.

[Toscana]

What keeps me returning is the effort to foster quality information and writing on the forum. It achieves that better than almost any other forum I read, and rarely sinks to chatroom style exchanges. Appreciated.

Sometimes the response to changes requested or proposed could be quicker. The German FKK forum has long been waiting for additional threads, a proposal in fact originally made by the moderator! Don't know where the blockage is on that, or have I missed something?

I will vote on this poll when some feedback comes on that. LOL.

[Routard]

No other forum can compete with ISG regarding quality and quantity of info.

Problem is to find the info among tons of irrelevant reports from members posting as if they are on a chatroom, not to mention the numerous serial antagonists messing up the forum. Jackson, you cannot moderate alone a forum of 150 000 members, you definitely need to get others help you.

With different moderators for each part of the world, it will be more easy creating new threads like those asked in the FKK thread, maintaining some kind of FAQ on the major destinations, preventing flame wars and so on.

I'm ready to help in this, and no doubt other senior members are ready to help too.

Routard

[Ezinho]

Definately the photos,

To take and publish on the internet someones photos without their written permission and even worse to take the photo with the intention of putting it on the net without the subjects permission is terrible.

Photo boards should require the written permission before Jackson allows the photo to be published.

Or at least the photo should also have the face of the client who took the photo, or is that an invasion of privacy.
First of all, I'd like to start off by saying that Jackson has done an excellent job with the forum. I did vote for the "posting larger photos" option, since I am a photo poster myself, but that's really more of a suggestion than a complaint.

It seems as if this topic of posting photos without permission has been coming up quite a bit lately on this site. I'd like to start out by saying that the best course of action for those who oppose the posting of pics without "written permission" (Sasha Coffee, Bimbo Boy, etc, etc...) should probably from now on just e-mail or PM their complaints to Jackson. Those of us who post pics are really starting to get tired of this pointless argument by the "Pic Police" over and over again. Each posted report has a link where you can notify the Moderator; if you're offended by the posting, just do that please. If Jackson decides that a forum rule has been violated, or feels the photo is inappropriate, then he can remove the photo. But there is no reason to clutter up the photo gallery with posts from the "PP".

Or, if you wanted, you could start your own version of the ISG. You could be the moderator and make all the rules you'd like; no posting pics, no cursing, no farting, etc, etc. You could legislate to your hearts content.

Oh, and one last thing; Sasha, you mentioned that the photo should also include the client as well, an argument I've heard many times before. May I ask how that contributes to the stated purpose of this forum, which is "to facilitate the exchange of information between men who are looking for sex with WOMEN"? I mean, really, how would a photograph of a monger achieve this?

Now, if you're talking about a web site where providers submit reports on their clients, then OK, that's fair game. But that's not what this site is about.

[Rubber Nursey]

Oh, and one last thing; Sasha, you mentioned that the photo should also include the client as well, an argument I've heard many times before. May I ask how that contributes to the stated purpose of this forum, which is "to facilitate the exchange of information between men who are looking for sex with WOMEN"? I mean, really, how would a photograph of a monger achieve this?
I'm sure Sasha was only being sarcastic - that clients are concerned about their own privacy, but have no regard for the privacy of working girls - rather than actually suggesting clients should be included in the photo.

I have always had concerns over people publishing pictures of girls without their consent. The overwhelming majority of sex workers, worldwide, need to keep their work a secret. Along with the stigma attached to being a hooker (which can lead to anything from discrimination to family breakdown to stalking and/or violence), sex work is also illegal in many countries. We all know that LE monitors sites like this. Giving phone numbers and addresses is bad enough but, I guess, technically unavoidable if you want to share information. At least many girls use fake names, work phones and rent separate addresses to work from. Photos are a whole different ball game, though - absolute proof.

That said, I don't really wanna get involved in the photo debate, mainly because I know it's pointless. Guys are gonna keep posting them regardless - and if Forum rules changed to require permission from working girls, posters are just gonna SAY they got it, whether they did or not. How could it possibly be policed? I would just like to ask people to think about the damage that could be done to a girl's life, before they post their photos. Especially if you are posting her picture in order to recommend her after receiving a great service - is that any way to thank her for blowing your mind?

How would you guys feel if I took photos of myself engaging in sex acts with clients and posted them on the net to promote my services? What would go through your head if you were in one of those photos...what if the police see it, what if my wife sees it, what if my boss sees it, what if my children see it???? Sex workers have always followed a very strict code of ethics with regard to client confidentiality, because we understand the damage disclosure can do. It would be nice if you guys could extend us the same courtesy.

[Piper1]

Great forum, but maybe the (automated?) recommendations for Reports of Distinction could be dropped, and left up to members to decide. Many of the suggested ROD reports are not RODs. eg this one from first-poster Vile Maggot (nice name) takes the cake:

http://www.internationalsexguide.info/forum/showpost.php?p=538694&postcount=562

[Joel Goodsen]

Using vBulletin as forum software, I was wondering if avatars as a user profile option in the User CP could be added, in the same way as some other online forums using vBulletin. Thanks.

====================================================

Hi Joel,

I don't have the Avatars enabled on my forums because...

1. Due to the nature of the forum itself, many members are not interested in using any function that might reveal more about them personally, like their photo as an avatar.

2. I am sure that a high percentage of the few members that would upload an Avatar would use the ability idiotically, which means that it would be something else for me to monitor that would at it's best only offer a marginal enhancement to the forum's primary objective: The dissemination of information.

3. Avatars use bandwidth, at best while only offering a marginal enhancement to the forum's primary objective.

Thanks,

Jackson

[Mandrake]

Hi Jackson.

It is the season to be jolly.
So Happy Holidays and a Happy New Year to you and the rest of of the people of Jacksonland.

Anyway, we use stange terms like DATY or MILF and you must have moderated quite a few post that asked what that is.
You attach an Editors note stating the fact that this can be found in the 'Terms and Abbrevation' thread.
You also have a clickable link called 'Abbrevations' on top of the screen.

English isn't my first language and I did not know this word.
I thought that 'Abbrevations' was a fancy word for 'Conditions', and it was a statement regarding liability or a repeat of the copyright statement.
And therefore never clicked it.

This is a minor detail but the meaning of the word abbrevation simply isn't obvious to all.
If it is easy to change could you, for the benefit of others, replace it with something more foreign friendly:
Forum Dictionary, Forum Slang, Escort Lingo.
Really anything that suggests it is a link to a wordlist for the hobbying people.

Thanks, m

[11Bravo]

Great forum, but maybe the (automated?) recommendations for Reports of Distinction could be dropped, and left up to members to decide.I will second Piper's comment - some of the ROD recommendations have me scratching my head. Seems that any non-senior report over 2 paragraphs long, reasonable english, following forum guidelines, DOES qualify as a ROD. While these may be pleasing for the moderators to read as a refreshing change, I'd say there should be few ROD's... otherwise, THAT thread just gets cluttered, making TRUE info difficult to find.

Otherwise, have a FAQ thread for each country (city), whatever, where, by guideline, only true FAQ's are posted.

Also, my other gripe is the "why isn't this a PM" posts... some members seem so full of themselves they have to announce to the world what they are doing (NOT the "I'll be in town" posts), but the "Hey, Member1 and Member2, great time, see you tomorrow" types. Again, just clutters up the threads and makes it hard to find REAL info.

[Pure Logic]

It seems to me that by far the most drastic improvement to the site would be to eliminate the need for wading through the huge amounts of irrelevant information. If this could be accomplished, it would dwarf the significance of any other improvements.

Reports of distinction and moderation are two possible ways. However, the success of the web’s open directory project and the wikipedia illustrates that unpaid volunteers can do a great job creating organized, relevant information for the benefit of everyone.

If it is possible using the present software to allow moderator privileges to certain members, then I would suggest two things.

1) Keep the forum as it is and delegate much of the moderation work to various volunteer editors.

2) Replace the reports of distinctions with a “Relevant information extracted from the posts” section. All senior members would be given editing privileges (unless they are found to abuse them) to create a concise, continually updated summary of all posts.

Routard suggested the same basic ideas on 12-05-06. Do we have any counterarguments?

[Sammy_T]

I love the site and think Jackson does a fantastic job administrating it! There are a couple of small things I would like to see changed -

Right now photo attachments are limited to 640 X 480 to preserve bandwidth. May times I want to post an image of a business card, or a map. If I limit the actual image size to 640 X 480 then I cannot get enough detail on the image to make it useful. I would rather see the attachments limited by file size rather than image size.

On a similar topic, I would like the google earth placemark file type (*.KMZ) to be added as one of the valid file extensions. The file size is small, and this addition would save a step in having to unzip the file before viewing the location.

Thanks!

[zokko]

I know who I am, I don't need the chat room telling me that. If people only have one username they don't need to know who they are logged in as.

On the other hand I don't particularly want it to be easy for someone to see my login name on my screen and then go looking up posts.

It is an unnecessary security issue.

[Cunning 1]

First of all let me say this is the best site I know of and beats the rest hands down. Hats off to Jackson and his happy band of helpers.

One thing that I find painful is the fact that if your doing what I'm doing, which is progressively wading through the photo gallery, there is no way of jumping to say page 470 to my knowledge.

OK, I may have just been to lazy to find it, but if you can't then can we.

Happy Xmas,

C1

[El Cabron 007]

It is well guraded for all the good reasons. Nothing illegal is allowed. And why on earth sould this board promote other forums?

Remember this is a guide, not a chat room. It it were a chat room, other readers would not have the opportunity to view reports or posts about someone's experiences and advices.

It has helpedd me a great deal in deciding where to go and what NOT to do vs. running blind in a strange land. Some of the posts are like living the expereince of others ahead of jumping into the unknown.

I have nothing to complain about.

WTG Jackson

Wasted

[Naked Gunz]

I hate when nerd ass freaks throw racial crap and opinions in the forums.

Go ahead and start a Klan vs Panther forum or something...I really don't care what color the girls I bang are. Or what color the competition is!

I'm just trying to get laid

[Buko Max]

I have nothing to complain about.
I would have to agree for the most part. It would appear that you have ISG running smoothly now, so much so that it probably could run itself. Granted some of the smaller problems are inherent in a forum of this size and cannot be helped. The vBulletin software works great. As far as content goes, a forum can only be as good as the participants involved and this is where ISG shines! Thank you Jackson for bringing us the only forum that matters! Have a happy and healthy New Year!

Excelsior!

[Rising Son]

I plead guilty to not having filled in the survey. But there was nothing on it that I had any objections to, anyway. You're doing a phenomenal job, and it's got to be a terrific time drain.

So this is just by way of saying thanks.

RS

[Yankee 617]

Sorry I have not taken the poll. Overall, I think things are working quite well.

One small nit I have concerns the treatment of whitespace. It seems that the forum automatically replaces a sequence multiple space characters with a single space character. While this may be appropriate for regular text, it is not appropriate when someone is trying to post information in a tabular format - where things should line up in columns.

I see two alternative ways to correct this: (1) when using [font=courier], do not replace multiple space characters, or (2) introduce a [verbatim] wherein mulitple space characters ae not replaced. Since I use a fixed width font like courier to present tabular information, I would use either [font=courier] or [verbatim][font=courier] to post tabular information.

Thanks, Yankee

[Redvike]

Whenever I am travelling to a different country or venue, I spend too much time trying to figure out how to reach the specific locations I wish to visit.

Can something be done so that each thread can have a "directions" subthread or some other mechanism for saving permanantly such information in an easy-to-find place?

For example, people keep asking over and over how to get to Jakarta Blok M,
or Frankfurt FKK Palace, but by the time the next person needs it, it is quite difficult to dig up, even by searching.

It is almost like we need a "Wiki" were people can add and then later improve directions as time goes by.

========================================

Hi Redvike,

Have you ever used the Forum's search function?

Thanks,

Jackson

[Peter 989]

Jackson @all

Here you go: Check youporn.com out, they stream Video. I think its something you should do too.

Also Check Digg.com's concept, its quite good, I not saying thats what you have to do, however you may get some ideas from there, I think the rating part is quite good. Being able to digg-up, digg-down, bury and so forth.

I like the internationalsexguide, but recently it seems you are falling behind. You have to stay on top of things.

Cheers.

[The Greek]

I like the forums and I love it whe there is a good level of granularity at the city level. What I miss is a list of hotels or a hotel forum in every city with the members'experiences and how girl-friendly they are and if possible what they ask for a night guest.

Thanks,

S

[The Greek]

It would be nice to be able to filter to eg one city or even the ppsts for one city from a particular user or a particular time period.

S

[Mr Hawaii]

In the upper right corner after signing on is the message "Your Subscription is Active." It would be nice if you posted the day the subscription expires.

That way members could be kept up to date and renew BEFORE their subscription expires. Thanks.

[Ukman16]

The delay on submitting searches is pretty annoying.

=============================================

Hi Flashman,

What delay are you referring to?

Thanks,

Jackson

[Mr Happy Feet]

Jackson,

The forum is excellent. Unfortuantely, the URL is blocked at work and because the title has sex in it, it draws attention. I would like to see a mirror site that has a safe URL that wouldn't be blocked by anyone anywhere unless the firewall performed deep packet inspection which as you know is rare.

This site could be command line and text only. NO pictures. I would just like to be able to read PMs or keep an eye on a thread anywhere I am at.

Thanks,

MHF

[Synombinky]

Great forum, thanks again. Wish we had a 'photos' view like the usa sex guide. Thanks.

Binky

[NoCBJ4Me]

The delay on submitting searches is pretty annoying.

=============================================

Hi Flashman,

What delay are you referring to?

Thanks,

Jackson

Jackson,

Flashman is talking about the 60 second delay between searches. I have no problem with the wait.

I do second Mr Happy Feet's request for a mirror URL that is not recognized as a sex site. I was been unable to access ISG last time in UAE and there was no access in Oman because of blocking software. For people that are not living there, you have to use a public internet cafe to find out what's going on and to post. Since there is plenty of P4P action there, a mirror URL would be a great asset.

Thanks for providing us with this forum and for diligently keeping it on track.

nocbj4me

[Redvike]

Have you ever used the Forum's search function?

Yes, the search function is great, but if you do a search on (say) Blok M, you will get 100s of hits with entertaining stories about Blok M, but can be hard to find the one ost that contains the good directions.

Thanks for your consideration, I think a "directions" subthread or perhaps a searchable flag that marks post with good directions would be really helpful.

[Pussy_Dog]

This forum is to share info about how to get sex from women all over the world, as well as relating the experience of getting sex. It's not a place to complain about how crappy some country is, and how the locals are just mean and stupid. Given the fact that (1) the world is not a perfect place, (2) that nearly all of us don't know enough about the culture to explain away why somethings happen even after spending a lot of time in a country [we're not social anthorpologists], and (3) that having bitter discussions about non-sex related issues don't help us much, Jackson should treat unnecessary race discussions like flames, personal attacks and trolling and delete them as needed.

Btw, otherwise, great board. I check in regularly over last 6-7 years. I only wished I can travel more and get more international poon.

[Hoya Boy]

You should be able to search all the pictures in one particular forum. There is a photo section, but that section does not always have pictures with every post. there should be a function where i can see all of the photos posted in the brazil section.

[LatinBull]

Hello mates.

There are a lot of discussions and flame wars going into the Picture Gallery section.

I suggest you restrict postings into the Pict Gallery to those who actually include an attachement.

This way it will serve its purpose.

LatinBull.

[Jan108]

Jackson, more than a year ago I have suggested that the Prague FAQ could have a wiki format. You said: "I'm waiting for the publishers of vBulletin to add a Wiki feature to the forum' software. They're working on it now." But so far nothing happened. Why? Advantages of wiki are great.

Otherwise there could be allowed 'facts only' comments to the FAQ, maybe for senior members only, and the FAQ could be updated from time to time by you.
Quite foolproof, imho.

Jan-BBWlover, Prague
Prague FAQ author

[Jan108]

I do second Mr Happy Feet's request for a mirror URL that is not recognized as a sex site. I was been unable to access ISG last time in UAE and there was no access in Oman because of blocking software. For people that are not living there, you have to use a public internet cafe to find out what's going on and to post. Since there is plenty of P4P action there, a mirror URL would be a great asset.


the 'clean' mirror is a good idea.

If you want to view blocked URLs you may use an anonymous proxy (just search for this term in Google). However, it takes time to find some which works reasonably fast. So as an alternative there is Anonymouse:

http://anonymouse.org/cgi-bin/anon-www.cgi/http://

Just add the blocked URL at the end of this link. You may test it by using a proxy from Emirates or Saudi Arabia. Sometimes it may be overburdened though. Be careful when using it in an unfriendly environment and that it doesn't offend the local laws (an isg rule).

Jan-BBWlover, Prague
Prague FAQ author

[Piper1]

the 'clean' mirror is a good idea.

If you want to view blocked URLs you may use an anonymous proxy (just search for this term in Google). However, it takes time to find some which works reasonably fast. So as an alternative there is Anonymouse:

http://anonymouse.org/cgi-bin/anon-www.cgi/http://

Just add the blocked URL at the end of this link. You may test it by using a proxy from Emirates or Saudi Arabia. Sometimes it may be overburdened though. Be careful when using it in an unfriendly environment and that it doesn't offend the local laws (an isg rule).

Jan-BBWlover, Prague
Prague FAQ author
I just tried the above link, adding the ISG url, but it didn't open. I use Torpark (can be slow, and it times-out often) and Jap.exe (more reliable, but even slower). You can download Torpark to a flash-drive and use it on any public terminal.

If you use JAP, you have a number of proxies to choose from - Dresden is the most reliable.

[Schulte]

The seach options are very limited. It should be possible to sear pictures of special forums, eg Thailand or mexico. The voilume get s big that is is needed to sort pictures by other point the date or so.

[Kumbu]

In general, I could not be happier with how the forum functions. I think flame wars are unavoidable (it's human nature), and issues of photographs are very subjective, so no complaints there.

I agree with several posters that it is relatively difficult to get the basic info about a new location without days of reading. I know, doing the research is important, and this is a resource that is in fact very useful, but for some locations the amount of work required is really quite time consuming. The "reports of distinction" feature helps, as does the search function, but one still must sift through hundreds of posts to get the whole picture.

One suggestion: either have a thread entitled "location information" (or something like that), or have a convention to flag all posts that give explicit addresses and other geographic info. Getting precise addresses and other information on how to get to an establishment can be quite difficult (depending on the forum), and often referred to using various forms (e.g., a straight out address, or directions on how to get there from point x, or a description of what is around the establishment, etc.), and this makes it hard to search for.

[My Freedom]

Jackson:

I believe overall the forum in great! My only annoyance has been that almost always, from one day I check the forum to another, I am forced to change my password in order to post anything. This happens almost always if I want to post on a regular thread, and then also want to answer someone who has PMd me something.

If I didn't have to change my password numbers that you email to me so often, I would say everything else about your forum is flawless and superb! Keep up the good work!

My Freedom

========================================

Hi My Freedom,

You have a problem with your cookie settings on YOUR computer.

Please read this information to resolve this problem:

http://www.internationalsexguide.info/forum/announcement-loginsolutions.php

Thanks,

Jackson

[Lorenzo]

I think the forum is fine just as it is. My only annoyance is with guys who use the photo sections as chat rooms. In some of the photo sections you can scan post after post with no photos attached.

Here is a possible solution, if the technology exists. Would it be possible to screen all posts to the various photo sections to block any post without a photo attached? If so, this would be a major improvement in the forum, because the photo sections could be used for what they were intended. Thanks for hearing me out.

[Jan108]

...I agree with several posters that it is relatively difficult to get the basic info about a new location without days of reading.

One suggestion: either have a thread entitled "location information" (or something like that), or have a convention to flag all posts that give explicit addresses and other geographic info. Getting precise addresses and other information on how to get to an establishment can be quite difficult...
That's why I suggest the wiki format for such factsheets (each for every forum). Wiki does all that you mention and more.

Jan-BBWlover, Prague

[Elberto]

Some of the veteran posters on the board have hundreds or even thousands of posts, and some topics are discussed hundreds or thousands of times, but the search feature only returns a maximum of 100 results.

This makes it difficult to do research, since even using modifiers like "a year ago and older" still leaves 4 years worth of posts to be limited to 100 results.

[LatinBull]

Hello Jackson.
This is kind of a repeat from previous posters.

I believe that a good improvement would be to include into the advance search functionality the possibility to search for posting that includes attachments (pictures)

Also, include the possibility to do this search within subforums, example Forum Peru, subforum Lima. As it is today, there is only the possibility to search on the top forum.

Cheers.
LatinBull.

[BillyRayJim]

Hi Jackson!

When searching for a certain word or contributor I won't get the posts containing the search term but rather the threads where the posts are. Not much use if the thread has hundreds or thousands of posts.

On the other hand it forces me to read - and enjoy - many more posts than I otherwise would have!

This is a great site!

BillyRayJim

========================================

Hi BillyRayJim,

Use the Advance Search function and select Search Results "by report" instead of the default setting "by thread".

Thanks,

Jackson

[Xtrafire]

That's why I suggest the wiki format for such factsheets (each for every forum). Wiki does all that you mention and more.

Jan-BBWlover, PragueI agree to that. From my point of view the different categories (e.g. SouthChina_Shanghai) are too big (more than 7000 posts) to get a good overview. It costs a lot of time to get the same level of "knowledge" than the frequent readers have. If you don't read minimum every two days, its difficult to be up to date with the topics you are interested in.

So I have a proposal:

- keep the "fixed" categories like they are
- allow the users to creat sub-categories, e.g. for a specific location ( a sauna or whatever)
- allow to subscribe for these categories

If you want you can have a look at a german forum (hannoverboard.to). They do it like that and I find it quite comfortable.

[WildnWet]

The server is always slow, and unresponsive. Half of the day yesterday, and several hours over the last week it has been very slow, and a lot of times can't access it at all because of server errors because the server load is too high. Upgrade your server. You should buy a better server with some of your huge profit your making over $5,000 a month of this site, spend $500 a month on a good dedicated server and an admin.

[Excess]

The server is always slow, and unresponsive. Half of the day yesterday, and several hours over the last week it has been very slow, and a lot of times can't access it at all because of server errors because the server load is too high. Upgrade your server. You should buy a better server with some of your huge profit your making over $5,000 a month of this site, spend $500 a month on a good dedicated server and an admin.

Wet indeed !

[American Ukraine]

Jackson,

I have noticed that many members use the Photo Gallery area for chatting.

I feel that the best way you can encourage members to start posting photos in the Photo Gallery area rather using it as a regular chatting area is that you should start a voting system

Members can vote for each other , for who has posted the best photos. in this way, members out of competition will post more photos, and the top voted members should be announced every week on the forum.

What do you think? Or this idea crossed your mind before?

============================================

Hi American Ukraine,

I have thought about it, but I have another plan to solve the problem, a plan that I cannot disclose at this time.

Stay tuned.

Thanks,

Jackson

[Member #3453]

1. I would like to see a chat room section where mongers who regularly converse with respect to their frequented venues can send public "chat room" style messages that can likewise be commented upon by all other members wishing to view, and comment on, the chat room postings.

2. I would like to see the limitation that is placed on the number of characters within the Private Message System increased. Sometimes, if giving specific information of a sensative nature to a Private Message Inquiry, I've been forced to significantly limit my response to inquiries received by PM due to the characters limitation. Maybe it's a band width issue. If so, I fully understand. People in hell want ice water.

3. I would also like to see a centralized point of inquiry for logistical information where a member can access strictly logistical, travel type, and other mongering specific information, such as hotel recommendations, club reviews, pimp girls, etc...

4. Right now, the standard forum is where all the information is assemilated, but because there is no Chat Room section, there is also a plethera of meaningless communication between various members, myself being one of probably the worst offenders. The flame wars are usually a result of a chat room section not being available, and other members feeling that there is simply too much garbage in the forum to do an effective search. The flame wars are simply a lack of decorum and manners between differing people, nothing really new in society at large.

5. In my specific case, not really needing much information, if any, from my most frequented venue, I generally function instead as one of the two or three sources of specific information. It would be nice to post our most concise information about the venue in one central depository so we don't have to repeat ourselves to inquiring members, either in the forum or through the PM system. If the information in the main depository changes, it could be updated by any member traveling in the venue, any member that has a particular opinion, a different take on our conclusions, and/or in the event the information changes in and of itself.

[Cooze Hound]

Hi Jackson,

Even as a relative newbie I notice a lot of chat on the photo section. Whilst it is natural to comment on a photo one thing that really bugs me is the constant bickering and lack of photo's on the Vietnam photo section.

The photo threads seem to work okay in other countries I think.

[George90]

I have been bothered by this for sometime, almost since I registered and started posting.

I am constantly being timed out when I write posts. At first I thought I was taking longer than the 30 minutes alloted for this.

Recently, I have been timing myself when I compose posts. I do not take longer than 30 minutes to submit a post. In fact, have been timed out after only 15 minutes!!!

There is something wrong with the time set in the program. It is NOT 30 minutes! I suggest either reset the timer to 30 minutes, or change the notification to what the time out delay really is (closer to 10 minutes).

[Higgins T]

When I make you site small and open another site to hide the isg-site behind, it allways says "InternationalSexGuid..." on the button on the monitor. So easy to recognize for people who come into my office when I visit you site at work ( (-: ). Would it be possible to change that into "isg"?

[Mr_Hoffy]

One of the biggest issues with ISG is it's format with Threads. The threads are linear and flat. Most Forums nowadays have Hierarchical threads so when you respond it's a comment about another person comment in context of a major topic. With the current format, ISG will one day be made irrelevant by more modern software. It seems Jackson is probably not adroit to programming since he would have already made these changes. Also, Jackson is too autocratic. Most forums had multiple designated moderators so the forum is more self policing. In my mind, The ISG and WSG are run more or less run like a Mom and Pop shop.

===========================================

Hi Mr Hoffy,

Apparently the Forum's organizational strategy is lost on you.

Thanks,

Jackson

[Northern Star]

I wish to STRONGLY support jan108, Xtrafire and others who are asking for an ISG wiki. To me it's highly surprising that nobody has created a sex travel wiki yet, and I do think that ISG should be the pioneer. Check wikitravel.org for inspiration, then just make it naughty...

Also, I hope for a crackdown on bullshit in the picture threads.

[StudPlayer]

Censorship

[Bimbo Boy]

I have asked Jackson twice that a specific photo of a girl that showed her face be removed. I followed the procedure and even sent the girl's ID to Jackson. No answer, no action.

[Topos]

I have noticed here not many say that to you, well I for one appreciate the effort and frustration you must go through in providing this forum.

By having the site you have improved the quality of my life and I`m sure many many other lonely guys, and at the same time to the ladies who love sex too, not to mention the economic wealth of the ladies.

It`s so easy for those who don`t DO to critisize others.

Jackson just a thought would it be possible to have a link for the members where we could have a chat room for each country or the forum in General?.

Once again
Appreciate your effort in providing this site Jackson
Topos

[Grateful Spread]

I’m posting these comments inaccurately in the ‘dislike’ thread as they are more a personal wish than a complaint.

In the ISG community, there is a broad patchwork of contributors from armchair posters, lonely souls seeking solace, visiting businessmen indulging in some R&R, party-animal ex-pats, out and out sex-addicts looking for their next fix – and last-but-not-least, Jackson who keeps this whole thing together.

We’re all different but share the desire to pursue sexual fulfilment. This is arguably the purest primal purpose for man’s existence. It’s nature over nurture. I also believe that another common bond is our desire to help others in need, particularly those who we know, their friends and their families: Most of us have more depth than that of the superficial, soulless hedonist.

I would therefore propose that a portion of the paying member’s fee go towards addressing some of the consequences of poverty in the WGs’ countries of origin. Causes and charities such as (RED), Save The Children, Oxfam etc could all be candidates.

I appreciate that the membership fee is there to help pay the admin and running costs. I also appreciate that there are over 170,000 members of whom I would assume a significant portion are payed-up. Even if it’s half, we are still talking about a lot of cash.

Jackson, I am sure, works his butt off in running this forum and I would be the first to defend his right to every penny he makes over and above his overheads and expenses. I would also defend his right to ignore this post – but the publicity from supporting these causes could potentially encourage many more members to pay the subscription.

Food for thought?

[Night Cat]

99% of how the Forum works is just fine, very useful. Here is my Top-10 list of areas where I might be interested to see some changes.

1. Don't know member can't receive PM until it's too late.

If a member can't receive a PM, please let me know that up front, instead of presenting me with a form to send the PM to that member (and then I spend 10 minutes or more writing a message, only to find out that the message cannot be sent).

2. Should have online backup with no downtime.

I would imagine there is software available to do backups without taking down a database.

3. I saw the "backup" screen when it was not backup time.

I saw that screen on 2007.4.23 3:50 AM China time (which is nearly 12 hours away from the normal backup time of 4:00 AM EST).

4. Search fails to produce all matches.

I have noticed that in some instances, the Search feature will not find all posts with the requested search terms.

5. Replace "reports of distinction" with per-message voting.

I think following what they do on Amazon (e.g., "5 out of 6 users found this information useful") would be better. Then, the usefulness of a post is decided by consensus, and you don't have to go out of your way, into a special folder, to find the stuff that others have liked.

6. Senior status should be partly content-based.

There is at least one Senior Member I can think of whose vast majority of posts are requests for information. He did make a few very terse FRs, and the ones I had the opportunity to verify did not check out. If my suggestion #5 is implemented, then content-based upgrades would be straightforward (e.g., count only those posts that at least 2 members found useful, and exclude any that anyone found useless, and any that did not meet posting guidelines). Also, if you limit it to those who request it, like back in the old days, this might help make it less casual. I think the process would be no less automated than at present, while helping to limit Senior Member status to those that have actually contributed something.

7. "Cheap sex in China" thread is silly.

I think this thread should be deleted, for reasons that I posted on the thread. Info about cheap sex should be posted in the various existing threads by region.

8. Can't search a sub-topic.

I might like to be able to do a search spanning only one sub-topic (e.g., Beijing).

9. Can't see recipient ID when viewing sent messages.

When I view my Sent folder, and open several messages in several tabs, then in each tab I can read the message but I can't see who I sent the message to, in that tab.

10. Subscription list doesn't distinguish between similarly-named threads.

For example, if I subscribe to China/General Info, and Macau/General Info, both of these are listed as "General Info" in the subscription list. I can't tell which one is China, and which one is Macau, until I open the thread.

Thanks for considering my input, and for all your efforts.
NC

[Amateurseeker]

A 640x480 pic can look excellent at 40k. A 1600x1200 pic can look excellent at 200k. I cant tell you how many pics your site has that are 200k+ but only 640x480. How about a maximum 100k pic size (id really prefer 200k) and let people maximize the dimensions if they feel like it ? Perhaps also limit the bandwidth people can use a year if that is the issue. Obviously small pics annoy the crap out of me.

[Amateurseeker]

Overall its a great site. To be honest the fact that there are so many contributers makes it the best such site. The small pics do highly annoy me though as I said below.

[Grey #1]

The only problem is the users. We need less asking of questions and more posting of useful information.

[Kelentit]

For me the forum is working just fine. Only few minor problems as mentioned by Night Cat. Keep up the good job Jackson!

[Gamma Ray 007]

Things I like: restricting PM to paying members is great. I don't mind the trivial amount I pay each year, especially as it is only a fraction of a single mongering event.

I *hate* chat-room writing, and am so glad that Jackson shares my taste!

I would like to see the option of uploading .kmz files that would pinpoint locations on Google Earth (or it's eventual competitors or successors).

[UrbanWildlife]

Jackson, I am curious as to what changes you have, or intend to make as a result of this survey? It seems you put out the survey, but have left it basically for dead. Thanks in advance for responding to my question.

[UrbanWildlife]

Jackson, I am curious as to what changes you have, or intend to make as a result of this survey? It seems you put out the survey, but have left it basically for dead. Thanks in advance for responding to my question.Why have you chosen to not respond to my question?

===========================================

Hi UrbanWildlife,

Because I'm busy.

Thanks,

Jackson

[Sniguenutle]

EDITOR'S NOTE: This report was deleted because the subject was not related to the purpose of this Forum, which is as follows:

The purpose of this Forum is to provide for the exchange if information between men on the subject of finding women for sex.

[FreeWolf66]

I would like you to add a guide to some of the abreviations used in the forum. Some I can figure out some are just confusing.

Freewolf66

EDITOR'S SUGGESTION: There is a link labeled "Abbreviations" in the menu bar at the top of this page. This will take you to the Forum's Glossary where you will find a chart with most of the Terms & Abbreviations used in the Forum. Thanks!

[EatClam]

First of all, like everybogy, this is one of the most excellent websites in the world for us mongers and punters especially. I do have a couple of suggestions though:
1- It is more than apparent that many members lie in wait for some innocent newbie to make a posting that may be repetitive or has been asked many times before. Then they pounce on the poor guy like he is a cum stain and make him feel very unwelcome. I have seen this often and wondered that if they don't like the question then why not just ignore it and let someone that wants to be helpful and friendly answer it. The rules say "no flaming" but I have seen quite a bit of it, in spite of the rule.

2- Quality of the pictures, on average is very, very poor. If the photo is not clear, bright and good resolution then don't post it, especially if you have already posted a dozen exact replicas of a faceless, ill-defines subject already. Additionally, a picture of the contents of the night stand with an ashtry full of butts, glasses of booze and other insignificant minutia is rediculous. It is the photo gallery of a sex site and should contain worthy photos of just that as well as just a few clothed ladies in the same pose. Surely if we can afford to go to Asia then we can afford a decent camera and take better quality pictures.

3- Speaking of pictures, I have hundreds and hundreds of pictures that I continually have trouble posting, therefore I have only a few posted because it is so frustrating. They are reduced to 640 and they are jpg but I'll be damned if I can figure out why I am unable to get them uploaded. I have asked the admin. several times for help and never received a reply.

4- I had to laugh one time when I, personally was flamed by a regular when I commented on the poor quality of p4p in San Jose especially when compared to Asia. The main attacker had never even been to Asia and defended SJ as the ultiumate Paradise. He also had the balls to say that he doubted that I had ever been to Asia, which I am about to depart on my 37th trip. What kind of crap is that? Does he think that he is some sort of sooth-sayer, that sees all and knows all? I suspect that he is a Walter Mitty with an over-active imagination and believes that hiding behind a bling user-name makes him powerful, I dunno". Who is he to question someone that he doesn't even know and about subject matter that he doesn't have. I have seen several similar attacks and do not believe that this is the place for such incompetent chatter. We should all stick to the subject matter, welcome new guests and members for what they may be able to contribute and stay away from these negative attacks.

Keep up the good work Jackson. these comments are not to be taken personally and I hope that they will be constructive.

[Tasty1]

EatClam:

Agree wholeheartedly with your comments. However, everyone is different and Forum has been an invaluable resource to me. I try to contribute when I should. Without new members and their inout we won't get new info. Peace.

[EatClam]

EatClam:

Agree wholeheartedly with your comments. However, everyone is different and Forum has been an invaluable resource to me. I try to contribute when I should. Without new members and their inout we won't get new info. Peace.

Here, here on the everyone is different. That is what makes the world go around and I respect all of our differences. It is an invaluable source of information for all of us and I hope that newbies aren't rudely pushed off by the rude comments made by mongers-in-waiting for someone to pounce upon. I do hope that the comment about improving the quality of the photos is taken to heart because more than half of them are of extremely poor quality (blurred, dark and out of focus) and very repetitive and of very poor subject matter. Personally, I think that one fully clothed gal is enough as well as how many of the same doggy style pictures are really needed? It's bad enough that we have so many blacked out faces although I understand the logic. It took me a long time to post any pictures for you guys but then I thought that if I was going to share them then you would surely enjoy them MUCH more by seeing the faces. I have hundreds more to post and I am going back to LOS in 10 days so I'll have even more to post. I want to go to China--Shanghai or HK/Macao but I am still working on finding a decent hotel close to the action.

[HarryDHo]

I've been travelling since I was a teen in the 1970s and I've posted hundreds of reports in the past. I was an original poster on the original WSG in the mid 1990s on trips to Hong Kong, Taiwan, Korea, and Philippines. If I remember, it was edited by a mystery person known as "The Banker". I think the posts took a couple weeks to be edited and downloaded and not all were downloaded. Then later, on one site, WSArchives..., I paid a subscription and posted many reports and loaded so many pics. Now, subscription expired for 5 years, I can't even read my own old posts, the site makes money on my adventures, no benefit to me. I've tried other sites but, I just like this one best of all. Among so many other advantages and there are many; at least here, would be able to read my old posts if my subscription lapses. Maybe I'll repost all my old photos I posted on other boards from the past. Good idea?

[Regulr Travlr]

Why have you chosen to not respond to my question?

===========================================

Hi UrbanWildlife,

Because I'm busy.

Thanks,

Jackson

Any business that promotes such a survey is implying that they will make chages based on vaild suggestions. They will also publicize the fact that they are making changes based on customer input.

All businesses have room form improvement. While there are many positive things about the forum there are changes that customers have identified that would make it more useful to them. It is important for the administrators to put on the "customer hat" and acknowledge that some suggestions are vaild, as opposed to taking a defensive approach.

If the ability to make changes or respond to customers' inquiries is impaired because the administrators are too busy, then they need to explore the work they are currently doing. What are they currently doing that provides little value? These tasks can be replaced with true value added work.

One suggestion to free up time for administrators. Stop citing reports as nominations for reports of distinction. Let the membership do this, thereby reflecting the true values of the community. The current approach tends to reward volume rather than quality.

I hope this helps the administration focus on improving this valuable forum.

[GandJim]

One suggestion to free up time for administrators. Stop citing reports as nominations for reports of distinction. Let the membership do this, ....

I think quite a few members already figured out that it's a computer which cites reports as nominations based on predefined criteria (such as length of the report), so it wouldn't really free up anytime for the administrator. And a member can add a report to the RoD directly, why would he bother making a nomination.... ;)

[Regulr Travlr]

I think quite a few members already figured out that it's a computer which cites reports as nominations based on predefined criteria (such as length of the report), so it wouldn't really free up anytime for the administrator. And a member can add a report to the RoD directly, why would he bother making a nomination.... ;)

Thanks Gand. I believe that this is computer generated as well. However, I was trying to comment in my best, least offensive consultantese as to what need to be done. Now in straightforward Enlish:

Eliminate the automatic Report of Distinction software. It is embarassing. There are are reports being cited that contain nothing but questions. No info. But based on current volume criteria thye are being cited.

Do something with all the good input that has been gathered or take the survey down.

[Loso69]

my pet peeve isn't listed... the limit to 5 smilies per post. :p :( :mad: :eek: ;)

loso

[Peace Giraffe]

Things I like: restricting PM to paying members is great. I don't mind the trivial amount I pay each year, especially as it is only a fraction of a single mongering event.

I *hate* chat-room writing, and am so glad that Jackson shares my taste!

I would like to see the option of uploading .kmz files that would pinpoint locations on Google Earth (or it's eventual competitors or successors).I agree - I hate chat rooms. FULL STOP. That is why I prefer messenger style chat.

Too much insult takes place in chat rooms.

Viscount

[Marauder]

I don't think anyone would argue that ISG is anything but the premier source of information for men who like to travel and enjoy the finer things in life.

One small suggestion, however, would to allow photo gallery users to see pictures by forum name. I know you can sort by forum name, but it would be nice to see all pictures from say, the Shanghai.

This far from a fatal flaw, however. Thanks Jackson.

[Warbucks]

Users should be able to edit old post indefinitely.

[Louie OK]

Users should be able to edit old post indefinitely.Thank you for the post Bpd81.
I agree that users should be able to edit old post indefinitely. Ditto !

[Louie OK]

I don't think anyone would argue that ISG is anything but the premier source of information for men who like to travel and enjoy the finer things in life.

One small suggestion, however, would to allow photo gallery users to see pictures by forum name. I know you can sort by forum name, but it would be nice to see all pictures from say, the Shanghai.

This far from a fatal flaw, however. Thanks Jackson.

"One small suggestion ...... " Yes, I agree on this one as I found it quite inconvenient searching for pics posted by a particular forum user name.

The current user name method (as I understand it -- correct me if I'm wrong) requires the user to "guesstimate" the page of photos that he's looking for. Of the more than 3500 photo pages, we are given the choice of paging inwards 5 to 9 pages at a time from either end of the alphabet.

For example:
To find (or find out if there are) photos posted by Marauder or Nibu Raphael (or anyone else who has a user name in this part of the alphabet),
we would have to click more than a hundred times just to reach this "extreme" middle region of the alphabet. (Again, correct me if I'm wrong here)

One suggestion might be:
Provide a user name search option specifically for the photo section.
Provide a page number search option in the current photo section when using the current alphabetically arranged page search.
This might make "guesstimating" a bit easier.

As far as not wanting to asskiss :) nor offend Jackson (or the "Administration") as I often see here of some of my brother sexhounds,
I'm sure most sensible people would agree that no matter how excellent, perfect, or appreciated a website might be,
there should always be room for constructive criticism and improvement.

[Louie OK]

This post may not be in the appropriately placed, however the "[CodeWord140] (http://isgprohibitedwords.info?CodeWord=CodeWord140) & moan section should at least suffice temporarily.

It occurred to me that an improvement for this website could be something like a dictionary section for regional slang & abbreviations
which could include various search options. Many of the forums on this site use words, terms, & abbreviations that are uncommon except to a specific region which they are communicating to the reader about. It could be analogous or similar to shoptalk. If one doesn't belong to that particular trade or profession, then he isn't going to know what the hell the others are talking about. I know it probably feels kind of cool for some to "be in" on the secret shoptalk & handshakes, but I don't think that is what we want here.

Examples:
Ecuador -- chongos
Indonesia -- bule, Blok M
Brazil -- bunda

There needs to be an easier way to find this type information.
The alternative would be to read through the entire thread without knowing if the answer would be found. As we know, some of this forum's threads can be quite long; some are hundreds of pages if not thousands. That is a lot of reading to do to "just catch up" in order to figure out the meaning of some "shoptalk" term used in various reports on these boards.

[AfAsia]

And then they do not do so.

How many times have we had members, new and old, request monger intel, reasoning; they had not gotten around to RTFF for their upcoming trip to, wherever, and will be sure to post a trip report upon their return. Do they?

Hell no!

They even say: Thanks Bros. LOL.

Of interest. I believe of the 300k members, perhaps 0. 5% bother to keep the forum thriving. A figure I pulled from my derrière.

Anybody else have a figure?

[Myrrh]

The forum is fantastic and I have now forsaken all others and now cling to this just one. I could spend hours lauding the forum however as this thread is to identify possible improvements:

The number one requirement for this forum should be that anyone should be able to readily find up to date sex facts about any sex club, place or country.

However this is not being fully achieved because.

1) The search function is cumbersome. If I search for a particular sex club in a thread which is devoted to a particular city for example then it brings up many pages many of which are not relevant. I therefore have to plod through them all. The search function needs to be more accurate and advanced so that you can put in several criteria and it will search the whole forum and bring up only a few pages which are really relevant. Alternatively details about how to use the search function more effectively should be made clearer on the forum.

2) All of the facts about a place should be in one place. You could have a thread or sub-thread for each major city or sex club which would be called 'Facts about'. Then factual information for example about prices, public transport, services, etc could be lifted from other threads and entered into this thread with perhaps each entry being dated with a (as at such a date) so the reader could know how long ago the information has been entered.

It might mean that there just become too many threads. So one way round this might be to make the first post a 'Facts' post and information in this first post updated continually.

It would mean that there would have to be volunteer administrators appointed who would be given powers just to update that facts thread or facts post.

3) With all of the essential facts safeguarded in particular places then it wouldn't matter so much what happened elsewhere in the forum. However for those looking for some decent discussion about places it can be irksome to find the following [I have made suggestions as to the possible solutions]:

Juvenile unedifying quarrels breaking out and running to several pages [Administrators or volunteer administrators cutting out these posts when it becomes clear that this is happening]

Long posts being re-posted so that the same information is repeated several times in a thread [Administrators or volunteer administrators cutting out these re-posts when it becomes clear that this is happening]

Members using slang wordsand acronyms [A list of acronyms / slang relating to a particular place for example Germany or Thailand should be added to the 'Facts' thread and there should be a thread which lists all acronyms / slang which relates to sex tourism in general.

Members just having 'private' chats amongst themselves [Some threads now have a 'cafe' style sun-thread for those who want to do this and this could be increased].

We should also increase the use of reports of distinction by the administrator putting more reports into this category on a weekly basis rather than relying on the members to do so. Thus for any place the reader could have a small number of high quality and detailed reports to look through to complement the 'facts' thread or posts.

I think also that the forum could find some way of rewarding those small number of members who by themselves contribute the vast bulk of the useful information on the forum for example.

Promoting them to senior member faster than the normal waiting period when it becomes clear that they are useful and prolific contributors.

Providing them with greater administrative rights over their posts e. G. To be able to go back and re-edit their posts after the deadline has passed for editing.

Giving them volunteer administrative status with limited powers.

[James Bond 1]

You put newest posts first, a pain. I can't even change it in settings. I don't remember any other forum that puts the posts backwards, though I've seen it as an option in settings in many. But no option to change it here.

I'm new, but I don't think my "automatically subscribe to threads I post in" setting works. I'll try it again to verify.

I've seen links that don't go to the correct posts, making search useless to me.

Reports are reviewed by moderators before being posted, an unnecessary pain. See point 1 as well: you're doing two things that are unique, or close to it, in the forum world, and they're both a pain.

===============================================

Hi James Bond 1,

Perhaps you'd be happier participating on another forum?

Thanks,

Jackson

[Golfinho]

This forum works fine. Wouldn't mind knowing how to search for specific terms, and see the results list as individual posts. Had been easily done to prior to the most recent changes.

[Lilljohan]

If the option was added to change the order of the post to have newest message last instead of first, this forum would be complete.

[IndianCurries]

Everything is awesome except the waiting period for regular members. It takes almost half a day for it to get published. It kills the whole concept of forum post where you interact.

Either forums should be moderated more frequently or restriction should be avoided and members reprimanded severely for any violation of rules.

It's good to have minimum and strict posting guidelines; however, it might be a hindrance to a non-native English speaker and person might feel dejected to post.

My two cents; Guidelines are good to be in place, but can be applied slightly leniently, especially when posting in communities for non-native English speakers.

[Oiste]

Sorry but this is the only forum in the world that needs to be read backwards.

[Azmodeus Fl]

On the paperclip would like to have the ability to sort pictures by date posted.