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Has pbh become nothing more than a place for those who are bored with ISG?

Why is it I feel that way too many of the recent post are about girls, young girls and old guys, pedophiles, sex tourism, whore houses in el centro, coming to Colombia with 4-8 guys... where can we find girls to accompany us for the evening, STD's, girlfriends who dont' speak english, sexual predators, famous pervs in Parque Lleras... yadda yadda yadda?

Is it just me or have I stumbled across a pattern developing?

I got the impression this was a site about traveling and sharing information about Colombia and their were rules prohibiting certain post. It appears I was incorrect in that assumption. I know... I ASSumed. My bad!

By Escape Artist on Apr 14, 2009, 17:47 in Friendly Talkzone.


onthemoon says on Apr 14, 2009, 18:07:

Have you read them all ? have you shared your points of view about them ? if yes,.. you are part of the crime scene...=))

Love Happens...

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Escape Artist says on Apr 14, 2009, 18:10:

otm: I do my best to avoid such post because I believe it does nothing more than perpetuate that type of content which, IMHO, does a huge disservice to Peter and pbh. Do you agree or disagree?

EA

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onthemoon says on Apr 14, 2009, 18:32:

mmm.. it is an open forum EA, and everybody can join, and everybody perceives reality in a different way,i respect that. It is a shame some people can only see THAT kind of reality....and some, sadly, are part of it. I know Colombia is a wonderful place, i am glad gringos can enjoy it and have a better life here because it seems in the usa they cant, at the same time sad because some just come and dont really appreciate what we as a country have to share.

Though we cant cover the stars with the moon, and many things said are very true, both sides, about gringos and colombians...and i think this is about that..Colombia, its good and bad things.

Love Happens...

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Paisa/Calena/Luver says on Apr 14, 2009, 19:00:

I figured out what ISG is but what are STD's are... (not sexually transmitted diseases)

"PAY ATTENTION! I wonder if that person knows that when we push the FUNNY button, its because we are reading something outrageous, trying to be cynical, derogatory, sarcastic and/or obnoxious!"

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utopiacowboy says on Apr 14, 2009, 19:51:

You're much too sensible for PBH, onthemoon.

Disclaimer: any comment I make is inane and is not to be taken seriously, and is so patently ridiculous that no one should take it seriously, even as an insult.

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onthemoon says on Apr 14, 2009, 19:54:

This is my new home utopia..=))) jajajaj!

Love Happens...

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onthemoon says on Apr 14, 2009, 19:55:

you women are emotional....=D

Love Happens...

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utopiacowboy says on Apr 14, 2009, 19:58:

Por que estas aqui? Es una casa del internet pero muy sucia.

Disclaimer: any comment I make is inane and is not to be taken seriously, and is so patently ridiculous that no one should take it seriously, even as an insult.

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Paisa/Calena/Luver says on Apr 14, 2009, 20:39:

Hi Medo!

"PAY ATTENTION! I wonder if that person knows that when we push the FUNNY button, its because we are reading something outrageous, trying to be cynical, derogatory, sarcastic and/or obnoxious!"

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RAAAY says on Apr 14, 2009, 20:56:

Medo..........!!!!!!!!!! weeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee The King of dipshits................oohhhhhhhhh should that be the Queen of dipshits.............?



.

.........Its useless to argue with ignorance

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Escape Artist says on Apr 14, 2009, 21:24:

"onthemoon says on Apr 14, 2009, 18:32 (today): flag
mmm.. it is an open forum EA, and everybody can join, and everybody perceives reality in a different way,i respect that. It is a shame some people can only see THAT kind of reality....and some, sadly, are part of it. I know Colombia is a wonderful place, i am glad gringos can enjoy it and have a better life here because it seems in the usa they cant, at the same time sad because some just come and dont really appreciate what we as a country have to share.

Though we cant cover the stars with the moon, and many things said are very true, both sides, about gringos and colombians...and i think this is about that..Colombia, its good and bad things."

otm: For the most part I agree with what you have said, especially the part where you say "Colombia is a wonderful place", but sadly your naiveness, although it may be sweet and innocent, has prevented you from seeing the truth about many of the "gringos" in your beloved country. A country I might add I have chosen to be my home and a place to conduct business. A country that I believe has an exciting future and for that reason I have chosen to be a part of it.

You say you are "glad gringos can enjoy it and have a better life here because it seems in the usa they cant". Do you have any idea why so many "gringos" go to Colombia and why they can't enjoy the same in their own country? I'll tell you why... Because they would be locked up and put in jail for a long time. If you had any idea of what these "gringos" are doing to "enjoy" themselves in your country I think you would perceive things a bit differently. Yes, there are many who participate in certain legal activities and I can't and won't pass moral judgement upon them but there are as many or more who go beyond what is legal and that is what gives "gringos" a bad name in your lovely country.

Your honest approach is refreshing and your spirit it true and for that I am glad to have had the opportunity to share a dialog with you and please don't interpret my comments as being negative about your country or its people. I'm simply making a comment about what I have seen lately on this web site, a deterioration of the content to the point where I feel less likely to read and or participate in what should be a great place to share information about Colombia.

EA

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RAAAY says on Apr 14, 2009, 22:34:

lol.......

.........Its useless to argue with ignorance

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Desideria (Moderator) (Trustee board) says on Apr 15, 2009, 00:14:

Escape_artist: it certainly has looked like that in the past week or two. The guidelines have not changed though, discuss your relationships here, but in such manner that your wives, mothers and underaged daughters would be able to read your comments without being embarrassed.

A fronte praecipitium a tergo lupi

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kingfish5515 says on Apr 15, 2009, 05:11:

Well put TomTom. As I stated on the thread about "Is Colombia the next Costa Rica" it seems that almost every thread, even those that start out with completely another subject turns into a prostitution or bash the fat old gringo pervert thread . I think that its just 4-5 or so unhappy but prolific posters, of which ironically I beleive to be male posters. That is not what PBH should be about. If you want to talk about those subjects go to a sex site. I am new here and wondering whether to continue checking in here every day. I want to learn more about my beloved Col, and help out others when I can with my somewhat limited knowledge. Please,,,,, cant we change and become an information site about Col site instead of a site constantly spewing opinionated rantings of old gringos...... Kingfish

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Rikito says on Apr 15, 2009, 05:33:

Escape Artist, you are probably more correct than not in your assumptions. A major problem in PBH is the rules and those contributors who are responsible for enforcing them. There is a significant bias by the mods who let their fav’s slide by and say anything they want. And when they are exposed they are quick to point the finger in another direction. As I have said before (and have had my comments deleted for saying it), the mods are never wrong. They never admit they made a mistake and always blame someone else or society in general. And let’s not forget to blame the planets main demon…the USA.

You are correct in your comment that, "...this was a site about traveling and sharing information about Colombia and there were rules prohibiting certain post. It appears I was incorrect in that assumption." But there are many in here who think they are comedians and just say the cutest things that make people go, "weeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee and oohhhhhhhhh and je, je, je, and my favorite, ja, ja, ja, ja.

Once in a while you get some well thought out comments and back & forth’s, but his happens about 1 in 10 times. Many of the contributors seem intelligent and able to make relative and defensible comments, but you will not see them often because of the kindergarten mentality that loves to jump in and call people idiots and stupid because their view was in fact, crap. The mentality and irrelevant nature of many of these self claimed intellectuals is also a big reason why so many of the better contributors have left PBH. Take 'kingfish5515' for example; he has been on PBH for less than 1 month and is already an expert on who should or should not be allowed to comment. Please,,,,, cant we change and become an information site about Col site instead of a site constantly spewing opinionated rantings of old gringos...... Kingfish. This guy has been here for a cup of coffee and makes foolish comments like he did this morning, but many in here will support him as being "right on man."


For me, I have posted some comments or asked a serious question looking for another viewpoint and every time I have submitted a post I generally receive some good spot on answers. Generally. So my advice is to not give up because if you want info about traveling and sharing information about Colombia this is probably the best around after you scrape off all of the muck, ja, ja, ja, ja.

...and so it goes

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mranderson says on Apr 15, 2009, 07:00:

Escape artist how do you know what all the gringos are doing in colombia? Do you know most of them? Do you interview them? Follow them? Or do you make assumptions? I´ve never seen a tourist walking or hanging out with an underage girl. Maybe it happens but to say just as many or more go beyond what is legal sounds like a stretch to me.

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mranderson says on Apr 15, 2009, 07:21:

Hey good point sapo.. Although never is not true, I rarely see gringos.

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durito2 says on Apr 15, 2009, 07:28:

I'm not on a limited income and I don't go into Poblado (well parque lleras at least) very often either.

I have noticed more gringos in general around this year -- though that's been consistent every year i've been here.

Instead of droning over and over again about some old sex tourists, we should promote this great city for what it is and try to draw more normal tourists here. I know the site of more gringos bothers some gringos but so what, they are gonna come anyway.

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mranderson says on Apr 15, 2009, 07:30:

You´re right brians, lleras is out of my budget but I live pretty close to poblado. Anyone want to treat me to lleras so I can see all this excitement that I´m apparently missing?

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Tinto (Moderator) (Trustee board) says on Apr 15, 2009, 08:00:

I glanced at a random story on ISG - some guy was talking about how watching a stripper affected his salchicha, how he popped x milligrams of Cialis, and then how he has an erection AT THIS MOMENT typing up the story.

If that's what the rest of the site is about -- a bunch of old farts writing stories and posting pictures of naked prostitutes while they tell the male audience how they (the male authors) performed in the sack, well, that sounds pretty gay.

Oh well, as long as what they're doing is legal, it doesn't bother me. What's strange is the need to brag about exploits with prostitutes, how they went all night long (with the help of Viagra), blah, blah, blah.

I wanted access to health care, housing and education, but, no, I get potholes, trash and silicone tits instead. -Desi.

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kingfish5515 says on Apr 15, 2009, 08:00:

WOOPS, I made a boo boo in word choice. One mistaken word changed the entire dynamics of the sentence and meaning. Even though he was a bit rough on me,,, Rikito pointed it out and is right, what I said can be interpreted as censorship of 1 group and that is not at all what I meant. Lets try again and change one word... I said,, "cant we change and become an information site about Col instead of a site constantly spewing opinionated rantings of old gringos" Lets change the end to what I meant to say which is,,, constantly spewing opinionated rantings ABOUT old gringos. Please forgive me folks,,, I am an old gringo, dont want to censor my kindred peers.. And the next time I boo boo,, please folks just point it out and dont be so rough on this poor old dumb fat bald opinionated misspoken gringo.. Thanks KF

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miamimike says on Apr 15, 2009, 09:04:

Toneloc--Don't forget Gomezman! When he was here, posting nightly was a lot of fun on PBH but you are right, PBH has lost a lot Pzazz with the departure of these old PBH posters, definetly not the place it was in 2004!

No hay Peor Ciego que el que no quiere Ver o Sordo que el que no quiera Oir--Sarah Palin, Wasilla Alaska

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Rikito says on Apr 15, 2009, 09:41:

I hope that the mods read this and attempt to do something about it. Toneloc could not be more correct in his analysis and I feel that Peter and the mods have to bear some if not a lot of responsibility for this, especially those who have been around PBH for several years. I find PBH useful and sometimes entertaining. When I ask for information or some kind of help I usually get info I can use along with the sophomoric comments from the cheap seats. Also, on some occasions I have been flat wrong in my comments and was put in my place with some kind of courtesy and understanding. It helped me a lot. It helped me understand a lot of Colombia.

Toneloc, when you mentioned names from the past like: Juancegomez, Kat1, Lauthra, Paisa29, Elmo, Dwmte, Gomezman, Miguel_Clavo, MiamiMike and ColombianoX a smile came to my face. I remember when Elmo was the Elmo who wouldn't take crap from anyone. Some of the old timers are now mods or other and their tone has really changed… for the worse. It’s like they joined the corporate world.

Now PBH has been allowed to deteriorate to look like an old worn out Sancho Panza without the humor and earthy wit.

...and so it goes

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webmanco says on Apr 15, 2009, 09:59:

ISG International Soul Guide.

No hay extremo cierto o verdadero, porque los extremos opacan, enruedan, (lavan cerebros) verdades. Yotas

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Desideria (Moderator) (Trustee board) says on Apr 15, 2009, 10:08:

I'm on, toneloc.
I've been reading this thread and I agree with you, something's gotta be done. Let me touch base with the other mods and with our trustee board; we may have to tighten the rules and disallow all dating threads. I have felt all along that relationships can be discussed, but we have to make a clear-cut separation between dating treads and relationship threads where you can discuss such things as cultural differences, language, education etc

It's good that you mailed your post to the mods; that will get everybody's attention.

I also want to throw this issue open here: give me some suggestions on how we could improve this forum.

A fronte praecipitium a tergo lupi

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miamimike says on Apr 15, 2009, 10:42:

Desi-I've mentioned this many many times so its historical info, nothing new. There should be Objective Criteria as to when a post should or should not be Yanked, if its in the corrrect subject area ect.. As it is now, it is a subjective call left to each Mods' interpretation of the law. That is why when Rikito says " A major problem in PBH is the rules and those contributors who are responsible for enforcing them. There is a significant bias by the mods who let their fav’s slide by and say anything they want" he is pretty much spot on but it warrants attention to develop a standard to be applied to everyone equally and not left to the subjective bias of any Moderator. Its one of the reasons Gomezman left,,,And that was a real loss to this website

No hay Peor Ciego que el que no quiere Ver o Sordo que el que no quiera Oir--Sarah Palin, Wasilla Alaska

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goin_south says on Apr 15, 2009, 10:46:

blame Darloup and Modefoqu! lol
What a pair! ja
Would be fun to see those two party a night away together in BQ, especially with Ms Nelly in towe... jaj
and, maybe with OnTheMoon as chapperone ;-)

nothin I say is to be takn for my words, but rather for the words of Sailor Jerry.

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Ken says on Apr 15, 2009, 10:48:

Those are my favorite type of posts, because they´re funny. What the hell is ISG?

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goin_south says on Apr 15, 2009, 10:49:

I agree, Ken.
If laughter is the best medicine, then pbh is keeping me well :-))

AND, ... WTF IS ISG?

nothin I say is to be takn for my words, but rather for the words of Sailor Jerry.

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Ken says on Apr 15, 2009, 10:51:

What % of posts are you talking about. Looks like less than 10%.Is it rally an issue?

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Rikito says on Apr 15, 2009, 11:25:

All great recommendations and as Desi knows, they have all been mentioned before on several occasions both in here and through PM's. What is apparent is that there is a lack of want to do anything. It is more important to be politically correct than a useful forum to the many who have a true passion for Colombia...not just in words, but in actions as well.

One element that I see in here is that there are so many people in here who are very new to PBH or they have only been around for a brief moment and they comment even less. It has been said in business many times before, 10% of the people cause 90% of your problems. I along with many others have sent Peter and a couple of mods whom I respect several messages on how to deal with this and the response was NADA. I would assume that the remaining mods would never want to offend anyone or any thought even though it is and has been against the rules for many years.

"It's good that you mailed your post to the mods; that will get everybody's attention." No it won't...it hasn't yet and it has been discussed previously.

"I also want to throw this issue open here: give me some suggestions on how we could improve this forum." Hello Desi, are you awake? This was done not too long ago and some revisions to the rules were made. Desi, you were part of this effort! I know this may be difficult for you and other mods to understand, but the constant violators, worms, trolls and holes, don't give a rat's ass about PBH rules. They do what they want because they will be tolerated for the sake of the left side of being PCish and they know this.

...and so it goes

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Desideria (Moderator) (Trustee board) says on Apr 15, 2009, 11:28:

"No more dating/sex threads, period; I truly find it pretty depressing that grown men need to come on this site to vent their dating frustrations with Colombianas; I'm sure it has chased away several women, and I'm also sure made them leery about visitors to Colombia; this board has been resigned to making men who post here look like social retards; PBH has lost its female perspective because of the overwhelming male viewership, then the cheering section that ensues when a Colombian woman disagrees; I previously found it interesting when women weighed in on Colombian topics, esp. Colombian natives and Colombian lovers like Desi who spent a great deal of time in country, albeit years ago; there was balance to the site"

Yes, I agree but we have to have some tangible criteria on what is a relationship thread and what is a dating thread. Or are you suggesting that we should not discuss dating and relationships at all? Yes, the locker room talk will have to go, I thought we were making progress there for a while but there has been a recent relapse. We need to bring back our female posters like Kat who hasn't been posting for some time but it's not just that...we HAVE female posters but they post little and when they post their threads get drowned in the background noise of testosterone-high males yakking about their whores. Pitiful.

Venezuelan/Chavez topics will moved to the right forum. Thanks for pointing it out.

TravelWriters not up to task? I THINK I know who you are talking about. Well, I don't really agree, but I have no experience of my own (almost none, if you don't count a 5-day holiday ion Cartagena) from that area. What I've seen is newspaper articles, music videos etc. how can that be wrong info?

"schizophrenic, multiple-handled posters"... one of my major headaches here. Whenever you detect one let me know and I'll check it out.

A fronte praecipitium a tergo lupi

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dwmte7 says on Apr 15, 2009, 11:31:

one more of these threads........"as a man thinketh" there's your answer. this rubbish fills the files of pbh because it's where men's heads are. they're looking for the girls of their dreams in the 'dime-a-dance' halls, clubs and bars. they find what they seek....weren't we told that somewhere....'seek and you shall find'?

why are you surprised? i'mnot...(this fuckin computer's space bar is dead or dying, and driving me nuts) i've lectured many of you on this nonsense many times. pain in the ass lectures...right.but the truth.if you don't want this shit in your life, in front of you, or in your thoughts, DONT PUT IT THERE.

can you fuckin believe it? it's that simple. out of sight, outta mind. periodl.

patriarch

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ferran says on Apr 15, 2009, 11:31:

I cant say I have been that long on this forum like some of you, but I do see the point that toneloc is expressing, there is to much testosterone going on here, even I have fallen into this trap, theres plenty of contributors that have a lot of good information about Colombia, Trolls are breeding here and nothing is done about it, even the mods fall for these trolls, with their stupid attention posts,"Are Colombians lazy" " I scored in bed with a Colombianita" come on, what moronic statements are these, or "Tenat Lanlord desputes" and all other sexually disfunctional comments, some points are legit and others just plain garbage. Apts. and rooms for rent should have a section, PBH is getting larger but no methods have been applied to this growth, every subject is bunch up together, like any periodical it should have its sections, so everyone can get the source they are looking for. The house should be modified and clean out, its beginnig to look and smell like an old cantina filled with broke drunks.

PS Colombia has many aspects good and bad and as a Colombian forum nothing should be hidden or tabu, sex, drugs, war and criminals is a real part of Colombia and it should be talked about in a designated section, all these issues are a real part of Colombia therefore should not be omitted.

All truth goes through three phases. First, it is ridiculed. Second, it is violently opposed. Third, it is accepted as being self evident.

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Desideria (Moderator) (Trustee board) says on Apr 15, 2009, 11:49:

There is a special forum for buy, sell and rent. You are allowed to place a commercial ad there. Spamming is prohibited, of course, and all the mods have been deleting spammers and their accounts.
We have around 20 000 registered members but the number of actives is not that large, however there are members who post seldom and only on specific topics. Then of course, we have a core group of, say about 50 people who have a serious PBH addiction (like myself).

Sure, I can start swinging my broom here and clean the cantina and throw out the broke drunks. What do I do with the ones who ain't broke?

A fronte praecipitium a tergo lupi

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Miguel_Clavo says on Apr 15, 2009, 12:24:

My Two Pesos.....i had decided to relocate to Colomia in 2002 in anticipation of my retirement plans in 2006. I went to 3 countries to see which one i wanted to spend the next chapter of my life in, i spent time in Russian, Philipines, and the only democracy i could find in South America, Colombia. After having experienced the people, culture, and what is valued here i decided Colombia is where i want to live. I spent every free time in Colombia exploring Colombia since 2002. In 2005 i had heard from a friend who was engaged to marry a girl from the coast about PBH and he told me it was a great source of information about travel, relocation, challenges in living there, etc. So, i joined and began my research. I recieved alot of great information, and some erroneous information at the same time. It at least was a great place to start and interact with people with a lot of experience with Colombia. I also have met several PBHer in person, many i consider close friends, altthough i did meet 2 real losers. =) But i also observed the following, which also was readlily apparent:

1. Female PBH bashing.....locker room mentality with some insecure morons blasting everything a female poster would post.
2. Colombia Bashing....for a website claiming to be About Colombia (which i had interpreted as promoting Colombia)
this was as far from the truth as it could be. Idiotic poster were complaining about anything and everything that they found different in Colombia from their own countries.....different is not necessarily bad....but, the PBH Whine and Geezz Club flourished. These people need to have their computer confiscated and seek mental health treatment.
3. Promotion of Sex Tourism.........i would venture to guess if you removed the really stupid posts, and we all know which ones are really stupid, then the percentage of ST/Colombiana Bashing/Dating relationships to Travel Oriented threads would be heavily leaning toward the former. what, maybe 65% ST with 25% Travel and 10% Rent etc.....and for the PBH Potatoheads, no i did not conduct a survey nor can i provide a link......get over it...=)
4. Complete Character Assassination of the Colombiana......

After coming to PBH did i realize the bum rap Colombia had in the eyes of the world. This did not jive with my 24 trips since 2002, and after living here for the 18 months. Colombia in my eyes is not perfect, but it has great people, a great culture, terrible food (just kidding, i wanted to raise Monporris blood pressure again! jajaj) , is a great place to live, and a great potential for the future. I wish the people of Colomba only the best, and i am really honored to live here in Colombia. I am a guest here in their country. I dont shit in places that accept me and treat me as a guest.

This site should be about Travel, and not the best place to find the cheapest sex, nor should it be used as a Colombia-Bashing website. If someone wants to find out about sex tourism in Colombia, there are plenty of websites to get that infor. Same with people with mental health issues and like to WAHWAHWAH about Colombia, there are website where they can whine ad nauseum.

and while i am at it, SHITCAN the IGNORE BUTTON...that is for maricas and people who cant get along with others......these potatoheads are like the kid nobody likes who gets fed up with the other kids, so he threatens to take "his ball and go home"...."I AM GOING TO PUT YOU ON IGNORE!".jajajaj...TFF..Post stupid shit on the internet, expect to get flack for it...just like REAL LIFE??? Imagínate! Besides, they dont keep you on ignore for long..human nature makes us want to know what is being said about us!!!!

Feel Free to Disagree.

RVW orderded me to remove my tagline congratulating the PBH Mods New Golden Boys. Lame.

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Brody says on Apr 15, 2009, 12:27:

Maybe there should be a separate dating forum? Not with personals, or anything overly racy, just where you can air out cultural differences in relationships, or talk about romantic spots, or something along those lines.

I think the problem with PBH is the problem with much of the internet, in that we are semi anonymous posters and hide behind thick layers of sarcasm all the time in our comments. I have been sheepish about posting several times because theres always a few people here who act like they know everything about Colombia and assume you know nothing. Their tone is unnecessarily harsh and cutting. Ask anyone who has asked about teaching English here, who merely wants some helpful information or advice, and who gets rained on with a torrent of bile and invective. I think we could use a little more tolerance for newbies whose questions may seem dumb to cynical old hands at Colombian living and traveling.

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ferran says on Apr 15, 2009, 12:34:

Desi I see what you mean, unfurtunatly where there is no profit there is no motive, and what I'm getting at is a paid membership or the marketing of projects, do you Desi get paid for being a MOD? most likely its a NO, it takes money to get things done and to get people to do a job. It all depends what Peter has in mind and what he wants to do with his forum, I suggested to Peter and you how the PBH cookbok was a good marketable idea that could generate capital so in return it could be invested in a lean more efficient website, but my idea wasnt even consider, instead it just fell into the hands of the trolls. There is the call for change, perhaps PBH should be close down for a major overhawl, with all the new website designs, PBH is not user friendly, check out Col Amigos, Mario has done an amazing job with his website, you have to stay in tune with the times, either you evolve or you fall, that is the question.

All truth goes through three phases. First, it is ridiculed. Second, it is violently opposed. Third, it is accepted as being self evident.

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miamimike says on Apr 15, 2009, 12:49:

Desi says "Venezuelan/Chavez topics will moved to the right forum. Thanks for pointing it out."
========================================================================================

Desi, I'm not sure you remember my numerous emails and Flags I sent you(as well as other mods) on this on subject but this isn't a new PBH problem by any means. I sent these starting over two years ago. They were sent to other Mods also but you alone usually acted on them. Thanks for your great interest here on PBH ; I truly appreciate it.

No hay Peor Ciego que el que no quiere Ver o Sordo que el que no quiera Oir--Sarah Palin, Wasilla Alaska

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Desideria (Moderator) (Trustee board) says on Apr 15, 2009, 12:56:

Yes, Mike. Other mods do move threads around too, but by far I spend the most time here. I've been a little blind here, not seeing the obvious and not moving these Chavez threads to the Venezuelan forum, but I'll be more observant now.

Ferran, I've sent you a pm about the cookbook project.

Brody, Miguel, Toneloc, I'll be getting back to you guys shortly. You all have some very valid points.

A fronte praecipitium a tergo lupi

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Rikito says on Apr 15, 2009, 13:06:

...and lil ol me? or am I a thorn to you? Again...all of this has been discussed and brought to your attention before and you refused to have any ownership and just ignored it. Go of that ignore button girl...just like I am going to do.

...and so it goes

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dwmte7 says on Apr 15, 2009, 13:07:

dear friends.....it is indeed a can of worms here. the sex issues, marriage issues and poor me issues. the arguing between each other and talkin about vigilanteeism....all of these issues an many more weigh down the content and provide food for the foolish, ill intended, and trolls. but finding a constructive solution to this is not easy...nay, it is near impossible. and for openers on this i highly commend peter for his patience in dealing with the nonsense, bull shit and oft times, filth here on site. anybody else would have shut it down or just installed a rule of law that would proove a 'death rattle' for pbh.;

we must remember/bare in mind...this is really a family site. many here go all the way back to colombia experts and that is years ago. so we care for one another, think of one another, worry for each other and participate in our brother's and sister's ups and downs, happy times and sufferings...family births and deaths. this isn't just a site to hear about colombian tourism. here you participate in a multicolored colombian/foreign family. and as such, we family members need to have the mettle to listen to each other's pains and heart aches. our happy days and hangovers. if we didn't have and keep that, it wouldn't--in my opinion--be worth a shit.

maarit (desi) is like a sister to me, i CARE about her...and peter, and tinto and miami and all the rest of you..ALL OF YOU.i care about you...i want to know how goes the days and ways of your life. and if it's up i'll smile and drink to that. if it's down, really down, man, i'll cry with you and hold your hand and sit up and wait with you til it gets better and bareable. that's what a family is.

so, brothers and sisters, in dead seriousness...how do we deal with the rabble who are ill intentioned, lonely, foolish, sick, blowhards and problem seekers? this is tough? i've been thinking about it for years. and i still haven't come up with the 'final solution' the gestapo tactic...the final solution...won't work. we don't want the countryside (cyber) strewn with the bones of the pbh castoffs. we need to have a manerism that somehow, constructively, weeds out the ill intentioned and foolish and eliminates them in a manner where they don't necessarily feel beaten down or damagingly exposed, but sent along with out harm....i'm not sure exactly how, for over the years, two individuals that i dealt with were DEAD serious. and as much as i disdain this in my life or relationships...it was there. and i can only thank the mods in one case for electrocuting the one and the other, i just told him straight up that i was turning the matter over to my father in envigado and was going to let him address it as he saw fit...a colombian solution where family honor has been maligned. well this chap got the gist of the deathly seriousness of the matter and straight away in deep seriousness, apologized to me and was never heard from again. so there are some solutions. i just don't feel comfortable with calling out the sicarios agains folks i dislike.

and on the sex tourism side. all we have to do is keep ourselves away from this and it's not in our lives. i think there are sufficient rules on site to castigate and eliminate objectionable offenders....and in cases where there is clear and unequivical criminality involved (pedophilia) turn it over to the authorities. this is not a policing site and peter neither wants to be involved in litigation nor in the resolution of such tragic matters. (sorry peter but i felt i could speak for you in this regard)

if we all govern ourselves the best we can...show tolerance to others and their opinions and always respect colombia and colombians, i think we can weather this storm and survive stronger and better than we are now.

douglas

patriarch

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RAAAY says on Apr 15, 2009, 13:14:

Desi....It strikes me that you already have some decent tools here already, without having to re-invent the wheel. Whilst not a perfect answer by any means, perhaps you should just relegate the nonsense posts to the off topic section. In the immediate term, that would at least serve to get rid of all the clutter, while still allowing the entertainment factor to continue for all the childish clowns(like meeeee).

No doubt, some method of keeping off the multable handles and trolls will become available in the future.

I first joined this site when there were only a few hundred comments on it. Long time ago. Then I re-joined after a few years absense. There was a noticable difference in the type of posts. But that is probably the nature of how things evolve when you get a large group of people who become familiar with each other.

Make the rules too tight and you might just lose the community aspect of the site, which would be a pity. Use the various existing sections to move the posts to, would allow for the main page to be more concentrated on the positive things about Colombia, and for those seeking information. It has been suggested before to have various " stickys " for the oft asked questions. I think this too, would be a great help.

Im amazed you are still here............being a MOD has to be the most thankless job. OK, $125,000 per year and a company Merc helps..........but I salute you...............all the best, Ray

.........Its useless to argue with ignorance

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Desideria (Moderator) (Trustee board) says on Apr 15, 2009, 13:16:

Rikito,
until now, I hadn't read your recent comment. I appreciate your contribution to this topic as well. There's a lot to think about here and it'll be a couple of days at least before any changes of policy can be done.

And no, you're no thorn but perhaps you could be a little bit more positive about my effort to moderate this board. I need help, not negative criticism.

A fronte praecipitium a tergo lupi

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pavo says on Apr 15, 2009, 13:27:

Salud!

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Desideria (Moderator) (Trustee board) says on Apr 15, 2009, 13:40:

Raaaaaaaay you're my kind of guy. :)
I understand perfectly what you are saying. I wish we had a sort of basement where all that stuff that should not be in the front page could be sent to. I cherish the community feeling of this board and if we moderate too tightly we may lose it.
At the same time I really miss the vibrancy we had just about two, maybe three years ago.

Douglas, I don't want the countryside strewn with bones either. We've known each other for a long time without actually ever meeting and I appreciate your opinions a lot. My dilemma is the same it has been always since I agreed to moderate this forum: how much is enough? How much is too much?

A fronte praecipitium a tergo lupi

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pavo says on Apr 15, 2009, 13:46:

It´s like I´ve been saying in the other posts. The true traveler and expat will stop seeing Colombia as the road less traveled if more and more people see Colombia as a place to go play and degenerate. A safe Colombia with cheap drugs and women will bring a class of people that make Colombia an unpleasant experience. Take a look at Thailand. Disgusting. Can you imagine Colombia like that? Dependent upon that type of tourism. I believe the growth in OPs searching for this type of information will only grow over time. I think you need to put the kabash on any information that will lead to this type of tourism.

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dwmte7 says on Apr 15, 2009, 14:00:

well, brother pavo....we'ld have to degenerate one hell of a long way to catch up with colombia's very own native degeneration which was alive and well before any of us even heard of the place.

as mentioned above....if sex tourism is at issue...avoid it. have nothing to do with it and the mods will delete those offenders as per the extant rules. thailand, colombia will never be. if the whole of colombia turned into juarez and tijuana it would still be above water when compared to thailand....they sell their kids there. all due respect to thailand, but they are the parents of their own problems. it didn't take tourists to bring the place down. the same in hong kong. or lagos nigeria, or anyother place that exists as a shit hole for humanity's dregs.

patriarch

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Miguel_Clavo says on Apr 15, 2009, 14:07:

Instead of stuffing the ST/Dating threads into a PBH basement, i suggest to eliminate them and force the Posters to place them on other websites. Let the "other websites" be the "Keepers of the Shitbag".....so they can attract all the flies instead of PBH.....

RVW orderded me to remove my tagline congratulating the PBH Mods New Golden Boys. Lame.

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RAAAY says on Apr 15, 2009, 14:10:

Pavo................Colombia will never become quite like what you describe.................One trait that you will find in ALL Colombians is their fierce and justified pride in their homeland...............I believe, if Colombia ever got to the point where people began coming in droves to avail of sex-tourism, it will be regulated by a few loud bangs in the night............and a wheelbarrow full of sex tourists heading off to the morgue.

Colombia gets all sorts of tourists..........older guy looking for a wife..what harm..? so what..? group of fellas coming for a good time....what harm...? so what..?

If sex-tourism ever becomes a problem .................it'll be sorted out fairly quickly.

.

.........Its useless to argue with ignorance

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goin_south says on Apr 15, 2009, 14:12:

is (did) anyone going to tell some of us who are more dense, ... what is ISG?
__________

And! Yeah... I do miss the contributions of Colombiche here.
She had/has as much or more valuable information to offer about Colombia, than just about anyone else, even though she was living out of the country (I think).

nothin I say is to be takn for my words, but rather for the words of Sailor Jerry.

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Miguel_Clavo says on Apr 15, 2009, 14:25:

www.internationalsexguide.com , GS....or whoever needed it.....=)

RVW orderded me to remove my tagline congratulating the PBH Mods New Golden Boys. Lame.

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Desideria (Moderator) (Trustee board) says on Apr 15, 2009, 14:26:

ISG=International Sex Guide

A fronte praecipitium a tergo lupi

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Miguel_Clavo says on Apr 15, 2009, 14:27:

RAAAY...i agree with you on that....if it was the Massive Invasion everyone rants about, things would soon change...i agree it is a problem, but the Gringo factor isnt at the Invasion point yet.....but it is there.

RVW orderded me to remove my tagline congratulating the PBH Mods New Golden Boys. Lame.

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Rikito says on Apr 15, 2009, 14:40:

Desi, I apologize for my negative criticism, maybe it was misdirected or just my frustration at not being heard or even considered. But, maybe you can understand that:
1) There is a real problem here that needs action…not idle verbiage.
2) Everything in this post has been addressed recently and over the years. From this some new rules were put in place, but little has been done to enforce them. This is the responsibility of the all of the mods and not a select few who really do not want to be bothered.
3) As a checkpoint, new mods were put in place to see that these rules were implemented correctly and without biased.
4) Many of these mods have failed miserably at their jobs paid or not.
5) Peter is not reacting (maybe this is by choice, but I am dismayed that I have made many many suggestions before some of which have been re-issued here).
6) The actions that are needed are not difficult to implement or achieve…it is a simple matter of explaining the rules, having the poster agree to those rules, realizing that if the rules are violated a suspension or delete action can occur at any time.

As a positive aside to you, I am surprised that you are the only mod commenting here. Where are the other mod leaders? Where is your support? If you are going to take the shots in here you deserve some form of help from your other mods, but they apparently are out to lunch. You don’t deserve to have all of our frustrations applied to one person.

...and so it goes

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Rikito says on Apr 15, 2009, 14:49:

and speaking of past posters...there was a guy in here with the name of Lawyer_CO. He is a lawyer from Medellin and made some very good legal comments that were spot on. I used him twice for some serious legal stuff and he was really worth the money. Also, he used to post some good valuable legal information in here on a weekly basis. He doesn't come around anymore because he doesn’t have time to sort through all of the childish antics and comments. This is one more example of losing one of the good ones.

...and so it goes

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Desideria (Moderator) (Trustee board) says on Apr 15, 2009, 14:51:

Thank you Rikito I appreciate your concern.

A fronte praecipitium a tergo lupi

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RAAAY says on Apr 15, 2009, 15:09:

.

elSapo says on Apr 15, 2009, 14:31 (today): flag
" Ray is pretty good in predicting the future... what was that about Dollar and Peso? "


Robi...........your comment is yet another example of how people with multable handles take every opportunity to inject their sillyness into a serious discussion.

You do, however, point out my oft un-rewarded talents as a financial genius.........in your comment above you are probably referring to my prediction of March 2007..


RAAAY says on Mar 15, 2007, 13:14 : flag
I am quite confident that the Dollar/Peso rate will be 2370 on April 15th 2009



.............AND LOOK...............today's rate below....................weeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee




Live rates at 2009.04.15 21:56:43 UTC

1.00 USD = 2,370.50 COP

United States Dollars Colombia Pesos
1 USD = 2,370.50 COP 1 COP = 0.000421852 USD



.

burp


.

.........Its useless to argue with ignorance

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RAAAY says on Apr 15, 2009, 15:18:

But back to the subject matter.............and I would like to apoligise for taking Robi's bait.


Is it possible that the reason that PBH does'nt have a method of keeping people with multable handles and trolls off is something to do with finance.
Is there some tech stuff now available for this type of forum, but is'nt being used, because of it's cost..just a thought.......If it happens to be the case, I, for one, would gladly donate to any fund to allow Peter to avail of what is needed. I'm sure there are plenty of others who would do the same. Desi....could this be the case..??


.

.........Its useless to argue with ignorance

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Desideria (Moderator) (Trustee board) says on Apr 15, 2009, 15:20:

Ray and Robito, do you MIND???????????

A fronte praecipitium a tergo lupi

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ColombianoGringo (Moderator) (Trustee board) (☼Travelguide writer) says on Apr 15, 2009, 15:24:

Raaay. It's not so much a matter of finances. It can be very difficult to automatically detect and protect against proxies. For example, the BBC runs a live F1 feed that is only supposed to be viewable by users in the UK. However, it is ridiculously easy to bypass these restrictions by using an open proxy in the UK. The same thing applies to the Caracol live feed on the web. I'm sure the Beeb has plenty of money to spend on security, so that isn't the problem.

It is very easy to open a new hotmail account and find a proxy to bypass the blocked IP list for the site. We have blocked literally thousands of proxy IP addresses, but the nuisances just find more.

Consequently, we just delete the multiples as we find them. Some people have chosen to give up one account to use another. Under Peter's rules, this is apparently acceptable.

I'm so hip, I have difficulty seeing over my pelvis.

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durito2 says on Apr 15, 2009, 15:29:

It's very easy to get a new ip address, I'm unaware of any forums that have a solution to this problem. Except one that has just taken the no moderation at all approach. I don't think that would work so well here.

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ColombianoGringo (Moderator) (Trustee board) (☼Travelguide writer) says on Apr 15, 2009, 15:31:

As far as the content on the site, I think we need to be a lot more strict with moderation. We may lose some regulars by doing so, but the site will be better for it. We put up with entirely too much nonsense on the forums. If this is supposed to be a travel and information site, then so be it. As it stands, it has gotten entirely too chaotic. This drives a lot of people away.

A perfect example arose a few days ago. A newbie posted a perfectly reasonable question about how to dress for a wedding in Cartagena. He was immediately jumped on by various posters with antagonistic comments. That kind of crap is unacceptable and goes against the stated purpose of the site.

I'm so hip, I have difficulty seeing over my pelvis.

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RAAAY says on Apr 15, 2009, 15:38:

Pity...........

I personally see the multable users and trolls as the biggest problem here. All the other stuff........sex... dating etc etc is fairly self-regulating in that others here protest at the right time. There is no real anti-Colombia stuff, that I see, although folks like Simon might see otherwise, on occasions...........methinks he doth protest too much..........at times. But he gives a perspective that we foreigners might not see.

Anyone have Medo's home address..??


.

.........Its useless to argue with ignorance

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RAAAY says on Apr 15, 2009, 15:43:

C.C................I really believe that a lot of people do not feel like responding to a serious post, with a serious response, because they will feel like an idiot, when it transpires that it was posted by someone for pure mischief.

You've got to do something about multable handles and trolls.

.

.........Its useless to argue with ignorance

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RAAAY says on Apr 15, 2009, 15:52:

Maybe this is silly........but, here goes.............

What if any new post went first to a series of Mods. Not automatically available on the public forum. Then the Mod would put it into a proper section, or refer the poster to a previous thread that contains a detailed answer, or just post it and let it fly.



.

.........Its useless to argue with ignorance

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utopiacowboy says on Apr 15, 2009, 16:02:

You make some excellent points, Toneloc.

Disclaimer: any comment I make is inane and is not to be taken seriously, and is so patently ridiculous that no one should take it seriously, even as an insult.

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Peter (Moderator) (Trustee board) (Dev team) (☼Travelguide writer) says on Apr 15, 2009, 16:06:

These are all great points.

Believe me, we've broken our heads over this over the past few years. We haven't succeeded yet.

We are currently behind the scenes discussing a number of options to improve the conversation. The trick is, we want to do it without stiffling voices. There has to be some level of rules, we don't want to become all politically correct though, and at the same time the workload for the moderators should be bearable. Not an easy job. At the same time, we are all volunteering our time, and there are only so many hours in the week to work on this.

Specific comments on some ideas:

- Make every post go through mods: this is not feasible (too much work), and misses the real problem (the comments).
- Block IPs etc: we do our best there, but we have smart trolls.
- Being unfriendly to newbies: this is a BIG problem.

With the variety of viewpoints here (that we try to respect), it's not easy, but at the same time, this same thread proves we have a passionate community here. We'll get better!

Poor but snappy

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Peter (Moderator) (Trustee board) (Dev team) (☼Travelguide writer) says on Apr 15, 2009, 16:08:

As I hinted before, I also believe that part of the problem is the diversity of points of view. Read this for some great relevant insights:
http://www.shirky.com/writings/group_enemy.html

I think we can make this work. Again, we're also discussing this very actively behind the scenes.

Poor but snappy

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RAAAY says on Apr 15, 2009, 16:15:

..." Being unfriendly to newbies: this is a BIG problem "

I believe this is all to do with the thought that any " newbie's " post is assumed to be from a multiple user or troll. I don't think the comments to a newbie's post would denegrate into nonsense, if it was felt to be a serious post. Maybe just screen the " newbie's " posts.

.........Its useless to argue with ignorance

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manINred says on Apr 15, 2009, 17:11:

wow, raay, and M_C, I generally get the impression that you both treat this site like a joke (understandably with some of the ludicrous insulting threads recently), but I think you guys are spot-on!

Well said.

More importantly, Colombiano Gringo... "It's not so much a matter of finances. It can be very difficult to automatically detect and protect against proxies. For example, the BBC runs a live F1 feed that is only supposed to be viewable by users in the UK. However, it is ridiculously easy to bypass these restrictions by using an open proxy in the U"

Even if offtopic, please elaborate!!!!!

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dwmte7 says on Apr 15, 2009, 18:04:

i've noticed that many newbies have nothing on their personal page. many trolls are this way. i often ask folks (newbies) to fill out their profile so i/others have a clue/hint as to whom they're talking with. sure, they can be false, but not always. there's folks in this thread who've been here under different names and are possibly using multiple names now.

i'm not an ace at recognizing aliens, but i know they're here. why use all these secret names...some to me offenseve in general and offensive to medellin/colombia i.e.: medefuckinllin or something like that. he can call himself a dumb fuckin idiot for all i care. buy why bring down medallo in the process.???

if i had all the answers i'd own the site. but if it became mod approved/evaluated posts, the fun would be gone, just like me.

patriarch

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sloopskipper says on Apr 15, 2009, 18:19:

Healthy sex is one of the most wonderful things in life, but I have never seen so many men with an adolescent/childish preoccupation/obsession (and vulgar language) as many of the poster & commenters here. It truly degrades a worthwhile site.

Thank God the mods trash some of it.

I also agree about the clowns with no profile or born/live in Afghanistan or Antarctica.

Seems that some people think "everybody's outa step but me".

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dwmte7 says on Apr 15, 2009, 19:43:

amen/ditto that.

d

patriarch

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jens says on Apr 15, 2009, 20:17:

It sounds like Desi and RAAAY would make a great couple. Both about the same age, Euro humor, single, and alot of time on there hands

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RAAAY says on Apr 15, 2009, 21:00:

Kevin.........that should be .........".their hands " ......not there hands.

And you used to teach English..??

Anyway....how's things.......? the bambino...?? Nati..??

Send Migel Clavo a PM.......I told him I'd try and get you to contact him.......................he has a few bike related questions.


.

.........Its useless to argue with ignorance

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Desideria (Moderator) (Trustee board) says on Apr 16, 2009, 01:21:

Keep the suggestions/viewpoints coming. This is all good.

A fronte praecipitium a tergo lupi

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Miguel_Clavo says on Apr 16, 2009, 07:21:

manINred....the first year or two i was researching only and did very little posting. But after reading all the Colombia bashing from the PBH Potatoheads, i engaged them. I was waiting to move to Colombia, and at one point i had retired with more free time, so i had fun clowning them. Once i moved here, i had much less time due to relocating and the acclimation/logistics to a new country. i also had my business to run as well. PBH is still a source of information, but it is also a source of entertainment as well. And a way to keep in contact with my friends here where a fondness for Colombia is what we have in common. This year i am able to relax a little while at work, so i read and post when i can. I still share a fondness for PBH Potatoheads, which has 2 recently added members...jajaj.

Sapo....Bethge owns ISG?

billyb....relax, brah....you are NOT one of the 2 PBH losers i met while in California...jajajjaja....you do know who i am talking about though......jajajaj......

RVW orderded me to remove my tagline congratulating the PBH Mods New Golden Boys. Lame.

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RAAAY says on Apr 16, 2009, 07:56:

Desideria (Moderator) (Trustee board) says on Apr 16, 2009, 01:21 (today): flag
" Keep the suggestions/viewpoints coming. This is all good."


Peter pointed out that " Make every post go through mods: this is not feasible (too much work), and misses the real problem (the comments)."

Perhaps you could make posts by Newbies go through Mods and change the settings to make a newbie remain a newbie until he/she has a number of posts.......say 5 or 10 or whatever.


.

.........Its useless to argue with ignorance

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pedro (☼Travelguide writer) says on Apr 16, 2009, 09:06:

Peter, couldn't the relationship discussion be kept compartmentalised in a separate section of the forum? Just like "Politics and the War" is right now?

If you decided to segment the discussions further, I also want to recall an idea I've suggested before. Have a means of selecting each of the forums you wish to follow. So I could check "Politics" and "Friendly Talkzone", but not "Off Topic" or "Buy, Rent, Sell" for example.

This idea could maybe reduce the number of people bitching about info existing on the forum that they don't want to see there (but that others may enjoy reading).

People should be encouraged to make better use of the ignore feature, too.

"this may seem a strange post but it is not...when in colombia men need to be aware that colombia women may try to be seductive and entice a travelling gringo to have sex with them..to be forewarned is to be forearmed..." -- pow wow

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RAAAY says on Apr 16, 2009, 09:15:

I don't think I ever get involved in " relationship " discussions.............but.....I think a lot of the stuff is good. There are some great insights and if people only applied some of the relationship " advice " given here, they would be well served. It would be a pity to lose that aspect of the site.

No one should be allowed enter into a relationship with a Colombiana without first being made to read some of Elmo"s pointers. He should be given the title of " Grande Agony Aunt "............ he really can be " spot on " so often.



.

.........Its useless to argue with ignorance

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Escape Artist says on Apr 16, 2009, 09:26:

Well it appears my post has started some decent dialog... which was my intent. Thanks to everyone who contributed useful and thought provoking content, I can only hope it does not end here. Improving this great site for the masses and not just for a select few, I would think, is the intention of its creator and the volunteer mods. With simple and consistent enforcement of the existing rules and possibly some tweaking of them as needed this can be accomplished. A special thanks to toneloc24 for his contributions and pretty much saying what I would have said had I not been away. Another thanks goes out to Desi for her acknowledgment of the problem that I have noticed developing over the past month or so and for her commitment to wanting to make positive changes. Peter, to you I can only say I'm glad I'm not in your shoes and a HUGE thank you for your hard work and dedication in creating and maintaining this wonderful source of information about our beloved Colombia.

Again, Rikito, Mr. Martin, Michael_Clavo, CG and to all others who made positive constructive contributions to this thread, thank you one and all for your input here.

EA

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Robert Jorge says on Apr 16, 2009, 09:32:

If somebody doesn't wish to read about relationship type posts, why do they read and sometimes even respond to them? Just don't read them. Or am I missing something? I find them pretty entertaining myself. And I have shared some personal info in the past. At the time, it was therapuetic.

"You can not take the barrio out of the girl you really can't." Oneforamillion

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dwmte7 says on Apr 16, 2009, 09:34:

clue me.

patriarch

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Desideria (Moderator) (Trustee board) says on Apr 16, 2009, 09:37:

Morphus?

A fronte praecipitium a tergo lupi

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RAAAY says on Apr 16, 2009, 09:40:

No Desi...................c'mon...............think " Windy City "


.

.........Its useless to argue with ignorance

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Desideria (Moderator) (Trustee board) says on Apr 16, 2009, 09:43:

I'm betting on NYC:)

A fronte praecipitium a tergo lupi

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mranderson says on Apr 16, 2009, 09:43:

I think relationship discussions should be allowed to continue. Let´s work on one of the biggest problems which is being unfriendly to newbies or people with silly questions. I also hate when someone asks a basic question and the first response is to use the search function cuase it has been discussed to death. I mean if the responder knows of a previous post that would be useful then just post the link instead of complaining.

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Escape Artist says on Apr 16, 2009, 09:51:

Possibly an area in the sign up section that boldly give those signing in for the first time a few heads up. One for example might let them know about the search feature and emphasize the use of it. Maybe even a mandatory acknowledgement they have read and agree to abide by the pbh "rules" (and yes I realize this might seem a bit over the top and maybe even a bit childish but it does appear there are many childlike individuals signing up as members).

These suggestions might help avoid a small portion of the conflicts with "newbies" and the old guard along with helping to minimize the undesirable types of post.

And if people want to talk about relationships might I recommend they go to one of the many hundreds of dating web sites (and there are many that specialize for Colombia) and participate in their chat rooms and forums.

EA

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Robert Jorge says on Apr 16, 2009, 09:52:

That's true tomtom33. But come on ....

"You can not take the barrio out of the girl you really can't." Oneforamillion

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dwmte7 says on Apr 16, 2009, 10:05:

we've nailed it. being rude to newbies is abhorrent here. sure there are some dumb butts that post, however, you're only dumb/ignorant until you learn....been there done that. and you? you ever been dumb?

well, a little respect will do wonders. i know, i know, i'm guilty of chiding them sometimes...but not with ill intent. i never want to hurt or offend anyone. but i am guilty of poking fun at some to these folks. lets make it a point of showing a little more courtesy to these new visitors. some of ya'll are brutal. we shouldn't be that way.

and as for relationships....why off limits? we all have them. we all need them why make that off limits.? i think the whole sex trip can be canned, as it is just a bag of worms ultimately. and one's sexuality is of no issue to anyone else. certainly not here. criminal issues when evident and obvious should always be referred to authorities... i don't think that the vigilante discussions here on site are prudent....they have a tendency to make peter liable, legally. and these issues are really not fodder for a travel/cultural/personal site. they just bring up our deepest and most volitile emotions. it's enough that we all detest and deplore these abuses, but we are not the venue for remediation.

douglas

patriarch

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RAAAY says on Apr 16, 2009, 10:07:

Pedro...............elsapo is a perfect example of why multaple accts are a problem...............Here you have someone ( who you yourself, happen to know and like )..............who, is a perfect gentleman and a very nice guy........who, in his previous user name, contributed unending amounts of good pointers about Colombia. Who, has an insight and knowledge about Colombia more than most and has shared his info and has been a positive factor to this board...........................THEN...........he starts using another user name..............and he turns into a " f##kin vixen "


.

.........Its useless to argue with ignorance

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Desideria (Moderator) (Trustee board) says on Apr 16, 2009, 10:10:

Sapito starts misbehavin' and I'll put him in the fridge for 24 hrs.
I have much, much more patience with the gentleman he used to be:)

A fronte praecipitium a tergo lupi

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RAAAY says on Apr 16, 2009, 10:15:

Desi,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,.............any thoughts on my earlier suggestion....
" Peter pointed out that " Make every post go through mods: this is not feasible (too much work), and misses the real problem (the comments)."

Perhaps you could make posts by Newbies go through Mods and change the settings to make a newbie remain a newbie until he/she has a number of posts.......say 5 or 10 or whatever."


.

.........Its useless to argue with ignorance

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webmanco says on Apr 16, 2009, 10:17:

Nothing wrong with ISG
INTERNATIONAL SOUL GUIDE

Anything that needs to be done to attract posters as OnTheMoon and Paleolitico, must be done ASAP

Crying post are as annoying as sex generalizing ones.

No hay extremo cierto o verdadero, porque los extremos opacan, enruedan, (lavan cerebros) verdades. Yotas

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mranderson says on Apr 16, 2009, 10:17:

I don´t agree at all with escape artist about stressing the search feature. I say we welcome all new posts no matter how basic the question may be. There´s always a chance someone has more or better information so why discourage newbies from posting by stressing the search feature.

Besides if we don´t get new posts from these people then we will get the same old sex posts from the anti-sex extremists.

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RAAAY says on Apr 16, 2009, 10:22:

C.C. .mnanderson was suggesting the opposite...........

.

.........Its useless to argue with ignorance

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dwmte7 says on Apr 16, 2009, 10:23:

ban the bomb.

patriarch

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mranderson says on Apr 16, 2009, 10:24:

If someone knows that the question has been covered well then why not paste a link to the useful thread in the comment? If you´re not going to add anything constructive then why bother to add anything?

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webmanco says on Apr 16, 2009, 10:27:

http://poorbuthappy.com/colombia/post/certificate-of-no-criminal-recor...

Somebody tell Lulu to use the search box or help him/her

No hay extremo cierto o verdadero, porque los extremos opacan, enruedan, (lavan cerebros) verdades. Yotas

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Desideria (Moderator) (Trustee board) says on Apr 16, 2009, 10:29:

That'd help us perhaps to discover the trolls at an earlier stage, but it shouldn't be hard for an astute troll to pretend being a legit poster for 5-19 comments, medo already does that except when he's out of control and starts trolling right away.

It's a good suggestion and there are several other boards who moderate newbies for a while, but it would increase our workload and we may be too big with too few mods for that. (and it looks like at least one of our mods is always on vacation:)))

I kind of like the idea of a separate off-topic forum for dating and relationships. Something that would not show in active/latest posts. I'm not against relationship threads I think there's much good info for bicultural couples that will be lost but I do not want PBH look and sound like guys' locker room where every other thread is about prostitutes, strip clubs, popping viagra and comparing notes on women. However, I'm not a prude and neither a hypocrite: I know we have a large group of males here who are/go to Colombia exclusively for commercial sex. I don't want sex tourists on this board but I also don't want to censure grown people if they want to share some dating info with each other or talk about their GFs or significant others.

A fronte praecipitium a tergo lupi

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RAAAY says on Apr 16, 2009, 10:49:

.." That'd help us perhaps to discover the trolls at an earlier stage.."

I think the main thing it would achive is, it would allow others to take the posts from newbies as serious. People would be less inclined to automatically bash the newbie poster, if they felt that the post had been looked at first by Mods.

.........Its useless to argue with ignorance

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webmanco says on Apr 16, 2009, 10:52:

PBH is dead

No hay extremo cierto o verdadero, porque los extremos opacan, enruedan, (lavan cerebros) verdades. Yotas

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Darloup (☼Travelguide writer) says on Apr 16, 2009, 10:52:

There is nothing basically wrong with PBH.

The biggest problem are those few, but vociferous and cynical members, who consider PBH as they private playground and who, as a rule, have very little, if any, positive input to add/contribute to the forum because "they know it all" and impose their "done that - being there" attitude.

If a post break the rules? The post will be deleted (normally within 24 hours - often less)
If a post is uninteresting? It will be ignored and will soon die of slow death

Two small prices to pay to have a vibrant and reactive forum - which both are PBH's hallmarks.

There are enough rules - we don't need more. We just need the mods to stick to them and implement them.

IMAO, the biggest problem is the way the newbies are treated (especially by this vociferous minority who consider PBH to be THEIR playground). Their arrogance and short-sightedness are what are detrimental to PBH.

Instead of welcoming "fresh blood" (who more often than not used Google to discover PBH and post their first message), their initial, and systematical, reaction is either to say "Use the search fonction" or "You're a troll" or "You're boring" or "Grow up".

This is unacceptable as, soon, PBH will get the reputation of being an UNFRIENDLY forum where a loud-mouthed clique will try to impose their own points of view (e.g. : "All colombianas are opportunists", "We're not interesting in your story - you're just a sucker", "You're such an ignorant - I know best", "Stop asking such stupid questions", "You make me laugh so much", etc...

True, as Desi mentioned, PBH need those 50 active (or so) posters who post 80% of the messages here...

Pity those very posters have forgotten, on the whole, what it is to be nice (as says the monkey) and, more importantly, how they have forgotten to respect differences, or even clumsiness from genuine posters.

Shame on those posters who drive the newbies away and who consider PBH to be their own, private playground which they only use to vent off their frustrations or they so-called superior (because so-called exclusive) knowledge. That's what Peter and the mods should concentrate on.

Better to have tried and failed than having regrets all your life about what you MIGHT have missed

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Desideria (Moderator) (Trustee board) says on Apr 16, 2009, 10:53:

Yes, it would be an improvement. We're discussing all these suggestions with Peter and the other mods and I hope that we'll solve this issue as soon as possible.

A fronte praecipitium a tergo lupi

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RAAAY says on Apr 16, 2009, 11:01:

Darlop.............People quite simply are of the belief that newbie posts are from someone making mischief................control the newbie posts a little and it might go some way to sorting this aspect of the problem.

.........Its useless to argue with ignorance

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RAAAY says on Apr 16, 2009, 11:10:

Darlpo.............last year a guy posted a very long and detailed post about a gringo shooting a couple of guys on a moto who had tried to rob him in his car in Medellin.

Loads of people contributed to this with their thoughts on the gringo taking out a gun and shooting at these, would be, robbers.

The poster then posted another post annalizing the responses from all the various folks, taking all the comments and pointing out how each person was a F##kin idiot to believe this made up story of his. Depending on which side of the story you fell, weather you expressed belief in it, or disbelief, your comment and character got the once over.

People just do not want to fall for being made an idiot of.............hence, when a newbie posts a question about weather or not he can bring a gun into Colombia..........one tends to jump on the poster. However, as was the case last night, who knows, the guy might have been asking a genuine question. I, for one, took the opportunity to make little of his post. Now, I'm not so sure..............maybe, just a guy who really wanted to know if he could bring his friggin gun into Colombia...?


.

.........Its useless to argue with ignorance

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RAAAY says on Apr 16, 2009, 11:19:

Darloup (☼Travelguide writer) says on Apr 16, 2009, 11:10 (today): flag


" Desi : How ironical that those people who are now trying to "resucitate" this forum (to be fair, I still reckon it doesn't need to be rescucitated as it's doing fine), are the one who systematically ignored the Newbies and only tried to "score" points against their fellow-posters."



You are just pointing out what I believe is the problem.

I have met a lot of folks from this board in person..........all are as nice a bunch of people anyone could wish to know. Their personas on this board change, in their reaction to newbies...........purely, I believe, because they don't want to be made an idiot of. When a newbie post appears, most people's reaction is...............F##k this........this is some friggin idiot......I'll teach him a lesson.............

Mi 2 pesos worth.


.

.........Its useless to argue with ignorance

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Desideria (Moderator) (Trustee board) says on Apr 16, 2009, 11:27:

Dar...these guys are long-time members and I I have had a good working relation with most of them, without actually agreeing with them on many issues. The forum is vibrant, vital but is slipping into something Peter had never intended his travel forum be. I've been here from the start, like some other people and we've seen the changes, which, of course, are inevitable and I know too that we cannot trace our steps back to 2005. Change is good and the natural state of things. I just want the changes be positive, to make this forum even friendlier, even more useful, even more interesting.

But you are right about there being a group of posters who are extremely easily ticked off, passive aggressive or downright disrespectful towards people whose ideas don't match theirs. Interestingly enough NONE of them have participated in this discussion which speaks volumes about their attitude and disregard towards this forum.

I would have to say that our problem is not people without: trolls, deleted people, but people within: aggressive, disrespectful, argumentative, bored.

A fronte praecipitium a tergo lupi

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RAAAY says on Apr 16, 2009, 11:30:

Hee hee...............Brians for MOD..........


.

.........Its useless to argue with ignorance

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Desideria (Moderator) (Trustee board) says on Apr 16, 2009, 11:31:

Dudes!!! On topic on this one.

A fronte praecipitium a tergo lupi

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Escape Artist says on Apr 16, 2009, 11:53:

"mranderson says on Apr 16, 2009, 10:17 (today): flag
I don´t agree at all with escape artist about stressing the search feature. I say we welcome all new posts no matter how basic the question may be. There´s always a chance someone has more or better information so why discourage newbies from posting by stressing the search feature."

Good point!

EA

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dwmte7 says on Apr 16, 2009, 12:21:

i don't know about haveing to have been here so many months or what ever. but at sign up and the profile page is a must, there should be a good notice to new members...use the search function. if i see another thread..."can someone tell me about my novia's visa" with all due respect, if that hasn't been posted several hundred times, it's never been posted before. and the same is true about just about everything. an early on alert and informative introduction to the search function will save the possibility of having to 'watch the rerun' again.

other than that, i'm of the mind that the most problem causers are here in the family in their treatment of new members and oft times their treatment of old family members. maybe a scolding, a walk behind the barn, or a class with miss manners would help things out. but the treatment of newbies is really bad...even given the stupidity or redundancy of their posts. they're still people and as such deserve respect.

being a republican by nature, i tend to believe if we can go forward without more laws on the books, the better. and that we can all improve our mutual respect and courtesy.

don't lecture me if you don't sweep your own floor. fair enough?

d

patriarch

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Escape Artist says on Apr 16, 2009, 12:24:

Maybe change the name "newbie" to "new member". The name "newbie" can have a negative connotation and can be interpreted as condescending, so perhaps modifying the term for the "new kid on the block" may also help.

I think the idea of a separate dating/relationship area is a possible solution. Maybe even create an "adults only" area where those who choose can take off the kid gloves so "your wives, mothers and underaged daughters" would know this is an area where they might not want to tread.

EA

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Rikito says on Apr 16, 2009, 12:31:

Desi/Peter,

This thing just goes on and on with nothing as a result. Let's see: we have people like "jens" who has been here for a month or less, but knows everything about Desi & RAAAY. Then you have someone in here rightfully complaining about the people who do not even take the two minutes it takes to fill out the profile page and guess who answers with their usually witty remarks? The people who have no profile page.

Why are you wasting time flagellating yourself? Is listening to the childish retorts from people who write intellectual phrases like: ja,ja,ja and hee, hee, hee really worth reading. And Darloup, wake up and smell some coffee! "There is nothing basically wrong with PBH" What an absolutely senseless comment. There is something wrong and it is getting worse. Moreover, suggestions out the ying yang have been given to Desi/Peter within the past month or so when this was discussed formally. One of the results was the current moderator set up which is worthless because only 2 or three mods actually do anything.

Desi/Peter, you have enough information on how to improve PBH. It's Peter's site and he can do what he wants to, but it looks like he is letting some democratic conversation take place...good for you Peter.

Now send a letter to a select group of individuals that have been here for a while and really understand what needs to be done. People like:

utopiacowboy, Desi, tomtom33, tinto, toneloc24, miamimike, dwmte7, Kat, and Lauthra if they are still around and want to do some work. These are not my buddies either. Two of these people I do not particularly like to read because we think differently, but I respect what they say and how they say it. These particular persons systematically make valuable contributions to PBH.

Let these people develop a plan that will work for all. Some posters will have to change or get deleted. The advertisers, sex addicts, spammers, trolls need to go if that is what needs to be done. What you do not need to do is spend mindless days in here asking for recommendations and getting the same responses. You also need to read what people suggest. I have written Peter on more than one occasion on some things I thought would improve PBH, but I was never given the courtesy of a response.

There is a poster in here named “pow wow” who writes nothing less than useless crap. He is a troll in the true meaning of the word. People complain about him, move his comments to off line, threaten to suspend or delete him and guess what? He is still here and posted a long post earlier this week about nothing relevant to Colombia. If you want the trolls gone then why are people like pow pow still here?

I have no more recommendations…Peter has them all, but I will abide by what is developed. The mission and vision of PBH has not changed, but you can’t tell that to those who think that ja ja ja and hee hee and hee belong in Webster’s Dictionary. Make the rules, make sure everyone signs off as accepting the rules before being allowed into PBH and do what you have failed to do…enforce the rules. Why is this so difficult?

...and so it goes

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mranderson says on Apr 16, 2009, 12:47:

Rikito, sounds like you have a personal problem with one of the members.

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Saltador says on Apr 16, 2009, 12:54:

I vote that we don't have a ban on relationship discussions. This is one topic that a lot of people need help to navigate. Many a newbie has at least had their eyes opened by some of the first hand accounts by members of PBH.
And I respectfully disagree with Desi when she says "I know we have a large group of males here who are/go to Colombia exclusively for commercial sex".
I really doubt it's that large of a group. Most of those guys will get their information from ISG, that's exactly what it is there for and they know it.

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Desideria (Moderator) (Trustee board) says on Apr 16, 2009, 13:12:

Saltador: it's possible that I'm wrong about the size of that group, but they form a very vocal group and it's easy to misjudge the number because of all the noise they make and room they occupy.

Rikito: just ignore pow wow. He keeps within his own threads and I personally consider him harmless, but not all the mods share my opinion on him.

I think this thread has been very constructive: this is one of the very few times when we have discussed policy in public and I do not consider the responses worthless or repetitive. The OP took up a thorny issue that we have discussed previously, many times, but haven't been able to solve except in a very temporary manner. The debate has been constructive and some excellent suggestions have been made.

Rikito: I LOVE reading people who think in a different manner from myself. I believe all life is progress and evolution and I certainly hope that I can continue learning from other people who can express their point of view eloquently with little consideration to whether their thinking agrees with mine. I learn more from people who don't share my world-view.

A fronte praecipitium a tergo lupi

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Robert Jorge says on Apr 16, 2009, 13:36:

The reason I found PBH was because I Googled for information on visas. A large part of our community is here because of being in a relationship with a Colombian. I would guess the majority of people here are here because it boils down to being involved or past involved with a Colombian. If we were censored about talking about our relationships, that would eliminate a massive amount of information, comradery, therapy, advice from different points of view, etc. Mark me as a member who strongly suggests NOT eliminating discussions on relationships and the cultural aspects.

"You can not take the barrio out of the girl you really can't." Oneforamillion

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Darloup (☼Travelguide writer) says on Apr 16, 2009, 13:37:

Toneloc:

"Exhibit A

http://poorbuthappy.com/colombia/post/three-beaches-near-barranquilla/"

This kind of comment is EXACTLY what PBH doesn"t need. The kind of "I know best" attitude and "Who are you to post this".

Having already published THIS page: http://www.darloup.com/blog/?page_id=1378 BEFORE I posted my PBH message, I indeed felt I had already researched my subject.

You reaction is typical of what we don't need on PBH: "Smart alecs" who don't accept weaknesses, or genuine queries, and who are utterly blind to "genuine posters" - be them newbies or not.

PBH is all about sharing experiences and obtaining advice and information.

Posters like you who claim to have to be the guardians of Universal Colombian Truth are exactly what PBH doesn't need.

PBH need friendly posters (again, I insist on that point) who, instead of trying to score points to boost their ego, should accept the genuineness and authenticity of posters (newbies or not), and who should be willing (and able) to share their experience/knowledge, instead of acting as the cockerels of this forum.

Any poster, by posting a question or a comment, acknowledges that he has to learn something. But they sure DON'T need the kind of arrogant attitude from you and and/or your cronies.

It would help if some regular posters were just a little bit more "humble" and did not pretend to simply have ALL the answers whilst showing some modicum of respect to those PBH posts.

Peter had it right when he wrote "Be nice". Why is this THAT difficult to "be nice" for you?

Better to have tried and failed than having regrets all your life about what you MIGHT have missed

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dwmte7 says on Apr 16, 2009, 13:43:

pow wow? who else would replace some of the inane posts? YOU? i don't think so. leave pow wow alone. next to desi, i been here as long as anyone and i've NEVER seen pow wow offend any one...maybe he ranks on himself with some of his most odd posts. but he's always been congenial with me. sure his views are different than mine....and to many mine aren't terribly valuable. that's life. i don't post to offend nor do i disagree to start personal attacks. i'm only one vote here but i give mine to pow wow.

i don't have an axe to grind with anyone...i think those who are angry need to just calm down and see this group, the real family here, as just that...family. lighten up...listen...agree to disagree...contest the message, don't attack the messanger.

as for trolls, if they're really butt holes interested in no more than meyhem...show them the door. i'm not an IT guy so i don't know how you keep them from coming back. but just do our best to keep the bullies and trouble makers outside.

other than that, i think we are a very good community. i've even grown to become friends with some of my detractors, realizing that their friendship was more valuable than my point of view. now--for example--tasco and i even share e's and private conversations when before we might have been considered to be at odds. i don't want to be at odds with anyone. i want to tax my ability/capicity to find an inroad to contact...to turn an "enemy" into a friend/ally. they make great friends.

hell, if everyone saw the world as i did, felt as i do, thought as i do had opinions like mine....can you imagine a world like that?....don't answer....even sounds dismal to me. and i like me. so lets let others have and embrace their opinions. their postures don't negate ours...more often than not, they augment ours, expand them, shed light and reason. i think a lot of our "problems" will resolve themselves if WE RESOLVE to be considerate and thoughtful of others.

yeah, yeah, i know....more pontificating....but at least i don't start wars and i do try to put out fires.
pax

douglas

patriarch

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miamimike says on Apr 16, 2009, 13:48:

Escape Artist says on Apr 16, 2009, 11:53 (today): flag

"mranderson says on Apr 16, 2009, 10:17 (today): flag
I don´t agree at all with escape artist about stressing the search feature.
===========================================================

I do agree with Stressing the Search feature. Many times(but not in all cases) a Newbie asks a Question on Visas, Lodging, Plastic surgery, Bus routes ect and it(the question has been asked a 1000 times). A Simple search would turn up volumes of good Info and in much greater detail many times then what he/she will find in the current thread he started. That should really be stressed during the signup. I cannot see why anyone would be insulted if someone simply refers them to the search function first. Personally, I do this many times here ; why rewrite something that's been asked 100 times in the recent past?

No hay Peor Ciego que el que no quiere Ver o Sordo que el que no quiera Oir--Sarah Palin, Wasilla Alaska

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Robert Jorge says on Apr 16, 2009, 13:57:

Darloup, I rarely agree with you 100%, but as far as being "nice", I totally agree.

"You can not take the barrio out of the girl you really can't." Oneforamillion

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Darloup (☼Travelguide writer) says on Apr 16, 2009, 13:58:

Rikito:

"Now send a letter to a select group of individuals that have been here for a while and really understand what needs to be done. People like:

utopiacowboy, Desi, tomtom33, tinto, toneloc24, miamimike, dwmte7, Kat, and Lauthra if they are still around and want to do some work."

Now, IMAO, this is EXACTLY what should NOT be done... (no disrespect to any of the named posters).

Why did you mention those names? Because they belong to the 50 or so posters who are the most vociferous and post 80% of the messages here on PBH?

Because those 50 posters are the self-appointed wise men about Colombia?

Newbies and inexperienced posters DO matter. If only because they're genuine posters and, unlike those 50 wise men, they don't pretend to know everything about Colombia. Because they're STILL willing to learn and to share without being cynical. Because, unlike those 50 posters, they still find the time to believe in something.

Better to have tried and failed than having regrets all your life about what you MIGHT have missed

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Desideria (Moderator) (Trustee board) says on Apr 16, 2009, 14:19:

Darloup....sorry to have to contradict you but....that's exactly the OPPOSITE Elmito has been saying all these years. That the only colombianas who are NOT sell-outs are the girls from South Curramba:) He's wrong. of course, but he really knows very little about Colombia in generaloutside his favorite places in Barranquilla. But Elmo should ALWAYS been taken with a pinch of salt. He's outrageous and vulgar, wrong and loud, funny and full of insight...but he is basically pretty cool.

A fronte praecipitium a tergo lupi

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Rikito says on Apr 16, 2009, 14:24:

Darloup, no to your question. I selected them because from what I see they each continually make valuable contributions to PBH. You can write to each of them and get some good advice. And if you make write something stupid or out of line they will bring you back to reality. It has happened to me a couple of times. Like I said before, I do not agree with all of them but I do respect what they submit. Of significant importance to me is the fact that they have been using PBH for a longtime. There are some commenter’s have been here for less than a month and they think they know all the answers. They don't and are far from it. For example, why have so many of the longer term members quit? Where did they go? I use to be a professional recruiter in one of my past lives. One of the best sources of information as to why people quit our company was to go back to the people who quit over the past 2-3 years and have a face to face discussion with them. The information we got from this tactic was better than anything else we had tried regarding exit interviews.

And I am sorry, but you have no clue about ‘Elmo’. If you had been here a few years ago you would not have made your statement. For some reason unknown to me Elmo has changed a lot in the last year. He is certainly not the guy from Miami who would keep people on line for hours. And ‘pow pow’? I disagree to let him alone. When he writes whatever it is he writes non PBHers read his silliness and he becomes an icon of what PBH is like.

Finally Darloup, go back and read the responses from this post and see how many even know what PBH is about or worse even cares. Most of the responders here do not know what the general reason is for the existence of PBH. Ja, ja, ja, or hee, hee, hee.

...and so it goes

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Darloup (☼Travelguide writer) says on Apr 16, 2009, 14:32:

Desi:

You reckon new (or genuine) PBH members need a loud-mouthed "outrageous and vulgar, wrong and loud" member to speak for Colombia?

Even Elmo admits he couldn't score on the Coast without his dollars.

Please give us a break and, furthermore, how really pertinent are his rantings or his delusions here on PBH?

The only useful thing Elmo ever stated here on PBH is that, perhaps, Costeñas were different in their culture and perhaps were not as prepared to leave their country as other Colombianas were.

Apart from this insightful comment, Elmo showed as little respect to Costeñas as he did to Colombianas in general.

Perhaps it's time to read his recent comments and wonder what constructive comments he has posted about Colombia so far. And how many genuine new posters he has driven away through his Old Parr haze.

Better to have tried and failed than having regrets all your life about what you MIGHT have missed

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Desideria (Moderator) (Trustee board) says on Apr 16, 2009, 14:49:

International Sex Guide

A fronte praecipitium a tergo lupi

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mranderson says on Apr 16, 2009, 14:56:

I thought we were giving suggestions on how to improve the site...but now we are picking on specific members? Who are any of you to decide who should stay or go?

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Rikito says on Apr 16, 2009, 14:57:

Darloup, like I said before, you have no clue about 'Elmo' and I doubt if you would ever be able too. He is an original. Also, when he is in the mood he can write some stuff that will knock your socks. Listen to what all of the others are saying and don't act so patrician it makes your Fleur De Leis look ragged.

...and so it goes

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Desideria (Moderator) (Trustee board) says on Apr 16, 2009, 15:04:

No, mranderson, I may have to close this thread for comments soon.

Yes, new posters are important too and we do want to hear from everybody. I threw this one open but I will also close it if we don't stay on topic. Elmo and pow wow are just two examples of the motley crew we have here on PBH and both have been along for a long time now. We've got all the garden varieties here. I feel very reluctant to be telling grown people to behave themselves. but this place would be a total chaos if there weren't any guidelines and community managers.

A fronte praecipitium a tergo lupi

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Darloup (☼Travelguide writer) says on Apr 16, 2009, 15:27:

This thread was about how to improve PBH.

And this thread was about allowing ALL the members to express themselves .

My argument was (and still is) that those established, and vociferous, members of the PBH community are those who ultimately create the problem.

I know I wasn't supposed to "name name" - sorry. But, if we're gonna be honest, let's take the Elmo example. A respectable member of the community who, up to a year ago, had a LOT to contribute.

Yet, in the last months, WHAT DID ELMO MANAGE TO CONTRIBUTE ON PBH? (check this thread:
http://poorbuthappy.com/elmodefoque/comments/)

"to see if a colombianita really cares for you, do the pink/red ball challenge. gently place your sweaty smelly pink freckled nut sack in her face with out dishing out any money, if she comes back for more and asks for nothing in return, MARRY HER"

"You have to do something so repulsive and stomach wrenching like having a gringo,s wrinkled red/pink balls on your face and prented you like it and at the same time he's telling you he loves you in that redicoulous broken spanish and all you wanna do is throw up but cant.cus you have to think about your kid eating"

"that is here in the USA not in colombia in colombia only the colomnbianos get chicas for free i nailded more gringas than all you guys combined and all with out a penny in my pocket"

"MOST COLOMBIAN GUY'S DON'T NEED MONEY TO GET THAT HONEY THEY GET IT FOR FREE AND THEN YOU GET THE HONOR OF RAISING HIS KIDS"

"NO MONEY NO HONEY"

"FOK THEM!! i';m not much of a family kind of a guy, i only hang with them when we are all drunk"

All comments from Elmo only from the past two weeks... And MANY more before...

Whether these comments are pertinent or not, does PBH really need these comments?! You mods tell us... - please.

Sorry, just asking... I thought this was a discussion about the future of PBH...

Perhaps it's time for those so-called pillars of PBH to be responsible, too...

Better to have tried and failed than having regrets all your life about what you MIGHT have missed

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Paisa/Calena/Luver says on Apr 16, 2009, 16:20:

Pow Wow = Sheik Yourboutie? jajajaja lol

"PAY ATTENTION! I wonder if that person knows that when we push the FUNNY button, its because we are reading something outrageous, trying to be cynical, derogatory, sarcastic and/or obnoxious!"

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Darloup (☼Travelguide writer) says on Apr 16, 2009, 16:22:

Mongo,

"Elmo doesn't trash Colombia, he just describes his life the way it is"

True but, so far he hasn't said many positive things about Colombia.

This thread is about changing the perception of this forum. Elmo sure doen't help in that respect.

"I can understand that he may offend you,"

He sure doesn' why shoud he?! And I may even agree with most of the things that he writes. But this very thread is about the image PBH wishes to project. Elmo sure doesn't help with that image - always concentrating on the negative image of Colombian women (and other things, too).

"I'd remember that he has been here a whole lot longer than you or I, and he has contributed so profusely that he is a part of what PBH is. You will not be able to change that and are just wasting your energy."

I'm not trying to score points. The fact that he has been a longer PBH poster than I have certainly doesn't give him a God-given right of being systematically right - else that would be ignoring Newbie posters too. Ironically, I'll be the one living permanently in Barranquilla whilst Elmo only spends his vacations (and dollars) here - although being a permanent BQA resident certainly doesn't give me any privilege.

Let's not forget the original thread: Are comments such as Elmo's recent comments (to give but one exemple - and I've already posted a few) really what PBH needs to move forwards? I doubt it, but you tell me.

Time for Elmo, and a few others, to genuinely remember what sharing, and being nice, were all about.

Better to have tried and failed than having regrets all your life about what you MIGHT have missed

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Miguel_Clavo says on Apr 16, 2009, 16:42:

ToneLoc..i agree with you 100%...if someone needs help with relationships, join a self-help group or a shrink......i say SHITCAN the whole ST/Dating topics....there are plenty of website for that information...this is supposed to be a Travel website about Colombia......not a site for Character Assassination of its People a sex site, nor a Whiners site.....Whiners need mental health services..........

RVW orderded me to remove my tagline congratulating the PBH Mods New Golden Boys. Lame.

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dwmte7 says on Apr 16, 2009, 16:47:

frankly....."without naming names" what's going on right now...MORE THAN ANYTHING is what turns people off. one member or another going on and on and FUCKING ON, like they're right...have the priviledge to chastize...have the right to decide WHAT EVER...and don't give up.

maarit...close this thread. this has digressed into total one ups manship.....for what? mr darloup, you KEEP SAYING, what this thread is about...but your comments continue to be about what it's NOT ABOUT. give it a break.

we are at a standstill and all that's happening is baiting conflict and getting nowhere. i'm glad i'm of a civil nature, because right now i want to scream out F**K OFF and let's give being constructive a friggin try. because as of this moment, we are so wide of constructivism as to demonstrate distructivism.

d

patriarch

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webmanco says on Apr 16, 2009, 17:27:

Elmo had someone take you for a walk. either in NYC or BoringQuilla

No hay extremo cierto o verdadero, porque los extremos opacan, enruedan, (lavan cerebros) verdades. Yotas

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RAAAY says on Apr 16, 2009, 18:09:

??............This was a good thread........someone unlocked the gate and let in all the nuts................


.Funny though.

.

.........Its useless to argue with ignorance

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goin_south says on Apr 16, 2009, 18:16:

DESI SAYS: '" Interestingly enough NONE of them have participated in this discussion which speaks volumes about their attitude and disregard towards this forum. "

Well! Hey, some of us have to work! ;-)

nothin I say is to be takn for my words, but rather for the words of Sailor Jerry.

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Escape Artist says on Apr 16, 2009, 18:29:

Okay... So much for staying "On Topic".

Observation: As of this time, after 48 hours, this post has quickly risen to the top 18 of almost 34,000 post to date and yes, I realize several recent comments have gone a bit off topic but what it demonstrates is there is a definite interest in the topic and with hope and maybe a few minor changes this site can be even better.

The passion many have displayed in this thread only goes to prove how valuable a site pbh is to those of us who care for Colombia. I think one main thing I have gleaned during my limited time in this forum is that if a little more simple RESPECT was demonstrated I believe this site would see a huge improvement. The different personalities displayed here is incredible and the differences of opinions is nothing less than amazing to me. That being said if everyone could be a bit more respectful and acknowledge these differences, by their displaying this respect, everyone would get along much better IMHO of course. I enjoy reading all the different points of view and many times have changed my opinion about something or someone after hearing all sides. This is constructive and healthy and should not be stifled but the pettyfogging and insulting insightful comments simple has to go.

I've learned a lot about Colombia here on pbh and hopefully I have contributed some useful information to those seeking it. Now let's all take some of the constructive input shared on this thread and put it to good productive (not destructive) use.

Peace!

(desi: closing the thread now might be a good idea)

EA

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billyb says on Apr 16, 2009, 18:33:

Hey, anybody whose hero is RODNEY can't be all bad!!

"All I want to know is where I'm going to die, so I never go there" Unkown (at least to me) wise man.

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sloopskipper says on Apr 16, 2009, 18:34:

Darloup (☼Travelguide writer) says on Apr 16, 2009, 17:17 (today): flag

"Again, interesting to note how, even now, some posters are more interesting in scoring personal points than in genuinely being interested in trying to be constructive.

Old habits die hard, I guess - yet this is exactly what PBH will have to get rid off - being unfriendly and trying to score personal points against fellow posters."

Elmo says, get a life, you still can't be a mod.

Seems that some people think "everybody's outa step but me".

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wwwhitey says on Apr 16, 2009, 18:59:

OK, well time for me to get my two cents in before the thread is closed!

- I love Elmo ... where can I buy the t-shirt?

- Darloup, I agreed with most of your post about a 100 back, except for the stuff about Elmo and painting all the
frequent posters with the same brush. Although some are definitely far too negative. When I say negative, I'm talking about
denegrating other members and especially newbies.

- There's nothing wrong with pointing out the negative aspects of Colombia, along with the good. Every Colombian I've met in Canada is very candid about the problems there. We can and need to talk about the good and the bad.

- OnTheMoon and Paleolitico are sweethearts ... how do we clone them?

- Relationship threads have a legitimate place on the forum, but of course not sex tourist threads. I would NOT define a sex tourist thread, for instance, as someone talking about a bachelor party ... an admittedly stupid but very common practice in North America and increasingly more common in Colombia.

Whitey

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Paisa/Calena/Luver says on Apr 16, 2009, 19:04:

You may not agree or respect anything DARLOUP says and you might even find him somewhat antagonizing at times and him never knowing when its "time to move on" or "pick his battles". I do find him useful, knowledgeable on certain topics and always willing and able to form a healthy debate on a whole array of subjects. He does have a right to exist.

"PAY ATTENTION! I wonder if that person knows that when we push the FUNNY button, its because we are reading something outrageous, trying to be cynical, derogatory, sarcastic and/or obnoxious!"

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onthemoon says on Apr 16, 2009, 19:52:

Dios mio! took me one hour to read this! finally i got here...
Thank you whitey, i like the site first of all because it has to do with Colombia, and i do LOVE my country, it is interensting, informing and some people here are just funny and friendly.

I think we are very different and that's why you can see many posts that talk about different topics!!! i dont see it bad, and you can see people writing and answering according to their interests and experiences... that's life...i know some just want to be fools here..i know one, wont say the name...but i think you can know that people from far and get rid of them,,,easy..we have the wonderful MODS!

I insist, then, dont let everybody join and just keep the old same guys posting about the same things,,ay no, how boring!! "La rosca", then dont have "your thing" option.. when i joined this site i thought it was free and that i could write anything following the rules of course...but no, now it seems if someone doenst like to talk about sex, or women, or guns, then starts complaining and saying that person is this or that because they think this way or that one.

Much judges here.... you should change the name to your site Pete... phb in the court!!

Me voy! chao!

Love Happens...

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onthemoon says on Apr 16, 2009, 19:58:

forgot my jajaja! =p

Love Happens...

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utopiacowboy says on Apr 16, 2009, 20:41:

Estoy enamorado! No hay una mujer como una Colombiana.

Disclaimer: any comment I make is inane and is not to be taken seriously, and is so patently ridiculous that no one should take it seriously, even as an insult.

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goin_south says on Apr 16, 2009, 22:29:

correcione: no hay una mujer como ........ onthemoon :-))
__________

modefoqu dicen: " I think frenchy (darloup) is overdosed on escargot "
Let's just say sometimes, he seems 'shell-shocked'..

nothin I say is to be takn for my words, but rather for the words of Sailor Jerry.

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