Being on vacation/meets with collegues,
always clears up my head and gives me more clear perspective.

Watching evolution of the boards from the day ONE to what we have today,
just saddens my heart.

"In the beggining", the boards were the front runner of the all new ideas,
meeting place of people with brains who shapped this industry,
the torch of innovation and....
today to make it commercially,
one needs cazzilions of MORONS doing TGP submissions,
packaging them good and catering to the lowest denominator.

I am one of the oldest here and...I REFUSE to adopt. There is not enough money printed for me to dumb myself to their level of
"would you hit it"?, "what is your favorite song"? "what is your favorite coffee", "pay per poststing drivel", "give priozes for posting drivel", etc, etc, etc....I just CAN'T, I know my limitations...

Therefore....I am ready to throw the towel.
I don't wanna go to other boards and drive MORONS here for page views,
I don't wanna THINK about "adopting",
and I'd rather let the commercial side(sponsors) go for the sake of my mind and ability to chat with a few friends, "compadres" and intellectually equals.

what are your thoughts, FRIENDS?

shoot from the hip,
you know I respect your opinions and always glad to hear your thoughts on the IMPORTANT subjects...at least what I call IMPORTANT.

Is this for real or another I am leaving post to drive more traffic?
And I don't mean that to be argumentative.

for real,
you ain't my firend,
but I'd like to hear your take nevertheless.

You are one of the "villans" who makes me go limp on the boards business today, even though not the worst one,
you are easy to ignore and when you are not in your delusion of grandeur mood, you can be quite entertaining...I wish it was MORE than 5% of your posts, though.

If you guys were more interesting, it would be more than 5%. And maybe if you listened a little more closely you would understand that a lot of this business makes me go limp. Personally, I think these boards can be entertaining but are primarily commercial ventures pitching to traffic rats. That can't last. I despair sometimes.
However, your board is not the worst for that.
BTW, I have no prententions at grandeur. I have no idea why you would say that. You might point out a delusion and I will gladly fold my tent if it is. No one has yet been able to point any out. You guys just keep saying it over and over again hoping it will make it fact.
The world doesn't work that way Serge.

Hey Serge, why don't you retire from thiz biz and open up a Signs shop or something then? ... ; )

Serge,

I understand your pain.

Hence when Meat and Aga offered me the best part of 500k to go away at netpond , I went away ;-)))

But now look at me.I post here (I think I'm top 10 poster) for free.For fun.And yes I sure as hell do make money posting here.

What would we all do with our time.

I too have no interest in posting in a would you hit it thread nor on weasels board and For me YNOT is too nice.

There is a place for this board as an "old school" board.

And boards are cyclical , it will always make some money.

Maybe ban some idiots though. ;-))

:huh: I'll try to be nicer ...

I said I was sad, not completelly out of my mind
;_)))

back to a non-threaded board???

you beter beleive it,
they don't belong on the non commercial board.

and what be the benefits of that?

Aristotel used parchment, not the PC, and he is still Aristotel.

I don't think it's a format problem

:huh: I'll try to be nicer ...[/b][/quote]
don't change one bit
;-)))

non-threaded boards always seemed more homey to me... people get involved in a lot more of what is being discussed instead of seeing a page with 10 topics and maybe opening one of them that looks interesting.

Serge, the nature of the business has changed
Some of the brightest and best minds may have left for greener/other pastures


Looking at innovations, if I find something successful I'm not likely to share it the way we did 5-7 years ago (even though it will come out in the wash)


It's a tougher business and when I find something that works I keep a tight lid on it


To some degree boards are now like a water cooler in an office
Some chat, maybe a little shop talk, contacts (and reputations) made


1997 it ain't - it's a different beast


All in all Oprano probably offers it's advertisers the best value as the brightest minds tend to come here (that's not a knock on other boards)


Part of the reason I read/post here is at most other boards I'm in the top 5% intelligence wise, here I don't even make the top 20% intelligence wise
I'd rather be at the deep end of the pool being a little fish in a big ocean (instead of a big fish in a little pond)


Sorry for the rambling - I need another espresso before coherent thoughts set it


I guess my final question is Serge - what can YOU do to raise the bar a little more
After all it's your board


Edit for spelling



Last edited by Vick at Apr 3 2004, 01:52 PM

more interesting in what sense?

drop your porcupine shields for a second and define what si interesting for YOU?

Monk,
people DO have different interests and I was skipping posts on non-threaded before..

I like the ability of threaded to skip thru footbal topics which are boring to me, and they are interesting to 75% of others

I think I should go back to GFY. You people are too smart for me.
Besides when I launch my program you guys aren't intrested in free hosted galleries. hehehe.. :)

I remember Dean telling me ages ago with Netpond that all the boards preached to the same people , and that there a re thousands of webmasters out there that have no idea they exist.

Spam every webmaster with mail , take the heat. (Will certainly bring a lot of views during the spamming piss it will cause)

Get bullet proof hosting first ;-))

Then you and MikeAI have a full fledged piss war , rude poems help ;-))

or you could just.......

Undercut everyone.

Do some underhanded deals.

Go to people houses enjoy there hospitality all the time planning how to fuck them over

ahhh....all those have been done before ;-))))

There is nothing new anymore is there????

Well , except the latest "new thing" which loads of mailers etc have been talking to me about , is sending traffic doing ok.

Then getting prepays and watching conversions go from 1 in 200-500 to 1 in 5000 -10,000 but this is a piss for another day ;-)))

Easier these days and more profitable to send traffic to non-adult.....maybe a big non-adult board?

hmmm you could always..

Spam every NON- ADULT webmaster with mail , take the heat. (Will certainly bring a lot of views during the spamming piss it will cause)

Get bullet proof hosting first ;-))

.....................................


;-)))

I HONESTLY don't know...
I answered cazzilions of questions over the years...and I hoped I could ask one and get an answer.

Where I sit today,
I'd rather have the place where I can talk with friends, piss with friends,
and worry not about anything else, like sponsors well being.

Good people are hard to find..and I know the rest of this saying
;-)))

do you need an URL?
It's a free country, last time I checked and you can do what you wish.

You won't find my links to Oprano there no more.

more interesting in what sense?

drop your porcupine shields for a second and define what si interesting for YOU?[/b][/quote]
Interesting is raucus politics. Well thought out arguments. Useful advice. Travel stories.
Boring is thinly disguised sales pitches. Threads created for same. Carrots dangled by those whose interests are served to those who will enrich them. Transparent bullshit and lies.

It is your board and like any other businessman, do what you like. But if you are asking.....

do you need an URL?
[/b][/quote]
Yes please. It's been 6 months since I last posted there. I'm slightly afraid. :rolleyes:

Nick, from business perspective, you have a good idea,
but from the soul....
naaaahhhhh.....too much work and time to spend on it.

re: travel stories...

NOBODY has more of them than Meat,
he can go for days without repeating himself
;-))

http://netpond.com is his URL and the adventures he had been into-
all of us combined can't stand against him
;-))

as for carrots...I am sick and tired of hanging them....it's too easy,
no much stimuli there
;-(((

Why don't you just open a board where you and your friends can hang out, bullshit, play poker, smoke cigars, drink vodka and no one makes a penny? Password protect it and only let those guys you like in the front door. Shut this one down and enjoy life.

Serge, you have so much knowledge in this industry and you have so much to give. I don't know what you want in your life right now. If you do have Millions of dollars, then you shouldn't waste your time on all this. you don't have to.

You should do a radio show and start interviewing the main players and ask the questions no one has the balls to ask. give these TGP and broke webmasters(Like Me) something to look forward to everyday. Give them hope. Show them what you know. get back to basics and help this sagging industry. you can clean up this industry.

Yes please. It's been 6 months since I last posted there. I'm slightly afraid. :rolleyes:[/b][/quote]
GFY oldtimers (pun intended, even though it's a true term)
are all gone,
replaced by "generation 90-IQ")

you might not recognise the place, but I'll be interested to hear how you find the place changed now...

don't forget to come back and share your excurs in the past
;-)))

Why don't you just open a board where you and your friends can hang out, bullshit, play poker, smoke cigars, drink vodka and no one makes a penny? Password protect it and only let those guys you like in the front door. Shut this one down and enjoy life.[/b][/quote]
if MikeAI says:
GO FOR IT,
I'll do it in a heart beat,
Webfather did that about 2 years ago and I am envious.

re: travel stories...

NOBODY has more of them than Meat,
he can go for days without repeating himself
;-))

http://netpond.com is his URL and the adventures he had been into-
all of us combined can't stand against him
;-))

as for carrots...I am sick and tired of hanging them....it's too easy,
no much stimuli there
;-((([/b][/quote]
Yeah, but your subtle carrots are way too obvious. Mike is worse. Again...if you are asking.
I remember when I was a kid and these guys tried to recruit us to sell mag. subscriptions. Passing out free cigarettes, driving flash cars, blah blah blah. I knew right away you can't make any money falling for that shit. You gotta be passing out the"free" smokes and driving the flash car and everyone else is another brick in the wall. The boards are full of bricks.
I have never made a nickel posting on a board. It is not my business. I don't do what you guys do, so there is no financial imperative involved. In fact I glad I never knew about boards when I first started. It would have cost me a lot of money.

Pat,
1) I don't know shit....as I found out in London,
the industry changed so much, that ALL my knowledge of it is practically absolete. I can't give traffic, I can't give content/innovation adice and the ONLY advice I can give:
People, you are being FUCKED royally, over 30% of your traffic is stolen by the people you never heard of will fall on the deaf ears.

2) as for asking the questions nobody has the balls to ask,
guess what:
my head is NOT bullet proof. I'd rather NOT know....

Why don't you just open a board where you and your friends can hang out, bullshit, play poker, smoke cigars, drink vodka and no one makes a penny? Password protect it and only let those guys you like in the front door. Shut this one down and enjoy life.[/b][/quote]
Springerdude,

Thats actually a good idea , with one exception....

We always make money , always , some how :)

"People, you are being FUCKED royally, over 30% of your traffic is stolen by the people you never heard of will fall on the deaf ears."

I have been saying this or something quite like it for years and have gotten in a world of shit for it. I thought it was quite obvious.

I dunno...I owe EVERYTHING I made to the baords...ALL my affiliates came from YNOT and Netpond back in a day...at ZERO cost, I never spent a dime on buying ads
;-)))

you were wrong...you didn't know and still don't know, where the "sippage" goes.

but...I don't wanna go there.

Springerdude,

Thats actually a good idea , with one exception....

We always make money , always , some how :)[/b][/quote]
You know, that might be the difference between you and I Nick. Money was never my primary motivation and I made lots of it. Nothing wrong with making money, but if that is the only mark of your success, then someday you are going to be sitting on your rocking chair after having paid for your kids Phd and wonder what you missed. But that is personal choice.

only 30%!!!

and THEN after that you get fucked again....its amazing.

We are dinosaurs :)

you were wrong...you didn't know and still don't know, where the "sippage" goes.

but...I don't wanna go there.[/b][/quote]
Please read again. I don't care where it goes. I just always knew it was going. The traffic business if full of crooks and theives. I understand Sarettah's dilemma.

You know, that might be the difference between you and I Nick. Money was never my primary motivation and I made lots of it. Nothing wrong with making money, but if that is the only mark of your success, then someday you are going to be sitting on your rocking chair after having paid for your kids Phd and wonder what you missed. But that is personal choice.[/b][/quote]
Take your meds and reread. ;-)))

I did not say money was my prime motivation.

But from reading your erroneous leap having read my post , I can conclude you are more concerned about it ,than I , probably as a result of a lack thereof.

;-))

Take your meds and reread. ;-)))

I did not say money was my prime motivation.

But from reading your erroneous leap having read my post , I can conclude you are more concerned about it ,than I , probably as a result of a lack thereof.

;-))[/b][/quote]
Aw come on Nicky Baby. No more med jokes. See my above postings. You need to be creative or have your fingers crazy glued to the keyboard until you do.
Oh and btw, you are so wrong, grasshopper.

dude, stay with Nick, he KNOWS what he is talking about.
I only got interest in Money in...May of 1999, after I bought the house in Florida

Please read again. I don't care where it goes. I just always knew it was going. The traffic business if full of crooks and theives. I understand Sarettah's dilemma.[/b][/quote]
You have no clue what he's talking about...nor do most, unfortunately...

Some day one of us is gonna be Charlton Heston screaming at the broken statue of Lady Internet and cursing the war that finally ended it all...

But it ain't gonna be me....fuck it, I'm with Serge....no amount of money is worth it..

hey, no more babies, meds, grasshoppers,
can you talk like a fucking adults and beat each other on matters and not insults?

c'mon, guys, you can do it.

and dude, open up your ears a bit, you are not talking with GFYers in thsi thread, give Nick some credit

You have no clue what he's talking about...nor do most, unfortunately...

Some day one of us is gonna be Charlton Heston screaming at the broken statue of Lady Internet and cursing the war that finally ended it all...

But it ain't gonna be me....fuck it, I'm with Serge....no amount of money is worth it..[/b][/quote]
DJ, you go to Webfather's board...what do you think about passwd protected idea?

DJ, you go to Webfather's board...what do you think about passwd protected idea?[/b][/quote]
OK, Nick I am listening.

You have no clue what he's talking about...nor do most, unfortunately...

Some day one of us is gonna be Charlton Heston screaming at the broken statue of Lady Internet and cursing the war that finally ended it all...

But it ain't gonna be me....fuck it, I'm with Serge....no amount of money is worth it..[/b][/quote]
No offense intended here, but if we have no idea of what he is talking about, then perhaps Serge or you could enlighten us. Otherwise it is kind of obvious unless there is some sort of secret code and only you guys have the freekin decoder ring. It was written in pretty plain English.

It helps to cut down the roving idiot factor by about 99.99%...unfortunately, it seems to generate an abundance of like-minded thought; which is not so terrible a climate to do business in but I'm guessing would get rather mundane for a general chat board like Oprano. The Labret's of the world cannot flourish under such conditions, which lowers the entertainment value considerably. I don't see a need for password protection when it's so easy and quick to lock the morons out.

Serge, you can hear it if you listen closely. It's the sound of the theme song music coming up, seconds before the closing credits run up the screen. Boards, the adult business as we all knew it, the whole thing is going away as fast as the words can flow up the screen.

What has happened is that this has evolved into a mature business. There is little in the way of evolution or "new ideas" at this point because most paths have been tried and exploited to their very limits. Look at webmaster boards, we went from 1 to 2 to 3 to hundreds. Out of those hundreds, few are worth the effort to even bookmark.

It's been played out pretty hard.

As a purely social exercise, the boards are fine. Oprano is one of the best "no business business boards" around, where some of the smartest people in our industry come together and discuss all manner of things. I don't see where this creates value for sponsors, and I rarely see this creating a ton of new business, but it does work after a fashion.

Figuring the time you spend driving traffic here, do you really make any money that is worth it? Is it just an ego thing, proof that you can? Sometimes even leading the mice to the cheese gets dull, pointless.

Do what you think is right. Look at it as a business, and honestly consider if you want to be in business. If not, find the ways that you can have fun with your fun...

Alex

..... and the days of vanity
Went on forever
And he saw his days burn up
Like paper in fire

Paper in fire
Stinkin´ up the ashtrays
Paper in fire
Smokin´ up the alleyways

Who's to say the way
A man should spend his days
Do you let them smolder
Like paper in fire

There´s a good life
Right across the green fields
And each generation
Stares at it from afar

But we keep no check
On our appetites
So the green fields turn to brown
Like paper in fire

Alex, keen observations, indeed.

to answer your question,
YES, Oprano did make over $2 mils in almost 3 years (in July)

I don't see where I'd be able to make so much doing so little in the definitions of "real work" and enjoying myself tremendously.

It still gets a tad shy of $20,000 a month,
we are not talking dead corpse here.

If money were my only object,
I wouldn't be starting this thread today and keep banging sponsors ad naseum like everybody else.
but...as I always said of late,
you can't take money with you, ONLY memories and the water from the toilet doesn't taste the same as Pelligrino, even though, BOTH waters quench the thirst.

I'm sure you getting my point.

Were this my board and were I facing the problems you describe, I would try to drop those aspects of the board which attract the vulgar masses and add new features which would continue to cater to the bright people whose company you enjoy.

Perhaps add some news feeds to the main page. Customizable weather. Maybe even turn the whole board into a Board/Portal. Add some stuff that no one else has -- put the national debt clock in the corner. Rotate some random "facts" into the front page -- have them change with every refresh. For instance, it might read "Did you know that right now there are [x] number of employees at the IRS." or "The average worker works until May [20th] of each year just to pay his taxes."

I have a lot of ideas of what you might add to draw intelligent eyeballs, but I am heading to the Quarter with Crystal to go enjoy the beautiful weather right now.

Love,
Buff