[Note:  Those of you who dislike reading long posts may want to skip to the end of this post for a visual overview!]

It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness…

So wrote Charles Dickens about the vicissitudes of London and Paris in 1775.  I shared these feelings on New Year’s Day as I pondered the ups and downs of the Boston boards – TER and TBD – over the last few years.  Upon reflection, I formed two hypotheses about life on the boards in 2003 – first, that posting in general was down; and second, that TER seemed more active recently than TBD.

Being an analytical sort and having a couple of free hours, I tried to verify my assessments quantitatively by tracking posting IDs on both boards.  The software on each board assigns each post a sequential number.  Therefore, the difference between post IDs on any two dates is a precise measure of the number of intervening posts – even if posts are subsequently deleted.  I went back three years, to January 2001.  I would have liked to go even farther back – since TBD was active well before that – but the data series was not internally consistent.  The spawning of the TBD Boston Spa board in December 2000 induced a decline in the Escort board postings and thereby distorts the statistics prior to January 2001.

My analysis confirmed one hypothesis, but partially disproved the other.  Total posting in 2003 was actually up from recent years – from 19,000+ in 2001 and 2002 to 23,000+ in 2003.  But this result is partially spurious, since many messages are now duplicates posted to both boards.  Nonetheless, there is no clear support for the notion that posting volume is down (posting quality may be a different story, however!).  But the analysis conclusively confirms that TER has overtaken TBD as the most active Boston board!  TER’s monthly posting volume first surpassed TBD’s in January 2003 and has remained higher ever since.  

Of course, the same curiosity that killed the cat kindled my passion to unearth the story behind the numbers.  What I found – and this is but my one interpretation of events – tells an interesting tale…  of the role of financial incentives, management support, and board moderation in the vitality of these two posting communities.  I start by retelling the history, objectively and with (relatively) little interpretation.  I then impose my own subjective biases to isolate causal inferences.

[continued]

-- Modified on 1/3/2004 1:45:51 PM

By January 2001, the TBD Boston board was alive and well.  Led by veteran regulars like Ready, Mad Dog, and Pat J, the board prospered with Yorktown as moderator.  In late February, two events occurred that – in retrospect – would have considerable significance for the TBD community.  BD13 took over as board moderator.  And a number of us who were regular posters formed a backchannel group.  Board activity continued to climb – albeit punctuated by a sharp dip in July 2001, following the conversion of TBD to a pay site.  At some point in this process, TBD also began soliciting paid advertisements (it may have been co-terminous with the creation of the pay site).  Board activity reached an all-time high in October 2001.  

October 2001 also marked the first public use of the term “TBD mafia” in reference to the backchannel group.  There were scattered grumblings – and a flurry of posts – to the effect that the group was using the threat of bad reviews to solicit discounts from independent providers and agencies.  BD13, as moderator, actively squelched this dissent.  Following these discussions, board activity declined.

In late January of 2002, TBD stepped in and asserted that “at least one… of the Boston clients have been extorting dates in return for favorable reviews.”  He then asked the TBD posting community for help in supporting his allegations.  Shortly thereafter, he made one public allegation, which he immediately withdrew when questioned (no other public allegations ever occurred).  While TBD’s post generated a temporary hubbub of activity, the volume of posts subsequently declined.  

For most of 2002, posting volume stayed steady at early 2001 levels, marked only by a small dip in July 2002, following TBD’s arrest on charges of facilitating prostitution.  All appeared calm on the surface, but pressures were building.  The allegations of extortion fueled tensions among various members of the backchannel group, causing it to gradually splinter and die through the spring and summer.  

In late August, a long-simmering dispute between Vegas Bob and another poster erupted when that poster made allegations (since retracted), calling VB a “common criminal.”  By contrast, others felt that BD13 was using VB as a scapegoat to distract attention from his own activities (a position supported by the subsequent retraction and BD13's arrest).  Bigdoggie Mod stepped in and called for an investigation.  Within days, VB was permanently banned from TBD and BD13 resigned as moderator.  But Bigdoggie Mod made no specific allegations, nor issued any public comment.

Following BD13’s departure as moderator, posting activity once again declined significantly.  Bigdoggie Mod instituted a succession of outside moderators with intervening periods in which he moderated the board himself.   By the end of the year, the board had stabilized, but 2002 posting activity was down 20 percent from 2001 levels.  During 2003, posting levels declined by an additional third.

By contrast, the TER Boston board was virtually free of such controversy.  The board officially began in March 2001, but posting activity was sporadic through early 2002.  In April 2002, however, Thirsty agreed to take on the role of moderator.  Soon thereafter – in June 2002 – TER posting levels jumped dramatically.  At first glance, it might appear that TBD’s arrest precipitated an exodus to TER and the associated increase in posts, but this is not the case.  News of the arrest broke on June 18.  TER posting activity during June, however, was virtually identical (19 posts/day) before and after the arrest.  Moreover, TBD posting during June did not decline appreciably.  Throughout the year, TER posting activity continued to increase.  By the end of 2002, TER annual posting activity was seven times that of the previous year.  During 2003, levels continued to climb, increasing 2002 totals three-fold.

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-- Modified on 1/3/2004 1:50:30 PM

So what are the lessons from this history?  Here’s my take…

First and foremost, a board is a community.  It has its active leaders, its passive hangers-on, its bubbly enthusiasts, its voices of doom, its Devil’s advocates…  It is a microcosm of the world at large.  It’s messy and unruly.  It can be rude and, at times, cruel.  But it serves an important purpose.  It informs, it educates, it raises questions, it airs disputes for public consideration…  Yes, there is often ad hominem mudslinging, but in general the board effects a certain rough justice.  At its best, the goal of a board should be to support the board community by facilitating open and free discussion.

By early 2001, TBD had established a successful board.  But the switch to a pay site – and the active solicitation of paid advertisers – created dangerous conflicts of interest.  As many of us used to joke in reference to TBD’s actions, “It’s all about the money.”  And the goal of maximizing profit can easily conflict with the objective of facilitating discussion.  Increasing the paid membership and keeping key advertisers happy might require silencing the unruly voices of conflict and dissent.

There is no question that the existence of the TBD backchannel group split the community and created dissension on the boards (for which I am personally sorry!).  But the boards – with suitable moderation – can handle dissension, although the process may be painful.  I firmly believe that TBD’s pecuniary interests – in the form of subtle and not-so-subtle pressure from key advertisers – caused him to intercede by issuing his “extortion” allegations in January 2002.  Similarly, I feel that Bigdoggie Mod’s intervention in September 2002 – and the subsequent the banning of VB and the removal of BD13 as moderator – was a blatant attempt to quell controversy, rather than an attempt to reach a resolution of any sort.

These interventions – whatever the motivation – had a profound effect on the TBD posting community.  As early as October 2001, the board was awash in allegations that members of the backchannel group were using the board for their personal gain (by trading good reviews for discounts).  While dissension is painful for all concerned, the ability to reach resolution is healthy.  By interceding in the controversy and making unsupported allegations, TBD communicated his profound lack of support in the board community to achieve such a healthy resolution.  Furthermore, by focusing his allegations on the backchannel group, he alienated a core group of active posters.  Active posters can deal with dissent and controversy from other board posters – after all, it comes with the territory! – but recriminations by board management are wounds that don’t heal quickly.  It is hardly surprising that TBD posting activity declined precipitously.

TBD’s (and management’s) attitude followed the usual dictates of the well-entrenched incumbent…  “If you don’t like it, well scr*w you.”   Not surprisingly, many TBD posters simply stopped posting.  Others looked for an alternative forum.  Enter TER…  By contrast to TBD, TER is largely a review database with complementary discussion boards.  The boards serve to support a broader community of TER users.  Accordingly, TER management has no (or, at least, far fewer) conflicting incentives.  Their overall interests are well served by letting discussion boards simply be discussion boards.  Former TBD posters who have migrated partially or wholly to TER found this hands-off management style to be a pleasant change.

This hands-off style extends to board moderation as well.  When you think about it, the term “moderator” is quite misplaced.  “Moderator” connotes a reactive role.  But, much like government, the best moderator is one who moderates least.  A successful moderator is proactive.  He is endlessly helpful, he participates in discussions, he leads by example, he facilitates the exchange of views…  and yes, he does exert reactive moderation when absolutely necessary.

Thirsty is a great moderator.  He wields his mantle of moderator not by dint of authority, but by the respect of his fellow board members.  He is a fellow participant…  He is accessible…  He is a human face on the electronic medium...  When he must wield the iron hand, he does so without hesitation, but with grace and humility.  He respects his audience by explaining the rationale for his actions.  As fellow participants, we need not always agree, but we can understand and empathize with the difficulty of his role.  

When I envision Thirsty, I think of a regular guy in a polo shirt…  one of us.  By contrast, when I picture the current TBD Boston moderator, all I can conjure up are vague images of Darth Vader…  The Boston moderator is anonymous.  He (or she) is not local, not an active board participant, not acquainted with the posters, not sensitive to the concerns of the community.  Decisions are handed down, posts are removed, often without explanation, almost always with an imperious manner…  This is not moderation; it is rule without representation.  It communicates a basic lack of respect for the TBD Boston posting community.  No wonder that this community is slowly throwing TBD’s tea into Boston Harbor…

Thanks to all of you who’ve stayed to read this epic tome.  The bottom line is that TER has become the pre-eminent Boston board…  and for good reason!  Through a variety of moves, TBD has ravaged its posting base.  Sustaining a vibrant community requires a minimum of distorting or conflicting incentives, at least passive support from central management, and an active and participatory moderator with a light touch.  

Congratulations TER and Thirsty!  You’re doing a great job…  Keep up the good work!

Have fun, MG

...business slow???
Very impressive, though

WOW!  An impressive and enjoyable post and thread!  As a long time lurker, occasional poster/reviewer, paying TER member, and fan of this community and hobby, THank you all for your analysis and historical commentary on the subject!  It is fascinating, interesting and comforting to know there are other hobbyists out there who are as wrapped up in this as I am.  Is there any statistical significance to the increase in posting patterns and the appearance/retirement of particular providers?  I'd be curious to know. lol

As usual, this will help the newbies out there gain a perspective of what we've lived through during the past few years. AKA, "the Good, the Bad, and the Ugly."

Wow... and people knocked me for spending less than an hour the other week gathering some basic statistics, purely out of curiosity.

MG, not that I care about this history, really, here is a chart from Alexa which correlates... it's of comparative traffic in the past 2 years.

Bee-You-Tee-Full

Nice job!

I agree with you 100% MG . I started out with TBD a long time ago and met some very nice people ( most of them are now on TER)
But ever since the BD13 Fiasco and the False accusation on VB.
AND then when they refused to reinstate VB even though he was proven INNOCENT showed me how stupid that board really was.
Plus there is someone else on that board who thinks he can influence people with distorted versions of his famouns cut and paces letters. I'm glad Thirsty is the Mod of this board .

Ah, yes. You are correct. That oTher BaD board would be so much better without those types. Too bad the new owners didn't do a proper housecleaning. The numbers are proof.

This is the philosophy that I try to instill in all the TER boards that I moderate (8 now! I'm crazy . When I started moderating the Atlanta board a few months ago, some members complained that I let certain posts through. I believe that the board communities do best when they are allowed to police themselves. Some have also complained of the occasional Red Sox or Patriots thread. When I spoke to Staff initially about the moderator position, Staff said in effect that the boards should reflect the local community. Sure, we get off topic now and then. We have more in common than the HOBBY and this board reflects that fact!

Many would argue that the rise of TER in Boston is directly related to TBD's legal problems (summer '02). I hope that in my time as moderator here, I have at least helped create a community where people are not intimidated by louder voices. Most do not know that when I first became moderator of TER Boston, I personally invited a number of providers who were frequent posters on TBD to come here to TER and post. These were ladies who I had not met and, in fact, still haven't met. Shortly after they gave TER a try, many of the ladies admitted that they felt more comfortable/relaxed/whatever posting here. I've only met about 3 people who have ever posted here, yet I feel like I have come to know many of you. For that I am grateful.

Have a great 2004 and beyond!

thirsty

P.S. As always, let's be extra careful. A young lady from Atlanta who just started posting on TER was murdered in Carolina this past week. Please LADIES verify!!! Please GENTS watch out for the ladies.

That was impressive!  Just a additional note:

Only thing TER "as a company" does is to supply the software and enforce simple rules:

"This is a moderated forum in which flames and messages outside the forum topic will be deleted. Please do not post messages that are simply mean, or meant to cause trouble for trouble's sake. This is not the area to post detailed reviews. Please submit them in the review section. That said, have fun."

The rest of the thanks need to go to THIRSTY and the great members and providers who make this board a fun place to be.

Remember, if you're not having fun, you're doing it wrong!

-- Staff

WOW MG,you must really be bored this holiday season to go through all that work. Seriously,once again you have proven to be the voice of truth and reason.You were my friend through all my trials and tribulations at TBD and you will always remain my friend.You always knew the truth about my problem with TBD and you never stopped trying to make the powers that be,understand and care to make things right.They proved in spite of other's confessions,and my being proven innocent,that they had another agenda. So be it.I was welcomed here on TER by Thirsty and have and will continue to help make this an outstanding place to share experiences with our community. I haven't been very active here lately because, as many know,I am hobbying hard and fast in Costa Rica currently.As a side note,it is funny how justice seems to always prevail eventually. TBD went to jail.BD13 went to jail.Vegas Bob is having the time of his life in Costa Rica with as many chicas as he can handle.TER is now number 1 in the Boston market by far. Here in Costa Rica there is an expression,Pura Vida.It means Life Is Good.

Great read....I learned alot.

Thanks MG.

he did that with MS Word...
imagine what his Powerpoint presentations are like!

Once again, as you did with your exhaustive listing of local providers a few months ago, MG, you have scrupulously (and dare I say a bit obsessively, LOL?) laid out a framework for us to think about our hobby and our mutual communication.  Thank you. I absolutely agree that, in recent months, TER has been a much more fun place to be, whether it's lively discussion on a relevant topic, or commiserating about Grady's Blunder.

One thing has limited my use of TER, and it's a question I have for Thirsty and the TER staff.  When I open TBG, I can open it free of any banners or ads.  TER has the banner across the top of the page.  I work in a fairly open office environment, and thus I can't really open TER without the attractive woman baring her breasts on the top of the page (not that I have a problem with attractive women baring their breasts pretty much anywhere else in my life).  This limits my use of the site during the day, whereas a plain bulletin board looks, to the casual observer, merely like I'm f**king off like everyone else, not like I'm shopping for my Thursday nooner.  So my question: is there any way of opening the board without the banner on top?  This may be offered to VIP members, I'm not one so I don't know, but would consider this to be a significant perk.  Happy New Year, S

MG deserves the unofficial title of Social Historian of the Boards. Great post. I just want to add my 3 cents.
I was once a regular poster on TBD but swore it off a couple of years ago. Not just for what was happening on the Boston TBD board but other cities as well, especially DC., where a number of us was active also.
TBD outed somebody, which may or may not have justified, but it showed his recklessness with the power he created for himself. And, it showed me and others that we needed to be extra careful. Then TBD himself goes down. Of course, we were all shocked that there was gambling going on the back room: Could anyone believe he was using his position and power for his own ends? I retired from TBD but manage to scan the board every now and then.
Recently, I have been drawn to TER reviews -- the board discussion still has a ways to go, in my opinion, but then again the "golden era" of public hobbyist community probably has past. It sure was fun to be a part of while it lasted. Now, many of us are much more discrete but share information with each other or through smaller, trusted groups.
Another observation: TER started out as an LA-based operation and still is LA-centric but the Boston community is developing.
Stay safe,
isis

Hey MG,
Very informative post, and good reading.

Do you keep track of the dates things happened or did you have to search for those things (like BD13 taking over for me, or TBD going paid and what not)?

-York

p.s. Email me if you have a second, I have a question [email protected]

In one of your rare board appearances...  I hope things are well and that you are enjoying yourself!

Have fun, MG

Most of your observations make a lot of sense.  Your analysis, however, does not seem to include one crucial item.  As I recall, until late 2001 the TBD Boston site served the entire New England.  It had basically two areas: Boston Escorts and Boston Spas.  Then that site was reorganized.  Boston board was in effect split into various New England states and TBD established three areas within the Massachusetts Board as we see them today.  It seems to me that this reorganization also would have contributed to the reduction in the number of posts on the TBD Boston Escorts board.

While I agree with you that TER is much better run of the two boards, I am curious as to whether you took into account the fact that TER Boston represents the entire New England region whereas the TBD Boston only covers Boston and the nearby suburbs?

You're right...  In February 2002, TBD established new boards within New England -- ME, NH, VT, RI, CT, and rest of MA.  All totaled, these other boards account for 450-500 posts/month.  

Clearly, I should have made some adjustment for this fact, but it's hard to say just how much.  Some fraction of the posts are duplicates...  And some fraction are posts that would simply not exist otherwise, since one could argue that the existence of  separate board creates its own traffic.  By similar logic, one might argue that while the TER Boston board theoretically covers all of New England, it's fundamentally a Boston board.

In summary, you're right but I don't know exactly what to do about it!  

Have fun, MG