Sweet Marie, your comments are so appropriate.  I am from NY and travel to Florida occasionally.  I've followed your Board for years and have always enjoyed reading the posts and admired how much of a community you all were.  For some reason, in the past 6-9 months, the Board has become very adverserial.  If someone responds to a post who isn't of the 'correct' sex, someone immediately attacks them.  It's clear there are just a handful of people who are doing this, and I won't name names and become part of that process.  Can't we all just have fun?

Sort of what happens when the monkeys police themselves

While any message board on the internet...ANY one...always has its share of differing personalities and occasional flame-ups...there's always someone in charge to keep things in check and moving in a forward direction. Since we don't have that anymore, and the board is run by committee, you're seeing things happen that really shouldn't.
It's a combination of people with no lives outside this thing of ours, delicate sensibilities, a taste of power, and the inability to let things go that causes the problem.

Sure, when this place was pretty much a 'boys club' the boys went at each other now and again. In typical fashion with most guys though...they'd get over it quickly and move on without much of a grudge. Hell....I've even seen things patched up at M&Gs and everyone goes on their merry way.
Now, sorry to say this, but women are wired differently. They can't seem to let go of ANYTHING, can hold a grudge long enough and hold it tight enough that it could form a diamond.
(I'm speaking in generalizations here...so no need for panties to get in a wad).
What this leaves us with is what we have now. Basically two 'factions' of ladies going at each other at EVERY opportunity...and a few spinoff splinter cells jumping in every now and then.
All ladies involved say "I hate drama"...all of them. Yet, whenever possible, they will take a shot at someone and CAUSE the drama that they "hate". Logical? Not in the least.
So you wind up with people taking shots at each other, people getting sensitive and hitting the "report this post" button because they personally don't like something, and turning the place into a negative situation. Now add to that the almost ENDLESS amount of backchanneling some of the drama queens do ALL day....and you wind up with a complete cluster-fuck.
Many ladies say, and believe, that their board presence doesn't cost them business. Well...they're living in la-la land. This has been discussed by guys, and on the reviewer's only board, and I can guarantee, absolutely, that this negativity and public bitch-slapping has lost interest, clients, and revenue.

The end result is that good people who made the board as great as it was....have left. End of story. Only one short year ago this place was a blast and still considered the "best" board on the site. Now it's down to barely any real conversation at all, theme days with participation that has dropped drastically, and some ladies responding to threads that have nothing to do with them...just so they can get an advertising shot in.
Atlanta used to be known as the "drama board" around here....and frankly now FL has taken the title.

I'd like to see it change into a better place....but the first step is for everyone to be on the same page as far as what the board should be....and I don't see that happening anytime soon.

Just sayin'
DD

It is getting old.  And honestly, it affects us guys opinions on who we might want to see or not see.  No hobbyist wants to get in the middle of that crap.  I sure won't.

Thinking back to just about a year ago, checking the board was something that had to be done at least a few times a day. It was entertaining and informative & I was led to more than a few appointments by the posts here- and those posts were by men & women alike.

Earlier this year, the entertaining & information simply stopped being a part of the board & open hostility took over- some from women & some from guys all aimed to hurt. Personally, I left the board from February until the end of September & I didn't look at this board- not once. However, after talking to a few people, I decided to come back in the hopes that the Florida board might return to the "good ole days". Unfortunately, there remains hostility & I admit to directing venom at some of those people that start spewing their crap all over the place. I would say here that we know who some are but all too often they hide behind an alias.

The bottom line here is that we are all a part of this community & it is a community that we have each made a decision to join. That means just as you choose to be a part of it, you can also choose to leave. It's unfortunate that we can't be like Survivor & just vote people off, but we can choose to ignore. Let's bring back the fun & simply ignore those that wish to be shallow, hurtful & crude and just as with the annoying child, if you ignore them long enough, they will move on to something else.
Life is too short people & there are so many people out there with great ideas & fun personalities. Don't let the pettiness in people interfere with the fun that we have.

To those that want to antagonize & instigate, get a life & try to have a nice day.

My 2cents

I wanted to be turned ON-not totally off

Sadly I have been so turned off as well that I do not bother either.
I could not wait to be able to list my city on my profile to Tampa when I was moving down here so that I could join in with the picture threads & meet everybody.
I loved the camaraderie but in the last few months I have just backed off because it is just not sexy or fun to see bickering.
I post now an ad here and there and just read the board once in a while-and usually get half way through the first thread and just click out.
I love being in Florida and really wanted to be involved here but not at the expense of getting a headache.
What happened to "If you don't have anything nice to say, keep your mouth shut?".
Saying something like Let's agree to disagree would be a classier way to end a discussion that is not going anywhere then going for the low blow that seems to be acceptable by the majority these days.
xxxxooooxoxoxxoox

i came to this board about six months ago, ironically as a refugee from another local board known for its ridiculous levels of drama.  part of what goes on here (and there, and everywhere) is indeed just the nature of the internet-forum beast, and i accept that...but sadly, it seems i missed what's now being termed "the good old days" of this board. :sigh:

hey, i'm just here to meet new people and to have some fun!  most folks on this board seem to have different objectives and values.  as a result, i simply post my ads and participate only occasionally in the "discussions".  without naming names, i daresay there are lots of newer ladies like myself - new to the board and/or new to the biz - who aren't participating here because the environment of this community is less than welcoming.  it's cliquish and seems centered around the mudslinging others have mentioned.  that's too bad, really.

so to any of y'all who are just interested in having a good time and a few laughs...i'll be right over here, keeping my head down.  c'mon over!

-- Modified on 10/23/2012 12:39:18 PM

I knew it would come in handy

and I'm already burnt out...I'm exhausted and find myself trying to figure out who hates who...not as much fun as one might expect from a f***-board!

Instead of lamenting on this board's hostilities and trolls, why dont you post something cute, funny or even lewd. Yes, we are all pervs here. I would but I am the farthest thing from cute, I am not funny (unless I have had excess amounts of Makers Mark or I am ridiculing some billy badass wannabee's mickey mouse tattoos) and I don't think anybody would enjoy lewd cellphone pics of a middle aged, polynesian/Illyrian, with a belly and crooked teeth.

Whether I started a thread, posted a comment, or just offered to step up and co host with S64 to have an Orlando mixer in the winter, the back channeling and comments placed on the board and then removed  Is  getting pretty tiresome. And quite frankly I'm bored with it.

Most of my business doesn't come from this board, I travel up and down the east coast and Chicago. Yes I have reviews here. And they are pretty flipping great ones at that.  So I guess my services i offer aren't that bad. And I guess I don't have to post here to prove myself worthy. I'm just getting pretty tired of having to see someone post something about my PERSONAL life, and we all know there are three sides to every story. I'm just baffled how these people seem to know the right story. SMH.  

It's true I have gotten wrapped up on the nonsense, and even I know im not perfect, but when it's a constant 2 plus year battle with these twits it tends to make me have to defend myself.besides, after all I'm only human.  And the ones who have met me or are my friends and know who I really am.  

I know there's always going to be a handful who dislikes me, or doesn't like my style. And thats just human nature.
I'm glad there's an ignore feature on this site now. I will from now on exercise my right to block and ignore the petty BS

We  are adults here, and that most of the time we act like it.

So excuse my while I fix my dress and place my lipstick on my sexy lips,

Gabby xox




-- Modified on 10/24/2012 8:20:57 AM

As several mentioned earlier, the cattiness/nastiness by several women have cost them my biz. There are 3-4 women here I'd never see. Ever.

My reputation was all washed up here some time ago. Remembering when my name meant much as a longstanding member here is long gone never to return. The bullying goes on even from those who at one time sent me apologies and said I didn't deserve what I was given. I sent Marie a personal apology which she deserves along with so many others who have chosen to lurk here and not post for fear of getting caught in the muddle of others cattiness.

Kisses Haley

I mentioned no names. So who could I have offended. And I did not lie.

a moderator who kept the trolls in line as well as other regulars who sometimes posted stuff that was out of line. Without a monitor, the inmates are free to do what ever they want. TER did experiment with board "hosts and hostesses" but these folks had no means of removing posts that were out-of-line. Their task, as I understood it, was to stimulate conversation.  

I too took a break over the summer but this board has not gotten any better than what is was in the spring. I still visit here from time to time to see if certain new providers, or Florida veteran providers, can stir my interest.

Some of these girls are worse than any man I have ever known.. Internet trolls I guess you could call them... Where I come from we don't fight on the Internet... We find out who you really are and go from there... Getting real real sickening..