Censorship in Motorcycle Forum?

moskito

Member
Oct 7, 2018
6
0
1
Morning,
i dont really know what this is. Yesterday i read an article about the Motorcycle Exhibition and posted a comment or two and i could read everything.
Today i log in and my page is totally CENSORED and full with RED FAT TEXT everywhere and it says my posts have to be moderated and checked ...
sry but wtf is this? another grave of free speech? dont know what i posted wrong and if i insulted anyone riding a TRIUMPH or an APRILLIA i honestly say sorry
it was not meant like this.
Golden Triangle Riders Censorship.png
 

Wayne66

Ol'Timer
Subscribed
Dec 7, 2022
349
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43
Chum Phae area
Hi

I had the same problem
read this

Wayne
 

DavidFL

0
Staff member
Subscribed
Jan 16, 2003
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Chiang Khong
www.thegtrider.com
Morning,
i dont really know what this is. Yesterday i read an article about the Motorcycle Exhibition and posted a comment or two and i could read everything.
Today i log in and my page is totally CENSORED and full with RED FAT TEXT everywhere and it says my posts have to be moderated and checked ...
sry but wtf is this? another grave of free speech? dont know what i posted wrong and if i insulted anyone riding a TRIUMPH or an APRILLIA i honestly say sorry
it was not meant like this.
View attachment 151557

Sorry for this confusion.
We found it necessary to implement a paywall to help with costs running GTR.
The explanation is here

Sorry for the confusion



How to upgrade you GTR account

BTW I would not say it is censorship or another grave of free speech.
You are welcome to contribute & post in GTR.
But please note that over the years we have had our quota of shit stirrers, serial trolls & even moderators who turned miscreant & caused great damage behind the scenes. Trouble makers don't last long!
We like GTR to be a happy friendly place, sharing info & building a better biking community for everyone.
We trust you will enjoy the info on GTR & join in sharing tips & info from your rides.
 
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moskito

Member
Oct 7, 2018
6
0
1
Thank you very much David, Wayne informed me already because he had the same problem.
Unfortunately the FORUM culture is dying, fortunately there are many more forums and I will for sure not pay for writing or reading articles i can find somewhere else too.
Sorry but thats a no go for me, even it its just 150.-Baht per month
have a great time and hopefully you are not soon here alone
cheers
mos
 

moskito

Member
Oct 7, 2018
6
0
1
Hi

I had the same problem
read this

Wayne
Thank you very much for the info Wayne, appreciated.
I will not pay for an internet forum, fortunately there are many more for SE Asia and there is a thing called FaceBook.
I am starting a trip tomorrow morning with my CRF250L from Phuket to Nongkhai and looking forward to it.
Have a great evening or morning
cheers and ride safe
mos
 

DavidFL

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Thank you very much David, Wayne informed me already because he had the same problem.
Unfortunately the FORUM culture is dying, fortunately there are many more forums and I will for sure not pay for writing or reading articles i can find somewhere else too.
Sorry but thats a no go for me, even it its just 150.-Baht per month
have a great time and hopefully you are not soon here alone
cheers
mos

Thanks for the response.
Enjoy your trip & should you want to come back to GTR some sections of the forum are free or you get 3 free page views a week.
A month subscription = 150 baht / 1 big beer, for unlimited access for 30 days.
Some people find the information available well worth one big beer.
And some people like to show their support by taking a 12 months subscription @ 80 baht / 1 small beer a month.
Should you need info & help we are here to share the info for a beer.
 
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Gregthemagnificent

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Subscribed
Apr 14, 2018
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Perth Australia
I don’t mind paying for the privilege of using GT-Rider, and pleased to support it. I have completed a number of fantastic rides based on information gleaned from the forum, and have another ride planned for November.
I also enjoy checking out the latest posts.
FB cannot compete with the 20 years of Northern Thailand trip reports on GTR, recorded and easily available. Try and find something on a FB group that interested you 6 months ago.
The forum culture is not fading away. I check out forums for information on things of interest. Currently I’ve been following KTM and Australian Antique Bottle forums.

Cheers,
Greg
 

DavidFL

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I don’t mind paying for the privilege of using GT-Rider, and pleased to support it. I have completed a number of fantastic rides based on information gleaned from the forum, and have another ride planned for November.
I also enjoy checking out the latest posts.
FB cannot compete with the 20 years of Northern Thailand trip reports on GTR, recorded and easily available. Try and find something on a FB group that interested you 6 months ago.
The forum culture is not fading away. I check out forums for information on things of interest. Currently I’ve been following KTM and Australian Antique Bottle forums.

Cheers,
Greg

Well said. Facebook is just a big black hole for information to disappear into & not be found again without great effort.
 
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Deano747

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Ditto to what Greg said. It's been a few years since I have been able to visit and tour the region, but the invaluable advise and information that I received over the decade or so previously have been worth way more than the merely sum to keep this board active.
Well done to David & others .......
 
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jimboy

Ol'Timer
Subscribed
Sep 28, 2010
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South-East Asia
www.asserogear.com
Thank you very much David, Wayne informed me already because he had the same problem.
Unfortunately the FORUM culture is dying, fortunately there are many more forums and I will for sure not pay for writing or reading articles i can find somewhere else too.
Sorry but thats a no go for me, even it its just 150.-Baht per month
have a great time and hopefully you are not soon here alone
cheers
mos

This is quite interesting. The "information is free" mentality became dominant quite a long time ago. The reality is, information isn't free unless YOU are the product. In other words, by provide "free" services such as email, social, etc, the dominant internet companies surveil suckers you 24 hours a day and sell the information they glean (which is far more extensive than you can imagine.) For example, AI systems can recognise your emotional state and deploy advertising and subtle "nudge" mechanisms to get you to stay longer in an app, on a website, or pursuade you to buy. Freewill is mistakenly thought of as immutable. It isn't. See how much time you spend on FB or YT shorts or Tik Tok or any other site designed to capture your attention.

As a previous poster noted, forum culture is alive and well in many specialized areas. Why is that? First, there's the community interaction. GTR is good example since many members know each other off-line, in the real world! For those of us in Thailand for the long haul, that's a big plus. Second, information placed on a forum is held for forum members to look up in the future. Over time forums become repositories of vast amounts of knowledge and know-how. Just within the motorcycling community there are any number of forums dedicated to bike brands, specific bikes, custom work, racing, etc., etc.. They are founts of quality advice and battle worn experience. Third, and not least, forums cost money to run in terms of server hosting, backup, and hundreds/thousands of hours to configure, update, patch, occasionally move, let alone moderate. We're damn lucky to have GTR. It costs a tiny amount relative to everything else.

Forum culture is very much alive and well, Mos, particularly on GTR. You might be alone. We're not. :laughing:
 

DavidFL

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A brief update, GTR will be moving web hosting sites in the near future to save a few hundred US$, plus get some maintenance done to bring GTR back up to scratch.

There are multiple issues behind the scenes, & have been for a while, but I've been reluctant to splash the cash due to the lack of money coming in- negligible map sales & new subscribers to encourage me to continue.

However, I think with much cheaper hosting, we may end up with an improved performance & more "longevity" for GTR, as I have seriously been considering doing away with the forum in another 12 months due to the costs involved & lack of return.

For those who are deterred from posting trip reports, because of the subscription issue, but would like to contribute trip reports, please contact me for a free subscription.

Thanks everyone for your time & patience.
 
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