i was going to ask, how many milliseconds did that stay up on the old forum? 😛
i think you made a good recommendation to lock the thread; didn't know it was you. rock on...i think the market and free-speech will let the better forum rise to the top. if Igor wants to keep paying domain/hosting fees to have a circle-jerk echo-chamber of whatever he wants to talk about, he's free to do so! whenever i learn something is censored, i immediately lose interest
"Trust me there aren't that many great posts." - well, there WERE! i had at least a dozen questions answered there, in my short month before i got shadow-banned and then realized there were posts being deleted. now they're gone! you really don't notice censorship unless you spend a lot of time, since there are so many people posting. who really knows how much content was deleted by Igor over the years combined, which would have helped new Expats?
this forum is fast and clean! and if future Mods start going the way of Igor, it will be replaced by something else. the only thing i disagree with the moderators about is the targeted user base. being an Expat is hard! i told gym staff 3 days ago that i was here, and they asked if it was because of family or my girlfriend or work. when i said i just up and moved, and i know zero people here, they didn't believe me! it was almost like in their heads, people only travel to where they have networks. i told them that my favorite travels are the challenging ones where i need to use a foreign language, know no one, have to assimilate into the culture, and it's sort of like an adventure game to see if i can master the local living. that being said...sh*t is hard! you just have to know things, like USD is impossible to get, coffee is 98% garbage sugar-filled burnt beans, peanut butter is elusive, dog food is mostly filler that's bad for your dog, etc.
that's where this forum (and Reddit when it's not 90% commie complaining and memes) shines: instead of having a hard landing, you can read reviews of things, and make a checklist to avoid inconveniences and have a WAY better trip, whether it's a weekend or a year. the vlogs and blogs i see online are so irrelevant to Expats who are living here part of the year; someone who comes for a week and takes a tour bus or Ubers everywhere has very little useful info to offer for everyday living. this is where i think the name ExpatsBA should shine: vacationers aren't expats! and though i don't think anyone should be blocked, i think vacationing is easy; you pay for a hotel or airbnb and you do what TripAdvisor recommends, taking Ubers/cabs everywhere and eating at restaurants. that info could be a separate Topic section on this forum. and then the locals - i don't know who is a MERCOSUR local, but i would guess a few people on this forum and about 10 people on the old one are argentinos who live in the city, vote like the Peronist half does, and seem to have a perma-resentment for people who come to Argentina with some savings. this is my main issue: why the hell are you on an Expat forum? i don't spend my free time on a BsAs Locals forum, posting in threads about what the trade unions etc. are doing...so i think its strange that a local would be on an Expat forum, posting negativity about people traveling to BsAs. just my opinion, and i always try to think about what the ulterior motives are.
Actually, my friend
@JonJLA recommended it but also first
@Chris also recommended to lock that thread. Chris did a few minutes before Jon. These days my Whatsapp is a constant non-stop stream.
As mentioned by you both, when you own a business, website or forum or whatever you can do whatever you want. You can run your business the way you want. As I recently told the BOD of my Country Club where I was on the BOD for many years, you guys can do what you want but expect to be called out on it publicly if you don't act in the best interests of the members. I recently did an open letter and they were shocked with what I wrote. All the members supported me and it kind of reminds me of this situation with the old forum.
Bullies think they can do whatever they want while running a company. Which they can do. But this isn't 1990. It's 2023 and if you act in a manner that isn't deemed correct, then expect to be called out publicly on it. And if the person that posts it online has a big reach and audience then expect it to go viral. With social media now, things can spread in an instant. That's all I'm saying and that's why I created this forum.
My biggest issue with Ignor/Admin is he pretends like he doesn't know why this forum was started and instead of just apologizing to his members and saying, "I'm sorry and I'm going to work hard to do a better job" he has gone the total opposite direction. EVERY member of that forum that has contacted me via emails or DM's is saying it's getting worse, not better.
@StatusNomadicus I really appreciate all your contributions to this forum but I totally disagree with you about this forum just being for expats. I want it to be all things Buenos Aires for everyone.
Most people I ask how they found this forum and surprisingly most say from Twitter. I was paying $1,000 a month to be a Verified Organization on Twitter/X but I stopped it this month and it seems like no difference at all. I signed up mainly as I was having all sorts of issues with Pro Massa supporters and possibly Zona Prop supporters as I was bashing both. I got it figured out once I was paying $1,000 US/month.
Many tourists that come to Buenos Aires end up loving it so much that they come back over and over again. Some become expats. In the early days of ApartmentsBA, many of my investors were just tourists who were renting a luxury apartment from me and they could do the math in their head of how much they were paying vs. how much they could make. So even tourists become property owners too.
@StatusNomadicus you are thinking only "bottom of the funnel". I am thinking "top of the funnel" helping people with valuable information even before they get to Buenos Aires. I have been a prolific poster on several forums since the Internet began. I have always been a big proponent of sharing valuable information.
Locals are part of the experience as well. I don't care if their opinions differ from mine or others. THEY are part of Argentina and for whatever reason they participate, I'm glad they are here.
I actually think having Mercosur expats or locals matter as much as expats. Actually while living in Buenos Aires for so many years I'd rather hang out with locals or Mercosur than American or Canadian expats. In almost 14 years on that forum I only met 2 people from the forum in real life (besides my clients that read or posted there too). I just don't have too big of a desire to hang out with expats. I'd much rather hang out with locals.
I think the way the forum is set up, if you don't want to read or participate in any Tourism related stuff you don't have to. But I've found being a Local Destination Expert for Buenos Aires for almost a decade that there were a LOT of learnings as well from tourists asking things. The great thing about life is you never stop learning. The same holds true for Buenos Aires. Actually especially true for Buenos Aires as things are constantly changing. Rules, regulations, banking, exchange rates, laws, restaurants, trends, etc.
I quit my position as a Destination Expert for TripAdvisor many years ago. They were doing the same kind of Moderation there where they were deleting things on crime, or other things if they disagreed on something political related. They would allow things for one candidate but then delete for another. Then everytime someone asked something Destination Experts would say to "look it up". My rule in a forum is if you don't want to answer don't and move on. But if someone takes the time to answer let them.
As mentioned, in the future I may rebrand this website as I do NOT want it to be just for expats. I'm pleased that locals like
@GlasgowJohn are starting to post more as well. They provide just as valuable input if not more than expats that don't truly know Argentina and probably NEVER will. Whether you are a local or an expat you need to know essential information about Buenos Aires and trust me. You NEVER stop learning. I've been living and working in Buenos Aires for the past 22 years and I try to learn something new about Argentina every day. Even if it's a place to go to eat. People should strive to learn something new about Buenos Aires each and everyday.
Things like where to get your nails done, where to get a good therapist, tailor, make-up, hair done, good places to eat. Crime information and a hundred different things you depend on the sharing of good information. So we can agree to disagree on who this website should be for but my stated goal is it will be for all things Buenos Aires in the future. The free flow of valuable information on all things Buenos Aires.
Cheers all.