Comical reading BAexpats.org Threads!

[Betsy Ross]

Does anyone else find it comical that everyone on www.BAexpats.org is spending all their time now talking about this forum? I think it is so funny. I post on both forums but it is funny how people think their posts on the exchange rate or other mindless drivel think they are so important. LOL.

Everyone is trying to find their own posts on this forum and no one knows who is who. And Igor doesn't know who turned on him. I'm not sure if this was the intended purpose but I love how they are spending all their time talking about this new forum. It's funny! This is such pure genius. I haven't laughed this hard being on BAexpats for over 10 years.

 

[Silvia]

Does anyone else find it comical that everyone on www.BAexpats.org is spending all their time now talking about this forum? I think it is so funny. I post on both forums but it is funny how people think their posts on the exchange rate or other mindless drivel think they are so important. LOL.

Everyone is trying to find their own posts on this forum and no one knows who is who. And Igor doesn't know who turned on him. I'm not sure if this was the intended purpose but I love how they are spending all their time talking about this new forum. It's funny! This is such pure genius. I haven't laughed this hard being on BAexpats for over 10 years.

Ha Ha. Yes I was thinking the same thing. I went to go check about if anyone posted about the storm as I have no electricity and had to go to my friend's place. Then I looked and 3 out of the 5 posts are dedicated to this forum. It IS funny.

I think I am done with that old forum. Igor pretends like he doesn't know why this forum was created. Like it's some mystery. I think that is his biggest problem. Instead of just saying moderation will be improved moving forward he is still burying his head in the sand.

I read how a recent poster asked how he could see if his post is here on this new forum. I laughed and was going to point out the obvious! You have to read THIS forum!

 

[JonJLA]

I am the one that suggested to @earlyretirement to lock the thread about Igor. There are so many important economic and political things that are serious that are going on in Argentina. Many of my local friends are scared of the unknown and people are wasting time debating this.

I have been reading that forum for many years. Trust me there aren't that many great posts. I think Igor and the members of that forum need to get over themselves. And I don't think people should waste time on these matters.

I went to defend @earlyretirement when someone posted about fake photos from the properties. That is totally baseless. I know as I have purchased 2 properties that ApartmentsBA purchased and managed for me. All the photos are very real.

If you look at the number of magazines and newspapers that have referenced the company. I posted on BAexpats a non-biased factual post and he immediately deleted it. Nonetheless I would tell people to focus on the important matters going on in Argentina.

 

[Canada Goose]

@JonJLA I think the fact that Igor/Admin deleted your factual post tells the true story.

I will confirm I am an actual client of @BuySellBA not that it matters. I have met @Cariba in person when I had to leave some money to make my deposit on the new apartment I am buying. She was telling me she has known @earlyretirement for 18 years and what a standup guy he is. She used to work for him at his first company in Argentina for 8 years. She told me she has never had a better boss than him.

I also talked to the developer where I a bought a unit quite a bit about @earlyretirement and they have also been working with him for 22 years. Rave about him. I wonder how many people will vouch for Igor?

PS. I am laughing that several members of the old forum are actually disappointed they don't have a doppelgänger! I feel sorry for Ronnie Hotdogs. He seems so let down. Poor guy.

 

[Billy Goat]

I am the one that suggested to @earlyretirement to lock the thread about Igor. There are so many important economic and political things that are serious that are going on in Argentina. Many of my local friends are scared of the unknown and people are wasting time debating this.

I have been reading that forum for many years. Trust me there aren't that many great posts. I think Igor and the members of that forum need to get over themselves. And I don't think people should waste time on these matters.

I went to defend @earlyretirement when someone posted about fake photos from the properties. That is totally baseless. I know as I have purchased 2 properties that ApartmentsBA purchased and managed for me. All the photos are very real.

If you look at the number of magazines and newspapers that have referenced the company. I posted on BAexpats a non-biased factual post and he immediately deleted it. Nonetheless I would tell people to focus on the important matters going on in Argentina.

I agree with your stance @JonJLA.

I am going to reiterate what I posted on the locked thread. I hope this dispute with @earlyretirement and Igor doesn't render both forums with too much noise. Igor's mistake is he refuses to listen to members that his moderation is just wrong.

I would hate both forums just get polluted with post about this issue. I agree with @JonJLA there are serious issues going on with Argentina now. Focus on those issues.

I post on both sites but I think both you and Igor should just stop this nonsense. I don't doubt what you are posting @earlyretirement as I read your posts on the old forum for over a decade. You always came across as a straight shooter. A bit arrogant sometimes but you have a good reputation from all that I can see online.

 

[FuturoBA]

All I have left to say about this is, look at how the owners of the forums are handling this. One encourages both forums and the sharing of info, while the other is trying to silence this forum and restrict info.

 

[Canada Goose]

All I have left to say about this is, look at how the owners of the forums are handling this. One encourages both forums and the sharing of info, while the other is trying to silence this forum and restrict info.

Agreed @FuturoBA !

It boggles my mind that people from the old forum really care. You would think they originally posted to share information about Buenos Aires. I wonder if the Admin made up screen names recently as @StatusNomadicus mentioned? After all, who really cares if their post is benefitting people that are looking for Buenos Aires information.

It's wierd how Igor says he is worried that @earlyretirement will file a DMCA take down order first. LOL. It's so strange of an argument to make. @earlyretirement is literally saying to just DM or email him and he will delete any posts if people are really offended or bothered that a post is up. No need to file anything. I asked @earlyretirement today via Whatsapp how many people have emailed him asking to delete threads from the old forum and he said only 1 person since Igor posted and 1 member that claimed his profile and asked that his posts not be copied from the other forum which earlyretirement quickly agreed to. Meanwhile 11 other members from the website have "claimed" their profile. Some however, for the time being are posting under a different handle.

I have seen first hand bullies or owners of forums that think they can do whatever they want and expect no one to call BS and it sounds like some people did on Twitter going back years but no one has had the courage and especially the money to take this approach to protect free speech. I admire it.

I spent a few hours today (yeah I'm a loser but had a few hours to kill while they did an inspection on my townhouse) reading some of earlyretirement's old posts on the old forum. It's truly remarkable how much time he devoted to answering people's questions on a myriad of topics over the past 13 YEARS.

@earlyretirement told me today that he has some interviews with the press coming up about other business related stuff and he is going to mention Igor publicly and talk about the crazy moderating and Igor's stance against free speech and what led to the creation of this website.

 

[earlyretirement]

First of all, thanks again to everyone participating in this new forum. And actually thank you for participating in Igor's forum too. As I mentioned, I believe both can co-exist. I posted on his forum for 13+ years with no agenda other than the sharing of helpful and useful information on Buenos Aires and Argentina in general.

I have hired people to restore all 13+ years of my posts over the years. I'm not sure why people from the old forum would care at all about information they shared on Buenos Aires but I will reiterate that I am happy to delete any posts if people seriously believe it harms them in any way, shape, or form. Go back to the old forum and read my posts. I was always respectful and I believe always posted objective and helpful information.

Many members of that forum have told me they enjoyed reading my posts for the past 13 years and benefitted from it. Several have claimed their profile. I only have had 1 member from the old forum request to delete the 2 posts that were posted on this new forum but neither contained his name so I'm not sure what his issue is but I requested the request within 15 minutes and instructed my staff to delete the post. We also requested that the poster that posted it please not post any posts from the old forum. He promised not to and we told him if he does and a member shows us the URL we will ban him.

I continue to find Igor's behavior to be strange. No, I will not file a DMCA takedown order of ANY content on his website including my own 13+ years' worth of posts. But that gives you insight into the thought process of that guy.

Argentina is going through some really tough times and I agree with @JonJLA and @Billy Goat that there are more important things to talk about. However, everyone is being respectful and factual on this thread so I will keep it open.

I love Argentina. I truly do and it's my love of Argentina that created me to cause this website. I don't believe in Moderation unless someone is being disruptive. I truly hope Igor changes the Moderation of his website for the better.

Thanks again to everyone for participating. Cheers.

 

[Johnny]

I don't know Igor at all and I don't post on BAexpats.org at all. I CAN tell you that I've known @earlyretirement for over 10 years. I am one of his friends and one of his investors and purchased in many projects in Mexico with him and I just bought a penthouse apartment in Buenos Aires in a new building that will be done in August 2024. It was my first trip to Buenos Aires and fell in love with the city.

I think competition is good and hopefully it will cause the Admin/owner of that other site to change his ways with moderation.

 

[Flamingo]

I genuinely want to know what issue the members of that other forum have with a similar post. Like seriously!? They sound like tools complaining about this. Or maybe they are all Igor? The entire point of these boards is to help people. Am I missing something here?

I also like posters like Ronnie Hotdogs that is bummed that his funner "twin" isn't here on this new forum. That's the spirit!

 

[Nasdaq]

All I have left to say about this is, look at how the owners of the forums are handling this. One encourages both forums and the sharing of info, while the other is trying to silence this forum and restrict info.

Yes! That is my thought process too. I post on the other old forum for a few years and it's a well-known fact as other members have posted that you can't even suggest or criticize Admin on that old forum. I wish Admin would acknowledge it, improve, and just move on. I think people would appreciate it and I would guess @earlyretirement will just drop the issue too.

He leaves things with people scared to post under their own screenname for fear he will ban them on the old forum. For all the moderation, there are a lot of members there. Granted some shouldn't be!

I genuinely want to know what issue the members of that other forum have with a similar post. Like seriously!? They sound like tools complaining about this. Or maybe they are all Igor? The entire point of these boards is to help people. Am I missing something here?

I also like posters like Ronnie Hotdogs that is bummed that his funner "twin" isn't here on this new forum. That's the spirit!

^^^^ This ^^^^^

Ha. I was wondering the same thing. What is the beef of the other members? I see most complaining are newer members. I love the posting style of Ronnie Hotdogs. Can someone tell him to post here under the same name? I vote Ronnie Hotdogs for Moderator of this site! Ha.

 

[Bobbie Burgers]

“Can't we all just get along.” - Rodney King

 

[Frosted Flakes]

“Can't we all just get along.” - Rodney King

This forum is GREATTTT!

 

[StatusNomadicus]

I went to defend @earlyretirement

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.

 

[JonJLA]

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?

@StatusNomadicus I am not sure if it actually posted. On my end it said posted but others told me that Igor when someone posts something he doesn't agree with, it looks like it's posted but there is a delay. I do not know if this is true or not but I saw it on my end for a minute and then it was deleted immediately after that.

Nothing controversial in it. I agree about the echo-chamber. To me, it doesn't make sense to have a forum where you delete anything you don't want to read/hear. As you mentioned, he is free to do what he wants with his forum.

There ARE good posts on that forum but it seems like the intelligent posters like Nikad are posting less and I mostly went before to read @earlyretirement's posts there. Since he left the board seems really boring. But now I can enjoy this one. I agree with you that you don't really notice censorship unless you spend a lot of time and many times I would go back to read something and then it was gone with no explanation.

I enjoy your posts.

 

[earlyretirement]

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.

 

[Che Vos]

@earlyretirement told me today that he has some interviews with the press coming up about other business related stuff and he is going to mention Igor publicly and talk about the crazy moderating and Igor's stance against free speech and what led to the creation of this website.

I watched a round table interview with @earlyretirement a few weeks ago in India on YouTube. He seems very intelligent. Something tells me Igor is going to become very famous soon. His forum too. This one too.

 

[Spend Thrift]

I watched a round table interview with @earlyretirement a few weeks ago in India on YouTube. He seems very intelligent. Something tells me Igor is going to become very famous soon. His forum too. This one too.

This Flaming Hot Cheeto loves drama. Pour me some wine please.

 

[Wally]

I watched a round table interview with @earlyretirement a few weeks ago in India on YouTube. He seems very intelligent. Something tells me Igor is going to become very famous soon. His forum too. This one too.

Things move at the speed of light now. Before you could own a forum and moderate the hell out of it and do what you want. Some might complain like you see on Twitter there were users complaining but no real voice. I looked and @earlyretirement has been published in most major respected financial magazines around the world! I also listened to a few podcasts. The guy sounds like a smart guy Does not sound flippant. If you read the logical progression of why he started this website it makes sense.

I think many members of the old forum don't understand why this new forum was started. Once they figure it out they are going to feel dumb for complaining.

 

[Betsy Ross]

I genuinely want to know what issue the members of that other forum have with a similar post. Like seriously!? They sound like tools complaining about this. Or maybe they are all Igor? The entire point of these boards is to help people. Am I missing something here?

I also like posters like Ronnie Hotdogs that is bummed that his funner "twin" isn't here on this new forum. That's the spirit!

This is also what I want to try to understand. I'm curious @earlyretirement have you received any other posters that asked to delete their content? I read there was 1 person from yesterday. Who was it? And what did he say about his post? How many of his posts were posted? What was the content of the post? Anything intellectual?

I think Igor/Admin is trying to make this a bigger deal than it is. It's clear many posters have moved over.