Jun wrote:I suspect there IS no money in it. However, if someone can spot a business model where money CAN be made with a website with gay maps in Thailand & SE Asia, I'm interested to hear why you think that is the case.
If the case is good, I might just have a go, but it's going to be with minimal time input and I would be using Upwork to get someone in The Philippines or wherever to do the legwork.
I think a more workable model is if a number of us make a commitment to make a minimum number of updates every year. Say if 10 people commit to 10 updates, then we have 100 venues. Where it is updated can be discussed (here, google, etc).
Just to make sure we are all honest, the 10 updates can be listed here, so there is peer pressure.
I agree with most of Jun and GB's last two posts. But I believe there are some basic flaws. The bars, massage spas etc. should definitely have websites with detailed information about their services and a very precise map with GPS coordinates. I am tempted to add addresses in Thai - but who has ever found a taxi driver who can work out a small venue on any map. I certainly haven't. So the map should include the closest large building like a hotel or office tower, or even a BTS or MRT station with walking details from there. Surely that's what a sensible business interested in their customers and in increasing their customer base would do.
Some might suggest facebook pages are OK. But that assumes, wrongly, that everyone is a member of facebook whereas everyone can access the internet.
The first flaw, I fear, is in the collation. Jun's suggestion of ten posters making ten recommendations is excellent. But I am pretty sure that will not add up to 100 venues. For surely in Bangkok the main venues, the ones most often written about - like Tawan, Hotmale, DreamBoys, Babylon and so on - will come up on many lists. So I suspect the total is likely to be nearer 25. I agree that's better than nothing, but it's just a shortish, very incomplete list.
Second, language. We know that the target market is changing rapidly. The expat/visiting western tourist numbers are way down. Those from other parts of Asia, increasingly China and probably soon India are on the way up. I don’t mean the group tours. I refer to the growing number of individual and small gay groups. With 27 million members Blued is by far the most popular gay app now and it is basically in Chinese (although helpfully with built-in English translation). Grindr is now 60% Chinese owned. I cannot believe there is cash to be made from a gay venue website unless it is geared as much if not more so to the greater Asian market. That means it has to be in both English and Chinese. Some assume that these visitors are wealthier individuals from these countries who automatically speak English. That is increasingly not true, as I know from my many discussions with Chinese on Blued who have visited Thailand. Perhaps the first concrete suggestion I have is that anyone starting up a website should begin with discussions with Blued and Grindr.
Having been looking at print and internet entries on gay Bangkok for 39 years, I do not believe there is money to be made now, if only because the market is just too small. Just look at the number of regular posters on the three English gay chat rooms. Probably not more than 50 - certainly well under 100. How many newbies write posts asking for info on the gay scene? Maybe 20 or 30 in a year?
As for advertising revenue, there ought to be a market with the increasing revenues from the pink dollar. We know that many of the younger gay guys from Singapore, Taiwan and Hong Kong and other parts of Asia spend part of their days shopping. Ads including discount coupons might be attractive – but for one thing. Due to social attitudes here, I do not believe regular advertisers in Thailand will wish to be associated with a website which openly promotes gay gogo bars and saunas.