Amazing News

[Guest Newbie]

Today's 'News & Updates' starts with an announcement sure to stir up controversy around here. If I've understood it correctly, Hooboy (and unnamed associates) are going to start selling advertising space to escorts, and (for additional fees) create websites for those who want them. What's not clear is whether this apparently for-profit enterprise is to be part of this site or something altogether separate.

 

Either way, though, doesn't just look like a conflict of interest - it IS a confict of interest. How could anyone expect to read unbiased opinions about escorts selected & edited by the same person who's paid to advertise those escorts?

 

This is a lot worse than Tom Weise from rentboy.com (exactly the sort of emporium H wants to start) coming here, as he briefly did, to drum up business for his clients with postings signed 'tommyweiss'--as if he were just another disinterested client. When called on this, Hoo, as I recall, defended this teeny deception merely by saying Weise was 'a nice guy' (!)

 

If I've misconstrued what Hoo is now proposing to do, I'm only to ready to apologize for starting a flap. But I don't see what else he could have meant.

 

As I said, amazing news...

[Guest bluboy]

conflict of interest

 

well if we would all send Hoo more money for this great service then he would not have to do this..great sites cannot be free and so either we pay or advertisers have to pay..unless we can get a governmen sponsorship or grant which I do not think will be forthcoming...blu..btw I am guilty of not sending any $$$ either but that is about to change...keep it unbiased Hoo...blu

[HooBoy]

Two days in a row you've tried to stir up trouble.

 

Today, I will take up my valuable time to respond point by point, like anyone is even interested.

 

>If I've understood it correctly,

>Hooboy (and unnamed associates) are

>going to start selling advertising

>space to escorts, and (for

>additional fees) create websites for

>those who want them.

 

You have not understood it correctly.

 

>What's not clear is whether

>this apparently for-profit enterprise is

>to be part of this

>site or something altogether separate.

 

If it's not clear to you, why don't you just email with your phone number so I can explain it to you - in very simple language so you will understand.

 

>Either way, though, doesn't just look

>like a conflict of interest

>- it IS a confict

>of interest. How could

>anyone expect to read unbiased

>opinions about escorts selected &

>edited by the same person

>who's paid to advertise those

>escorts?

 

I am not taking money from escorts for advertising. Not that this is even relevant, but have you ever read the New York Times? There are advertisements and there are reviewers.

 

>This is a lot worse than

>Tom Weise from rentboy.com (exactly

>the sort of emporium H

>wants to start)

 

Your opinion. I have my sights set much higher.

 

coming here,

>as he briefly did, to

>drum up business for his

>clients with postings signed 'tommyweiss'--as

>if he were just another

>disinterested client. When called

>on this, Hoo, as I

>recall, defended this teeny deception

>merely by saying Weise was

>'a nice guy' (!)

 

I do not know him, I think we've spoken or emailed and I imagine he is a nice guy. We do not golf together.

 

You are taking up bandwidth. I have your email address and if you continue to do so, I will bill you - not that you would ever pay.

 

>If I've misconstrued what Hoo is

>now proposing to do, I'm

>only to ready to apologize

>for starting a flap.

>But I don't see what

>else he could have meant.

 

I do not think you would apologize for farting in a theater.

 

>As I said, amazing news...

 

If this is amazing to you, I can only imagine what finding hard disks full of national security under copy machines must fill your teeny braincells with.

 

I have found a place for escorts to put their sites up at decent rates. They keep getting cancelled from places like AOL. I may or may not make money from advertising it. I take advertising from a lot of sources to allow trolls like you the ability to come here get your rocks off for free.

 

I'm trying to help people, yet I am also trying to make a buck, but there is NO conflict of interest. There are also people who have been generous enough to make contributions to keep this site afloat and they get special priveleges. Wouldn't you like to know what those are? Well, when I can figure out a way to keep them from reading insipid posts from the likes of you and all your identities, I certainly would.

 

Now, excuse me, I have an appointment in a few minutes with a very famous major league baseball player that has nothing to do with this site, but an idiot like you could probably construe it as such.

 

I'm sorry to bother the majority of the fine gentlemen that come here with my harsh response to this bad apple. Lets continue the Amazing News post with things that are truly amazing.

 

Thank you.

 

HooBoy

Email: HooBoy@male4malescorts.com

[Guest Croix]

As for offering escorts an easy, inexpensive, and amenable hosting, it can only be good for all concerned. We will have better exposure to guys who do not have elaborate websites, or who may buried away on AOL with not much more than a profile. We might also get a greater supply of good looking, enthusiastic guys in the $150 - 200 range who are more down to earth than some of the loftier luminaries who are beginning to think that $250 should be the standard, with all the attitude that often accompanies that level.

 

Where is there a conflict of interest? Except for his own reviews, which he signs with his own name, Hoo does not write the reviews -- we do. From my own experience, Hoo may edit out some lesser relevant patter to keep reviews from being too long, but he surely does not edit substantive content. If he did, we would all know it and the site would lose its value and its existance. The accusation is absurd.

 

You go HooBoy! I expect this sister site will provide as much value for exposure as the main site does for evaluation.

[Traveller]

Hoo:

 

It's amazing that you put up with the bullshit that started this thread. Whatever method you use to pay for this site, it's your prerogative and I'm all for it. Clients will still send in reviews and answer questions on the message board. You could've been censoring this from the onset and no one would've know. I know that all of the 15 to 20 reviews I have sent in have been posted; and, I imagine this will continue in the future. Keep up the great job.

 

Later.

 

PS. What's truly amazing is watching Tom Chase (or Anaconda or Jean Claude or Cory) fuck your BF. Even I have limits, hard as that is to imagine.

[Guest Jake]

LAST EDITED ON Jun-20-00 AT 05:52PM (EST)[p]You go, girl! I haven't always seen it, but you do put up with a lot of crap. You run a damn good site, HooBoy. I'm very grateful, and I hope you make a big-ass bundle of cash for yourself.

[Barry]

Me thinks you are the one trying to stir up controversy. HooBoy is being up front with his announcement. He certainly could have remained a silent partner of this forthcoming enterprise by waiting for it to be in place and then telling everyone about the new Hosting Service he has found.

 

 

 

This new service appears to be web-hosting for escorts using their own domain name. While I guess all web hosts and ISP's are being paid to "allow" advertising, it's not quite the same as being paid to advertise or sponsor. Certainly not as we see at RentBoys or Escorts4You.

 

 

 

Implying that somehow escorts that sign up for this new web-hosting service will be given some sort of preferential treatment here at M4M is saying that HooBoy doesn't have any business sense at all. That sort of behavior would indeed be found out eventually and KILL this site.

 

 

 

It is very difficult and expensive to find a host whose Terms & Conditions don't give them the right to shut down an escorts site or page without notice for almost any reason. When this happens, the escort may have lost everything on the server and all the links to his page will be dead. It can take months to track down everywhere his (now dead) link is located and have it redirected to a new host.

 

 

 

Let's give HB a chance here and if this new business helps defray the cost of the review site, we will all be the beneficiaries.

[Guest Newbie]

Okay, you all sound pretty unanimous on this. And you seem to think only good will come of it. So, in that hope, I'll watch what happens with interest. Maybe it will play out better than the chatroom & the classifieds.

 

But I don't think I'll be taking any calls from Hoo in the meantime. Judging from that written blast, I imagine it would be like hearing Belle Barth (or to use a more contempo image, Divine) reading you to filth. Definitely not lady-like.

 

By the way, I found H's strongest argument--the New York Times bit--the one HE thinks is irrelevant. But what would a poor old troll like me know?

[Guest craigrc]

It's true that newspapers like The Times accept advertising from the same movie studios whose films they review, often negatively. Hooboy provides this informative site free of charge, and I think it would be churlish to assume that he will start doctoring or excluding negative reviews of escorts who pay him for advertising. If that actually happens, it will soon become apparent to the people who patronize those escorts, and the result will be that fewer and fewer people will visit this site. I do hope that doesn't happen.

[HooBoy]

RE: This is NOT Amazing News

 

Everyone advises me to not even post to this sort of thread. Traveler, whom respect but I have never met even suggested I should have just killed it.

There is a lot of advertising on this website and there always will be in order for me to keep it free, something I firmly believe is essential for its intrinsic value, with the exception of people we are uncovering. I do not give any special privileges to the advertisers.

 

Read this very carefully, Skeptic. The editorial (read review) section is totally separate from the advertising (read money)operation.

 

It is already documented on this site that we do not knowingly take money escorts nor do we advertise escorts. We are not an escort agency and any escort who has sent me money gets a stern warning back that if he gets a bad review, it goes up ...assuming all that I have checked out has checked out, etc.

 

Maybe in the future I will find ways to exorcize money from escorts, but that’s beside the point of this rambling and the unfounded accusations that started it all

 

For the basis of full disclosure, I will tell you that an escort who has helped the site monetarily will get only the TEXT of a negative review before it ius published, thus you may see both the review and the response go up at the same time.

 

As anyone who has been around from the beginning knows, it takes a lot of confirmations before I publish negative review and like it or not, the escort has the right to refute as a last word.

 

I am also editing graphic depictions when I can of what may be perceived as illegal activities because I assume that escorts are hired to escort. Anything else that transpires between consenting adults is between them. If both parties are comfortable with the description, then I’ll publish it. You have to understand, a lot of escorts are very uncomfortable with graphic details and if they are irreverent to the review – meaning the customer satisfaction – then I will delete them.

 

I started this site so I could find out who is GOOD. I was sick of being ripped off. Frankly, I don’t care who is bad, unless they rob, steal or pummel.

 

But I have found a solid internet provider with their equipment hooked directly into the Sprint backbone. That will allow escorts to put their stuff up and get as fancy as they want for a very small price and considering what good escorts make, I’m talking about less than a hour for a month of hosting and NO hassle from the people who are like Nazis at AOL or Newbie himself.

 

And yes, I'll make money off of it but I come from a long line of capitalists. We like to make money. But we want the silver tray flying through the air providing a service before any money can be realized.

 

For those who relish in the negative, you'll be happy to hear that I'm losing a lot of money every month on this project.

 

Now, can we discuss things that are truly amazing?

 

HooBoy

Email: HooBoy@male4malescorts.com

HooBoy

Email: HooBoy@male4malescorts.com

[Guest TommyBoy]

RE: This is NOT Amazing News

 

HB, you ROCK! Please remember that 99% of the mail you get is positive. WE LOVE YOU! The idiots who complain should find another site. Keep your head held high, mister! You are only getting "props" from me.:*

[Guest Newbie]

No, Not Amazing After All

 

Such flailing and flapping about! Such hysteria! I always knew Hooboy couldn't take much criticism, and now I see he can't even take YES for an answer. Well, as Sean said at dinner the other night, "Ce n'est que la verite qui blesse."

 

For all that, everyone here at Nazi HQ wishes Hoo well in his latest attempt to stay afloat. Of course, making this a pay site would have ended the problem, but, as H quite rightly fears, it would have ended the site, too: ergo, no more strutting and fretting his brief hour upon the stage. Unthinkable! (Better to take in boarders--or laundry--than face obscurity again...)

 

So let's see what talent signs up for the money-making side of male4malescorts. Refugees from totalitarian AOL? I wonder. After all, didn't some bigtime escort recently dismiss those chatroom types as amateur hookers who DON'T want their pictures posted? (Maybe a pro like Steve Teron--one of the Top 10 Escorts of the Year here--could show them how to get around that problem.)

 

P. S. As for Traveller (whom I respect, too) suggesting that Hooboy yank this whole thread, I guess that means he doesn't work at Floyd Abrams' law firm.

[Guest Tampa Yankee]

LAST EDITED ON Jun-22-00 AT 11:00AM (EST)[p]LAST EDITED ON Jun-22-00 AT 10:51 AM (EST)

 

It may not exactly be NEWS but I, for one, am AMAZED!

 

I am amazed at the willingness of a few who seem ready to 'shoot first and ask questions later' calling HooBoy's ethics into question (and sometimes his common sense, not to mention his right to a private life and dinner with whom he chooses or living in a home and not under a highway overpass). It seems to be that a little considered reflection might have resolved the issues in Newbie's mind if he had mulled it over some -- then again, maybe not. If not, why not ask questions that would help clarify the picture before leveling charges of conflict of interest, proclaiming HooBoy's guilt and seeking others to sign on in this thread. I hope that the 'gotcha journalism' attitude hasn't found its way into the community but I fear it has. I, for one, believe that HooBoy has earned, through his actions and commitment, the benefit of the doubt until I have clear evidence that he has fallen from grace. I certainly haven't seen the latter and I have seen nothing yet to cause doubt in my mind either.

 

 

I was amazed that this site existed when I first stumbled onto it.

 

I was amazed that two escorts I scheduled on a upcoming business trip were reviewed. (The reviews were excellent and the two guys turned out to be excellent also. You know, the proof of the pudding is in the eating. After that I was hooked on the site and utilized it on a follow-up business trip -- again with perfect success. The rest is history.)

 

I was amazed when I contributed my first review and saw the care HooBoy took in attempting to verify the validity of the reviewer and the escort.

 

I was amazed at his effort to achieve some sort of even-handedness in dealing with the reviewer and the reviewee, allowing a response by the escort.

 

I was amazed with the apparent professionalism and arms length interaction that he maintained in the review process and interacting with clients/escorts via published email transcripts or his occasional response to escort responses or the message board. It was apparent to me early on through his demeanor and his actions/statements that HooBoy recognized the importance to the credibility of this site that he maintain a reputation for even handed treatment of legitimate reviewers and escorts.

 

I was amazed at the breadth of the site, not only independent escort reviews, but message boards with some occasionally impressive and thought provoking threads, (What Does It Mean to Be Gay immediately comes to mind) -- not to mention a forum that permits escorts to post their travel plans, a boon to both escorts and clients. And some quite interesting people who attend the boards more than occasionally.

 

I was amazed at how much effort it must take to set this site up and maintain it on daily basis, processing reviews, answering email, maintain the boards and adding and improving the services and that HooBoy pretty much was attending to this alone. Not to mention the monetary cost involved, which I can only guess at.

 

I was even more amazed when it dawned on me that he was maintaining this site while attending to very serious family issues and on top of working for a living like many of the rest of us.

 

I continue to be amazed -- not only that he continues to keep all the balls in the air for this site and his personal life, but also:

 

I am amazed at the comity HooBoy maintains while dealing with all of us -- the inquiries, the comments, the slings and arrows...

 

I am amazed that a few are so willing to aim their sharpest arrows at HooBoy, apparently just because he sits at the helm of the ship (i.e. he should get no special treatment) and at other individuals for whom they appear to have a personal dislike. (It seems to me that these people are singled out for special treatment.) Heaven forbid that both of these irritants should be brought together in a single circumstance. Hooboy doesn't deserve special treatment but he does deserve, as others do, the benefit of the doubt, when there is doubt.

 

HooBoy provided a focus (read forum) for this (client/escort) community which gave vision to my eyes and hearing to my ears. He created an oasis in a desert devoid of objective information. That's more than enough for me! He has earned my support because he (along with many of the contributors in this community) has contributed to the quality of my life. He will continue to enjoy my support until clear irrefutable evidence surfaces that he no longer deserves it -- and before I rush to judgment, he'll have a chance to make his case. And before I call on him to make his case I'll give more than passing consideration to the issues at hand.

 

And one final amazement, I am appalled that HooBoy wants to make money from this site, I mistakenly thought he was the Mother Teresa of the male escort world.

Don't we all work gratis for the benefit of the community of man? -- another misconception shattered! This immediately calls his motives and performance into question as it does for my doctor, my plumber, even my candle stick maker.

 

Admittedly, I may have oversold the use of the word 'amazed' in some of the above instances, 'impressed' might have been more appropriate; but taken as a whole, I'm quite comfortable with 'amazed'.

 

For those into categorizing posts, list this under GUSHING -- I guess. For the others, just one guy's view of the FACTS, as I see them, with a few observations thrown in for good measure. Sorry for those few that I couldn't have been more negative but I did get that Mother Teresa shot in.

[Traveller]

RE: No, Not Amazing After All

 

LAST EDITED ON Jun-22-00 AT 09:48AM (EST)[p]Hoo:

 

I'll lead the charge for you making some bucks on this site. Hiyo Cory, I mean Silver. As they say, money talks.... Wow, Skeptic = Newbie. I thought it was Sexpertise. He was much more caustic and verbose, like the old Skeptic we grew to love. And, who was it before?

 

Anyway, Pride is almost here men. Load up on the pharms and get ready to farm out and plunder. Manhunt, the pier, Climax....

 

Later.

 

PS. BTW, Alex in New York is just as much fun as Alex was in Miami; and, I think his dick grew on the flight North. Don't remember it being quite that big, yeah. Happiness is a warm, hard, big surprise.

 

PPS. Mark (New York, the German, der grosse schwanze), whom I've seen 5 or 6 times, is very, very fine. I sent in a review for Hoo to post. See dude, I didn't forget.

[Bilbo]

RE: Pride

 

Houston Parade is this weekend. It is about our third nighttime (well, evening) parade, which makes a lot of sense in our climate, echoes Australia, and I am surprised doesn't seem to have been copied by any other American city. For the first time (aye, that's where you've beaten us, NYC), the presiding mayor will be in the parade! And, for those of you who might remember that I was nominated for the Male Grand Marshall slot (We have about 5 different grand marshalls - male, female, organization, supportive straight person, etc.), since you haven't heard me crowing on this site about having won it, you can assume correctly that I didn't. But I am so proud to have been taken seriously enough to have been nominated, and I am proud of our parade, period. As our near neighbors have taught us to say, Lessez les bon temps roulez!

[Guest OuterSider]

I too was AMAZED at finding this site.

 

I was also AMAZED that newbie had the gall to call this site a "Nazi HQ". He is the one that sounds Hitleresqe. When he has 1) The funds to put up a site like this let him... and with his attitude see how long it lasts. 2) The dedication to continue working in the midst of family crisis.. he can bitch. 3) The common sense that not everyone agrees with him. Then he would have the ability to speak on this subject with an iota of respect.

 

HooBoy deserves the credit for a great job. Newbie deserves scorn for his diatribe of HooBoy and this site.

[Guest red]

RE: Self-indulgent criticism

 

Amen to Tampa Yankee for his comments. He has perfectly summed up my opinions about this site, and the self-indulgent, (almost) anonymous criticisms of Hooboy. The Norwegians and the Danes have a wonderful concept called "janteloven" which deals with destructive jealousy in small communities. In a nutshell, the Jante Law holds that a person shouldn't raise his profile too high in a community or think that he is doing something of importance or merit. If he does, it is the "duty" of everyone else in that little society to knock him down and drag him to their level. This website is an enclosed community, and many of the criticisms against Hooboy reek of the American equivalent of the Jante Law.

[+ honcho]

LAST EDITED ON Jun-22-00 AT 04:46PM (EST)[p]As much as I cringe at "me too" or "what he said" posts, I totally agree with Tampa Yankee, and give my two thumbs up to all the very hard work Hooboy has done, and the benefit to the community that has resulted. Well done!

[Guest Jake]

LAST EDITED ON Jun-22-00 AT 05:30PM (EST)[p]I've never been a fan of the long, windy post, usually finding it self-serving and off point by the time it ends. However, in the case of Tampa Yankee, bravo! -- a thoughtful and thought-provoking post on this subject.

 

For my 2 cents I say I don't give HooBoy the benefit of the doubt, for I see nothing he's done or said to cause any doubt. I also am not so amazed at the bitter and nasty posts. They have been present since the beginning of this message board. They scared the shit out of me in the beginning and I wouldn't even look at the board for a couple of months. If Newbie is indeed Skeptic, whatever respect I've expressed for him in the past month or so is obviously misplaced. I'm so sorry he is one of the far too many people in the world who build themselves up (unfortunately, only in their own minds) by tearing down others. It's sad and especially so in this month dedicated to gay pride.

[Guest gr8guy]

Another whole-hearted seconding of Tampa Yankee's post.

As for 'Jante Law', is he Jude Law's brother? In which case, he's probably very cute.

[HooBoy]

I read this post in a public "Internet Cafe" in Cancun, and I broke down crying. I don't cry and I certainly don't cry in public, unless it's a good movie starring Tom Cruise.

 

Seriously, thank you for your support, guys.

 

HooBoy

Email: HooBoy@male4malescorts.com

[Guest Tampa Yankee]

In Memoriam

 

In this time of reflection and remembrance it seems fitting to me to recall my first substantive post (#1402 above) about Hoo Boy. After almost five years, the unstoppable passage of time has wrought changes in personal circumstances, his and mine. Accordingly, the words are a little dated. Even so, they still capture the essence of the man that he was and that I will remember -- an amazing man that touched so many lives.

 

So Hooboy… one last time for the road. Keep on truckin’

 

Mahalo

[bigguyinpasadena]

RE: In Memoriam

 

Tampa-THANK YOU SO MUCH!!!!!!!This is the most fitting memorial I have seen.

It answers soooooo many questions and shows how very "fair and balanced" Hooboy could be when dealing with "dificult"posters(and,yes,I myself have worn that hat on occasion)and for explaining the pupose of this site.