Dear readers, today we can share a special moment with you. There are no fewer than a quarter of a million comments on Thailandblog! A truly staggering number. We are very proud of this result and would like to thank everyone who contributed to it.
A blog is only successful if there is interaction with the readers. That interaction consists of participation, participation in the form of responding, asking questions, submitting articles, etc. With a quarter of a million comments, Thailandblog is the clear proof of a successful blog. We owe this success to our loyal readers, who help, correct, challenge and encourage us to continue with all their reactions.
We know from many writers that they find the number of comments an important indicator of whether their post is successful. Every response is therefore a piece of appreciation. Even if it is critical or contains a correction. This is how we keep each other sharp and the quality of Thailandblog high.
Sometimes responders also go off track with their reactions because they become emotional or personal, for example. Those comments go in the trash. And make no mistake, there are now also more than 50.000. The moderators therefore do a lot of work every day. By strict moderation we keep the discussions on Thailandblog respectful.
The 250.000th response was given by Erik Kuijpers on August 9, 2021 at 15:17 PM and was his 1.853th response:
In reply to Tooske
Tooske, 'If you have a Thai bank account, make sure that your surplus money is parked there, then it will be out of sight of the Dutch tax authorities.' What are you saying?
That's not good advice. That data is exchanged and has already been reported in this blog. Then you run into a lot of misery and fines.
Of course it is nice to see who has responded most often to Thailandblog, but that is not that easy. We arrive at the following ranking:
- Rob V. with 4.427 responses
- Peter (formerly Khun): 4.397
- Chris: 4.039
- Tino Kuis: 3.695
- Cornelius: 3.424
- Sjaak S: 2.069
- RonnyLatYa: 1.897
- John Chiang Rai: 1.878
- Erik Kuypers: 1.853
- janbeute: 1.784
Repost articles with the most comments
To celebrate this milestone, we will be reposting a selection of articles with the most comments in the near future. We can already tell you that you see a clear trend in the number of responses. On average, we see the most responses to topics that are about money.
Thanks again to all writers and commenters for your effort and effort. Together we ensure that Thailandblog remains worth reading!
Well, very honored!
I am happy to be able to help people with the knowledge gained in 30 years of Thailand, in other countries in Asia and in the rest of the world and also from my field.
Thailandblog and moderation; It also took some getting used to for me and I have read strong comments on it, but in retrospect it turned out to be an excellent method to keep out swearing and rudely addressing taboos that live in Thailand. Well, look at Facebook, moderation is also becoming more and more common there.
Keep it up!
Quality trumps quantity, of course. I often click 'send' too quickly and then see some typing error or that the auto-correction has suddenly intervened incorrectly.. I did not expect to top the list of responders. Didn't realize that my name comes up so often on the blog, maybe that's partly why there are some people who think I belong to the editors... Not so, anyone can submit pieces and/or submit comments.
As for ranking. Will it also depend on how you count? Various reactions disappear in the trash, not only where a discussion threatens to derail completely (or has already done so), but sometimes also when a piece is reposted. Would you count the "removed comments but not because they went against the house rules" comments, then the ranking might be just a little different?
I also think of commenters who suddenly disappeared. I sometimes browse through old pieces and it strikes me that some names were very active and we don't hear about them anymore. That will partly be because we are all dead, but partly I wonder “where have they gone? After 1-2 years of responding diligently, just didn't feel like it anymore? TB remains pretty much the only large-scale Thailand platform to engage in debate or conversation with others”.
Is TB perfect? No of course not. I really do not always agree with the choice of the editors (a lock on it too quickly, too slowly, etc.), but all in all, it is simply the best Dutch Thailand platform that has managed to keep up for years. It will have its ups and downs, but that's part of it. Keep it up everyone. 🙂
There are several reasons why commenters disappear. Sometimes they take a different alias. Sometimes the love for Thailand is suddenly over (broken relationship), some responders are frustrated because a response has been refused and no longer respond. And yes, unfortunately commenters also die, think of Pim the fishmonger, Frans Amsterdam, Lodewijk Lagermaat, etc.
Thanks to the messages from the above people and everyone with experiences in 'Thai'” it is a pleasant and readable Blog for everyone, and helps most people with the most common questions no Very end on the right track, Thank you…and keep it up…
May I hereby thank the editors, moderators and all readers and commenters for their input.
I enjoy reading the contributions such as questions and advice (solicited and unsolicited :-)) sometimes light-hearted sometimes informative. Hope this can continue.
Thank you all.
Big credit to editors and moderators for their endless efforts, patience (already asked 100 times), resilience (because of some know-it-alls).
I enjoy this blog a lot and therefore a big kiss….thank you thank you.
May I soon become a Thailand 'gangster' again. Johanna, Thai hibernators..
Sincere congratulations to the entire team and the countless readers.
It is not without reason that other forums are jealous and do not tolerate the publication of your name.
Keep it up and HOP to the next milestone.
Dear editor,
I have been reading your blog every day for some time now with great pleasure.
Not tied to a Thai partner or otherwise, I do state that I am above average
interested in Thailand with all its facets.
This was caused by work and holidays.
I even try to master the language, which is difficult without practice.
Your milestone prompts my response. I congratulate and thank you and the contributors and commenters, and I wish you all a successful continuation, fun and health.
Dear Editor.
Congratulations on this milestone. Also Eric, of course, with the 250.000th comment.
Maybe an idea to give tips for the lottery, even if it's just the first and last three digits. Once good and you have a nice extra income.
Thailandblog meets a great need for information and to get to know Thailand.
For the rest, keep it up.
Maarten
I think that's a good proposal Maarten and here's a tip for the upcoming lottery. 89 or 98
Congratulations and yes 250.000 is a lot. Read with pleasure and moderator Is not always easy. Wish editors a lot of success and everyone who wishes the Thailand Blog a warm heart. And would also like to thank Maarten Vasbinder for his efforts and expert advice on the health of Thailand blog readers and everyone who regularly writes something
Congratulations TB! Glad you're here..! Really an enlightening and honest forum 🙂 ! Keep it up!
Congratulations!
Although I probably haven't been visiting this site as long as many others here, I do check new messages and possible reactions a few times a day. I am particularly interested in the experiences of the Dutch and Belgians locally, as my Thai girlfriend and I want to move to Thailand permanently in a few years.
Thailandblog is for me a very complete forum that combines the useful with the pleasant. Hope you keep going like this
Also on my behalf, congratulations on this milestone.
But what strikes me is that reactions that may not come across as popular or critical regarding government affairs, think at embassy level, that this is better arranged at the Thaivisa club, of course, there should be no nonsense here.
These are often very important and pressing points where they too can learn what is going on among the Dutch and Belgian entries. And now especially regarding the Covid and vaccine crisis.
Because only baking sweet rolls will not get you there.
I understand that daily moderation is a hellish and not easy job, with all due respect to those who are allowed to do this.
But by everyone remaining critical and genuinely active, it is certainly a good thing that ultimately allows everyone to enrich their knowledge.
Jan Beute.
Also my congratulations on reaching the quarter of a million reader comments. Sounds better than 250.000 to me. But it's quite a number. Perhaps if all of me had been published, this point would have been reached sooner, but apparently I go overboard every now and then and do my best to avoid it. Please keep it up, but watch out that voices of dissenters are also given space on this blog. We don't always have to agree, but as stated it should be done with mutual respect. We can learn from each other and we will have to do it together, regardless of rank, position, color or religion. I have certainly learned a lot over the years and even had to adjust my opinion from time to time. I hope that this is also the case with others and wish everyone the best and that we can get through the pandemic in good health and Thailandblog certainly contributes to that.
Indeed, it is precisely the exposure to dissenters that makes this blog so good. Of course I sometimes sigh at certain reactions and sometimes I say out loud “What nonsense, BS!”. Partly because of this, I have largely stopped reading the Covid topics (thinking this or that of the approach, for or against an injection are all fine, but some messages were so incredibly weird and untrue or unproven that I couldn't take it anymore). On other fronts I have had to adjust my opinion, sometimes due to good reports with substantiation and sources. Sometimes precisely because someone made such a strong claim without solid substantiation that I started reading more about it myself and then sometimes came to the exact opposite conclusion as the writing of this or that person. My political views have shifted partly because of TB by critically asking myself certain questions.
My healthy aversion to "high authority" has also increased, I now realize even better the importance of accountability, transparency, debate, democracy, weighing and making decisions, taking others into account, trying to put yourself in someone else's shoes. move and so on. Sometimes I can't imagine how blindly some readers follow authority and "the tough approach", but oh well, such resistance also helps me to stay sharp. Rather that than a club of yes-men praising each other to the skies, isn't it? Some commenters and writers I appreciate more than others, but I don't think there is a single one I would refuse to have a cup of coffee or beer with.
As far as I can judge from your reports, you are a good person who wants the best for humanity and acts accordingly. We have a shortage of that on this planet, I can assure you. I agree with more than 90% of your comments. So I'm not surprised about your coffee choices. From the beginning how you shared the loss of your Thai partner, your sensitive input has touched me. Life is tough at times. Your input on this blog is certainly valuable and is far from superficial. Partly due to your input, I have also adjusted my opinion of Prayut. The more one goes into depth and learns, the clearer picture you get about the person in question. But yes, it is up to the Thai people to take a position and act accordingly. Unfortunately, this cannot be achieved with a decent conversation. There are still many supporters and opponents and the end is not yet in sight before democracy takes shape in optima forma.
Dear Rob,
I admire your noble pursuit of a better world for everyone, but how realistic are these? 30 years ago I came to Thailand for the first time and a year later the riots were comparable to what you see today. Young people confronting the police and in a travelogue from then I have a photo that you were just shot from a police pick-up and at the moment that is tear gas. Quite an improvement in 30 years….
As I understand you are still working in NL and actually you should take up the challenge of living and working in Thailand to put things in the right perspective. If a government wants to be present at least, then an individual or family must ensure that they are in good waters. People who are able to earn good money from scratch are appreciated by the environment and there may be self-interest in that, but if you are on the other side then you have to figure it out yourself. Everything has a price tag and if the gigantic wealthy elite in Thailand does not want to share, then it ends, right?
If you still want action then you ignore eg CP and Makro and you will never get into a 7-11 again. They should tell the current rioters about the latter.
The question therefore remains whether it is justified to be able to be critical of a country and its inhabitants when viewed from a distance. They cut down jungles in Brazil to grow soy, which is then used for meat production in the Netherlands and then sold in Italy. I don't understand that again.... 🙂
Dear Johnny, it is certainly true that the rulers in Thailand are in charge and they have made it that way, with similarities to models in many other countries. Human rights are being violated with hands and feet and this is done without blinking an eye. Look at Russia, Belarus, Myanmar, China and so on. The Thai model does not stand alone and is also a form of copying behaviour. Responding to this is and remains a necessary evil. I don't want to promote this but take this as sweet cake and look the other way. The fact that Rob still lives in the Netherlands says nothing about his knowledge of Thailand, as is evident from his submitted pieces. There are many journalists around the world who also do not reside in the countries they write about. Should they just stop doing that? I agree with you that little has changed in all those years so far, it is actually fighting a losing battle. All the more I respect those who still defend themselves. Violence should always be avoided, as far as I am concerned there is a limit. With the current regime here, foreigners have nothing to say but blank canvases. Before you know it you will be arrested and you will be at the mercy of the jokes of you name it. It is also true that things are bad all over the world, you have seen that well. We must continue to respond to that as well.
First of all, congratulations on reaching this number of comments. To my great surprise I turn out to be number six. Didn't I think…. I could probably rank even higher, because I also wiped away a lot of reactions that had started. Thought to myself, you don't have to respond to everything.
They are also not all posted. I'm fine with that. With my last rejection I changed the text a bit and re-sent it and the response was still posted. The message was still the same, slightly less sharp.
In any case, I hope to be able to respond for many years to come and, above all, to read what others have to say.
Thailandblog is the most professional looking forum on the internet. A big thank you to the editors of this blog!
Also mine …. Congratulations!
A quarter of a million responses – almost 40% – of the more than 638.000 'made it'.