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Osprey
Ultra Nomad
Posts: 3694
Registered: 5-23-2004
Location: Baja Ca. Sur
Member Is Offline
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Baja Board Game
Baja Board Game
An old pal of mine from Loreto, Bud Callen, dropped in unexpectedly and surprised me with his idea of a new Baja chat board. He’s been a Baja Nomad
member for many years and he knows a lot about blogs, boards, and communications.
He laid out his plans for a new board called Baja Buddies. He told me he plans to charge $50 per month for use/subscription. Since I had been a member
of the free Baja Nomad board for many years I told him he might have a hard time getting new members. He had some answers for me about that I didn’t
see coming.
Bud looked for the day when the owners of Baja Nomad might give up or sell out and then, he would be ready to lure the traffic to his new site and
maybe get some new ones.
“Jorge, after watching the traffic on Nomad for the last couple of years I’m convinced that there are thousands who would pay the $50 bucks if Nomad
went away. Here’s my thinking on the matter. The hard core who would move have no choice. They need to have an outlet --- there are literally a couple
of thousand who would pay any reasonable amount to have a continued avenue to vent their particular spleens.
Let me explain who they are not: they are not people who fish the Sea of Cortez or the Pacific Ocean. They have never surfed or clammed or crabbed.
They don’t know a thing about Baja California or Baja Sur. They do not wind surf or kite board. They do not own a home or a business in Baja. Yet they
post on the Nomad board several times a day, week, month from their keyboards in Seattle, Yuma and Boise.
They are in company with people who live in Tijuana and have never left the border. They are people who last fished the waters of the Gulf of
California in 1989. They are people who drove to Cabo in the 90s, got drunk and now crowd the board with their rants about how things have changed for
the worst.
There are thousands of oldsters who loved the Baja when they were young, strong, robust – those who can’t let the memories go. Many have never been
back between youth and old age but relive the past through the board every day. Scores or hundreds more are now mired in the place and can’t get out –
too old and broke to move, get to a newer, softer place to die. They haunt the board like grouchy old sea ghosts.
All the others, the young pioneers and the culture friendly baby boomers, the salt water athletes will pay because they are Mexico’s last hope. They
will only be happy when they are giving – they can certainly do that with or without a chat board but it makes it a whole lot more worthwhile if and
when they can share their charity, their joy of giving, with likeminded people.
There are those who would pay hundreds, if not thousands; some poor souls who need extra love and affection, recognition. You can tell them by their
post count, the thousands of pictures, the non-Baja stories and travelogues, the virtual catalogues of their lives in real time, then last week, last
year, when they were 20, 12.
Some feature themselves as writers, poets, philosophers and who knows what other internet groups would accept their sometimes artless stories, sonnets
or outcries.
So, Jorge, what do you think?”
“I think I’ll go in the bodega and see if we have another bottle of Tequila. I know I got a tree full of limes and time to do some serious mullin’
over what you have come up with. Did you just race down here to lay this on me before you forgot it?”
“Yeah, pretty much.”
[Edited on 4-22-2011 by Osprey]
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vandenberg
Elite Nomad
Posts: 5118
Registered: 6-21-2005
Location: Nopolo
Member Is Offline
Mood: mellow
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David K
Honored Nomad
Posts: 65282
Registered: 8-30-2002
Location: San Diego County
Member Is Offline
Mood: Have Baja Fever
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Nomad isn't the only game in town... if something happened to it, we have Baja Gringo's www.TalkBaja.com forums to continue... and it is free... as are other forums on Baja... just none have the volume of posts and information as
Nomad... which became the leader after Amigos de Baja suddenly went dead back in 2003. No other Baja forum comes close to Nomad with daily activity...
Thanks Doug for keeping it alive!
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cabo3100
Junior Nomad
Posts: 49
Registered: 8-29-2010
Member Is Offline
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50 a month give me a break hows the economy in your crazy mind
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Osprey
Ultra Nomad
Posts: 3694
Registered: 5-23-2004
Location: Baja Ca. Sur
Member Is Offline
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Cabo, you're a relative newcomer with 42 posts so I temper my thoughts with that in mind.
1. Do you not see $50 dollars per month value in having access to the Nomad board?
2. Maybe if you see what the board does for the members, what the members do for each other, for our Mexican hosts, the synergy that sometimes springs
up to remind us of our common humanity you would might retract your statement.
3. If you personally don't have $50 a month to spend on fun and community and enlightenment it might be because you need every centavo for beer and
dog food and if that's the case your comments could have been posted that way -- no shame to be busted.
My Loreto buddy's idea was that all proceeds (except operating costs) would go to Wounded Warriors and the Mexican Red Cross. After a while, as
members post, their monthly dues are reduced and then go away completely. The board would grow only by word of mouth since if you don't pay, you can't
lurk. Just for serious Bajaphiles, not debate junkies or trolls. It would be a great way to advertise Baja businesses and to them the $50 bucks could
come back tenfold with a tight group of proud member/givers. I know, it's a crazy idea. My pal gets them all the time. He drinks.
[Edited on 4-22-2011 by Osprey]
[Edited on 4-22-2011 by Osprey]
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mtgoat666
Select Nomad
Posts: 19922
Registered: 9-16-2006
Location: San Diego
Member Is Offline
Mood: Hot n spicy
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| Quote: | Originally posted by Osprey
all proceeds (except operating costs) would go to Wounded Warriors and the Mexican Red Cross. |
what do wounded gringo warriors have to do with baja?
i think poor mexicans are more deserving than gringos with disability checks - not sure why mexico should be sending charity money back to the USA
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Cypress
Elite Nomad
Posts: 7641
Registered: 3-12-2006
Location: on the bayou
Member Is Offline
Mood: undecided
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$50 to participate? I quit smoking when the cost of a pack went to 45 cents. And this forum is not as addictive as nicotine, close. More like
keeping track of an ex-girlfriend. Not that you want to pick up were you left off, but more to reinforce your decision to move on. But, it'll be a
good way to get rid of the riff raff.
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Osprey
Ultra Nomad
Posts: 3694
Registered: 5-23-2004
Location: Baja Ca. Sur
Member Is Offline
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Cypress, you would not be offered a membership. Just a track of your Baja trips, current involvment, positive attitude would preclude you from sending
in $50 bucks ( or a lot more ). Just for serious Bajaphiles with positive attitudes, open minds -- I bet I can find 50 posts under Cypress telling the
world there are no fish in the Sea of Cortez. Wanna bet?
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Osprey
Ultra Nomad
Posts: 3694
Registered: 5-23-2004
Location: Baja Ca. Sur
Member Is Offline
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Goat, are you dense? The money would be split between U.S. Wounded Warriors and the Mexican Red Cross. The board would/could help Americans and
Mexicans. Duh?
[Edited on 4-22-2011 by Osprey]
[Edited on 4-22-2011 by Osprey]
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mtgoat666
Select Nomad
Posts: 19922
Registered: 9-16-2006
Location: San Diego
Member Is Offline
Mood: Hot n spicy
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| Quote: | Originally posted by Osprey
Goat, are you dense? The money would be split between U.S. Wounded Warriors and the Mexican Red Cross. The board would/could help Americans and
Mexicans. Duh?
[Edited on 4-22-2011 by Osprey]
[Edited on 4-22-2011 by Osprey] |
collecting charity donations in mexico to distribute charity funding in USA is ridiculous.
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Osprey
Ultra Nomad
Posts: 3694
Registered: 5-23-2004
Location: Baja Ca. Sur
Member Is Offline
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Another remark that removes you from the membership list of Baja Buddies. Goat, charitable internet businesses operate thru the ether. Their donations
come from members worldwide and are given to worthy worldwide causes. Duh? Now, go away please.
If you live in California, do you suppose you couldn't send charity money to Chile? If you leaned they had disaster there and you could afford to
give, wanted to give, why wouldn't you?
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longlegsinlapaz
Super Nomad
Posts: 1685
Registered: 11-18-2005
Location: La Paz
Member Is Offline
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Osprey, I think I like Bud! But just in case he gets to drinking & forgets about implementing his plan, maybe BN could consider a variation on
Bud's plan, including Bud's designated donation recipients of Wounded Warriors & Cruz Rojo. The following is submitted for consideration:
1. Charge per post
a. Residents - 10 centavos per post
b. Non-residents $1 USD per post 2. Double fee for pics posted a second time.
3. Triple fee for each pic posted 3 times
4. 4 X fee for each pic posted 4 times
5. 5 X fee for each pic posted 5 times
6. 10 X fees for each pic posted 10 times
7. 25 x fees for each pic posted 25 & so on
8. Retroactive fees on all prior posts & no further posts allowed until account is current.
9. Potty-mouth fee $5 USD per word, regardless of cutesy spelling to intentionally circumvent profanity check.
10. One free "get-out-of-jail-card" for arguing with Osprey, escalating scale penalty thereafter.
11. One warning for:
a. Political comments outside of Off-Topic
b. Name-calling outside of Off-Topic
c. Personal attacks outside of Off-Topic
d. Suggestions to drown innocent puppies in or outside of Off-Topic
e. Whining outside of Off-Topic
f. Inebriated posts outside of Off-Topic
g. Hijacking posts outside of Off-Topic
h. Posting of anyone other than celebrity pics without prior written authorization (5 X fees and permanent exile to Off-Topic)
i. Outing anyone other than celebrities by real name in accompanying pics (5 X fees and permanent exile to Off-Topic)
j. Outing anyone other than celebrities by real name in any manner (10 X fees and permanent exile to Off-Topic)
second occurrence permanent exile to Off-Topic.
12. Members in good standing receive full voting privileges to implement one 30-day time-out, further infractions earn permanent exile to Off-Topic.
Hmmmmmm....Looks like a 12-Step program....or is that name taken?
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Cypress
Elite Nomad
Posts: 7641
Registered: 3-12-2006
Location: on the bayou
Member Is Offline
Mood: undecided
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Osprey, So much for any opinions that don't go along with the flow. Typical liberal attitude. Kick me to the curb! Go for it!
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Dave
Elite Nomad
Posts: 6005
Registered: 11-5-2002
Member Is Offline
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I'll be your first advertiser. I've got a metaphor/parable/allegory detector I've been working on. Thinking it will be a big seller.
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Skipjack Joe
Elite Nomad
Posts: 8088
Registered: 7-12-2004
Location: Bahia Asuncion
Member Is Offline
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| Quote: | Originally posted by longlegsinlapaz
1. Charge per post
a. Residents - 10 centavos per post
b. Non-residents $1 USD per post
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Wait... Aren't you a resident?
You probably meant 10 pesos per post.
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DENNIS
Platinum Nomad
Posts: 29510
Registered: 9-2-2006
Location: Punta Banda
Member Is Offline
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| Quote: | Originally posted by Cypress
it'll be a good way to get rid of the riff raff. |
I don't know. I think Gull has money.
Anyway....I'd pay the 50 smackers just to watch Jorge talk to himself....as he did in the first post. Fleshing out characters is the ammo of the
author.
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Osprey
Ultra Nomad
Posts: 3694
Registered: 5-23-2004
Location: Baja Ca. Sur
Member Is Offline
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No, Dennis, there really is a Bud Callen, a Nomad in Loreto. Maybe I'm spelling that wrong. It could be Collins. We just call him Bud. Can't give you
his Nomad handle of course but it's something like Kingfisherman8083 or something close to that.
He's a straight shooter -- beyond just the money he needs to run the thing he was hoping to rope in about 1000 regulars >> $50,000 U.S. a month
to go to those two charities. He said he sees how badly some Nomads need the outlet, the sense of community, the sense of belonging they don't have
anywhere else -- at work, at home, with their families, etc. There would be three levels of Off Topic but it wouldn't be called that. The lowest level
would be for non-Baja stuff, the second to spout off, vent about politics and the world today, the third would be for death threats and virtual guns
and sabers (at dawn, with seconds).
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DENNIS
Platinum Nomad
Posts: 29510
Registered: 9-2-2006
Location: Punta Banda
Member Is Offline
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| Quote: | Originally posted by Osprey
There would be three levels of Off Topic but it wouldn't be called that. The lowest level would be for non-Baja stuff, the second to spout off, vent
about politics and the world today, the third would be for death threats and virtual guns and sabers (at dawn, with seconds). |
But....But, Jorge....all of those activities are fun and noble, but only when used with an element of surprise. Everything is diluted and lost if
they're assigned rooms.
It has to be spontaneous and tasteless...even insulting when necessary. the activities which you mention are the hallmarks of a free [ reasonable
anyway] society.
We Americans are known for dropping the bomb. It's our legacy handed down to us from some guy in a Gay airplane. It's our heritage.
We are a free people and we shall overcome.
OK..Nomads. Let's all sing along with Joan:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RkNsEH1GD7Q
.
[Edited on 4-22-2011 by DENNIS]
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DanO
Super Nomad
Posts: 1923
Registered: 8-26-2003
Location: Not far from the Pacific
Member Is Offline
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| Quote: | Originally posted by DENNIS
Anyway....I'd pay the 50 smackers just to watch Jorge talk to himself....as he did in the first post. Fleshing out characters is the ammo of the
author. |
I'll second that.
\"Without deviation from the norm, progress is not possible.\" -- Frank Zappa
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MrBillM
Platinum Nomad
Posts: 21656
Registered: 8-20-2003
Location: Out and About
Member Is Offline
Mood: It's a Zip-a-Dee-Doo-Dah Day
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Misread
At first, I thought it said Baja Broad game.
Having been a longtime paying Player (when 50 Bucks went farther) in THAT game in TJ, Ensenada and San Luis, I was interested.
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