I fear that the tone of this post shows this forum is becoming what it set out not to be

So, how does this address the confusion between:

• The Ragged Flagon Saloon
• The Nag's Head Pub
  
• The Bamboo Bar & Lounge
  
• Shado Land

and, for that matter

• Tell Us All About It?

Frankly, I'm deterred from posting because I don't want to look an idiot posting in the wrong forum.  I strongly suspect that others feel the same.  Furthermore, the (deliberate?) obfuscation here makes the place seem clique-y and unfriendly to outsiders.  Hardly a good way to build a community.

If I want to meet people and talk I drop into a pub.  May be one of the ones on the street.  If others do not want to listen and talk to me there too bad..
Most pubs discuss the same subject unless they are gay bars and then there is a slight difference.

I blame my typos on my Private School Education.  They expected me to use a private secretary for such mundane tasks as typing.

No one is forcing you to read the new news forum. 

Quit your bitchin an fits kids I'm trying to enjoy my amuse bouche here.

The forum's about 8 months old now and like most forums continues to evolve.

You gave some very useful feedback so we're trying to include that along with other feedback. The thing is different people will always have different views so it'll be impossible to please everyone on everything. We'll continue to try and get the best fit.

On the specific points you raised:

1) Pubs

You're right it was difficult to distinguish. I share your views on that. What needs to be borne in mind is these attract the most traffic around 40% or so of the Boards posts, so we need more than one category to spread them out. In the days of only one pub, everything went in the Nags Head and people complained posts got lost too quickly as they fall. Also a big part of the Mango is humour and we'd like it to stay that way

So:

> We've reduced the number from 6 to 3, and added a description to each. We're still thinking how to brand them
> Nag's Head is the old original pub = pub humour
> Bamboo bar and lounge is more a lounge bar and more refined humour
> Shadoland = more a place for those who've lived life like an American styles "dive bar" or Homer Simpson type

Then added a General section for where people don't know where to post, then put it there. Or for things of no particular category

2) Tell Us All About It has been renamed back to T.I.T. You know the stories people have about This is Thailand. Thailand is Different. Stories from members as opposed to news

3) News is just news

4) As for being confusing sometimes. Sorry about that. It's still evolving as we grow and as different interests come along and feedback comes we try and change

5) Cliquey - good point about that. We're trying to do the opposite. So if we get it wrong tell us. We're still a small and friendly forum but are attracting more interest so need to keep changing

6) Feeling stupid? One of the nice things about BM is it's still small and friendly as mentioned, so no-one's going to bother much if you post things in the "wrong place". Actually there is no wrong place.

As we're small enough to get to know people my observation is that:

> You're a smart guy and that's visible to anyone reading your posts. Particularly with Fletch, RU, GavinK and others on the money forum

> but you also have a sense of humour and know how to have a laugh at yourself and others. So if you do post something and realise later in your view it's in the wrong place just have a laugh at it or ask us to move it.

Thanks again for the feedback. Keep it coming
>>>

Edit: If someone doesn't like any of the orange sub-forums and its white board they can click on in to collapse all the white boards underneath to streamline things. I do that. Some places don't interest me