Is tuscl Corporate and Stuffy?

avatar for founder
founder
slip a dollar in her g-string for me
I got this email today, and it sort of threw me for a loop.

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As a former #1 reviewer on this site, I am sad to see what has happened to it. It is way too corporate and stuffy. Reviews have to be approved by editorial board? WTF. have been on this site for years. not unhappy my free VIP membership is probably gonna end by the new year. This site used to be it, the ultimate source. now it is just another pompous, corporate website. There used to be passion and soul here. now it is just a numbers game. too bad.
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While I know tuscl has changed a bit over the years, but not all that much. We still are dedicated to helping you find the best strip club. Any opinions?

thanks
F

37 comments

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avatar for Cheo_D
Cheo_D
14 years ago
OK, I may not be a major veteran here, but really, I'm not seeing how reviews being moderated is by itself necessarily a sign of "pompous, corporate". Then again I never was much of an anarchist...

And discussions and comments about getting ITC extras again does not sound like something "corporate types" would really stand behind (though they probably don't mind having the idea out there, as it piques interest).

Did the writer back their argument with any specific event or pattern, as opposed to just a general feeling of a loss of "passion and soul"?(*)

(* and find me one endeavor where passion does not cool off a bit after a while, anyway)
avatar for troop
troop
14 years ago
founder from my point of view, the only corporate component of tuscl is the spammer companies that have free reign in posting their garbage, (example, xxxnyc) or whatever their name is. i have them on ignore so the exact name escapes me atm. they and another spammer i have on ignore are my main complaints about tuscl. well that and the shills that some frequent members sometimes complain about but won't take a moment or don't have the balls to do anything about.
sure tuscl isn't perfect but i think that overall you have the best resource for strip club info online.
avatar for troop
troop
14 years ago
ok i just checked, i guess these guys are still posting their spam but i have both on ignore, linkeduplive.. xxxnycexecparty.
they are my major complaints about tuscl, i don't think they should be allowed to post their free spam, but it is your site so if you don't mind them i'll just keep them on ignore ;)
avatar for founder
founder
14 years ago
@Cheo.. that's the total email the writer sent. Word for word. I am beginning to think maybe he got a review rejected and needed to blow off some steam.

@troop... yeah, I am not a fan of the spammers, I too have a few on ignore. But they signed up legit, and some of the stuff they post I am sure is news to some readers.

avatar for gillydon
gillydon
14 years ago
Do a lot of reviews get rejected?

My impression was that the only way to get a review rejected is if it was spam, or too short.

I can see the need for some manual approval of each review because it's tied to the VIP membership system.
avatar for founder
founder
14 years ago
Maybe 5 to 10 % of reviews get bounced. I think the reason this bothers me so much is because this is a person that has been around a looooooooong time. not sure what he sees as so different than 10 years ago.
avatar for joker44
joker44
14 years ago
Short answer: NO!

This is a rant, short on specific and detailed complaints; long on emotional diarrhea. Corporate & stuffy...pompous? WTF does that mean in this context? I haven't the foggiest.

Screened reviews are an essential discipline; keeps tuscl from becoming another strip club list or net or whatever bitch, moan, and attack site.

The quality of individual reviews and the veracity of individual reviewers are not under founder's control. As I've said before in other posts many reviewers do not give adequate description of various aspects of club [physical, dancers, value]. Many reviews lack specifics to back up opinions, though in defense some vagueness is necessary to protect the "guilty." Moreover, the ratings assigned by some reviewers are higher than warranted by the words and tone of the review. Again not founder's fault.

Refining the rating system does not enhance the value of the reviews if the data-in is of poor quality. And, nowadays, tuscl must guard against shills. Nevertheless, the quality club reviews are a valuable source of information not found elsewhere.

I wasn't around since the beginning but I'm sure tuscl has changed. I doubt, though, that it has strayed very far from it's stated aim:

"More than a list. It's the evocation of a culture"

Apple and Google now are different from the start-up companies they once were.

Founder, there may be legitimate criticism to be learned from but not in this emotional, factless rant.

avatar for harrydave
harrydave
14 years ago
I've been on TUSCL for a long time. The nature of the reviews and discussions has not changed much (although there is more discussion of ITC, OTC, etc then there used to be). I don't see the basis for the complaint.

On the other hand, I know you refresh the UI every once in a while, and the current UI is nice and clean, but as another post mentioned, the discussion board main page layout is not too efficient, with too much space dedicated on the left to info about the member. There, that's my complaint!
avatar for DandyDan
DandyDan
14 years ago
I don't believe TUSCL to be corporate and stuffy. It's the best place to find out strip club info on the net. I'm sure TUSCL has changed since I first logged on, but every website I know about has if you look over a long enough period. And I don't see anything to complain about in the review process. I had one rejected once because it was too short. I was upset about it, but I didn't complain to anyone here, I just made it longer and more thought out and it was accepted.
avatar for troop
troop
14 years ago




founder 04/27/11 9:41 PM
I think the reason this bothers me so much is because this is a person that has been around a looooooooong time. not sure what he sees as so different than 10 years ago.

^^^
well why don't you ask him to be more specific regarding his complaint?
avatar for founder
founder
14 years ago
@troop - I did. No Comment as of yet
avatar for snowtime
snowtime
14 years ago
This site is better than ever. It sometimes takes a few days to get used to the changes, but after that things seem normal again. Can't see what the guy is talking about. I think comments and reviews are pretty much as they have always been. Don't have a clue about what he referred to as "corporate". I would ignore him. Keep up your excellent work on my favorite web site.
avatar for farmerart
farmerart
14 years ago
I am new to tuscl - not even a year yet. I have no serious complaints about the site. I am active with reviews, comments, and discussions. The site has been a source of much pleasure for me. One of my reviews was rejected for being too short but since that review was barely one sentence long - fair game.

Don't sweat it, founder
avatar for PHound
PHound
14 years ago
Commuications have changed alot over the past 10 years. We are all more connected and the sheer volume of communication has gone off the charts. Many blogs become a commercial enterprize without having moderation or review. Is this site perfect, hell no, but it is evolving and having this discussion is important. Without a suggestion for how the site should change I don't know why this person is complaining. How many members are on TUSCL now vs. 10 years ago. Things change or they die that is a fact.
avatar for Dudester
Dudester
14 years ago
This site, 100% is the best resource for strip clubbing.ther sites are so bogged down with advertising that it takes awhile for the page to load. Then, the reviews are maybe three sentences-if that-example-"Went there to find my usual bitch. The bouncer growled at me and I told him to fuck off" (end of review).

My only complaint-As a writer, I'm jealous that there are so very many articulate people here. This might be the sender's real complaint. He doesn't get a chance to sparkle in a galaxy full of bright stars. Actually, I'm glad it is that way. I've been at sites where I'm the gee whiz kid. It takes pressure off of me and makes my brain actually work to see informed opinions on a variety of topics.
avatar for Clubber
Clubber
14 years ago
As a former top 10 reviewer, I feel I am somewhat qualified to address his email. Yes there have been many changes in my 10+ years. Some I do not care for at all, others are just fine. I have found that founder is ALWAYS accessible to any concern. What Corporation can say that?

Unfortunately, some people force change as a "corporation" grows. These changes can also be positive or negative in anyone's eyes. Smething that can't really be helped if survival is the goal.

That said, TUSCL is so far out in front as number one, nothing else need be said!
avatar for SuperDude
SuperDude
14 years ago
No one wants a return to the flame wars of 10 years ago. That childish foolishness had me drop TUSCL until Founder took control and stopped it. The flamers were passionate, but rude, boring and generally uninteresting. Things are much improved since those days. If being respectful of many different points of view makes us stuffy, I'm all for it.
avatar for JGoose
JGoose
14 years ago
I'm just a newb here, and I'm not really aware of the changes over the life of the site, but why wouldn't you want reviews to be approved? If not, then you have free posting spam and the site becomes worthless.
avatar for samsung1
samsung1
14 years ago
Here is a archive of what TUSCL looked like in 1998


http://replay.web.archive.org/1998120520…
avatar for samsung1
samsung1
14 years ago
"Pulse" in Peoria, IL. I submitted a review based off a news article I read about a customer being arrested after the dancer called the cops accusing the customer of fondling her. I included the link to the news story as well.
In my opinion, this was pretty significant insight into how the club management and dancers treat customers and other TUSCL members agreed with me on the main discussion board. The review was rejected yet the following review got accepted for Pulse from nallah.

"I am a dancer here and I think that this place is up and coming.. Since I started here I have definitely seen an improvement. From talking to customers, this place is recovering from a not so good reputation. The new owners have this club on the right track and I think if you give it a chance you will find out that it really is a nice place to come and enjoy yourself. Look me up my name is Nallah, I would love to show you a good time, and there are several worthy dancers here as well.. "
avatar for vincemichaels
vincemichaels
14 years ago
Can't please everyone, Founder. It sure would be nice if the complainer followed up on what he thinks is wrong. Oh well.
avatar for JGoose
JGoose
14 years ago
Personally, I think both reviews should been rejected. But that's just me, and like I said I'm just a newb here!
avatar for jackslash
jackslash
14 years ago
I don't see the stuffiness. Some reviews could be better but that's the fault of the reviewers. The discussion section has improved over time and I now find most of the discussions entertaining. And I like the recent format changes.
avatar for txtittyfan
txtittyfan
14 years ago
He was probably drunk and just letting off steam.
avatar for Clubber
Clubber
14 years ago
Shot?
avatar for mmdv26
mmdv26
14 years ago
The clubs themselves feel "corporate and stuffy" compared to 10 or 15 years ago; the whole atmosphere has degenerated into a big money grab. Club owners have no soul or creativity - they attend the Association of Club Executives convention and copy what the next guy is doing...because it makes a profit!

TUSCL is still the best...well, only...place to obtain reliable "stuff" about SC's and SCing. If editorial oversight is necessary to keep the shills out, and maintain the authenticy of the reviews, then do it. Discussion gets pretty fuckin' snarky at times, but nothing like the flame wars of just a few years ago.

I think the sender of the email was venting...and reminiscing about the good ol' days of ass-c and Chez Paris.




avatar for vincemichaels
vincemichaels
14 years ago
I'll take a Jaeger, Clubber !!
avatar for rickdugan
rickdugan
14 years ago
Founder, I vaguely remember what this site looked like back in the days of old, and I think that this guy is a little off the mark.

In the absence of a review feature, people could simply post any junkie comments they wanted simply to obtain/retain VIP. Not only would this make the club reviews MUCH LESS useful for me, but as a guy who spends a shit load of money each year in SCs the thought of people benefiting from my time and spending via my reviews, without legitimately contributing back, would irks me.

Perhaps he has an issue with the flag feature? Well, if so I can understand his point to a degree (I am a bit of an anarchist myself - lol), but overall I am happy with it as not only can junk posts be flagged, but so can more dangerous stuff. Words have consequences, even on an Internet site. When some moron posts that he got a BJ from Dancer XXX in a club review, he could be doing harm to both the club and the girl. There are reasons why some of the dancers in the clubs are so sensitive about having their names posted in a tuscl review.

Finally, I don't see the spammers as a big problem on here - there are only a couple and they are not clogging up the boards.

Anyway, thank you again for providing us with this valuable resource. I have a couple of road trips coming up and I am looking forward to scoping out my options on here, as well of course as reporting back on the fruits of my visits. :)
avatar for shadowcat
shadowcat
14 years ago
Clubber you nailed it. I'd bet on it. I guess he is entitled his opinion.
avatar for Prim0
Prim0
14 years ago
Haters gonna hate. You can please some of the people some of the time but not all of the people all of the time. Pick your cliche. This site is awsome and generally so are the members. I've learned a great deal since I found TUSCL and thank each and every one of your for your contributions.
avatar for founder
founder
14 years ago
Wow... lots of comments to wake up too

So I guess the general consensus is that member was a little out of touch, huh?

Oh, and clubber and shadowcat, your prize is in the mail (amazing guess)
avatar for samsung1
samsung1
14 years ago
probably he is pissed that you removed the blog section. He was the best blogger here.
avatar for mo_youngblood
mo_youngblood
14 years ago
Founder,

Your site is the best. I like the intel I can get especially when visiting a new city, so you don't waste your money. Definitely think the person who sent the e-mail is out of touch, or bitter about something and just needed to vent, but until he provides specifics I see it an nothing more than venting for venting sake. I think the site has improved in the several years since I joined. Keep up the good work.

Mo
avatar for georgmicrodong
georgmicrodong
14 years ago
While I distinctly remember searching and finding reviews on TUSCL as far back as 10 years ago, I've only been a member for two, so I don't have a long period of perspective on this. That said, I don't find this site "corporate" or "stuffy" at all. In fact, just the opposite. You're far more responsive than any stuffy corporation I've worked for, and some type of editorial review is a *minimum* standard for items that are intended to impart some actual useable information to readers. Especially since nothing about that review process is terribly onerous, or prevents one from injecting "passion and soul" into a review.

I suppose it's just the "editorial review board" term itself; it *might* sound a little on the stuffy side if one is in a curmudgeonly mood. I, however, took it to indicate a process rather than a literal board of reviewers sitting around a table in a dimly lit room somewhere passing judgement on reviews.

FWIW, TUSCL is the *only* Internet bulletin board on which I participate on a more than *very* occasional basis. That's primarily because my preference to participate via email is negated by both the compelling content of TUSCL and the technical aspects of the site that make it absurdly easy to use.
avatar for rickdugan
rickdugan
14 years ago
"So I guess the general consensus is that member was a little out of touch, huh?"

Yes, 100% yes. The fine work you are doing here is vastly appreciated.
avatar for Clubber
Clubber
14 years ago
YIPPY!!! founder is sending me a HOT Asian woman for a prize!
avatar for minnow
minnow
14 years ago
Corporate and stuffy is far from what I'd describe tuscl to be. (Eg- unmoderated db). I appreciate some degree of screening for reviews- definitely don't want it to be like SCL juvenille chat room. I initially joined, and continue to stick with Tuscl because they (we) have the best review system out there- by customers, for customers. IMO, letter drunken ramblings- big on genralities,small on specifics (eg- what exactly about tuscl changes is stuffy and corporate??) Thanks again for keeping site up and running.
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