Thongboard is dying... Maybe world has changed and men don't need anymore this forum for thonging. I have been reading this forum for a long time because I was seeking encouragement to be brave enough to thong openly and publicly. I started thonging in 1998. I climbed all steps : thong underwear, thong swimwear on a secluded beach then crowded beach and now at the public pool with my local triathlon group. World has changed. It is not an issue anymore to wear a thong. So it is logical this forum is gradually losing audience. Actually, I read this forum in order to know new brands, etc.

If the thong board is in decline then so be it, but I hope not. I do know this was one place that I could get information about places to publicly wear a thong swimsuit, find encouragement to do so and get help with what manufacturers have quality thong swimwear. For those reason I hope there will always be a place where like minded people can share information. As for there being such wide acceptance of thong swimwear, maybe in some places but certainly not everywhere. I can’t wear a thong to my local pools of gyms due to restrictions and rules against thongs. There are beaches in my area where wearing a thong is seen as undesirable by the other beach goes. I’ve had park rangers tell me to cover or wear something else to not “offend” the other beach goers, even after acknowledging that what I was wearing was legal. I’ve had some groups make my time at a beach uncomfortable with their nasty looks and mumbled comments. While these instances are rare they still occurre. I left a beach this past Wednesday due to that very occurrence. I would argue that we do need a place of support still. I will agree that the over sexual posts may be better paced somewhere else. And, some more judicious oversite can be employed at times. But, as I have read this board over the many years those type of messages tend to be infrequent. Finally, to all those who have been a part of this board, thank you. I have found that most everyone has been respectful, supportive and encouraging. I don’t think I would have found the courage and strength to wear thongs on a beach without the many words I have read over the years.

This has been a great forum to learn ahead of thong tolerance at a location, or where at a beach to go to be more comfortable. Also in the early days, learning who sold thongs for men. The rest has been entertaining but the utility of the info helped me.

re "...If the thong board is in decline" - not as far as I am concerned. IMHO JM_RUNS has done a great job & deserves our support. Those who are using his board to advertise a competitor should think again. It is always easy to criticise.

It’s dying because of exactly all the reasons Jackk pointed out.. To many topics don’t deal with thongs. A skirt isn’t a thong…Getting waxed isn’t a thong, being shaved.. while is something that would be noticeable when one’s wearing a thong, it shouldn’t be a primary topic (or get its own thread).  Ow we have an  “armpits” thread…Wow, that one’s just sad…It’s not even the same area of the body.. How sad…. Then we have a few members (I won’t give names, but I bet many who are still here know who I’m talking about) that clearly are wearing them in such a way that their “efforts” to show men can publicly wear a thong too are more than likely hurting the cause rather than helping it. A public pool with families is not the place for your unlined, buldge, snakeskin print, micro baggie, especially when you’re wearing that chrome C-ring, as you spend more time noting every single subtle detail of everyone around you, be sure to tell us about every woman who glanced upon you, or male who was intimidated by your confidence (or buldge) and felt inferior. That type of stuff doesn’t t encourage anyone, it creeps most people out. Now I have to say it’s totally fine if you wear any of those types of thongs for any of those reasons, I’m not trying to say your totally wrong or that in some cases I myself have worn them for a few of those reasons…. But be honest when you think of how some of those suits, reasons, or just the stories themselves might or might not fit into the spirit of this forum ..  I’m pretty sure there are other forums out there where that would fit right in and even be encouraged.   I found this forum in my early days of thonging and back then it was very helpful for introducing me to new brands and helping me find the correct fit. The stories were more about how to be confident and how to fit in with others even though our choices were different and we were (still are) the minority. Like stringueur said I’ve climbed the stairs.. Started with underwear, then swimwear, then secluded places, then it was the weekday evening lap swims (over 18 only) at a single small local indoor pool. Now I’ve swam at 4 different pools (2 indoor and 2 outdoor) in my thongs and haven’t had any issues. Climbing those steps was made possible because of the members of this board who genuinely want to help the acceptance of thongs and stayed on the topic of thong.. If threads keep going farther away, so will all those who are here for the right reasons. This board wasn’t meant for sexual content, or those whose sole purpose is exhibitionism. It was meant to help others know that thongs are normal and can fit into normal society, and that if we wear them responsibly, we can wear them openly in more places. This year thanks to those here because they support the founding principles of this forum, I was able to not only thong openly on a public lake, but was able to get a good friend to join me… The feeling was amazing!! I could go on but I want to give thanks to JM_runs as he puts way more work into this site than any of us know. Plus he gave me a lot of good advice and encouragement over the years. If we want this forum to live on, we need to drop the off topic threads, and get back to the principals that it was founded on. If we can get back to what started this, we can keep it going in the right direction. A positive group effort with help the thong movement, a positive group effect can help this forum.

Jackk and thonged4life, completely well said...I align completely with both viewpoints as they are principled... the skirts, exhibitionist behavior, unrelated topics, far reaching subjects gotta go...I wrote something early that was removed due to censoring for standing my ground against the garbage... that needs to stop also....

Honestly, the only thing this board is missing is a block function. I also learned to skip over a certain user whose name rhymes with BackMack, but it would have been more convenient to just block him. The fact photos can't be posted in threads goes a long way towards keeping things from getting too weird. Thong wearing is an "alternative" lifestyle choice so it sort of comes with the territory that a forum like this will attract some eccentric folks. I still find this forum to be a handy resource. I read the discussions that are interesting to me and skip over the rest. I've also found some of the self reports of exhibitionism uncomfortable, but how does one really draw the line on that? I'd say, generally, I'm happy with the moderation on this board.

How could I forget these more recent gems.

The fact that these posts were not removed and the author was allowed to continue to post is unforgivable. This eradicated my confidence in JM_Run's ability to moderate this message board.

And it's not the first time.

The same user has posted some completely off topic things too.

What do piercings have to do with wearing thong swimwear?

gsj wrote: "IMHO JM_RUNS has done a great job & deserves our support."

For the reasons I've mentioned in my other posts, I strongly disagree.

It's definitely an outdated site at this point. The forum could use a visual update to a more responsive design, and probably more active moderation. The ability to report posts for being off topic or inappropriate would be a good start. From the Minnesota perspective, there's one member in particular who likes to post his observations of (primarily women) wearing thongs at various beaches, and he opens several similar threads everywhere that probably don't need to be opened in the first place. It's a fine line between reporting on thong acceptance of a beach and just staring at women, but I feel like the intent of the board is for those of us who want to wear thongs to be able to discuss that. I actually disagree with some people that are saying thong-adjacent topics shouldn't be here. I think there's some value in allowing those discussions, especially if people are posting them in the appropriate category. If you narrow the discussion down too specifically, you're going to end up with even less activity than there already is.

I’ve been a member on several thong and nudist site. I enjoy both lifestyles. All have their share of members whose interests run towards eroticism, sensuality, exhibitionism, and sex. I am guilty of enjoying all of the above at various times. Admittedly, exhibitionism is part of my attraction to wearing thongs, especially at the beach. But I joined this forum to find like minded people and especially places. My thonging started in the 1980s. I recognize there are many post that are on the fringes, but part of thonging and nudism is acceptance of people with less than perfect physiques or alternative orientations. To this day when traveling I will search for LGTBQ+beaches since they are more accepting and less likely to offend families and the overly textile crowds. I hope the forum stays active and I can engage with open minded members.

I don't think we have many young thongers on this forum. I am 32, and I feel like I am one of the young guns on this forum. It's a shame we are not able to attract thongers in their 20s and 30s.

Has anybody who finds shortcomings with this board offered their services to JM_Runs to act as moderator/editor/upgrader or whatever? It is very easy to criticise, perhaps a little harder to offer to help. I write as one who has run a volunteer team - always plenty of external queries & suggestions but requests for help usually produced a whole plethora of excuses!

Though I agree with many of the prior comments, I think another aspect that shouldn't be ignored is the 24+ year-old tech this message board is using that discourages at least me from visiting the site more often. Just to name a few issues:

- Views are not mobile-friendly

- Can't search message content

- (Ha! I tried to make this a bulleted list and the editor toolbar button doesn't work)

- Community Moderation (an important one according to this thread) e.g. "Flag this message"

- The ability to "Follow" Topics and receive email notifications of new posts. 

- Embeddable polls

- The ability to insert "appropriate" (moderated) images

- Participant Trust Levels e.g. Moderate ALL of this person's posts, don't allow this person to post images, Community Moderators, etc.

Also, let's talk about "Aimoo". What do we know:

- Not much

- Domain Registration is hidden

- Hosting is done by Cloudflare (no IP to trace)

- The underlying code for the site was written by a Chinese Company called Layui

- The last time the code was updated May 21, 2021

- ZoomInfo indicates Aimoo is a "Data Collection & Internet Portals" company (hmmm, there's no such thing as "free" in the internet world) The "org chart" appears to be filled with fake names pointing to email addresses at @icwa.com, which it too is fully obfuscated.

- BBB indicates Aimoo has a Honolulu Hawaii mailing address which the USPS indicates does not exist. The street does, the house number does not. The listed phone number is no longer in service.

So we have this wealth of content and a community at the mercy of some Chinese code and an unknown backer who's into "Data Collection" that can be gone in the blink of an eye and lost forever with no recourse. I'd offered in the past to convert this message board to a modern platform with modern features, backups, privacy controls, safety and security, but it never happened.

What do y'all wanna do?

I don't think it's dying but I think some of these topics are completely unrelated and some of these members dilute the importance of the cause by posting garbage topics. There's a single member that's completely ego driven who's an absolute creep... But i think most members are here for the correct reasons and provide great content to help encourage or provide useful information... I know the moderator tends to be liberal with the topics and that's fine...I take it upon myself to call out what is BS but I'll always attempt to justify my viewpoint... To my surprise and appreciation I thank several members on this board who have supported my viewpoints... I'll continue using this board and chiming in as needed.

MBthong wrote: I don’t know who the admin/moderator is though?

JM_Runs is the sole admin/moderator.

hunnger wrote: I'd offered in the past to convert this message board to a modern platform with modern features, backups, privacy controls, safety and security, but it never happened.

A proper migration would require either direct access to the database or an export tool. Assuming Aimoo doesn't provide that, the best you can do is scrape the public data. You'd lose all of the non-public data, like the email addresses and log in information associated with every account. It would be more like an archive than a migration.

It might not be legal to host a copy of the ThongBoard. Other than the copyright notice, I can't find any terms. The company that own and operates Aimoo might claim ownership of the content posted here. It's unlikely they'd sue, but it's a possibility.

Then you'd have to decide whether or not to apply new moderation rules to old posts. Would you remove off-topic or inappropriate content? The platform isn't the only problem with the ThongBoard.

Well I hope this board continues. I like the awareness and sharing of information, especially what public places thongs are acceptable to all. This board helped me with the courage to wear a thong to the beach. I agree some of these topics are off. I would rather see discussion of thongs snd g-strings not shaved arm pits for example.

I don't think the board is dying. First off, let me say I truly appreciate all the hard work JM puts in monitoring and keeping the board alive. I have posted over the years about wearing thongs and g-string in GA and Texas and Hollywood beach in Chicago. I started wearing thongs around 1987 to public beaches and lakes and have rarely worn anything else when out to swim. It was nerve wracking and I was always looking over my shoulder worried I was illegal or someone I know would see me our take my picture and post it. I somehow found the Thongboard and it helped me with my confidence and my own acceptance of wearing so little. While I would love to live near a nude beach, I don't. So wearing a thong or g-string is the next best thing for me. Reading about other people's experiences on here and knowing where I can wear smaller swimwear has made a huge difference. I love now when people see me in a g-strring and how they say they wish they had the confidence I have. Most of it comes from knowing I am legal and hearing other people's experiences on here and the passage of time. The more often I wear a thong and it is a non issue, the more confidence I gain. So, I want to publicly acknowledge JM for all his hard work over the years and give him a huge Thank you. I hope people will remember what the board is for and stay within the parameters and guidelines for the board and most of all be courteous and kind to other members of the board.

tobias5711 What a great post. You sum up my thoughts & experiences precisely I confirm my support for all that JM has done & continues to do Frankly I find it unacceptable for those who use JM's board to publicise a competitor

I don’t think that the Thongboard is necessarily dying, it does seem that its’ emphasis is changing in the wake of its’ own success. Over the course of the last twenty or so years the level of thong/g-string acceptance has grown to the point where thongs and g-strings will eventually be entirely routine. Slowly at first but that acceptance seems to have accelerated in the last few seasons. The emphasis of the Thongboard will probably be morphing from wearing thongs to thong-related ancillary subjects: :”Beaches to thong ….. ”, “Swimsuit companies ….. “, “Questions and opinions ….. “, “Personal experiences ….. “. Actually, the topics are already there they will just be more used.

I agree with @rickl454, I don't think the board is dying at all, I just think the problem it's trying to solve isn't as prevalent. Once you've acquired a few thongs of your own, worn them out in public, perhaps even in front of friends, what else is there to discuss? I think it's nice for people to continue reporting on safe locations, but beyond that, how much thong specific discussion is there really to be had? This is why I find the desire to police "off topic" threads ridiculous. Why wouldn't you want to discuss other topics of interest with people who also share your desire to wear thong swimwear? I will agree with some of the specific problematic posts described above. I think some of the posts and posters on this board are a bit creepy, but it also doesn't bother me to skip their posts. I am not shocked at all many women have been scared off from participating in this board which is unfortunate. I think it's good the moderators can't see private message content, but that also allows for creeps to DM people whenever they want. I'm not sure what the best solution is, but I think overall @JM_Runs does a decent job.

"So, I want to publicly acknowledge JM for all his hard work over the years and give him a huge Thank you." This! Thank you JM!

A less incendiary title for this thread would be: "The Number of Active Users on the ThongBoard is Declining". The OP argues that this is because of lax moderation. That is debatable. I expect there are other factors, like the rise of social media, however, it's relatively easy to demonstrate that usage of the ThongBoard is trending downward.

From the public information available, 32.5K people have signed up for the ThongBoard. 4.4K users have posted at least once. That means about 28.1K people (86%) signed up only to read posts or decided not to participate for whatever reason.

The number of active users (i.e. the number of people that posted at least once during a calendar year) peaked in 2010 at just shy of 1,000. With the exception of a small bump in 2014, that number has been going down ever since. As of 2024, there are a little over 300 active users. That's about 100 more than there were in 2003, the year the message board was created. If usage continues to decline at the current rate, the ThongBoard will have the lowest number of active users in its history in the next year or two.

If you want to argue with someone, you need to refute their central point. So far, this post merely seems to have incited rage on both sides of the argument. I agree with the OP, so I'll address a couple of the counterarguments I have seen in this thread and others. I'm paraphrasing for the sake of clarity.

It's unreasonable to expect one person to maintain a message board of this size alone, but the admin has had 20+ years to delegate that responsibility. People have been offering to help for as long as the board has existed.

The admin even said they would be looking for assistants, but I guess that never happened.

The admin, and others on this message board, therefore, must be satisfied with how posts are moderated. If that is how you feel, you should explain why you think posts like the examples in this thread should be allowed.

There is clearly a divide in this community. I think many people, especially the aforementioned majority that read, but do not post, would be happier somewhere else. If the Thong Forum better aligns with their viewpoint, then it makes perfect sense for them to go there instead. This is the obvious place to share information about an alternative. Sometimes it's better to agree to disagree and go our separate ways.

Thongr. Very well put. Hard to disagree