Not with a Bang

The Death of the SmartShanghai Forum - By SexyPaul, Apr 23, 08

It's been a long and winding road, as they say. We've shared tears of joy, laughter, and sadness -- love and pain -- and the occasional rude limerick, but times change and it's time to move on... and so it falls on me to announce that the SmartShanghai Forum will be discontinued starting today.

The SmSh Forum was born in the autumn in the year of our lord 2003. It became an instant success (mostly due to the popularity of their interactive map) and Shanghai at last had an up-to-date and modern looking website to service their needs for all that is "Shanghai."

Personas loosely based on real people were formed soon thereafter, and these personas logged in day after day to taunt, goad, insult, threaten, intimidate, bully, and, very rarely, to inform or compliment each other. And it was these characters that kept the damn thing going for so long. People like Trix (who wasn't under the influence as much in those early days) and Carsten (who had a proper job back then), Daomingsi (when he had a girlfriend and wasn't so cynical), good old Xtina (when she was younger and... virginal), Luciferno (when he didn't resemble a sperm whale), SynerG (who hasn't changed in the slightest in the last five years apart from the fact that he's just now started shaving), moneyinabox (who would always give you a proper answer to a question, even if it was a wrong answer) and the gone but not forgotten Big J (who was well know for his witty writing and for being the President of Zimbabwe). Countless others contributed in their own special and sometimes idiotic way as well...

Looking back at some of the weirdest thread titles we have ever had, a few spring to mind as instant classics:

"Wheres all the HOT Butt"; "The Homosexual Thread for Casper XX"; "Looking for the guy who smiled at me in Mint last night” (That had to be Smart Siyan that opened that puppy up wasn't it ?); "How to give head to girls"; and the infamous, "Spy Bar IS a Shit Bar", were some of the classic threads from 2005.

As the years progressed, it did not get any better than having a drink-fuelled night alone on the computer and no doubt it was drink that inspired these classics: "I want to learn German" (Why ??); "Swingers Wanted", "Smart Shanghai BBQ Part 3"; "DJ Boro World Tour" (at C's Bar and Pink Home perhaps); and finally a nice Christmassy one: "Santa's Sacks Are Full At Malones" (I think that was mine).

The Forum went from strength to strength over the years and picked up more and more users, becoming a part of everyday life for many. Friendships were formed way back in 2005 when a few members decided to have a meet-n-greet at Mint during The DiscoBoys Tour. That evening opened it all up and since then there have been unofficial SmSh Forum Bbqs at dodgy beach-like locations, all-you-can-eat Japanese nights, beer tastings at O'Malleys, and "Missile Myles Appreciation Nights" at Madame Zung's (we didn't appreciate it, we just went for the cheap beer and to watch Carsten shag chicks in the toilet).

With every internet forum you get instigators and rebel rousers. Fortunately for the SmSh Forum, most of the "bad seeds" have not been that bad. The Dawg, Romper, Soleil, Jinaq (occasionally) and even Holin to some extent have had their moments of brutality and banality ... but all in all I'm sure they're not that bad in real life (just slightly bewildered).

Five Years has flown by and the Forum has had a good run but as I said at the top of the page, its time for a change… ... as they say on bad American TV "don't go away, we'll be right back."

Smart Shanghai Forum
2003-2008
RIP

You will be missed,
DJ SexyPaul

A Tribute to the Life-less: Forum Stats:

Most Posts on The Forum By User (that weren't secret Smsh employees)

lictdsecretlove : 9456 posts
trix: 8348 posts
Lao Maozi: 7201 posts
casperXX: 6801 posts
luciferio: 6721 posts
wcarsten: 6506 posts
mandy_zhang: 5684 posts
jinaq: 5539 posts
sexypaul: 5352 posts
fantasy-feifei: 4862 posts

Top 10 Boards by Replies
"Word association game": 10,752 replies
"Prediction game" : 2,133 replies
"A tribute to the Asian beauty": 1,873 replies
"Asian Beauty Part 3" : 1,159 replies
"Funny picture thread" : 774 replies
"What Song are you listening to right this second?" : 766replies

Other Stats for Nerds:

Total threads: 281,806 in 17,193 boards.
1,144 boards deleted by admins.
22,994 users have signed up on the forum.

They can all turn off their computers now and go outside.

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dont knock it until you try iut Jinaq ;-)

Splatter

Jul 17, 08

why no-one cares?

BigJ

Aug 03, 08

Those were best times I ever had in Shanghai. Paul, btw, am working on a coalition government here in Africa. Wish you all succeess in your endeavours.