baexpats.org a con?

There are 100 replies in this Thread which has previously been viewed 11,260 times. The latest Post () was by Rice.

1st Official Post

    I've recently been back on baexpats.org. All was going well until I posted some negative comments regarding Argentina especially corruption and the poor economical state ithe country is in. My posts immediately started being withheld for moderation....first for a few minutes then they stopped appearing full stop!!

    I did get in touch with them using the contact link asking why all my posts were bing held back however many days later and I've still not had a reply. Worth noting when I enter the site now it takes forever to load compared to the time before I was earmarked for special treatmnt. Something fishy is going on I wondered or just my imagination...can they find out my real identity and where I live...will the Kirchner/Fernandez heavies be coming fo me? ^^


    Does anyone here know if government sympathisers Moderate the site? I find it hard to believe my comments wold cause offence.

  • Jump to the most helpful post

    • Official Post

    It's hard to say whether the owner of baexpats is in bed with the K gang because as far as I know it's run by a fellow named Igor who is Russian, but of course anything is possible.

    Many of us on this forum have experienced this kind of treatment over there and been permanently banned (for life, no less) for having the tenacity to express a different opinion.

    But ultimately, what's more disturbing is that admin reads everyone's personal messages, so if you have a problem with censorship and moderation you can even be banned for sharing your opinion privately with another member.

    What is clear is that bajo_cero, the 'successful lawyer' specialising in screwing expats for residency, get's away with his pro-K comments and I doubt any of his posts are moderated.

    Keep your front door locked just in case UK Man :alien:

    • Official Post

    I joined baexpats in 2006 when people used to post "What are the women like in Argentina?" and stuff like that. It was very friendly then, but you still had the odd one who would tell you to go back if you didn't like it here. Moderation was minimal but as the years passed, it became like a Gulag with soviet style rules and I ended up being banned thrice over.

    Frankly, I don't know how people put with the lack of privacy and hammer-like moderation. :scratchead:

    Ceviche is also a major ass-smack. I was once banned for posting a thread asking what books members would want with them on a desert island.


    All but the newest members know Igor’s reputation for censorship and prying. If they continue to be part of what is ludicrously called a community, they deserve him.

    There are too many characters who are only staying in Argentina because of the dollar blue rate....most can't even claim to be true expats. I suspect one or two might have complained about my attitude towards them,

    Quote from Rice

    Maybe your PM’s never got to the people you were trying to contact. Igor would not have allowed them to go through if they contained uncomplimentary or critical references.

    Like my posts the content was civil. Which is why I've come to the conclusion it's run to suit the agenda of the owner.

    The reading of PMs is a nasty business. I never PM so it does not bother me really but it makes even having PMs pointless.


    Never has one of my posts been moderated. I am not wildly controversial but have gotten into some debates there.


    What did you post UK_Man, I guess that's the real question. However, unless it was cleary wrong or offensive, I think you've been hard done by. Some people get away with positing crap and controversial stuff without a problem.


    So, are you banned?

    I honestly don't recall being offensive....it's not my style. I may have bluntly told someone what they didn't want to hear but not in an offensive way.


    I'm not banned but the site takes forever to load....and when it does I am taken to a different page than the one I wanted. When I use a private window I am able to enter the site instantly. I suspect something's going on so I would rather just stay away.

    • Official Post

    The tactics implemented on that forum when someone steps over somebody's turf I have never seen elsewhere.

    Once, I was having a conversation con cat litter and the thread was closed because 'not strictly relevant' to Argentina.


    Another time I was suggesting a desperate lady looking for his brother (gone AWOL since two days after going out on a bike) to post her appeal also on an expats' FB group. My post in reply to her appeal was removed because apparently a link to a 'competing' online venue was not welcome, not even for the greater good (a guy was missing, FFS!). Some long standing members noticed my reply/suggestion had disappeared and their post pointing at this were also taken off and the thread was closed. If you were to access that thread 12 hours later, it seemed nothing had happened, which even more troubling, imho.


    I was in trouble when I PM-ed (perhaps to one of the forum 'guards', without realizing) about this AE forum. After I was 'caught', I could no longer use the PM feature - I can receive PMs but I can't reply), my post were pending approval (sometimes forever), even the most innocent ones. I never received an admonishment or anything else. I simply slipped in purgatorium. This was very worrying because I had exchanged sensitive information by PM with other forum members in the past.

    Now I can post without approval, but it is sad to see the usual gracielle, ceviche, nikad and bajo posting the same things over and over.


    It definitely seems to be held to a double standard over there and that there is some sort of endgame on the forum. I have heard several rumors on the forum owner, some KGB-themed. Member beware!

    • Official Post

    Some expats FB groups are also ruled by draconian rules. The absurd thing is that proclaim to be open to all and 'free', but then have a 20-point rule list that you have to keep in mind before posting, and anyway they reserve the freedom of removing posts to their discretion without providing an explanation because they are simply too busy.


    Managing online venues can be a PITA and people with little patience or a big ego are the worst admins. My last attempt was posting a question on how to get a US SIM card in Argentina and keep it alive without having to subscribe to a monthly plan, and it was not approved because 'read the rules'. I went to read the group rules and it was longer than the US Constitution, so I simply closed the browser and threw a few f***-up to the ass-kisser that runs the group and his fellows. After reading his own posts for a while, I got an idea of how he lives and conducts himself and he is an a**hole, plain and simple.


    At the same times, his bunch of co-admins and real-life friends can get away with all sort of bullshit and harsh remarks to other group members. I think that interest groups should have a healthy turnover of members and admins, because they can wear you down and your interest may have shifted and you no longer have the patience to moderate/reply. In that case, better jump ship. I think it is a natural thing to change one own's interests over time.


    Personally, I am at a point where I already know most of the ins and outs of my personal needs in Argentina and I don't feel the need to feed my knowledge's with expat stuff on a daily basis. I no longer have to worry about immigration and imported ingredients (I have adjusted to the local cuisine, I no longer cook, I order delivery if I want something different).

    This, and the patronizing tone of long-time expats who consider other people newbie, gullible, and less worthy than themselves.


    If an online venue becomes a nuisance instead of a source of entertainment/useful information, then it is time to leave it.

    This is very interesting, serafina . It brings me to 2-3 questions that I hope our own forum members will take a minute to answer:

    1) how many forums/FB groups etc do you regularly read or contribute to?

    2) among these, is your affiliation with this forum at the top of your list? In the middle? At the bottom?

    And, if you have time:

    3) what changes could make you more inclined to be more involved?

    • Official Post

    1) I follow three forums including this one, two of which are work-related. I sometimes lurk on the other forum because there are some weird posts sometimes, and I find them weird/humorous.

    I am on several FB groups and I manage my own FB pages. I use two FB groups for work and the rest to ask for help. I have 'silenced' notifications from all groups except the one I use to find clients.

    My professional associations have moved to IO Groups which are a pain to read and I check them maybe 2-3 times per month as they are hardly relevant for my day-to-day work.

    2-3) Seriously?! :rolleyes: