I wrote up a pretty comprehensive Jakarta datasheet which I put a fair bit of effort into. It served me well initially to get a bit of rep which eventually helped me meet some of the more established members on the board. Plus I enjoyed being able to leverage my knowledge and experience from multiple trips to the city to give back to the forum, having myself benefited from reading plenty other city datasheets myself.
There's a few downsides to writing a datasheet however. First there's the need to constantly be keeping it up to date. Some places the scene can shift around fairly quickly at times with clubs dying off or closing down and new places springing up. It's not too big an effort but one that you begin to see diminishing returns from. Particularly when your datasheet then starts running into a 3, 4, 5... page thread and all the info gets spread out and is more of an effort for the reader to consolidate.
That's when you start to get all the PMs asking questions. Now I don't mind at all helping out decent guys who give you props, but often you get guys asking questions clearly already answered in the DS had they bothered their arse to read it. And more often than not you don't so much as get a thanks never mind a rep point for your efforts.
Plus I agree with Laner above where every guy will have a different experiences to the next. I'm in my late 30s and nightgame almost exclusively. I don't really bother with dates or online at all, and prefer to go to the more higher end clubs and using doing bottle service. Thus I wrote my datasheet from that perspective. What I didn't anticipate was quite how many budget tinder swipers would be showing up. To whom the vast majority of my info is not only useless, but probably misleading.
In my opinion, how to improve the quality of datasheets/trip reports when writing:
- Give a bit of a bio about yourself before hand. Details of age, experience, type of game you generally employ, length of trip, where you were staying etc etc. Guys often do this already but it bears repeating as is essential for setting the context in which to read the intel.
- When writing the datasheet, do what I didn't and try cater to a wider range of range of players. ie if you're a late 30s nightgamer who likes bottle service, try also providing some recommendations 'for the younger guys', or 'for daygamers' and some intel on online ('good 1st date venues' also etc). Even if you don't know much on these subjects, I'm sure if it's your home city you'll have some friends there you can tap up for pointers
- Try keep the datasheet relevant to providing intel on the place rather than just using it as an excuse to endlessly brag about how many chicks you're banging and what a big ass pimp you are. Nobody gives a fuck.
- Provide details of alternative sources of info which may be updated more regularly. ie for Jakarta jakarta100bars.com is excellent and is constantly being kept up to date with new info.
- Keep the datasheet relevant by occasionally dropping in an update here and there. Particularly when a new bar or club opens up etc. Only needs to be a few lines, nothing major
- If a datasheet already exists on the place, tag on your intel onto it rather than starting a whole new thread. Keeps everything in one place and saves duplication of info/effort
- Ignore the haters and the dumb ass PMs
In addition, my advice for those on the forum thinking about going to a certain destination and reading datasheets:
- See it as a rough guide at best and don't take it as gospel. Seek out all sources of data you can find both on the forum and google and form an opinion on the consistencies you find between each
- Ignore all the 'I banged X chicks in Y days' bragging testimonials. It is of little to no relevance given you have no insight to the level of quality that was being banged. In my personal experience, when a dude does a high volume of chicks in a short space of time, the quality is almost always garbage anyway and the stories grossly exaggerated. Particularly when it comes from someone so concerned about keeping score and needing to constantly update strangers on the internet as to how big a pimp he is.
- Check when the datasheet was written, if it's over 6 months it's likely going to be somewhat out of date in places. Over a couple years old, it's probably not going to be too reliable. Regardless shoot the author and/or the main contributors a PM to confirm if it's all still valid, or if he has any new up to date intel.
- When PMing guys for info:
- obviously make sure to read the full datasheet thread first. If its a gazillion page thread however, then it's probably quite old anyway - so just skim through the start and focus more on the last couple pages where the info will be more recent/relevant. Put in the effort and do you research on the place first (using both RVF and google) so you are already somewhat clued up. Don't be one of these morons who asks a bunch of stupid questions which have already been answered multiple times on the forum already.
- Kick off by giving props where due to the intel already provided, the author appreciates that his work is providing value to others.
- Let him know when you're planning on going and other relevant info such as age, experience, style of game, budget etc as well as other things you're keen on doing outside of chasing skirt. That way you provide some context and he can provide some specifically tailored advice for you
- Most guys are more than happy to help, give value and demonstrate how much they know about a place. Particularly when their contributions to the forum are openly appreciated. However, don't expect the guy to write you a personalised 10 page dossier on every single element about your trip. Do your research and try keep your questions relevant and specific
- Don't ask stupid ass questions like 'where do I go that I'll be banging 9s every night for no effort and doesn't blow my $16.73 a day budget?'
- and of course, don't be a parasite. If the info was helpful to you, give a rep point.
- Afterwards provide a brief testimonial on the DS thread of your trip also. Rather than regurgitating info already laid out, outline what places you found to be the best and any new spots not previously mentioned. Give credit where it's due where the guy helped out out over PM also.
My take on the whole 'hyping a place up' aspect...
I did a bit of an experiment: Last year a new bar burst on the scene in Jakarta called Basque which from the off was an absolute goldmine for skirt. Even though it was really a pre-game venue, it was even better for picking up than the actual clubs and was my #1 spot hands down for a good 9 months or so. I deliberately didn't mention anything on the forum, partly cos I was tired with being told to 'STFU about Jakarta' cos I'm apparently going to spoil the place (ironically this coming from dudes who admitted they would never ever have set foot there in the first place had it not been for my DS) and partly as an experiment on the “lurker effect”. Some guys were convinced the moment you tipped off a decent place on the forum the very next day it would be bursting with forum lurkers. I was skeptical. But I kept it off the forum anyway and instead only divulged it my inner circle of RVF friends or members who had directly PM'd me asking where to go.
Never in my life have I seen a place go downhill so badly in such a short timeframe as Basque did in the last 6 months. This is despite it not once being mentioned on the forum until relatively recently, long after the place had already fallen. What was once an absolute goldmine is now packed to the gills with thirsty tourist sausage, some of whom are prepared to fight you to the death for a 6. And unsurprisingly the vast majority of the half decent talent has long since been scared off. Leaving us just with the standard issue B-league, bottlerat and tinderella chicks to get their attention fix off the thirsty hoard. (well it's not got
quite that bad yet but you get the picture...)
So make of that what you will, but to me I don't think the lurker effect is that significant. If it was, then all of Jakarta EXCEPT Basque would've been destroyed long ago. Sure there's tonnes of lurkers on here, but in reality only a small % of them will have the time, cash and incentive/balls to make the trip. And even then it'll only be for a week or two. And besides, I've made a number of good buddies from guys who've come to Jakarta and got in touch. (Tho I've also had to deal with my fair share of weirdos and assholes also...)
Now that said, it may be the case that certain destinations which are more accessible to the US and UK are a lot more affected by what's written here. Seeing with my own eyes the unbelievable level of spam approach daygame burning up places in EE was quite a shock for example. Tho I would lay the 'blame' for that more down to the popular London daygame blogs and forums (tho I highly doubt they could've forseen the effect it would've had). But also hearing how some of the old school Bangkok regulars wax lyrical about how 'the good old days' are long gone does makes me wonder also.
Still tho, it was the trip reports and datasheets who brought me to RVF in the first place. And writing datasheets of my own led me to meeting plenty of cool dudes who got in touch and came to visit. Many of whom have become close friends. It has become part of the culture here and separates RVF from the more one dimensional game focused forums. I certainly wouldn't be encouraging withholding info from the forum.
What isn't being mentioned here is that a fair amount of quality intel is actually already getting shared privately between repped/vetted members who are regularly in touch anyway. Usually via various inner circle style group chats and whatnot. Rather than splurge everything onto the forum in datasheets, often we share it between ourselves and only later as it becomes wider known it makes its way onto the forum. The only way to get privvy to this intel is to stop being a lurker, contribute back to the forum, get a bit of rep for it and get out there and meet dudes....just make sure you're not an asshole. or a weirdo...
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