PinoyExchange
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
PinoyExchange (PEX) is a Filipino online message board community founded by Dr. Michael Nolledo a.k.a. "batanguliran" with help from close family members on July 12, 1999. As of March 28, 2007 PEX ranks no. 27 over-all in Big Boards' worldwide ranking and features over 19,238,782 posts made by 199,175 members, making it the largest message board in the country by far.
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[edit] History
PEX was originally conceptualized by the New Jersey-based Dr. Michael Nolledo as an outlet for Filipinos to discuss and debate local issues. Hindered by geographical limitations, Michael enlisted the help of his brother Nix Nolledo a.k.a. Nix, his brother-in-law Marco Lucena a.k.a. marco (who was later replaced by Michael Palacios a.k.a. Mikoid as lead designer and technical consultant), and most importantly his nephew Jude Turcuato a.k.a. Kaboom! who helped generate interest by plugging the forum during televised UAAP basketball games in which he worked as a commentator.
Although the forum reached 2,000 members before the turn of the century it was not until Sprite's 2001 ad campaign that PEX enjoyed its highest exposure. As a result of the rapid increase in traffic, PEX upgraded its dated, CGI-based Ultimate Bulletin Board software to the more robust PHP-powered VBulletin and introduced "Premium Packages" in which subscribers gain added features. The latter was scrapped not long after.
[edit] Controversy
PEX routinely places advertisements (occasionally Flash-based) in various parts of the board in order to pay for their exorbitant hosting bills, a fact that can't be underscored enough by constant "server busy" messages and downtime. Unfortunately this move elicited scorn from a select few who equated the ad-placements to greed and monopoly[citation needed] although there have been many garish local Internet forums that have attempted to compete with PEX through the years such as the short-lived Rebelde who paid members for their contributions.
Other gripes concern features that are found in other message boards such as avatars and signatures that were available at one point but subsequently removed due to nagging bandwidth issues.[citation needed] To address this, PEX introduced PEX Plus in 2001 that allows subscribers to make use of the aforementioned features in addition to search capabilities (a feature open to normal users nowadays) and exclusion from "server busy" messages; the service is currently unavailable.
[edit] Forums on Pinoy Exchange
[edit] Sports and Recreation
- Sports Center - Dedicated to the discussion of sports.
- In The Zone - Added in 2004 to cut down the large percentage of basketball threads that used to dominate Sports Center. Hosts annual fantasy leagues each year with PEXFL (Pinoy Exchange Fantasy League) and B.A.N.O. (Basketball Association of New Owners) currently on its third and second year respectively.
[edit] Entertainment
- Music and Radio - Music-related discussions.
- Local Movies and TV
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- Celebrities- Forum for the latest news about local actors and actresses.
- TV Programs - Forum about the programs on Philippine Television.
- Movies - Forum about Filipino movies.
- General Movies and TV - Forum about the local entertainment industry.
- International Movies and TV - Topics on foreign films and television programs.
- Anime and Manga - Dwelling place for otakus or those interested in anime and manga.
[edit] Atin Ito: Our Culture
- Buhay Pinoy - General Pinoy talk.
- Love, Courtship and Marriage
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- Principles, Practices & Preferences - Forum to talk about "your beliefs when it comes to love and how you translate them into action."
- Dilemmas - Forum for discussing problems related to love and relationships.
- Stories & Experiences - Forum for sharing stories and other personal experiences regarding love and relationships.
- The Singles Scene - Dedicated to the single life, and for interacting with other singles. Two groups, namely the NSG (Next Singles Gimik) and Singles' Happy House (formerly known as Singles' Couch), regularly hold eyeballs (or parties) to foster camaraderie among PExers.
- Alternative Preferences - Forum to discuss homosexuality and other alternative relationships.
- Intimacy & Passion - Forum for discussing sexuality and other forms of physical intimacy.
- Family, Friends and Society
[edit] Moderators
As of February 26, 2007 there are 17 moderators.
- KuyaDanny (all forums)
- neth_row (Sports Center, In The Zone)
- Mokkori (Hobbies and Recreation, The Pitstop)
- rave (Electronic Gaming)
- Pandaemonaeon (Music and Radio)
- Ophelia_Kills (Local Movies and TV)
- avonlea (Local Movies and TV, International Movies and TV)
- bleargh (Local Movies and TV)
- kartoonista (Anime and Manga, Realm of Thought)
- uptowngirl (Buhay Pinoy, Family, Friends and Society)
- Zen (Personals, Small Talk, Love, Courtship and Marriage)
- smilewarrior (What's Up Doc?)
- Misa Hayase (What's Up Doc?)
- Leigh (Filipinos Everywhere, The Working Filipino)
- tina11 (Parenting 101, Food and Drinks, Arts and Literature, Campus Chat)
- legolass (Local and Foreign Issues)
- Philstar (Philstar.com Community Board)
- ginoledesma (Technology Today)
[edit] Trivia
- Its members identify themselves as "PEXers".
- Known celebrity posters include TV show hosts Pia Guanio, Jim Paredes, Luis Manzano, Say Alonzo, Heart Evangelista, Anne Curtis, Gina Alajar, Ryza Cenon, and Kat Alano as well as radio broadcaster Butch Maniego.
