Originally Posted by
Mile-a-holic
I disagree: I think most FTers think bloggers deserve to be compensated for their time and effort. Where a lot of FTers take exception is the execution of that on some blogs.
So, were I a blogger, I would look at FT feedback differently. Just like the health "nuts" were the "few disgrunteld customers" to McD's in the early 90s. So, if you broadly group feedback into two groupings:
1) Consumer feedback (add content, keep the TR trip reports and not personal vacation, etc): at some point, today's satisfied clients will likely grow seasoned enough to have the same issues. Do the bloggers want to gamble that the market of newbies will continue to constantly grow? Or, maybe take some of the feedback?
2) Consumer-rights feedback: this is my personal hobby-horse. If a blogger is going to provide a "newbie primer," then it needs to at least mention that redeeming airline miles requires planning. Don't push credit cards that benefit the blogger, regardless of what benefits the newbie (e.g., not even mentioning the USAir no spend card when the person lives in a hub and mentions not spending a lot, but pushing the CSP). The reality is that this game isn't for everyone, but certain bloggers make it appear that way. I get capitalism, but....the "me too" blogs that are clearly out to bilk this are offensive to me.
About #2, you're preaching to the choir. I completely agree with the points you mention. As to everything else...
The interests of newbies and seasoned frequent flyers are extremely different. Catering to everyone never works. Even though I've been here for a very long time and certainly not a newbie, my interests differ greatly from most of the flyertalkers since I'm not a business traveler and not interested in earning status as much as miles and points. So can you imagine trying to target everyone out there who loves to travel including the veterans and the folks who know nothing about FF programs to begin with and then somehow churning out the content that would be beneficial to everyone?
It simply cannot be done. At least, I don't know one blogger who's able to do this successfully. Do you?
About your statement that "most FTers think bloggers deserve to be compensated for their time and effort", well, it all sounds fine--in theory, but the ways for a blogger to get compensated are
extremely limited. Since people in this day and age refuse to pay for content, it's either ads, affiliate links, or selling merchandise or services, and all the methods above are annoying to the reader. What else is there, really?