TalkBoard Elections/07 - Question 5: Motions Passed by the TalkBoard

This question was submitted by member bhatnasx:
Over the past year, many motions were voted on by the current TalkBoard.

If you are a non-TalkBoard member candidate who is running for election this time, out of the motions passed - which were the top 3 that you were most passionate about & how would you have voted for them & why?

If you are a current TalkBoard member candidate, which were the top 3 that you were most passionate about & do you regret your vote now that time has passed?

In terms of motions, I'm refering to the ones that have been posted in the public subforum - Town Hall - Official TalkBoard Voting Decisions (http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/forumdisplay.php?f=605) over the past year.

(Note: to see all these votes readjust your "show threads" view at the bottom of that page)

If you are a current TalkBoard member candidate, which were the top 3 that you were most passionate about & do you regret your vote now that time has passed?

My personal top three were:

1. Flyertalk Cares (http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=725177) where we voted to include FT's charitable activities under the purview of TB.
This motion passed and I'm glad I voted in favor as I think it's yet another reason FT is a unique website.

2. Creation of a Travel Photography (http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=684972) subforum. We have many, many very creative and talented FT'ers who list photography as one of their passions. I'm glad that we can now all view their handiwork.
This motion also passed and I think it's one of the top additions to FT I've yet seen.

3. Change the description of the Disabilities Forum (http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=694207) to include and welcome travelers with medical, mental, and physical disabilities (including those recovering from alcoholism or other problems of addiction).
This motion barely failed and I hope the new TB will address the issue once again.

I don't know enough about the issues to comment on the wisdom of approving or denying the various forum changes. Members of the affected forums know best on these decisions.

The one policy decision that stands out to me was the decision not to exclude Omni posts from the post count. I agree with this decision even though a bare majority voted the other way (a 2/3 majority having been required to approve the proposed change). Omni provides a useful safety valve for people who want to share their opinions on non-travel subjects with other consenting FTers. I believe that the proposed change would have encouraged people to post Omni material outside Omni, to the detriment of FT as a whole.

Motion Passed: Public Posting of TB Motions (http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=659893)

I feel strongly that we should endeavor to make the administration of FT as transparent as possible. I support member feedback on any issues that come before the TB. I applaud the TB for unanimous approval of this motion.

I also felt that FlyerTalk Cares was another positive move by TB.

I must confess that I don't have a 3rd issue that I felt passionately about.

As a non TB member last year, my three most important were the following:

1. Public posting of Talkboard motions (http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=659893) Transparency for any elected board is important.

2. Mileage Run Froum Changes (http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=666986) I've found the MR forum to be so chaotic that I rarely visited the forum. The changes made there are great, its much easier to track what's going on. This is where the Talkboard provides most value.

3. Flyertalk Cares Changes (http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=725177) Lots of confusion eliminated on how to process with charitable requests. Well done.

I would have voted "yes" on all three

As a non-TB member the motions I feel were most important are as follows:

Vote: Restructure Mileage Run Forum (http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=666986): I feel this is one of the most significant changes made to FT in quite some time. I got my start in the MR forum and learned the core of my knowledge there. I believe it's one of the linchpins of FlyerTalk and was thrilled to see it evolve into something even more useful and usable.

Motion Passed: FlyerTalk Cares (http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=725177): One of the greatest things to come from TalkBoard, ever. We have many many members involved in many charitable events. While we can't support every charity, this mechanism provides a structured framework for ensuring FlyerTalk does everything it can to help everyone it can.

Motion Passed: Public Posting of TB Motions (http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=659893): I have been thrilled to see the public posting of motions for comment by FTers. I believe this measure was a huge step in gaining a better understanding of how TB works and where it's members fall on issues I consider most important.

I am very relaxed about which forums are given a chance on FT, so if you want a representative who gets passionate about "travel with pets" I am not your candidate.

I do care passionately about communication and openess, so Posting of TalkBoard Motions gets all three of my votes.

Had the issue of opening TalkBoard debates been included, that would have received all three of my votes.

Transparency rules.

Three I remember:

(1) The great 07 OMNI debate was a monumental waste of time, IMO, and I promise that I will never get involved in such a debate as a TB member (I would also never vote to eliminate the post counts of any forum).

(2) FlyerTalk Cares. TB should do more of this kind of thing.

(3) The creation of the Upper Mongolia Forum and the TalkBoard DO where TB members got to throw member questions at InternetBrands.

Wait, in #3 one of them only seemed like it happened and I know the other didn't happen unless you were also a moderator.

I would quickly approve just about any forum that was proposed by a member and only forums that proved they weren't getting traffic after introduced would be nominated for removal.

My most passionate issues are each and every single one that was never voted on.

I think it is a shame that so many great ideas were never even brought to a vote by the current TB. Whether I am personally passionate about an issue or not, in favor of it or not, if a group of POSTERS is passionate about an issue then that issue deserves a day in the sun...to at least be addressed and voted on by the TB and have the content and results of that discussion and vote openly and readily available to the posters.

It is insulting and insidious for the TB to let suggestions linger without a vote or to "table" issues. Passionate posters deserve a definitive answers. They deserve a vote.

The TB did a nice job on the issues they voted on. They utterly failed by not allowing or bringing to a vote issues that some posters are passionate about and by hiding behind private forums and secrecy pledges in not allowing posters to know that the issue had been sentenced to permanent limbo.

Three I remember:

(1) The great 07 OMNI debate was a monumental waste of time, IMO, and I promise that I will never get involved in such a debate as a TB member (I would also never vote to eliminate the post counts of any forum).

(2) FlyerTalk Cares. TB should do more of this kind of thing.

(3) The creation of the Upper Mongolia Forum and the TalkBoard DO where TB members got to throw member questions at InternetBrands.

Wait, in #3 one of them only seemed like it happened and I know the other didn't happen unless you were also a moderator.

I would quickly approve just about any forum that was proposed by a member and only forums that proved they weren't getting traffic after introduced would be nominated for removal.

Quoting myself. I know, I know.

But Randy has reminded me that the first Q&A with IB was here, on FT, open to everyone. As I said in reply, I think this was less useful and less timely than the forum the moderators got recently, but in the spirit of complete transparency and accuracy, he's right.

Again, my personal belief is that the moderators should moderate their forums. Period. The management of FT should be left to a user-elected board that works with Randy and IB. Period.

Elected members of a travel-related board should be able to meet twice a year or so in order to conduct FT business with the rest of the business conducted over this very IBB. If not, then the TB should consist of those that can and will make this commitment.

#1 Motion Passed: Public Posting of TB Motions
I whole-heartedly support this motion. If it weren't for this I would have no idea how to respond to this question because I would be unaware of what motions the TalkBoard discussed without going through a number of individual threads.

Most of the motions appear to concern fine tuning forums and consolidation or separation of topics within forums. That seems appropriate. My interests for the parts of FlyerTalk I mostly use would be the following:

#2 Restructuring Mileage Run
This is my most watched forum and it is good to separate actual airfare deals from all the discussion of how to create a routing and discussion around mileage running.

#3 Lufthansa/SWISS merger of threads. There will be more need of this as frequent flyer programs continue to consolidate airlines and become the dominant brand over individual airline brands.

There may be other good issues that might have engaged me deeply if I had been aware of them, but I wasn't.

Again, my personal belief is that the moderators should moderate their forums. Period. The management of FT should be left to a user-elected board that works with Randy and IB. Period.


Would you tolerate a question?

What's "management of FT?" From your viewpoint, of course.

Would you tolerate a question?

What's "management of FT?" From your viewpoint, of course.

I'm quite tolerant. Just ask those who see my posts in OMNI. :D

I think that decisions regarding how FT is run, at the end of the day, belong to IB/Randy, who own/operate FT.

However, since Randy has allowed this TB to exist: It should be up to an elected panel to decide how boards are organized (already done), what the TOS says and means, and how things run on a day to day basis in terms of posts/moderation, including overall philosophies of moderation. I've always felt the membership, in general, should have more of a say in this area and it should be an ELECTED, not APPOINTED group who should decide.

It's irrelevant, BTW, to remind me that TB has or should have no say over moderation. It's already been done in this debate and I simply don't buy into it. There should be some user-represented oversight on the volunteer moderators, and I feel TB is ideal for this, since it's a small group elected by the membership.

Eventually, Randy still has the ultimate say in everything here, but since he's graciously allowing this forum and allowing any member to be a candidate, the votes will speak, I suppose. If a voter thinks my goals and platform is something worth working towards, he/she will vote for me. If not, I'll be around next year to try again.

Eventually, Randy still has the ultimate say in everything here, but since he's graciously allowing this forum and allowing any member to be a candidate, the votes will speak, I suppose. If a voter thinks my goals and platform is something worth working towards, he/she will vote for me. If not, I'll be around next year to try again.

If you are elected on that platform, and can't do anything to implement it (which is most likely the case), it's a disenfranchised vote.

On a more pragmatic note, however, do you really think Randy/HOM/IB (most definitely for profit, soon to be public, and quite legally actionable) are going to let a group of members, duly elected or otherwise, write their TOS? Everything (all of it) will be vetted by someone who is not Talkboard or a mod and that person will have the final say (this, BTW, is exactly what happened the last time, as I understand it, after the TB voted yes to the revised version of the TOS originated by the mods). I'd like to start with "what is wrong with the existing TOS?" but it sure sounds like the answer would be all about how capricious moderation is on Flyertalk, and that horse has already been delivered to the glue factory. Twice.

Further, do you really believe that Randy/IB is going to turn over the purview for moderation to, in essence, the majority (or those that bother to vote)? I'm inclined to believe not, based on quite candid discussions I've had on the subject with those that matter and what Randy has said about it since day 1.

(why they would or would not is irrelevant--one either comes down on the "black helicopter/anti-mod" side of things or the "it's only the %0.01 who ever have discipline problems who even care" side of things.)

I may not get elected due to that stance, but I'm also not going to make promises that I have absolutely no chance of delivering on. I find being pragmatic is better than pushing false hope--YMMV.

If you are elected on that platform, and can't do anything to implement it (which is most likely the case), it's a disenfranchised vote.

On a more pragmatic note, however, do you really think Randy/HOM/IB (most definitely for profit, soon to be public, and quite legally actionable) are going to let a group of members, duly elected or otherwise, write their TOS? Everything (all of it) will be vetted by someone who is not Talkboard or a mod and that person will have the final say (this, BTW, is exactly what happened the last time, as I understand it, after the TB voted yes to the revised version of the TOS originated by the mods). I'd like to start with "what is wrong with the existing TOS?" but it sure sounds like the answer would be all about how capricious moderation is on Flyertalk, and that horse has already been delivered to the glue factory. Twice.

Further, do you really believe that Randy/IB is going to turn over the purview for moderation to, in essence, the majority (or those that bother to vote)? I'm inclined to believe not, based on quite candid discussions I've had on the subject with those that matter and what Randy has said about it since day 1.

(why they would or would not is irrelevant--one either comes down on the "black helicopter/anti-mod" side of things or the "it's only the %0.01 who ever have discipline problems who even care" side of things.)

I may not get elected due to that stance, but I'm also not going to make promises that I have absolutely no chance of delivering on. I find being pragmatic is better than pushing false hope--YMMV.

No promises. I said I'd do my best. And my platform is more than that and it certainly is more than maintaining the status quo.

If you'd like to enlighten us on those "candid discussions," we're all ears.

If you'd like to enlighten us on those "candid discussions," we're all ears.

You know how I've said, on more than a few occasions, something along the lines of "have you asked Randy?" or "what did Randy say?"

Give it a whirl, sometime ;). He's got a time lag in responding a lot of the time (having just a few businesses to run), but I've never had him turn away a question.

I'm a new candidate.

So it seems that a majority of the motions are regarding new forums or subforums. As the info in FT expands, it's important to organize this all into a easy to read/find manner so that people can find what they need and care about.

It's tough balance. As one expands forums, you can start losing membership and therefore a diversity of opinions and experiences since there is only so much time one can spend on FT. However, too broad of forums can have too many voices, competing interests and topics and results in too much disjointed info.

Thoughtful discussion as well as thoughtful trial and error are both important in finding things that work for the community. Also as needs change, we have to continue to change to stay current and relevant.

Hi
I don’t have any favourites and if I was elected then I would still not have any favourites. Everyone should be taken on merit and support.

What I do have an issue with is the lack of publicity these proposals have. I bet that only a fraction of FTers ever actually visited that section of FT.

This is something that has to be sorted out, even if it’s a newsletter dedicated to these items.

Regards

I'm not yet a TalkBoard member, but do agree with many others here about the most passionate passes: FlyerTalk Cares, Restructure Mileage Run Forum, and the Public Posting of TB Motions.

Overall, I'm most impressed with the passion that comes through the community when a new forum is needed whereas there's significant outreach and support that comes from non TalkBoard members to get such a forum up and running. It's the job of TalkBoard members to be the facilitator to convert that passion to action and to open up new places to discuss.

FlyerTalk Cares is a great example where the Board provided some structure to the charitable aspect of the community.

The Mileage Run forum was a bit hectic and chaotic; again, the Board provided some structure there to make the forum better for all of those that interacted there.

While not a reflection of the passion that the Board facilitates, the passing of the Public Postings of TalkBoard Votes vote simply underlined the commitment the board has to the traveling community to be transparent and efficient. Once people see the transparency of the Board, I think they become more comfortable to share their thoughts and passions on the forums here.

Of the TB votes during the past year, the 3 that I was most passionate about were:

Change Description of Disability Forum to include alcoholism and addic
I would have voted to make this change, since disability includes many things. Not all of these are apparent or physical. I myself have a neurological problem that affects my balance. Even though you may not see it (because I do not use something like a walker or wheelchair), I still have a disability.

There are many types of disabilities. Why exclude some? (After all - isn't that what is trying to be avoided?)

FlyerTalk Cares
I am glad to say I would have voted yes on this issue! It says something positive about FT!

Don't Count OMNI Posts In Member Post Counts
Although I personally would have lost well over 2/3 of my posts, I would have voted to approve this motion. Most of the OWOT threads are mainly for post padding. (I'm ashamed to admit that I started one of the counting threads! :() I look to these as a way to correspond to and dialogue with others.

This issue was mainly brought on by a (very) few who excessively padded their post counts.

But I feel that OMNI itself is needed as a relief valve for FT posters. OMNI should remain on FT, but I personally think there are more important issues for TB to deal with than "OMNI post counts"!

But I feel that OMNI itself is needed as a relief valve for FT posters. OMNI should remain on FT, but I personally think there are more important issues for TB to deal with than "OMNI post counts"!

Agreed. Since some people will always want to pad their post count, what better place to have this occur than in OMNI. :D