TalkBoard Elections/08 - Question 15: What Bothers You About FlyerTalk?

submitted by sobore
What one thing bothers you about FlyerTalk, and how would you go about addressing it?

submitted by sobore
What one thing bothers you about FlyerTalk, and how would you go about addressing it?

The newsletter that is sent out. The format and content of it. I would ask the folk to change it....if it was within the remit of TB to do anything about it.

Spruce it up a little, not so long winded and figure out who picks what to go into the newsletter.

Meant to say that this would be a good time to send out a newsletter....."Election Special" just as a reminder..to visit this part of the forum....

The mobile/wireless access -- too cumbersome and not very PDA-friendly.

I have some ideas on what to do, but I would need to talk to web people to see if they're feasible. First off, I would rather see a less graphic-driven format on the mobile version -- or at least an option on which type to use.

submitted by sobore
What one thing bothers you about FlyerTalk, and how would you go about addressing it?

It's addictive. I don't have a plan for addressing this. :cool:

Definitely the wireless access - I don't like how on my Crackberry, I can only read one post at a time. It's just not a good format. But I don't see that at an FT issue - I see that as an technical uncontrollable (at this time, anyways).

I guess something that bothers me about FT is how some folks, a small (real small) vocal minority of folks at that, seem to have an issue with everything. It almost seems that this small minority of folks find issues to bring to the table just for the sake of finding issues to bring to the table - even if it seems that the only fora they actively participate is in the OMNI fora & the TB Topics forum and in very few other ones. The complain about everything and try to get change instituted in places that I, personally, can't understand why they'd even care since it doesn't appear they even participate in those aspects of FlyerTalk. But maybe that's not an FT issue - maybe its my personal issue...sorry for the digression...

To go back to topic - I don't care for the "new" search function that much.

The amount of time it consumes. It bothers Mrs. PTravel for the same reason.

I'm a little frustrated with the frequent slow-downs and crashes. However, that's something that should be directed to IBB.

(1) The Ready, Fire, Aim way that some decisions are made and how some things are implemented. See the OMNI decision of the past week or so.

(2) The lack of real opportunities for people that care about FlyerTalk to volunteer, mainly because people wear multiple hats and instead of bringing in new blood when more slots need to be filled, existing volunteers are given additional duties.

The lack of real opportunities for people that care about FlyerTalk to volunteer, mainly because people wear multiple hats and instead of bringing in new blood when more slots need to be filled, existing volunteers are given additional duties.

^^^^^^^

I spend way too much time here :D No idea how to change that obviously - lol.

Seriously though, one of the problems that bother me has been addressed and answered in another question - Welcoming Tone to New Members. (http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=883695)

Are we only to mention ONE thing that bothers me?

1. That the board does a bad job of keeping members and turning lurkers in to posters.

2. That several groups of people have formed that believe the Mods are the spawns of Satan.

3. That TB does not hold itself accountable for it's decisions.

4. That anyone seriously thinks a charity like Mission to the World really has a place here

..... I'll try and think of some more if you really would like me too...

Well just read the latest FlyerTalk newsletter. What a load of utter TOSH!. The bit about this election is a total joke. Its BORING, DULL and LIFELESS.

We should have an election special to draw the attention of members to the elections, not just a small paragraph in between a load of other stuff that looks like its all been cut and pasted with no due care and attention.

Its a fantastic chance to push FT out to its members but sadly lacking...:td:

I don't have a problem with it as it's an "extra" I don't have to do anything to get in my mailbox!

What bothers me about FT are the same things that bother me about every message board I use or moderate which vary in topics - eg. , travel, pets, theater.
• some posters are obnoxious on the board and delightful IRL
• vice versa
• some posters think that the relative anonymity permits them to be belittling and rude
• the board host/admin makes decisions that seem arbitrary and capricious
• posters who have been on the board along time complain about those danged newbies who don't know anything and want to change everything
• vice versa
• a few problem posters complain about
- other posters
- the management of the board

As such there's nothing here that I feel TB has in their purview to change, except as to be aware of characteristics that are common to other boards and look at management issues that might be of service to the membership at large.

iPhone

• a few problem posters complain about
- other posters
- the management of the board


While this aspect of FT doesn't really bother me per se, it's a shame that it happens.

The only thing that really bothers me about FT is needing a fix and finding the board is down or a 'database error'. :p

I don't have a problem with it as it's an "extra" I don't have to do anything to get in my mailbox!

.

Hi squeakr


Yes they are strong words regarding the FT newsletter, but I stand by what I say. I dont think it would be too hard for it to be spruced up a little. I also dont mind helping if they need folk to do it.

regards
J

Like most things there is always a potential for a negative. In Flyer Talk, I can only think of one thing that truely bothers me. That would be the fact that so many people are too quick to judge and jump to conclusions and speak before they think.

If everyone took a step back and looked at the big picture they might react differently.

There is also one other thing that bothers me, PEOPLE THAT FAIL TO VOTE IN OUR UPCOMING FT ELECTION! Vote, vote for me if you agree with me but most importantly,VOTE!

What bothers me is the placement of that much advertisement that comes up as a pop-up. I disabled the pop-up's on my computer but somehow it still comes up.

Newsletters and Email infos as described above always change over the time and I think that they already try their best to put some interesting things together. However, whats interesting for one might not be that much in the focus of the other. We cant do individual Newsletters except theres the technical possibility to set preferences and a programm sends them out in a "mosaique scheme".

As in daily life, anything that I think bothers me I let sit for a while and upon revisiting the issue, if it still really irks me I may bring it up with the party (-ies involved). That however is pretty rare.

What has bothered me enough about FT to not be able to let it go? Well one thing really and that is only if I go searching for something to wish would change.

I would hope that the TalkBoard discussions could be viewed in the same way the discussions of many national governments can be heard. When I sit in the gallery in the U.S. Senate and listen to the banter, I cannot comment and indeed I must remain particularly unobtrusive. Yet I can listen in if I wish to go get a ticket from my Senator’s office across the street. Transparency goes a long way towards helping the constituency believe in their representatives.

In the TB Topics forum, I often see periods with no comment by the TB. I know full well it is during these periods they are discussing the issues trying to figure out the best course of action. But I do wish that we could all see those discussions. Currently this is not allowed, but I hope that using the processes we have at our disposal and operating in good faith, that we could revisit this issue at some point.

Other than that, when I consider the monetary benefits I get in the form of upgrades, extra miles, some pretty cool friends, and a dinner companion in almost any city I may visit, all of which cost me exactly zero dollars and zero cents to FlyerTalk, I find very little to gripe about.

Sometimes, I think we take things too seriously, and this can be reflected in the tone of conversations between members. I'd like to think we can talk through any issue reasonably with a solid intermediary.

As a moderator, I would continue to address this issue through personal interaction with community members.

Not that much really bothers me about FT. Certainly not on a serious scale otherwise I simply wouldn't be here.

I think squeakr summed it up pretty well:

What bothers me about FT are the same things that bother me about every message board I use or moderate which vary in topics - eg. , travel, pets, theater.
• some posters are obnoxious on the board and delightful IRL
• vice versa
• some posters think that the relative anonymity permits them to be belittling and rude
• the board host/admin makes decisions that seem arbitrary and capricious
• posters who have been on the board along time complain about those danged newbies who don't know anything and want to change everything
• vice versa
• a few problem posters complain about
- other posters
- the management of the board

As such there's nothing here that I feel TB has in their purview to change, except as to be aware of characteristics that are common to other boards and look at management issues that might be of service to the membership at large.

And I guess I'd add 'people who take it all too seriously' as well.

submitted by sobore
What one thing bothers you about FlyerTalk?

Three word answers.