Radioman

Hi
Ok folks I am sorry but I am getting a bit tired of these questions from folks. We have started off today and near enough all the questions have been around Moderators or TB Members.

There is a lot more on TB than just this and if this is all folk want to debate then I thnk its rather sad indeed.

I will not be answering any more questions regarding moderators or TB members, lets talk about FT and not the people who help keep it going, I feel that this will soon turn into a very personal debate and it might end upsetting a group of folk who do a fantastic job.

Weatherboy

I don't believe any volunteer should be excluded from participating in Talk Board.

I don't think any conflicts of interest exist ...and if they did, other rules in place would deal with any negatives that may pop up.

gleff

Some folks will disagree in any particular case, and that's reasonable, but on the whole moderators are chosen for their willingness to volunteer for Flyertalk and the belief and expectation that they can serve in the best interests of Flyertalk.

There's no surprise that the same cohort of members would offer themselves for TalkBoard, and that the membership as a whole would see and recognize their contributions and desire to have such people represent them.

Certainly some other candidates running against me (and their supporters) might like to exclude me, either on grounds that I've served as a moderator or because I've served two terms on the TalkBoard. After all, that means a greater likelihood of that candidate winning a spot. So it's a bit of an argument from self-interest in many, though admittedly not all, circumstances.

But given that I've served both as a mdoerator and TalkBoard member for the past four years (and as TalkBoard President for the last two) it seems reasonable to expect that any conflict of interest would have manifest itself or become clear in that time.

So I welcome the opportunity to answer directly any charges or problems that anyone might have with the way that I've gone about my service to the community, in particular rather than in conspiratorial general.

And then my answer will either be satisfactory to the community or not. And members of Flyertalk can choose whether to re-elect me or not.

Either way, I do my very best every day for Randy and for members of the community, in whatever form I am able to do so --- as a TalkBoard member, as a moderator, and as a poster where I believe my contributions to Flyertalk have been valuable to many fellow travelers.

Radioman

Hi Gleff,

As I have stated elsewhere this seems to be turning into a "GET TALKBOARD MEMBERS AND MODERATORS" Election.

This is not what I want to see at all and I think its totally unfair that some folk are using this election for this purpose. Yep have a debate/discussion but its now getting very personal.

You dont have to justify yourself to these folk who are making what I would call attacks. If people have put themselves forward for election on these grounds then its a very sad day for Talkboard and I hope that folk take note of what is going on.

This will sook hack people off and they will not be bothered to read any of the debate/discussion as it will always come back to Talkboard members or moderators.

Enuff said.

RichMSN

Your point has been made, but at some point I think thou dost protest too much.

If I, as a candidate, think I can improve upon what's been done in the past, then it means I need to be open and honest about perceived shortcomings while putting forth my ideas/platform. I shouldn't say that I think TB and the Mods all smell like roses and ice cream if that's not how I feel.

The TOS has been honored as far as I can tell -- no personal, individual attacks have happened at all.

I think it's a perfectly reasonable notion that moderators should not be on the TalkBoard for varying reasons, including a perceived potential conflict of interest all the way to letting more people volunteer around here. It's just as fine for others to disagree with this. Isn't this the point of the debate?

Radioman

No I dont protest too much. I dont want to see the elections turing into a complete and utter farce, not much to ask really at the end of the day. Lets keep it civilised.

UALOneKPlus

I have no opinion on this matter. I'd need to find out people's concerns before deciding on a position on this matter.

the_traveler

Talkboard represents all FlyerTalkers, and FT is a community of many different people. Should there be a rule that you can not serve on TB if you are male, female or other? NO! Should there be a rule that you can not serve on TB if you're American, British, Swiss, Aussie, etc...? NO!

So why should there be a restriction that if you are a moderator, then you can not serve on TB? Both being a moderator and serving on TB are volunteer positions. You give up much time freely to be one or both. If someone did not want to do both positions than (s)he would choose not to do so.

FewMiles

Sentiments arising from such questions are dangerous, IMHO, as they promote divisiveness in the FlyerTalk community. The perpetuation of an "us versus them" misleads FTers into thinking that moderators or TalkBoard members are somehow different from other FTers. I feel there should be no limits or exclusion of moderators from serving on TalkBoard. Nor should TB members be excluded from serving as moderators. There are TB members who happen to be moderators; just as there are moderators who happen to be TB members. The two bodies serve different purposes; neither one has authority over the other.

Punki

It is true that neither has authority over the other, however, it is the role of TalkBoard to write the TOS and the role of the moderators to enforce the TOS. Never, never, never should the police make the laws. That is just wrong.

ClueByFour

deleted

nsx

The sentiments don't arise from the questions; the questions arise from the sentiments.

Those sentiments are shared by (I'm guessing based on my own interaction with other members) less than 0.5% of the membership. I wish I could explain it, and if I'm elected I will endeavor to comprehend it.

kanebear

You're a better person than I. I simply chalk the .5% up to the assertion that it's impossible to make everyone happy and 99.5% is an astonishingly good result. IMO there're people who'll never be happy no matter WHAT is done. You are very correct in that we still must try... I only fear such efforts will be futile.