SkiAdcock

I've actually been following this thread with interest (can't speak for other TB members, but assuming they have as well). One reason is that I don't really go to MilesBuzz so I don't have the history or then & now, and look to others who are more involved for their input. The other is to see what is being suggested & would work/wouldn't work - and right now there are differences being suggested in this thread. It may be as simple as re-titling it & redoing the forum description, or perhaps not. FWIW - we try to avoid 'giving things & try & rolling it back', as it's easier (if maybe takes longer) to try & get it right/do it one time.

We're also now into summer so we might be running into a bit of TB & FT members on holidays or in my case injury. Having said that, I do think this is something that needs to be addressed because of the input in this thread, so perhaps we can move on it a bit sooner rather than later.

Cheers.

jatink129

Finally, we're getting somewhere.
Read through all 5 pages, and these are some of my thoughts/ideas/suggestions.

1. Question: Something that mostly everyone seems to have missed/ignored. WHO is going to help out in the "award booking forum" ?

2. Which brings me to my previous suggestion. We need a team of volunteers who are willing to do this. If you just leave it whoever wants to help out, can...we're really not going to get anywhere, and the number of these threads will grow and grow with fewer and fewer results.

3. The team of volunteers could be people proficient in their respective forums. Some really good with UA, some with the whole of Star Alliance, some with Delta and some with the whole of OneWorld.

4. While we're on that subject... How difficult would it be to create a GENERAL LIST of "mentors" that would oversee MilesBuzz and the Credit card forums? Or create a "Ask all your questions here FLAME-FREE. No question shall be ignored"... ?

5. I have (to my own surprise) noticed a lot of snarky members act a lot less snarky recently, and I don't know what's caused the change in behavior but this is a good trend.
Too often we forget that
A. We too were n00bs once.
B. Just because I know how to navigate an internet forum, doesn't mean
everyone does. That user who you're berating, could be a 72 year old
gentleman who after a lot of travelling over the years has realized that he has some miles accumulated and doesn't know what to do with them, and his only knowledge of the internet, is replying to email (true story!)

And we need to really bring an end to snarkiness. Make it punishable somehow. You act snarky, someone could report you. Get three reports and you're banned for X amount of time. I don't know...Something..!

6. If we do end up creating an "award booking" forum, could we create master threads inside? Like...
NYC-LHR, NYC-Schengen Zone, LAX-LHR, etc etc.

Say 10-15 of these. Everyone who's ever successfully redeemed miles for a trip like that, could post the routing they created, the number of miles they used, and how they went about doing it.

So tomorrow, if I'm looking to fly BOS-DUB, I'll see that Oh Wow! I can redeem Avios and fly that route for cheap! Or coming back from U.K to NYC, I'd see that I could redeem 4500 Avios and fly to CDG and route from there to avoid the LHR surchage etc etc.


No offence Mary2e, but THIS is not what I (in my opinion) think how an ambassador is supposed to behave.

Looking at your posts, I can see how helpful you've been and how you've never needed any help.


[emphasis mine] Finally someone addressed the issue. Who's going to help?

As to the other part..I'd rather NOT have a thread for one reason...It'll very soon grow into a mega thread and everything will be lost in it. Atleast having a forum would help in that, if I'm looking to get from ABC to XYZ, I can see if someone else has posted something similar and that would help me out.

Also, a lack of this technology on FT would mean that in one thread, I'd have to keep browsing the pages to see who all have replied to me.

tcook052

FWIW I'd favor this option over adding more forums but that's just MHO.

MSPeconomist

I tend to agree, but I also suspect that any forum that appears at the top of the list is going to attract a lot of newbie traffic. If we want to protect MilesBuzz from all of the help me get a free ticket first posts, we might want to reorder the forum list.

JerryFF

Whatever is done, I hope it is soon. There are an average of about 15 personal "Advice" threads per page in Miles Buzz. There is an average of about 1-2 threads with interesting ideas of earning or redeeming miles.

jatink129

I like how so many people are coming here to complain about how MilesBuzz should be fixed but only 10% of them are willing to figure out a solution...

Give me my deals.
Newbies? Who cares about them...Shove them into a different forum.

JerryFF

It has been suggested by numerous people, including myself, to create a new forum or sub-forum devoted exclusively to "advice" threads. That would solve 90% of the problem - seems simple enough.

Milezjunkie

Create an advice forum and get rid of all the Advice threads in Milezbuzz. It is useless to even read MB anymore with all the Advice threads littering it.

Mary2e

None taken.

But I'm confused... lack of responding in a forum for which I'm NOT the ambassador isn't how I'm supposed to behave?

jatink129

The point wasn't that you're not replying because you're not the ambassador to that forum. Rather it was the attitude towards the problem.

"I'm not required to respond to anyone"

"but only if after I search their posting history..."

I'd expect an ambassador to be less judgmental. That's all.

Mary2e

Yes, in miles buzz, I simply can't be bothered to respond the the endless questions from newbies who want information handed to them.

That is not a behavior. I'm not impolite nor unhelpful. I just don't respond. Do you respond to every question asked in every forum?

As evidenced by the posts in this thread, as well as comments in miles buzz, it IS a problem that I think would be solved by having an advice forum.

Since the explosion of credit card bonuses over the last two years, Miles Buzz has become completely useless for it's intended purpose. Before it was the credit card churning forum, now it's the advice forum. Neither of which is it's stated mission.

jatink129

That's not a fair analogy is it?
If someone asked ME a question, then yes, I do my best to reply.

The inference from what you said was that you ignore people if you feel they are always asking for help to get free rides. Or if someone asks you a question that's not related to your forum.
The second is excusable, the first (IMO) is not.

Mary2e

Please don't infer anything about my motives or what I do or do not do on FT.

It seems that I came out and said what others are already doing, and have ended up defending NOT doing anything in Miles Buzz, all because I'm an ambassador.

If someone asks ME a question, either online, via email, or via PM, I always respond. But I never get those questions outside of Hyatt, well, because that's what it says below my name.

Now, apparently to some, it is required to respond to all questions in all forums just for the honor of volunteering to be an ambassador. Sheesh.

jatink129

I didn't mean any offence Mary2e. And obviously, I misunderstood what you meant when you said that you didn't reply to some.
I thought you meant that you ignored PMs...whereas that's (apparently ) not true.

Apologies.

Mary2e

Accepted ^^