JDiver

To add a layer of complexity, TalkBoard may consider some related issues as well as cigarette smoking for such a forum: "Vaping" or so-called e-cigarettes; marijuana, which is legal in various states and countries under variable conditions (though not legal in other countries or federally in the US); cigar smoking.

How is alcohol use treated on FT? Some varied legal issues there as well in terms of where and when is it restricted, age and other limitations.

If the distribution of the smoking population is pretty even, e.g. ~18% of US adults, then Sheraton or Marriott denizens, airport and airline users, automobile renters, diners, etc. would have as much interest in determining where they could smoke in their predilection properties and chains, airports and airline lounges, rental cars, restaurants and bars, etc. So should FT establish a forum for the categories mentioned above, or would it be more useful to continue current practice of discussing the subject within existing fora?

mia

Search Titles for other obvious keywords, such as: smoke, smoker, smokers, cigarette, tobacco, etc. However, looking only at thread titles may not be as good a measure of this topic (or the related ones mentioned by JDiver ) if many discussions have been embedded in threads about specific hotel properties.

I think this topic might benefit from a poll asking members how often they would visit a forum which discussed Travelers who Smoke. Daily/Weekly/Seldom/Never.

tcook052

That hasn't been done with other proposed forums so why this one? TB has created forums recently without even a site-wide announcement so why change the way it accepts input now?

TB used to have a much higher bar and expect to see demand and unmet need before creating a forum beyond a few posters sharing their opinions as so far has happened in this thread.

wharvey

JDiver, excellent points.

For me, I would want to follow in the existing fora.... if I am a Hilton regular, I would want to find out about smoking options within that chain.... having to go to a specific forum for that would not make sense to me.... but I am not a smoker.... so perhaps smokers feel differently.

But again, I come back to how few threads and comments on smoking issues are on the board in general.

Jaimito Cartero

Sounds like a great idea.

No need to go through the rigmarole of a new forum and such.

Mary2e

Actually, putting it in Travel Buzz with the other thread would make the most sense.

Some people don't have enough posts to get into Omni.

mia

I think it is a way that TalkBoard can increase member awareness and engagement, and also provide guidance on the importance of this proposal. Dovster has made a reasonable case that about one-of-six FlyerTalk posters may be smokers who would be interested in such a forum. If the poll returned more than, say, 85% Never responses I would be inclined to discard the idea.

tcook052

To be done on an ad-hoc basis? Sorry but to be consistent if it is done it should be done always or not at all.

Engagement is also not something all board members feel is even necessary as one has stated TB can't drive engagement at all.

Dovster

Hasn't that been true of every single forum which has been started after FT's first day?

There was a time when we did not have a GLBT Forum. We could have survived without one but FT is more helpful to a number of its members because we do.

There was a time when we did not have a forum dedicating to travel with children or travel with pets, and we could have survived without either -- but both help some of our members.

Indeed, there was a time when most of the airline forums we have today did not exist, and we would have survived without the added ones, but we are a much more valuable resource because we have them.


Such a thread, be it in Omni Lite or anywhere else, would not really work. For one thing, it would be deluged with posts not intended to help smokers but simply to express the poster's dislike of smoking. In fact, we have seen some of those here.

For another, if it did catch on it would soon become a mega-thread and someone looking for a hotel in Berlin or a car rental agency in Milan would have to search through a few hundred posts -- and even then the information is apt to be outdated.

In a Smoker's Forum you would be more apt to see a thread called "Prague hotels" and listing some which allow smoking. Then, should the hotel ban it, someone would be certain to update it.

mia

Awareness and engagement trump consistency. I think our focus should be on providing the best experience for Flyertalk members, not ribbing Talkboard.

tcook052

How can you build awareness if the engagement isn't consistent? If site-wide polls are to be done they should be done on all TB matters and not such a select few.

nsx

This would be an excellent first step.

I agree that smoking restrictions are an increasing difficulty for travelers who smoke, so I am open to the idea of a forum if it won't shrivel up and die like a smoker's lungs.

Canarsie

I tend to agree — and there would hopefully be no smoke and mirrors as a result.My thought is that the discussion proposed to reside in the TravelBuzz forum should be to help smokers who travel; and that any content posted in that discussion which criticizes smokers should either be deleted or moved to a more appropriate discussion, as it would be off topic...

...and if the discussion grows too big too quickly, that is an excellent indicator that a new forum should be created for smokers.

I just hope that employees of delicatessens in Montréal or of certain restaurants in the southern United States do not get confused as to what is the topic — but then, Delta Air Lines already addressed that concern in this safety video presentation...

satman40

Nothing wrong with licking an ashtray...if it taste good it must be good..

JDiver

This looks like a productive discussion responding to a member's legitimate suggestion, and we mods tend to be "Moderator Lite" here - but please, though we understand all the issues and that the topic generates, er, sparks for some, let's keep our comments from becoming to personalized or "snarkastic" lest we be forced to begin stubbing certain posts out.

Thanks,

JDiver
for your Moderation crew