tcook052

As a TB member suggested this matter be fleshed out in a dedicated thread I've gone ahead and started one as it's something I think TB should be reviewing. It has come up several times in several other threads including:

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/talkb...forums-15.html

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/talkb...tistics-6.html

but I don't feel has been given its due consideration by TB so perhaps with a dedicated thread it might.

In a nutshell 16 months ago TB voted to create four dedicated geographical "Budget" airline fora arguing as it has frequently in recent years that if it was built discussion would come and while it has in some of these fora it hasn't in all. Specifically the Budget Middle East and African Airlines forum has not seen a single post of any kind on any topic in over 2 months and less than 50 since creation so would suggest the experiment has not gone as predicted and TB should admit it, step up and merge these "Budget" airline forums back into the "Other" airline forum from whence they came.

MHO has always been the more forums are created the more confusion with members it creates as they aren't sure where to post their threads. There is more of an argument to be made for some new forums but to me the "Other" and "Budget" forums are similar enough that eight forums on these is four too many and members would find it easier to place their post if the amalgamation were made and the new combined forum retitled something like "Budget and Other Airlines Middle East & Africa", "Budget and Other Asian, Australian, and South Pacific Airlines", etc.

For those who would argue a low velocity forum is still useful I'll ask how useful if a no velocity forum? There can be a point below which traffic drops so low that it's of use to nobody and submit that's the case with the Budget Middle East and African Airlines forum. Budget Asian, Australian, and South Pacific Airlines, while busier recorded only 1400 posts over the same period. To put that into some context these two budget forums attracted fewer posts than every destination forum save two: Cuba and the perennial frozen wasteland that is the Antarctica forum.

BTW For those wanting statistics for all fora nsx provided it last Nov. in this post.

cblaisd

Concur.

The whole budget airlines category just made information on FT harder to find.

CMK10

I actually think it's a good idea too, especially as the "Other" forums and the "Budget" Forums are lightly trafficked. Plus in a lot of cases, the lines between the two are getting blurred. I'm in favor of this.

MSPeconomist

I've been thinking about whether this has to be all or none. I see the rationale for consolidating MidEast and African but perhaps not all of the regions.

CMK10

Which do you think should stay open?

tcook052

While not as moribund as Budget Mideast & Africa as noted the Budget Asia & Oz forum isn't that far behind so with two of four Budget forums showing little to no traffic amalgamation of all makes more sense than only some which would leave an uneven forum structure.

Canarsie

As of now, I am in favor of this proposal as well.

I would like to first see if fellow FlyerTalk members have any ideas which they would like to share pertaining to a possible better solution than simply reverting those four forums back into the original forum from whence they came.

I do agree in general that forums which do not have enough traffic to support them should either be closed or consolidated into another forum.

MSPeconomist

Before proceeding to do anything on this, we should post something about the issue in each of the fora that would be affected so that FT members have the opportunity to comment on the proposed changes.

kokonutz

I learned recently that forum traffic metrics are an index of forum use, but forum use cannot and should not be the only criterion for whether a forum exists.

FT is primarily a library of information. Any library needs a good cataloging scheme. Some areas will have few "books" but need to exist nonetheless for the sake of orderliness. (Analogy -- which are always tricky -- suppose a library has few books on, say, the raising of ferrets. It makes no sense to simply say, "Well, our library won't have that category anymore and we'll just put any such books in some random place.")

Quantitative metrics never do nor should tell the whole story. And it's hardly a matter of "constituencies" for these or any forum; that's a red herring. Rather, it's a matter of what makes for an orderly informational classification schema (and information is, after all, what FT primarily exists for) + what forums add value and pride to FT no matter their metrics.

Put another way, the question isn't and shouldn't be "what forums are the most/least visited" but "what forums make the most sense from a classification and information-retrieval point of view?"

But, as always, there is more to this proposal than it appears.

In fact, the entire TB has been quiet when FTers have asked them recently to post their thoughts in the appropriate thread re: shutting down forums.

There's no reason to single these particular forums out when ignoring the legitimate questions that have been raised re: other forums. If there was a reason to shut down these forums it should have first been raised in the other thread.

It is curious OP is focusing on these forums rather than others including one that is totally redundant to another forum. There is another forum that deserve his and TB's collective attention long before these.

I can't speak to tcook052 having a history of wanting to shut down forums but there is (imho) a history of pushing things based on what could be (n.b. could be) a personal agenda.

It is a mystery, isn't it? One has to think there is something else at play.

kokonutz

Whew! That was FUN!

But seriously, yes, these forums seem redundant and it sure seems like they ought to be merged.

On the one hand, I agree, that would be the nice thing to do. OTOH, it may just bring in a small but vocal minority who will, for emotional reasons, want to maintain the status quo redundancy.

MSPeconomist

Maybe so, but we should still give them an opportunity to say their thoughts and IMO we have an obligation to listen and consider these opinions before starting to make any decisions.

tcook052

Given such a notice would be the first post in the Budget Middle East and African Airlines forum in over 2 months that seems highly unlikely.

kokonutz

Makes sense. Those forums don't have named moderators (perhaps sealing their fate once and for all) so I guess ask a Senior Moderator to post something?

Canarsie

We could consider that option; or we could consider this option of consolidating all four budget airline forums into one:Is there any preference?

GUWonder

Prefer they go back into other/regional airline groupings, even as that would leave me without access to a forum for more airlines.