Last edit by: SkiAdcock
Should the Travel News forum remain open as its own standalone forum?
Here is the Travel News forum. Should it remain open; or should it be closed? Please post objective reasons for either position below.
Keep the Travel News Forum Open
It provides a place where only news linked to other sources can be posted.
Travel News serves a different function than other forums. It is for news articles that can be quickly perused & not buried in other forums. TravelBuzz, for example, has topics such as 'should the spouse get the upgrade' & discussions re: that. Travel News has links to articles of interest that may or may not get commentary, but does get a lot of views so obviously of interest to FTers. Just as some will read articles in the NYTimes, Wall Street Journal, USAToday because the articles are of interest but not comment. That doesn't mean the articles have no value. They're easier to find in Travel News.
Close/Merge the Travel News Forum
It is redundant; and discussions posted in it are best served when residing in other forums on FlyerTalk — such as TravelBuzz, for example.
It is obsolete due to improved technology which has emerged over the years, allowing news pertaining to travel to be easily obtained elsewhere.
It is not at all clear what types of posts belong in it.
Travel News made a lot more sense before FT had a forum for any and every thing travel related. But now FT does and Travel News is out of step with how FlyerTalk is currently organized.
Here is the Travel News forum. Should it remain open; or should it be closed? Please post objective reasons for either position below.
Keep the Travel News Forum Open
It provides a place where only news linked to other sources can be posted.
Travel News serves a different function than other forums. It is for news articles that can be quickly perused & not buried in other forums. TravelBuzz, for example, has topics such as 'should the spouse get the upgrade' & discussions re: that. Travel News has links to articles of interest that may or may not get commentary, but does get a lot of views so obviously of interest to FTers. Just as some will read articles in the NYTimes, Wall Street Journal, USAToday because the articles are of interest but not comment. That doesn't mean the articles have no value. They're easier to find in Travel News.
Close/Merge the Travel News Forum
It is redundant; and discussions posted in it are best served when residing in other forums on FlyerTalk — such as TravelBuzz, for example.
It is obsolete due to improved technology which has emerged over the years, allowing news pertaining to travel to be easily obtained elsewhere.
It is not at all clear what types of posts belong in it.
Travel News made a lot more sense before FT had a forum for any and every thing travel related. But now FT does and Travel News is out of step with how FlyerTalk is currently organized.
Travel News Forum: close, re-purpose or merge with TravelBuzz?
#166
Moderator: Hilton Honors forums
Join Date: Dec 2002
Location: Marietta, Georgia, United States
Posts: 24,997
I personally have subscriptions to both the TravelBuzz and Travel News forums on MyFlyerTalk because I believe they serve distinctly separate purposes...
...and cblaisd seems to be open to suggestions from fellow FlyerTalk members on how to further improve and strengthen the purpose of the Travel News forum. In my opinion, that is the route we should consider first and foremost, with the consideration of the shuttering of the Travel News forum only as a last resort.
#167
Moderator: Smoking Lounge; FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Feb 2004
Location: SFO
Programs: Lifetime (for now) Gold MM, HH Gold, Giving Tootsie Pops to UA employees, & a retired hockey goalie
Posts: 28,878
You would be correct.
I personally have subscriptions to both the TravelBuzz and Travel News forums on MyFlyerTalk because I believe they serve distinctly separate purposes...
...and cblaisd seems to be open to suggestions from fellow FlyerTalk members on how to further improve and strengthen the purpose of the Travel News forum. In my opinion, that is the route we should consider first and foremost, with the consideration of the shuttering of the Travel News forum only as a last resort.
I personally have subscriptions to both the TravelBuzz and Travel News forums on MyFlyerTalk because I believe they serve distinctly separate purposes...
...and cblaisd seems to be open to suggestions from fellow FlyerTalk members on how to further improve and strengthen the purpose of the Travel News forum. In my opinion, that is the route we should consider first and foremost, with the consideration of the shuttering of the Travel News forum only as a last resort.
#168
Original Member, Ambassador: External Miles and Points Resources
Original Poster
Join Date: May 1998
Location: Digital Nomad Wandering the Earth - Currently in LIMA, PERU
Posts: 58,600
...and cblaisd seems to be open to suggestions from fellow FlyerTalk members on how to further improve and strengthen the purpose of the Travel News forum. In my opinion, that is the route we should consider first and foremost, with the consideration of the shuttering of the Travel News forum only as a last resort.
Time to put it out of its misery. And reduce all our subscriptions from two redundant forums to a single travel buzz forum.
#169
In Memoriam, FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jul 2002
Location: Durham, NC (RDU/GSO/CLT)
Programs: AA EXP/MM, DL GM, UA Platinum, HH DIA, Hyatt Explorist, IHG Platinum, Marriott Titanium, Hertz PC
Posts: 33,857
Can you please stop saying "put it out of its misery"? Not only is that overdramatic but it's insulting to the people like me who like to use the forum and to the moderators who help run it.
#170
Original Member, Ambassador: External Miles and Points Resources
Original Poster
Join Date: May 1998
Location: Digital Nomad Wandering the Earth - Currently in LIMA, PERU
Posts: 58,600
It's a pretty common term for killing something. With mercy and love.
#171
Moderator Hilton Honors, Travel News, West, The Suggestion Box, Smoking Lounge & DiningBuzz
Join Date: Jun 2000
Programs: Honors Diamond, Hertz Presidents Circle, National Exec Elite
Posts: 36,024
#172
Moderator: Smoking Lounge; FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Feb 2004
Location: SFO
Programs: Lifetime (for now) Gold MM, HH Gold, Giving Tootsie Pops to UA employees, & a retired hockey goalie
Posts: 28,878
Ive posted several times that a proposal should be "gender neutral" as a proposal simply asks for opinions but you are not asking that at all as saying something should be out out of its misery is, afaic, demanding something and Talkboard members should never (n.b. never) demand anything as that to me borders on abuse of power
#173
In Memoriam, FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jun 2000
Location: Benicia CA
Programs: Alaska MVP Gold 75K, AA 3.8MM, UA 1.1MM, enjoying the retired life
Posts: 31,849
Go ahead and put it up for a vote so we can put this thread out of its misery-- surely you have support over on the private Talk Board forum or we wouldn't still be going back and forth with this.
#174
Original Member, Ambassador: External Miles and Points Resources
Original Poster
Join Date: May 1998
Location: Digital Nomad Wandering the Earth - Currently in LIMA, PERU
Posts: 58,600
There are many people who have an emotional connection to the redundant forum. And I think it's important that they be fully heard before we shut this redundant forum down. ^
After all there may be some explanation as to why the forums are not redundant that no one has articulated yet.
#175
Moderator: Hilton Honors forums
Join Date: Dec 2002
Location: Marietta, Georgia, United States
Posts: 24,997
Travel News deals with links to existing stories from news sources whose topics interest FlyerTalk members.
In my opinion, that difference is quite distinct.
As previously mentioned, if there are any discussions in the TravelBuzz forum which are better suited for the Travel News forum, then perhaps they should be moved to the Travel News forum. A simple request can be reported to the moderators of the TravelBuzz forum, who would be more than happy to comply.
If anything, I find that the front “page” of FlyerTalk and the Travel News forum are more redundant than with TravelBuzz, but with one distinct difference: an actual discussion amongst FlyerTalk members can occur in the Travel News forum.One more thing: I have no “emotional connection” to the Travel News forum. My opinion is based on what I consider to be simple logic — nothing more.
#176
Moderator Hilton Honors, Travel News, West, The Suggestion Box, Smoking Lounge & DiningBuzz
Join Date: Jun 2000
Programs: Honors Diamond, Hertz Presidents Circle, National Exec Elite
Posts: 36,024
#177
Join Date: Jan 2010
Posts: 9,307
Another way of putting it may be to compare it to television news. I look for News being on a different channel to Magazine Articles. I see the two fora being the equivalent here on Flyertalk.
#178
Suspended
Join Date: Jul 2001
Location: Watchlisted by the prejudiced, en route to purgatory
Programs: Just Say No to Fleecing and Blacklisting
Posts: 102,095
For me, discussions in the TravelBuzz forum pertain to general travel experiences, trivia and other topics dealing with travel from the point of view of FlyerTalk members, based on the point of view of FlyerTalk members.
Travel News deals with links to existing stories from news sources whose topics interest FlyerTalk members.
In my opinion, that difference is quite distinct.
As previously mentioned, if there are any discussions in the TravelBuzz forum which are better suited for the Travel News forum, then perhaps they should be moved to the Travel News forum. A simple request can be reported to the moderators of the TravelBuzz forum, who would be more than happy to comply.
If anything, I find that the front “page” of FlyerTalk and the Travel News forum are more redundant than with TravelBuzz, but with one distinct difference: an actual discussion amongst FlyerTalk members can occur in the Travel News forum.One more thing: I have no “emotional connection” to the Travel News forum. My opinion is based on what I consider to be simple logic — nothing more.
Travel News deals with links to existing stories from news sources whose topics interest FlyerTalk members.
In my opinion, that difference is quite distinct.
As previously mentioned, if there are any discussions in the TravelBuzz forum which are better suited for the Travel News forum, then perhaps they should be moved to the Travel News forum. A simple request can be reported to the moderators of the TravelBuzz forum, who would be more than happy to comply.
If anything, I find that the front “page” of FlyerTalk and the Travel News forum are more redundant than with TravelBuzz, but with one distinct difference: an actual discussion amongst FlyerTalk members can occur in the Travel News forum.One more thing: I have no “emotional connection” to the Travel News forum. My opinion is based on what I consider to be simple logic — nothing more.
I see no good reason that a travel topic with a news link necessarily needs to end up in Travel News just because it has a news story link. Travelbuzz is often a good place for travel discussions that don't fit into the other forums with more traffic and longer discussions, even when what sparked the interest in the topic is a news story.
I'm still curious what those "likely other reasons" are for wanting Travel News closed. I'm not wedded to the idea of closing the forum, but I'm also not wedded to the idea that it needs to be maintained for perpetuity. And if I'm not mistaken, I'm saying this as one of the most prolific posters to that forum.
Last edited by GUWonder; May 31, 2015 at 8:24 am
#179
Join Date: May 2009
Location: South Park, CO
Programs: Tegridy Elite
Posts: 5,678
For me, discussions in the TravelBuzz forum pertain to general travel experiences, trivia and other topics dealing with travel from the point of view of FlyerTalk members, based on the point of view of FlyerTalk members.
Travel News deals with links to existing stories from news sources whose topics interest FlyerTalk members.
In my opinion, that difference is quite distinct.
As previously mentioned, if there are any discussions in the TravelBuzz forum which are better suited for the Travel News forum, then perhaps they should be moved to the Travel News forum. A simple request can be reported to the moderators of the TravelBuzz forum, who would be more than happy to comply.
If anything, I find that the front “page” of FlyerTalk and the Travel News forum are more redundant than with TravelBuzz, but with one distinct difference: an actual discussion amongst FlyerTalk members can occur in the Travel News forum.One more thing: I have no “emotional connection” to the Travel News forum. My opinion is based on what I consider to be simple logic — nothing more.
Travel News deals with links to existing stories from news sources whose topics interest FlyerTalk members.
In my opinion, that difference is quite distinct.
As previously mentioned, if there are any discussions in the TravelBuzz forum which are better suited for the Travel News forum, then perhaps they should be moved to the Travel News forum. A simple request can be reported to the moderators of the TravelBuzz forum, who would be more than happy to comply.
If anything, I find that the front “page” of FlyerTalk and the Travel News forum are more redundant than with TravelBuzz, but with one distinct difference: an actual discussion amongst FlyerTalk members can occur in the Travel News forum.One more thing: I have no “emotional connection” to the Travel News forum. My opinion is based on what I consider to be simple logic — nothing more.
Which leaves the only real distinction between TN and TB, that there is an article linked in TN threads. And since there are TB threads that both have and don't have linked articles (either in the OP or in later threads as part of the discussion), but TN threads can't not have an article, it does seem like TB can easily accommodate it all.
Assuming the intent of TN is to have discussion, most threads appear to have very little of it. It might be worth considering that the articles would attract more eyeballs and discussion in TB instead.
Like I said upthread, I'm not losing any sleep either way. But there does seem to be little real reason the forums have to remain separate and TB already encompasses the scope of TN essentially. Just my two cents.
#180
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jul 1999
Location: Over the Bay Bridge, CA
Programs: Jumbo mas
Posts: 38,626
Most would eat at the booming place next door, the one that ironically has offered everyone at the empty place, a job.