If I may add some thoughts from a (not so new) 'newbie'
I am 54 years old, and have been traveling for several years for business - yet my wife and I have never gotten past Silver on Northwest. We have attained Diamond from Hilton, and have kept that status for ten years because we are actually 'loyal' to the brand. I stumbled across FT in February of 08 as we were getting ready for our first international business class flight ever. The information that we received on FT assisted us in many ways, and I looked forward to the day I would be allowed to 'peek' into the CC forum. My thought of what CC would be may have been naive to say the least. I imagined a place where I could possibly post a trade of hotel stays such as - I have Hilton points and would reserve a room for your vacation - I need a week in a Marriott property for a business meeting. or even I have more than enough hotel points to reserve two rooms in some great vacation spot (One for you, and one for me) and am looking for someone with enough flight miles to cover the airfare for both couples. A way for two couples to get a vacation, and possibly even become friends.

Obviously this is not what I found. instead I found people "selling" everything under the sun. I guess I'm just a 'child of the 60's' but the idea of selling (even for gift cards) the referral certificate that a hotel chain GAVE you to pass on to a friend who just might become a new loyal guest irks me to the core. I'm not saying that gift cards don't have their place, sometimes it's the only way that you can facilitate a trade, but lately it seems that almost every trade out there is asking for GC's of some sort. Heck, if I had the money to buy the gift card for you, I may as well just purchase the hotel room or flight on my own.

Anyway, climbing down off my soapbox now - thank you for allowing me the ability to speak - Randy, I've followed your posts and thoughts for some time now, and I'm sure that you will make the right decisions. I'll support wherever FT and CC go.