Good lord people. I can't believe how much energy and time continues to be expended on the wrong solution to the wrong problem.

This isn't about OMNI, lounge threads, or anything related. This has always been about those little numbers under your handle that say "Posts: xxxxx".

FlyerTalk attracts people who are trying to gain more - more flying benefits, higher elite status, better advice, more money in the pocket, etc.

The "Posts: xxxxx" feeds this like crack cocaine. For a group that's already addicted to more, more, more, it's the presence of this statistic in every handle's description that's the problem...not these petty side distractions that pop up every year about whether OMNI should count, or whether CC should count, or whether lounge threads should count.

The obvious answer: Eliminate the broadcasting of individual post counts in handles. For those addicts and (mostly) men suffering from SPS, you could still see your own post count in your own profile. Heck, you could even advertise it in your signature. But there is absolutely no need to be broadcasting what has become a "mine's bigger than yours" sideshow.

And yes, this probably means eliminating titles too, although you might be able to retain titles based on a percentage rather than a raw number of posts. Get into the top 50% of all posters on FT? Get a Pewter status. Top 10%? Gold. Top 1%? Platinum. Top 0.1%? Molybdenum. This would mitigate post-padding issues far more efficiently than endless debate on which forums and threads should count.

Harumph.