OMG!
Preach it, Mommy Points! I am a huge fan of your blog.
All I can say to you old-times (your term, not mine) is, “Oh my goodness! Do you hear yourselves? Do you have any idea how selfish and elitist you sound?”
Life in the blogosphere is changing and changing fast! There’s no turning back! Pining for “what used to be” serves no good purpose and it will NOT slow down this train! If you don’t stay current, you’ll be left in the dust. And maybe that’s best for everyone! You probably also complained when kids started using calculators because they didn’t have to do as much work as you did to figure out math problems. Or maybe you complained when the abacus was invented because it didn’t require as much work.
When I get old(er) I want someone who cares about me to give me a swift kick in the a** if I ever start sounding like that!
At some point weren’t you all noobies, too? Some of us are at the beginning, just like you were, spending time "reading, learning, sharing tips/tricks, etc.” I started reading FT recently and have been both thankful for the help I have received and disappointed at the snarky, caustic, vitriolic comments I read.
Please gain some perspective – this is SUCH a first-world problem! And so what if you get to fly a little less and others get to fly a little more because the deals are known by the masses? Power to the people!