Randy, thanks for your thoughtful replies, which put an operational spin on the issue.

Certainly, all the people posting on this thread are grateful for FT as a resource. That this frequent flyer treasure trove would morph into such a robust social network is something that even you might not have predicted; such is the nature of offspring. And I must admit, although I enjoy OMNI, I would not trade all (or even many of) the miles, trips and upgrades I have gleaned from FT to keep OMNI from the chopping block. Call me pragmatic.

Frivolity aside (i.e., Letters of Marque and Indulgences), I suspect all posters on this thread share your desire for a FT that is not so labor intensive that it becomes onerous for you and the moderators to manage.

You could build a higher wall around OMNI (100+ posts and be a paid subscriber) and then take a laissez-faire approach and let OMNI be moderator-free, allowing a free-for-all of ideas. I do appreciate, however, that you would hate to have your name associated with the bullying behavior and ethnic and discriminatory slurring that might ensue, so likely there would have to be some hard and fast rules whereby certain language gets someone kicked off OMNI, or even FT. Perhaps a search and destroy component of the software could be employed.

In a sense, OMNI is a loss-leader. Or, thinking about the bad old days of regulation, it’s like the unprofitable routes that airlines had to fly in order to have the right (sometimes monopolistic) to fly certain other more lucrative routes.

Not that you are under any obligation to provide the OMNI lounge, but as Lehava eloquently alluded, OMNI often knits the social fabric and keeps many members engaged who otherwise might have wandered elsewhere. And, honestly, I appreciate the diverse views that OMNI provides...FT is a very worldly and intellectual watering hole.

Putting a positive spin, it must be gratifying to you that so many people are willing to volunteer their time for FT's betterment and that we armchair philosophers are eager to weigh in regarding the best direction for your creation (even if you haven’t asked for any opinions).