Blueboys999

How do you know that it wasn't being widely followed? Not everybody feels the need to "comment/interact".

AeroWesty

I can't speak for Tim_T's report, but I happened to glance at the number of views when C-W-S’ report was moved. It had ~19,500 views and 176 replies after ~45 hours.

In the ~71 hours since then, it’s had an additional ~14,500 views plus an additional 117 replies.

Pre-move, ~433 views and ~3.91 replies per hour.
Post-move, ~204 views and ~1.65 replies per hour.

Blueboys999

That's interesting but it would be more so if we had a comparison with viewing/response activity over time of threads as a whole. It's normal for lots of "looking forward to" and "can't wait to hear" comments at the start of threads of this kind which (thankfully) drop off as it progresses.

Either way, it doesn't impact on the wider point about where these TR's should belong.

Sixth Freedom

I agree that trip reports belong in their special forum. But I would welcome more discussion on the actual product, service and experience here on the BA forum. 241, Chase and Avios discussions are normally pretty dull...

AeroWesty

Of course, it wasn't presented to encompass every parameter, just passing on an update of a number I'd glanced at then looked at again in the first 24 or so hours following the move, since the subject came up for another thread. I thought it'd be interesting to take a look at the numbers a third time.

Upon the second view, the view counter had only advanced by about 6,000, or about 250 views per hour. Between the second and third glances, in the about 47 hours of that period, there were about 8,500 views or about 181 views per hour.

It seems as if there's been a rather consistent declining footfall, at least for C-W-S's thread in its new home.

Take those numbers as simply raw data points.

LTN Phobia

That may be so, but it does not mean the reduction was caused by the thread move.

DWB1873

But equally you can't say it hasn't been.

matthandy

I can't argue with that but I would ask the question, whose doing is that? If members will only stick to one forum then they will seriously miss out on the wider experience that FT can give them.

Consider this, some of you have expressed your enjoyment of the '8 bottles of Dom' report that is in the TR forum. If macabus had posted that in the SQ forum it wouldn't have been enjoyed by the wider FT community. If a report contains multiple airlines then where should it be posted? As that report was posted in the TR forum everyone gets to enjoy it and everyone knows where to look to find it.

The refusal of some members to think outside of the BA forum is not a strong enough reason to deny the rest of the FT community the enjoyment of reading these reports. The BA forum is not FT as a whole, there's a huge amount of other information and discussion to be had.

Thank you Kgmm77. I couldn't have put it better myself.

One thing that those numbers do not reveal is quality. To me having pages of 'can't wait' style replies doesn't add much value to the audience or the author

As a TR writer myself (26 since 2008) I don't do it to achieve the highest number of views or replies. One, selfishly, it's a good way of cementing the experience that I've had on paper so that I can look back at it in years to come and remember the trip vividly. Two, I enjoy giving back to the community and sharing my often solo trips with other people.

I actually hope that this whole episode will result in more people visiting the TR forum and therefore getting a lot more out of FT.

flolee

Well, frakly the moving of the c-w-s live report killed the live part of it. Which is a shame, imho. I don't get the problem leaving a thread as long as it is developing here in the forum where it gets the attention and knowledge of people that fly BA regularly and know the best ways to get around in the UK (example: a better way to get to LCY from the Hilton c-w-s was staying at) and after it's done, well, move it wherever you want to.
A full grown trip report imho is something people read when they have time and when they are in the mood for some longer read of travel-stories - compared to the BA forum, surely nobody is going to check the TR forum on an hourly/daily basis which does make a live TR there quite useless.

Maybe this board is just doing too well, mostly every other community would be more than welcoming (in action, not just in words) to people that invest such a huge effort to share their experience with the board and to interact with the rest of the community on a live basis and support them wherever possible instead of getting in their way up to a point, where a thing like a live TR is quite useless as nobody is reading it live in the TR forum.

Dave Noble

People who are interested in trip reports will frequent the TR forum

Why should BA forum be different to the others? If someone is interested in TRs that person should be able to go where they are supposed to be, not be expected to search every forum on FT looking to see where there may be one

FT is nicely organised and I cannot see why that organisation should be ignored.

LTN Phobia

It seems like the best attitude to take towards writing a TR.

If I were to write a trip report (which I couldn't do - too much work!) and someone who is reading it becomes upset on my behalf that the viewing number has reduced, I may possibly feel slightly worried to be honest - getting upset for me for having a reduced viewing count could feel like an "accusation" that I'm doing it for my ego boost and attention seeing.

Calchas

That's why I wrote my trip report.

But it's nice to have replies and views, that's part of the idea of sharing it. If I was not interested in comments I would have written it in my journal at a lower standard and not showed anyone.

I posted my report in the trip reports forum and from that you may conclude I am happy with the policy as it stands. However, I do have some sympathy with those who seek a particular audience from fellow BA board regulars.

AeroWesty

If you truly feel that way, then I would suggest the voting for the best trip report each year be done away with.

I happened to notice the number of views when the thread was first moved. When Prospero posted in the echo thread:

I looked at the number again, and it didn't seem to jive.

When Tim_T was challenged on his viewpoint expressed earlier in this thread, I checked it again, and presented my observations. If C-W-S feels that was insulting of me to post, he knows how to send me a PM to express his dismay. That was not my intent.

Prospero

Fair question.

Using corporate-wage-slave's report as a test case, we studied the discussion hoping each update would stimulate focused comments relating to the author's experience. We looked but just didn't find value added BA related comments to justify the thread's continuation in the BA forum. I do not know why readers of the thread were not inclined to use the thread to discuss, dissect, or expand on the BA aspects raised by the author. It might be they prefer to tackle these specific issues in other threads.

As a follower and contributor to C-W-S' report from the beginning, you probably have a better idea than most as to why this is.

Your own contribution prior to the thread move:
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/23379101-post44.html
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/23380858-post56.html
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/23387286-post139.html

AeroWesty

A fair retort. However, rather than using the thread as an 'acid test' behind closed doors, it could have been stated up front that the problem you were seeing was X and you wanted to see more Y. I'm absolutely positive that the forum would have been supportive if what you wanted to see was more BA-focused discussion, rather than banter.

That was yours and your colleagues' responsibility to communicate, as in any organization with a structure and expectations of its participants.