A few updates.....
 

We have decided to implement a couple of changes to help manage the continued growth of FlyerTalk. Here are the changes:

- OMNI posts will no longer count toward a member's total post count. FlyerTalk's original mission and intent was to serve as a place where frequent travelers could exchange, in a positive manner, information and opinions about frequent flyer miles and points and the greater topic of travel. This is still our mission and we want to acknowledge those members who contribute to making FlyerTalk the leading online community of frequent travelers. OMNI, as many of you know, is more of a member requested sideline, and while it serves to build community bonds, it certainly veers from the core FlyerTalk topics.

- As we have in OMNI and The Coupon Connection, we are now requiring a minimum of 100 posts to gain posting admittance to the S.P.A.M. forum. Again, our hope is to channel positive participation into the mission of FlyerTalk, as well as continue to offer some of these other value-added forums to those who are actively involved in the topic of miles, points and travel.

I fully understand that these changes may be an inconvenience to a very small number of our members and would like to apologize up front to those who are displeased. However, I do hope that you also appreciate that FlyerTalk remains committed to its roots and I would ask that members understand we will never be all things to everyone - but when it comes to the topic of frequent flyer miles and points and to a lesser degree, travel, we do want to be your number one destination on the Internet.

Thanks for your time and continued support of FlyerTalk.

Randy,

Thanks for making Flyertalk the place to talk miles, points, and etc. ^

Dan

Randy, I think this is a good development. I expect to be properly chagrined about the change in my own post count :p

Sociologically speaking, I will be quite interested to see how this will impact OMNI.

Thanks for the heads up, Randy. ^

For anyone wondering, it seems that
(1) Post counts have not been reduced downward to remove posts made in OMNI
(2) This change has already started, and OMNI posts are not increasing post count.

At least those are the results of my observations thus far...

Well done! ^ I think these changes are for the better. Keep up the good work.

Now, you may want to consider not counting posts in the Only Randy Peterson forum toward FTers totals as well. ;)

I do like the move, however, Randy, can you increase my PM inbox size to 1,000,000 messages, I believe that during the next few days I am going to get plenty of them

:(

Thanks!
 

^ ^ ^

(As one of those who suggested this change, I'm not biased or anything. ;))

Thanks very much, Randy, for once again taking the time and spending the effort to help try to make Flyertalk an increasingly better place! :)

Now, if we could only drop the concept of "post count" entirely! ;)

-Mark

It will be interesting to see how many regular Omni-posters read Community. So far, have not noticed any reaction over on Omni.

I was thinking the same thing :D Let's not tell...

Wow, I didn't know anyone paid attention to post counts (aside from the 1,000 post, 2,000 post boundaries, etc.). But, just the same, i've seen this on other boards, and np.

Good idea!

Well, it's all relative anyway.
I've done a fair amount of posting in OMNI but I don't just stay over there.

And one thing that has made FlyerTalk much more interesting since the new software is the "New Posts" link. I love it. There are intersting posts in forums (fora?) that I might never visit. Other airline programs, etc.

Anyway, thanks for a great site that we all value.
Rita

Just want to thank you for my #1 favorite forum! Cheers! :cool:

Mahalo nui loa for the great changes of both S.P.A.M. and OMNI. I look forward to what other things Flyertalk will have to offer in the future!

aloha

I like the spam change.

As for the OMNI change, I too am surprised people even care about post counts, and it doesn't seem to me that people post in OMNI simply to up their post count. Perhaps I'm wrong.

In any event, I'm just glad FTs around. ^

The same feature was on the old software too. It was something like, See all today's posts, and was a link on the top left, if I remember right.

Thanks! I think these are all great ideas! Especially the one about the SPAM forum! - and sorry to JFE & JSM for the headaches I may have caused! :(

I think I only have about 5 posts in OMNI though... ;)

Good call. ^

Thanks Randy, good changes.

Thank you for the S.P.A.M. change. ^

Kool :-:

Although people may or may not post in OMNI to up their post count, perhaps you didn't notice that there are some OMNI game threads running that have earned some FTers thousands of posts each (or maybe tens of thousands in some cases?) just for playing the game.

^

Well done.

OT: It won't stop me from chating in the 'lounge' (read: the which-flyertalker-is-next-to-post-game) ;) And I hope others will join there, too... :cool:

As long as FT keeps chuggin along, these changes mean nothing here. Thanks for FT Randy!

KathyWdrf wrote:
No, I haven't paid much attention to those. But I also don't pay much attention to post counts as they tell me nothing. It's the quality of posts, not the quantity, that matters. I've never heard anyone say, Joe Schmoe has 50,000 posts, he must know what he's talking about. Either way, I see it as a non-issue.

If I am not mistaken, the first time you post to any thread your post count increases by 1. After that additional posts to the same thread do not increase that number. If I am correct, then post counts are really thread counts.

In the end, I do not pay attention to the post counts either, but rather to the information contained in each post.

Personally, I read many other forums about miles and points, post when I have something to add in the way of cut and dry information, and enjoy the interactive chatting involving opinions (rather that factual info) on such forums as OMNI, Travel and Security, and Newstand.

It seems that OMNI is becoming the identified "bad hang out" here. A bit like the pool hall in the small town I grew up in. Somewhat naughty but not quite illegal. Of those who stayed away many did so quite conspicuously and often with their noses tilted a bit skyward. Oh, well.

Best wishes,

Teacher49

Nope, they do increase, go to any thread, and you will see the amount of posts, it should be in blue color, if you click it, it will bring up a new window that says "Who Posted", that will give you a count of how many times someone posted, and yes, they do count for your total ;)

Yeap, which is completely wrong, OMNI is not the biker hang out in which you will get beaten up.

I would just stay away from the political threads, I do ;)

Nothing wrong with OMNI. I have met a number of folks from OMNI and they have been great. One even offered up excellent seats at Wrigley! Dam nice if you ask me. Especially for someone he didn't know beisdes FT. During the work day Omni is great for a few minute diversion. What is so wrong with those Omni games anyway?

I think you are correctly stating the way the old software worked: once you posted to a thread, your post count was not supplemented by any subsequent posts to that thread. The new software, OTOH, counts all posts (even if to the same thread) as distinct posts.

Another ^ . This is in line with practices at a couple other "industry-leading communities" in which I participate.

Great changes.
 

True enough, if you've been around for a while you know who knows what, about what, as it were, and post count is completely irrelevant. However, from a new member's point-of-view, it might be a bit misleading in some cases to see "Flyertalk Evangelist" under a member's name, not knowing that that is automatic at 10,000 posts, and think that that designation actually meant that the member in question must be one of the more knowledgeable members here, rather than just a persistent Omni poster.

A mind experiment for you post-count scoffers
 

First, I agree completely that quality of information is extremely important on FlyerTalk. Quantity also matters.

Consider this: you have a poster GoodNewbie who has posted just one, or five, or some other small number, of posts; all, or most, had good, useful info on points, miles, travel.

Then you have another poster GoodOldie who has posted, say, 5,000 posts; all, or most, had good, useful info on points, miles, travel.

I wouldn't say that the posters had contributed equally! The one who contributed 5,000 good posts has contributed FAR MORE than the one who contributed only a handful.

Hence, post count DOES matter. And I realize that the 5,000-post person may have had a head start of a few years over the 5-post person (though not necessarily). Still, I think it's disingenuous to dismiss post count as irrelevant.

Also, I am NOT slamming OMNI as a "bad hangout." I hang out there myself! I'm just saying that, since the primary subject of FlyerTalk is points, miles, travel, it only makes sense to increment post count on those subjects and not on OMNI subjects such as OMNI games, politics, advice for the lovelorn, weird news stories, philosophical discussions, and all the other stuff that we (yes, me too!) love and hate in OMNI.

And, talking about "meeting people" through OMNI: Guess what! There's a Community Forum right here! All kinds of fun parties, get-togethers, and meetups are organized on Community. In fact, I'm in Seattle as I type for SeaDoo VI!

I think the OMNI thing is a good idea. As a regular OMNI game player, I've been getting a bit fed up with the implication that has been posted on a few occasions that I'm only doing it to pad my post count. Now no-one can say that, I won't get fed up and I can continue to play the games.

Kathy, yes community is there for meets, but some of the interactions in OMNI allow people to get to know people they might never have had an opportunity to meet. But I'm sure you know that, since you also post in OMNI :) Since my liver can't afford to do meets and Dos all the time, OMNI gives me those extra opportunities :D

JonNYC wrote:
I agree with this completely. The FT Evangelist moniker is very misleading because it's based on the number of posts. We all know there are FTers who can easily run up their count by posting meaningless tidbits in the points and miles forums. Even if one becomes an "evangelist" through posts that "count," it doesn't necessarily mean much. OTOH, there are people on the board I would give that label to, and I don't believe they have anywhere near 10K posts.

I'm sorry, but I disagree with the post count rule for S.P.A.M
 

I understand why you needed to implement this requirement, but is there an way lurkers like me can get around it? And I'm not talking about a never-poster, just someone who fills in when needed, and keeps quiet most of the time.

I have been a member of the community since way before the congas started spaming the S.P.A.M board, I just don't talk much. Never really saw the point in spamming the boards with "me too" comments, so I try and make my posts count; not in a numerical, but in a meaningful way.

Is there anyway to allow access to these boards once you have been a member for 6 months or a year? I read FT everyday, but am active on less active boards, such as WN. We don't have much to complain about there, or have to worry about making elite or upgrades, so most of the posts are speculation on future cities and how to use the new online technology. Hence my low 29 posts for being a member since November of 2003. And I don't even remember how long I lurked before signing up for an account because I had something to say.

If there cannot be a provision for people like me, I will take my time earning 100 posts. I still see no need to say "yeah, i agree" in a thread full of "me too" posts. Its just a shame that members of the community that contribute cannot have full access to the board.

Thanks for the great site, either way I am happy to be a member. :)

I thought it was EITHER 100 posts OR some longevity required to be allowed to post in certain forums. In which case, you should be good to go.

(However, I didn't think that was really the subject of this thread.)

I lurked since FT STARTED before finally getting the nerve to post in 2001. I never felt I could offer much, but I learned a lot from the masters that started the boards ^.

Try it, once you get started, you'll like it.

I don't travel very much any longer. The bulk of my travel was BEFORE I started posting. I try to be as helpful as possible whenever I can.

SPAM got completely out of hand with the Ipod conga and there was even a pyramid scheme going. Unfortunately, kids started populating SPAM and bringing there own version of the net to FT, which is an outstandingly well behaved community. It was getting unruly.

So, while you may lurk daily (so did I), I'm sure you have accummulated enough knowledge and hints to post to travel related topics. Give it a try, you just may like it ^

Mary

Not sure if anyone has posted "tens of thousands" of times in the one "game" thread Kathy. Indeed, the post record appears to me to be a mere 4,267 posts by a single FT'er in this one thread in the 4 months since it started. You are there with 1, which for the record is 1 more than myself. ;)

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/misc....hreadid=309875

Who Posted?

User Name - Posts

Kiwi Flyer - 4267
jfe - 3641
myefre - 1732
Canarsie - 1379
empedocles - 1365
500 miles at a time - 1269
Cholula - 1113
FewMiles - 857
flamboyant1 - 814
Jenbel - 800
RobotDoctor - 680
rkt10 - 468
redbeard911 - 421
ralfkrippner - 350
UALOneKPlus - 258
Arcolaio99 - 257
Gaucho100K - 255
inkoherent 209
chrislacey - 209
I-flybynight - 199
Richelieu - 182
ScottC - 157
MapleLeaf - 153
CameraGuy -127

etc, etc, etc

I guess as we often read post count was 'never the reason' for anyone posting on this or the many similar threads, these totals above will surely all pretty much double in the next 4 months? :p

Even though the posts do not NOW count to the user's incremental tally, as far as I can see the number of posts per user per thread still remains visible to all via the link I have posted here. I'll be rather curious to see if the above tallies are doubled in the 4 months come years end. @:-)

I'm sure it will for some of those folks on that list !! :)

I encourage the curious ones to actually take a moment to look at this thread in question...it's very much the 'lounge' as suggested previously. I don't think anyone who posts on that thread (or at least the top group of us)does it for the sake of "posting" and "padding our post count". I post there for the social/entertainment value on its own. But I am still an avid reader of the other forums but tend to avoid posting unless I know the answer to a specific question or have a question myself.

Since when does size matter??? (of post count total that is) :D

Love it
 

Add me to the list of I love this change

As for the is Omni a bad hangout.. well its like the bar down the street as someone said.. except I'd add that 99% of the patrons in that bar are good customers, good citizens just there to have a drink watch a game etc.. however there is always those couple of patrons that are there to cause trouble.. the ones who walked into the bar looking to start a fight.. and most omni posters and/or lurkers know who those patrons are