What is the most useful frequent flyer blog?
Mar 13, 2013, 8:05 am
#1846
A FlyerTalk Posting Legend
Join Date: Apr 2001
Location: PSM
Posts: 69,232
Well, when a journalist writes something he fact checks before its added to an article. See how Scott from the WSJ heard about the mint story on SMD1 and months later managed to pull all the strings together before breaking the news. A blogger could have had the liberty to publish it instantly without giving it much thought, since its (just) a web log of his thoughts.
And saying that blog posts are necessarily not fact checked is a disservice to the people who actually do verify the information before publishing.
Mar 13, 2013, 8:07 am
#1847
Join Date: Aug 2011
Location: Raleigh, NC
Programs: AA 1mil SPG Gold and a variety of others
Posts: 210
Although I read a few of the blogs, overall, I get the most value from this forum, FlyerTalk.
Mar 13, 2013, 8:11 am
#1848
Join Date: Jan 2011
Location: Georgia
Programs: AA, UA, DL, BA, HH, IHG
Posts: 155
I don't have problems with the credit card links so much as with the touting of the Chicago Seminars and other large meet-ups. In the blogs, you are told that if you want to learn techniques and secrets that aren't discussed in blogs and on FT, that you need to come to the seminars to learn all the secrets. NOT TRUE!
As a fledgling miles hoarder/cc churner back in early 2011, I eagerly read all the major blogs. FTG had been blogging for several years, TPG had just quit his corporate job to blog full-time, and MMS was hitting the ground running with his new blog. They all said that it was a REALLY GOOD IDEA to come to the Chicago Seminars to learn all the "trade secrets." Well, imagine my dismay when there was a crew from "Nightline" was there to film Rick during his presentation. It was then and there that I realized that the purpose of these seminars is to promote the bloggers' brands.
I had fun at the seminar but absolutely did not learn anything new other that what I had already picked up on FT. To suggest otherwise is really misleading and self-serving.
As a fledgling miles hoarder/cc churner back in early 2011, I eagerly read all the major blogs. FTG had been blogging for several years, TPG had just quit his corporate job to blog full-time, and MMS was hitting the ground running with his new blog. They all said that it was a REALLY GOOD IDEA to come to the Chicago Seminars to learn all the "trade secrets." Well, imagine my dismay when there was a crew from "Nightline" was there to film Rick during his presentation. It was then and there that I realized that the purpose of these seminars is to promote the bloggers' brands.
I had fun at the seminar but absolutely did not learn anything new other that what I had already picked up on FT. To suggest otherwise is really misleading and self-serving.
Mar 13, 2013, 8:17 am
#1849
Moderator: Lufthansa Miles & More, India based airlines, India, External Miles & Points Resources
Join Date: Dec 2002
Location: MUC
Programs: LH SEN
Posts: 48,187
In Germany we have a case in point with the official Spiegel Magazine (well respected news insitution) and their loosely edited SPON: an online agglomeration of anything their interns or upcoming journos dream up each day. Sometime the articles in the latter are utter BS and could have been fact checked with Google
One advantage of the loosely authentic blogging is the fact that news can travel fast. I love to read Leeham News, which pointed out quite a few nice insights in the 787 mess of the last few weeks @:-)
Mar 13, 2013, 8:21 am
#1850
Original Member, Ambassador: External Miles and Points Resources
Join Date: May 1998
Location: Digital Nomad Wandering the Earth - Currently in LIMA, PERU
Posts: 58,623
I don't have problems with the credit card links so much as with the touting of the Chicago Seminars and other large meet-ups. In the blogs, you are told that if you want to learn techniques and secrets that aren't discussed in blogs and on FT, that you need to come to the seminars to learn all the secrets. NOT TRUE!
As a fledgling miles hoarder/cc churner back in early 2011, I eagerly read all the major blogs. FTG had been blogging for several years, TPG had just quit his corporate job to blog full-time, and MMS was hitting the ground running with his new blog. They all said that it was a REALLY GOOD IDEA to come to the Chicago Seminars to learn all the "trade secrets." Well, imagine my dismay when there was a crew from "Nightline" was there to film Rick during his presentation. It was then and there that I realized that the purpose of these seminars is to promote the bloggers' brands.
I had fun at the seminar but absolutely did not learn anything new other that what I had already picked up on FT. To suggest otherwise is really misleading and self-serving.
As a fledgling miles hoarder/cc churner back in early 2011, I eagerly read all the major blogs. FTG had been blogging for several years, TPG had just quit his corporate job to blog full-time, and MMS was hitting the ground running with his new blog. They all said that it was a REALLY GOOD IDEA to come to the Chicago Seminars to learn all the "trade secrets." Well, imagine my dismay when there was a crew from "Nightline" was there to film Rick during his presentation. It was then and there that I realized that the purpose of these seminars is to promote the bloggers' brands.
I had fun at the seminar but absolutely did not learn anything new other that what I had already picked up on FT. To suggest otherwise is really misleading and self-serving.
It's like this guy:
offering to let you pay for the information that is otherwise on offer for free! @:-)
Wikipedia is telling on the matter:
In 2005, Lesko was named #99 in Bernard Goldberg's book 100 People Who Are Screwing Up America because, "He is a symbol for self-centered free-riders."[5]
In an interview with the Washington Post in July 2007, Lesko admitted having assembled his books from government guides to grants and loans: "His business model is simple: 'I get stuff for free and I sell it for as much as I can get.'"[6]
In an interview with the Washington Post in July 2007, Lesko admitted having assembled his books from government guides to grants and loans: "His business model is simple: 'I get stuff for free and I sell it for as much as I can get.'"[6]
Mar 13, 2013, 8:22 am
#1851
Join Date: Feb 2001
Location: Ann Arbor, Michigan
Programs: Airline Free Agent, Fairmont Lifetime Platinum, Hyatt Globalist, Hilton Honors Diamond
Posts: 3,041
Ok, I got a PM from moderator that I need to use the quote function! I know how to do it when I want to quote ONE post. But how do you quote several posts in ONE post? This is why I preferred doing it my way by adding >>>> in front of the quotes.
I should know this by now. And I should finally do an "About Me" page in my blog. Bear with me, I am slow
I should know this by now. And I should finally do an "About Me" page in my blog. Bear with me, I am slow
Mar 13, 2013, 8:39 am
#1852
Moderator: Lufthansa Miles & More, India based airlines, India, External Miles & Points Resources
Join Date: Dec 2002
Location: MUC
Programs: LH SEN
Posts: 48,187
Ok, I got a PM from moderator that I need to use the quote function! I know how to do it when I want to quote ONE post. But how do you quote several posts in ONE post? This is why I preferred doing it my way by adding >>>> in front of the quotes.
I should know this by now. And I should finally do an "About Me" page in my blog. Bear with me, I am slow
I should know this by now. And I should finally do an "About Me" page in my blog. Bear with me, I am slow
I've been itching to tell you too...
Mar 13, 2013, 9:44 am
#1853
Original Member, Ambassador: External Miles and Points Resources
Join Date: May 1998
Location: Digital Nomad Wandering the Earth - Currently in LIMA, PERU
Posts: 58,623
So my deja vu continues: the bloggers are like the formerly homeless people you see in airline terminals hawking airline-branded credit cards. I can only assume they are working on commission?
And the USAir flight attendants who hawk the 40k mile USAir Visa 'in-flight-only offer' who I assume also get a bounty for sign-ups?
EVERYwhere I look, people are pumping credit cards!
On one blog (VFtW) that I have feed to my the face book wall's last three blog posts: two promoting credit card offers and one advertising a commercial venture he is affiliated with. It's like reading QVC!
And the USAir flight attendants who hawk the 40k mile USAir Visa 'in-flight-only offer' who I assume also get a bounty for sign-ups?
EVERYwhere I look, people are pumping credit cards!
On one blog (VFtW) that I have feed to my the face book wall's last three blog posts: two promoting credit card offers and one advertising a commercial venture he is affiliated with. It's like reading QVC!
And my suggestion is better transparency as to when a link is an affiliate link and when it is not, lest folks assume it's all just so much spam. @:-)
Mar 13, 2013, 11:02 am
#1854
Join Date: Nov 2012
Location: 1A with Dom Perignon
Programs: Platinum Sky Pimp
Posts: 86
Now tell me its any different than latest post on my favorite link farm?
http://thepointsguy.com/2013/03/remi...res-starbucks/
or this one
http://thepointsguy.com/2013/03/maxi...cts-and-myths/
How many times do you have to re-write "maximize chase ink" topic? Sheees..
Mar 13, 2013, 11:21 am
#1855
Join Date: Sep 2008
Location: DEN
Posts: 346
Yes, I know these topics has been covered (and will be covered again), but my personal goal was to introduce some new and helpful information and present it all in one place (I know that others may have covered some of it before in various places). Ink is a great card that I would use if I never wrote a word about it. Certainly when I researched this information, I was glad I did so, if only as an Ink user and car renter myself, let alone a blogger.
Mar 13, 2013, 11:46 am
#1856
A FlyerTalk Posting Legend
Join Date: Apr 2001
Location: PSM
Posts: 69,232
It takes balance to be able to present the information where the consumer feels like they're getting good information and, at the same time, not being force-fed marketing. Similarly, there is a balance on the part of the producer to generate revenue and not introduce fatigue in the readers.
Could the reader have learned a comparable amount with half the number of links? Would the publisher realize the same yields? My guess is yes to both of those, though I don't have the data to prove it.
Mar 13, 2013, 1:42 pm
#1857
Join Date: Feb 2001
Location: Ann Arbor, Michigan
Programs: Airline Free Agent, Fairmont Lifetime Platinum, Hyatt Globalist, Hilton Honors Diamond
Posts: 3,041
Great, another article on the super duper Ink cards
Mar 13, 2013, 3:39 pm
#1858
Join Date: Dec 2009
Posts: 5,439
It's only a matter of time before they start analysing the colours, texture and design of the actual card... 
Mar 13, 2013, 4:14 pm
#1859
Join Date: Jan 2010
Location: New York and Vienna
Programs: PA WorldPass Platinum, AA, DL, LH. GHA Black, SPG and HHonors Gold
Posts: 3,870
)I'm sure there were numerous blog posts about this as well.
Mar 13, 2013, 4:21 pm
#1860
Join Date: Jan 2010
Location: New York and Vienna
Programs: PA WorldPass Platinum, AA, DL, LH. GHA Black, SPG and HHonors Gold
Posts: 3,870
In many cases, yes, and this can be a problem for some bloggers because they are not granted the same protections that journalists get WRT protecting sources and other freedom of the press rights.
This is not a U.S.-only issue by the way. To wit, a decision issued by the Euroepan Court of Human Rights wrote: "Protection of journalistic sources is one of the basic conditions for press freedom ... "
But freedom of the press does not easily translate over to freedom of the blog. My friend Declan wrote about this back in 2005, incidentally.
I've gotten sidetracked. We now return you to your regularly scheduled thread.
This is not a U.S.-only issue by the way. To wit, a decision issued by the Euroepan Court of Human Rights wrote: "Protection of journalistic sources is one of the basic conditions for press freedom ... "
But freedom of the press does not easily translate over to freedom of the blog. My friend Declan wrote about this back in 2005, incidentally.
I've gotten sidetracked. We now return you to your regularly scheduled thread.