ma91pmh

Ric - very well thought out response to the comments made here on the blog, and while I love the vast amount of points showered upon us by the credit card companies over the past 18-24 months, there is NO DOUBT you are right that this will come crashing down upon us and we will be left in a situation where award tables are blown out of all proportion but the opportunity to earn the miles will evaporate. Anyone who thinks differently really ought to study the financial crisis more thoroughly

It's this kind of rationale thought and avoidance of the gravy train that differentiates yours and Seth's blogs on boardingarea.

benzemalyonnais

Seems to me that somehow people are catching on to the points game, and it might have something to do with the rising airline prices. If readership is growing, it must be from those who are just starting out, as a lot of us with experience in the field are complaining. Not that the general content is bad, we just already know it and aren't as intrigued by it anymore. Those numbers show that your base isn't us FTers - but casual searchers, something that paints an entirely different picture, and shows the potential for growth in the market.

There are too many blogs, and they are all too similar. I think that incorporating trip reports has potential, and using cost-cutting tricks to make the trip affordable will speak volumes to a casual readership. I often read the NYT travel section when I'm on the road, and it's amazing what will get published. Their 'frugal traveler' isn't really that frugal, and I think that this kind of market is key. Every time I find a really good Europe fare and post it, even if it's 5 cpm, there are tons of people who want to know how I found it. Basically what I'm saying is that the future of the market isn't at all FT, but rather people who want to know how they can afford travel. The points game can only get you so far in that regard, and I don't always see the 'experts' putting it all together in the most economical fashion.

beltway

+1. When the US Grand Slam got rolling last fall, I curated the "other partners" thread listing various inexpensive hits. TPG proceeded to more or less repeat that info with no attribution/credit/acknowledgment.

Did I mind that somebody else was reading & making use of the info? Hell, no; that's what it was for. Did I mind that somebody essentially tried to pass off my work (and, I should add, the collective input from which I distilled that product) as his own? You bet.

josephstern

First, you did an amazing job at that, and I thank you very much for the time you put into the US GS organization here on FT.

Next, I think it's all about keeping people away from the primary source material. These guys always ask for comments to be posted on their sites - they rarely, if ever, ask for readers to continue the discussion where it started, here on FT.

As a webmaster for some sites in a very different realm, I fully understand the importance of not losing the surfer to a different site, but this is usually trumped, with repeat readers, but gaining their trust, and that is often demonstrated by trusting that the reader will come back to your site because you've given them the most complete information possible, and they know that.

Bloggers are looking short-term - one cc signup. Long-term, they can build solid readership, which has signups and other benefits.

particlemn

I have 7 blogs come to my google reader. i find them all to be helpful, i dont mind if they are constantly pitching credit cards. I wan to know whats out there so I can choose waht works best for me. I also find it usefull when the same credit card is being pitched over and over again especially if it is one i find not so usefull, this lets me know the offers out there are not as plentyful. when i see new offer after new offer it perks my interest.
my vote for best well thought out and informative is Ric at Loyalty Traveler

AlohaDaveKennedy

Well, Astro, if the miles become worthless you can always buy tickets after FDing. As I fly to Monaco this weekend I'll be looking for that huge Jet-A slick out in the Atlantic....

FrequentFlyerPost

Looks like many of you are annoyed about reading the same information on many different blogs. At frequentflyerpost, we link to the top headlines from the best blogs, providing an easy starting point to learn the art of discounted travel.

josephstern

A meta-blog of blogs of FT threads. Wow.

I can't imagine what comes next.

84fiero

I'm fairly confused on what MilesBuzz is supposed to be. There are so many posts with requests for help, advice, etc that often that's mostly what shows up on the first page. That's not a knock on folks asking for help, just seems like it would help to have a separate forum for advice/newbies. Maybe it's just the current lack of big bonuses, there isn't much else to talk about.

I do like FrequentMiler as he's more actively trying to find some creative ways to generate more miles, which is more useful than the blogs just parrotting the same info. I agree with other posters about some bloggers who are quick to pull info from FT, but not credit the source (or participate here either)...though I think most of them are good about giving credit where it's due.

TheManofaThousandPlaces

Welcome to FlyerTalk! (Although, clearly you've been here before.)

I hate to sound skeptical, but how is this different/better than using Google Reader to aggregate the best blogs on a customized page?

Astrophsx

There are several blogs on Boarding Area and FTG that often post a list/review of the best content on other travel blogs. Creating a blog that is solely dedicated to this is no different than a blog stealing the best content from Flyertalk and using it as their own... at least this guy's blog probably gives credit to who runs the blog. It's basically serving a function, wade through the low signal to noise on all the travel blogs so one does not have to waste their time finding the good stuff.

kmwjes

Further to OP's question: Curious to know, what is the most useful foreign frequent flyer blog?

josephstern

Right - I'm certainly not adding this blog to my Google Reader, which is just like this but more customizable to my needs.

Frequent Miler

Thanks!

sbm12

What's "foreign" in this context?