What is the most useful frequent flyer blog?
Aug 8, 2012, 11:10 am
#826
Join Date: Jun 2011
Location: AL
Programs: All of the Above
Posts: 1,374
Here are some guidelines to prevent closure of this thread:
Write about miles and points, not about personalities. The blogs discussed are created by Flyertalk members. Even though blogs generate revenue they are are not faceless enterprises, and you cannot criticize them here in the same way as you might an airline or hotel chain. You may disagree with what they publish, but do not speculate about motives or character. Do not use this thread to complain about bloggers' decisions to suppress comments that you submitted to a blog. Do not refer to private communications that you may have with bloggers.
If you need clarification, contact a moderator before posting. We are here to help, not to police.
Write about miles and points, not about personalities. The blogs discussed are created by Flyertalk members. Even though blogs generate revenue they are are not faceless enterprises, and you cannot criticize them here in the same way as you might an airline or hotel chain. You may disagree with what they publish, but do not speculate about motives or character. Do not use this thread to complain about bloggers' decisions to suppress comments that you submitted to a blog. Do not refer to private communications that you may have with bloggers.
If you need clarification, contact a moderator before posting. We are here to help, not to police.
Aug 8, 2012, 11:15 am
#827
Moderator
Join Date: Jun 2003
Location: Miami, Mpls & London
Programs: AA & Marriott Perpetual Platinum; DL & HH Gold
Posts: 48,956
Nothing in my post was directed specifically to you. The guidelines are for everyone. It's not a problem to name the blog you are discussing, just keep the comments about the blog constructive. The discussion since the thread was revived is fine.
Aug 8, 2012, 12:50 pm
#828
Join Date: Aug 2011
Location: IAD
Programs: United, AA, Hilton
Posts: 340
Aug 8, 2012, 1:31 pm
#831
Join Date: Dec 2003
Location: Brooklyn, NY, United States
Programs: AA, BA, UA, Spirit, Delta, PC Plat, SPG Gold, HHonors Diamond, Club Carlson Gold, Marriott Gold
Posts: 1,735
Aug 8, 2012, 2:28 pm
#833
Join Date: Feb 1999
Location: Denver CO
Posts: 3,682
I think the blog world under this discussion may look quite different a year from now. Each blog seems to post every day but more and more, there are few posts that have anything to say-hardly any creative analysis, very little on redemptions and route planning which are becominng a much bigger part of the game, lots of filler with trip reports (some very outdated) that just take up space.
When/if I hit a link, it will be for a blog that has provided some real value added and has not just regurgitated the same info on the same offers.
When/if I hit a link, it will be for a blog that has provided some real value added and has not just regurgitated the same info on the same offers.
Aug 8, 2012, 2:55 pm
#834
Join Date: Jan 2011
Posts: 749
Solution to all of this:
Create a thread here on FT where one person each day posts the latest blog posts. Come here to read them all in one spot. Instead of hundreds of hits the the bloggers get only 1.
Ohhh...right...these bloggers probably wouldn't like their ideas being stolen and published for all to see somewhere else, would they?
Create a thread here on FT where one person each day posts the latest blog posts. Come here to read them all in one spot. Instead of hundreds of hits the the bloggers get only 1.
Ohhh...right...these bloggers probably wouldn't like their ideas being stolen and published for all to see somewhere else, would they?
Aug 8, 2012, 2:58 pm
#835
Join Date: Apr 2012
Posts: 1,184
Solution to all of this:
Create a thread here on FT where one person each day posts the latest blog posts. Come here to read them all in one spot. Instead of hundreds of hits the the bloggers get only 1.
Ohhh...right...these bloggers probably wouldn't like their ideas being stolen and published for all to see somewhere else, would they?
Create a thread here on FT where one person each day posts the latest blog posts. Come here to read them all in one spot. Instead of hundreds of hits the the bloggers get only 1.
Ohhh...right...these bloggers probably wouldn't like their ideas being stolen and published for all to see somewhere else, would they?
Aug 8, 2012, 3:39 pm
#836
Join Date: Aug 2011
Location: IAD
Programs: United, AA, Hilton
Posts: 340
Solution to all of this:
Create a thread here on FT where one person each day posts the latest blog posts. Come here to read them all in one spot. Instead of hundreds of hits the the bloggers get only 1.
Ohhh...right...these bloggers probably wouldn't like their ideas being stolen and published for all to see somewhere else, would they?
Create a thread here on FT where one person each day posts the latest blog posts. Come here to read them all in one spot. Instead of hundreds of hits the the bloggers get only 1.
Ohhh...right...these bloggers probably wouldn't like their ideas being stolen and published for all to see somewhere else, would they?
+10
Aug 8, 2012, 6:04 pm
#837
Join Date: Jul 2011
Posts: 42
Certainly the proliferation of blogs has forced some (many) to use questionable tactics in order to drive more traffic to their site. But I think this is the boom before the bust in terms of the number of blogs in this space. While valuable FF info is freely available on FT, maintaining a blog does have a cost in terms of time (and time is money). While many will be lured in by the seemly easy task of repurposing information pilfered from FT (Wow – 6 figures for rehashing the stuff I am already reading) the model is really unsustainable for most and there is a skill needed in order to keep the content interesting.
What I am disappointed about is the recent post isn’t really something the blog’s target audience will use. From my perspective, the audience is (or should be) newbies getting into the game. Show someone how easy it is to have a fabulous vacation by signing up for a few cards (which was done with the prior post about the “honeymoon” – good timing there). That is what newbies are looking for - bang for their buck - minimal effort, maximum reward. That is the perfect way to draw people in and then direct them to your referral links – cha-ching! Newbies will be ecstatic with what they can get for with just a few churns. (This is the constructive part of my post for any bloggers)
There was no need to share the MO scheme – I can’t image many readers will take advantage of it. There is just way too much initial effort for gains that will take a relatively long time to realize. Those that do, well, I’m sure they will maximize it because they don’t have the history in the game to know the pitfalls of doing so.
I would imagine that most hard core FF folks just skim the blogs to make sure they aren’t missing anything, but do devote time working on methods to earn miles on through creative spend. For most, the amount of time they spend researching and testing mile earning techniques is probably a losing proposition in terms of time versus benefit. I know I would be much more efficient if I would just do a sizeable churn every 3 months and not worry about finding ways to eek out some more points. But, where is the fun in that? It’s nice to test the creativity and problem solving skills to come up with some novel ways to earn points.
Oh, I also can’t imagine that the referral fees will continue at their current value. Especially for these blogs whose intended audience is basically trying to maximize the benefit from each CC sign-up. Hit the required spend, throw the card in a drawer, and try to hit the CC company up for more points/miles when they try to charge an annual fee – then cancel. The CC companies just need to do a value analysis to see that while they are getting a lot of people signing up, they aren’t making much (if any) profit from these folks. Ultimately, the CC companies are in this to make a profit and they will see the current approach of paying a high referral fee to these bloggers isn’t going to give them the return on investment they are looking for.
What I am disappointed about is the recent post isn’t really something the blog’s target audience will use. From my perspective, the audience is (or should be) newbies getting into the game. Show someone how easy it is to have a fabulous vacation by signing up for a few cards (which was done with the prior post about the “honeymoon” – good timing there). That is what newbies are looking for - bang for their buck - minimal effort, maximum reward. That is the perfect way to draw people in and then direct them to your referral links – cha-ching! Newbies will be ecstatic with what they can get for with just a few churns. (This is the constructive part of my post for any bloggers
) There was no need to share the MO scheme – I can’t image many readers will take advantage of it. There is just way too much initial effort for gains that will take a relatively long time to realize. Those that do, well, I’m sure they will maximize it because they don’t have the history in the game to know the pitfalls of doing so.
I would imagine that most hard core FF folks just skim the blogs to make sure they aren’t missing anything, but do devote time working on methods to earn miles on through creative spend. For most, the amount of time they spend researching and testing mile earning techniques is probably a losing proposition in terms of time versus benefit. I know I would be much more efficient if I would just do a sizeable churn every 3 months and not worry about finding ways to eek out some more points. But, where is the fun in that? It’s nice to test the creativity and problem solving skills to come up with some novel ways to earn points.
Oh, I also can’t imagine that the referral fees will continue at their current value. Especially for these blogs whose intended audience is basically trying to maximize the benefit from each CC sign-up. Hit the required spend, throw the card in a drawer, and try to hit the CC company up for more points/miles when they try to charge an annual fee – then cancel. The CC companies just need to do a value analysis to see that while they are getting a lot of people signing up, they aren’t making much (if any) profit from these folks. Ultimately, the CC companies are in this to make a profit and they will see the current approach of paying a high referral fee to these bloggers isn’t going to give them the return on investment they are looking for.
Last edited by mia; Aug 9, 2012 at 11:47 am
Aug 8, 2012, 8:42 pm
#838
Join Date: Apr 2004
Programs: AA, UA, SQ, VA, QF, AF, BA
Posts: 2,865
Maybe we can help the banks stop paying so much for referrals sooner rather than later. Hey if they can kill our golden gooses(right word choice?) We should be able to help kill theirs. Maybe letters to the marketing departments of Chase, Citi, Amex and BOA about certain bloggers no longer being reputable for advocating using their cards for money orders and money laundering should be sent
Solution to all of this:
Create a thread here on FT where one person each day posts the latest blog posts. Come here to read them all in one spot. Instead of hundreds of hits the the bloggers get only 1.
Ohhh...right...these bloggers probably wouldn't like their ideas being stolen and published for all to see somewhere else, would they?
Create a thread here on FT where one person each day posts the latest blog posts. Come here to read them all in one spot. Instead of hundreds of hits the the bloggers get only 1.
Ohhh...right...these bloggers probably wouldn't like their ideas being stolen and published for all to see somewhere else, would they?
Oh, I also can’t imagine that the referral fees will continue at their current value. Especially for these blogs whose intended audience is basically trying to maximize the benefit from each CC sign-up. Hit the required spend, throw the card in a drawer, and try to hit the CC company up for more points/miles when they try to charge an annual fee – then cancel. The CC companies just need to do a value analysis to see that while they are getting a lot of people signing up, they aren’t making much (if any) profit from these folks. Ultimately, the CC companies are in this to make a profit and they will see the current approach of paying a high referral fee to these bloggers isn’t going to give them the return on investment they are looking for.
Since the CCs are what feed the bloggers, and they are encouraging people to churn them, this would be a great way to help shut down the referrals. I think ALL credit cards should do like SPG Amex and give referral bonuses to individuals, not just to bloggers. If Chase did that, I'd be referring friends and family all over the place!
Credit Karma always has referral links to the same deals the bloggers get if you can't find another link and you want the deal without putting $$$ in their pockets.
Aug 8, 2012, 8:58 pm
#839
Join Date: May 2009
Location: South Park, CO
Programs: Tegridy Elite
Posts: 5,678
Now there's a good idea! I already do refer friends/family to Chase cards but it would be nice to get a small bonus like Amex does.
Aug 8, 2012, 9:05 pm
#840
Join Date: Oct 2011
Location: MKE
Programs: WN CP, Hilton Gold
Posts: 205
SPG probably offers the bonus in lieu of bonus spending, but either way, this is a great idea!