GUWonder

Isn't it simply good business to keep fishing for card applicants while the fishing still works ok for the blog business? Isn't it simply good business to fish harder now if the future looks less fish-rich for the fisherman who have been relying on reeling in card applicants?

The "bad" lounge overcrowding situation in "the West" is already in line to unwind. The signs are quite clear that travel demand is going to hit a wall as concerns about a recession grow, inflation eats away the value of money on hand, and "the middle classes" come to a new reality where their most common primary asset plunges in value, the other personal assets aren't as valuable in real terms as they used to be, and their real incomes are lower than they used to be. That will shrink the market of new marks for annual fee credit cards with the high interest rates and the high fee charge cards. And there are things that Congress may do -- although I wouldn't count on it passing at this point given the dynamics in Congress and that we have a President from Delaware -- which could unwind the ways these cards make financial sense for card issuers -- that could unwind the profitability of the card-pushing blog business. Also, the card-issuers will be tightening up as concerns about delinquencies/non-performing assets rise.

gpapadop

Seriously, did anyone expect anything less?

HadesNL

His blog is an 100% commercial enterprise, it has moved away from being an Av-Geek's private musing.

99.9 % of every post has a referral fitted in,
His creditcard posts don't show the best deals out there,
Some creditcards get no attention/mention at all, so referral clause causes bias in product offering
His Four Seasons and luxury hotel posts are ads for his spouse's TA,
Any links seem to come with affiliate tracking codes,
Purchasing LifeMiles via OMAAT for extra % bonus proofs financial commercial interests

Yet he still also posts industry news and aviation related items so still a bit informative.....

Added with the posts that are personal of nature:
- are beginning to perform as a human interest story "the days of our lives" (you feel part of his evolution)
- generate likability factor for the emotional bonding with Ben (he is one of us)
- causing continued attachment interest with the blog
Are however all still part of the commercial enterprise blog, such private musing should be on a different seperate marked section or even a totally different blog....


Ben is the cult hero whom portrays the story and vibe of OMAAT, the narrator/personality whom people are interested in, him only generates the interest of readers
No other writer will sufice in keeping reader interest or let readers allow to personally connect with as in likeability.....
* that's why you see no other guest writers posting anymore, (or Team OMAAT with Travis, Steph, Mike, Kate, Nick etc...)
- they tried to launch Ford as a personality and writer but the inexperience / overselfassured haughty tone made his posting unpopular
- they introduced Daniel (NonStop Dan : Daniel Torp) but it seems 2 captains can't run the same ship and he has chosen his own path with Youtube videos instead of writing: https://onemileatatime.com/emirates-...conomy-review/
- the only other writer whom people really liked was James (the other Ben) but he had been poached by TPG UK
- Tiffany provided interesting posts but it seems her expertise is vital for points.me, relegating her to the back office, diminishing her role upfront and as visible personality

So the whole of OMAAT as blog is sole dependent on Ben's posts.
If he were to be "unavailable" , all motion/interest stops.....the blog loses its only star....the only true USP
In the comments it is also only Ben who replies back and with whom only the readers engage
He could sell the blog but it becomes worthless without him,
his fortunes/future solemnly lie with exploiting point.me software membership to the masses or elevating Ford's TA business with its own site with Ben being THE most experienced authorithy TA of Vituoso and offering his personal help at an extra surcharge, his fanboys/readers would pay any premium to be personally advised by him because he has gained their favours / likeability and demonstrated years of travel/hotel experience.

TPG sold his blog and was still considered its face.
Yet Brian was so unlikable (pompous) that many other TPG writers stepped in to divert attention and to try build up a personal bond with readers....
(Zach, JT, Nicky etc,) with more media exposure (youtube video / twitter) as to carry the TPG brand, not letting it be dependent on just 1 person but being supported by multiple writers / personalities with whom the audience could relate to....... (sidenote: to many writers caused the quality to crash, Selling out caused to much CCshilling, superiority complex caused no more comments section thus alienating audiences)

In that view we see only Ben as synonym of OMAAT and so all his writings on his blog as commercial exposure used for commercial gain towards the general public, even if it includes his private and personal posts on OMAAT about his life. So all that information contained in his posts and public domain are fair to discuss on FT.

GUWonder

The site is also “his baby”.

A passion that yields a business venture of success for its founders is often like the founder’s beloved baby: separating from it is not always all that easy and not always all that good an idea; and going separate ways or bringing more people into the picture may come with conflicted feelings and even growing pains or regression. Of course one way to deal with potential separation anxiety on the horizon is to pick up with a new passion to try to emulate the prior success. And bailing ship in the business world before the ship sinks is sort of an art in itself, but not all artists are equal in their abilities and outcomes.

fartoomanyusers

I still find it jaw dropping that Ben got Australian Ben to write under the name James.
I know Australian Ben said it wasn't a big deal - but at a time when we're encouraged to be our "authentic selves", i still find this seriously weird.
It's also a bit insulting to readers that OMAAT thought we would be confused between Ben/Lucky and Australian Ben !

NWplatinum

I doubt there was anything pernicious behind it. They simply didn’t want two Ben’s writing so people would get confused. I don’t see any issue with that.

oliver2002

Ladies & Gentlemen, Dear Kids,
a reminder not to get into intricate personal details of the blogger being discussed in this thread. However tempting that night be, this thread is about the blog. Plenty of things to discuss in that area. 18 posts deleted.

Regards Oliver2002
Mod EM&PR

gpapadop

What if said blogger blogs about intricate personal details? Frankly, I don't know why you keep clicking on this guy's blog...I sometimes see his stuff on Feedly, I have never given him a click in years.

diburning

I don't envy the moderator's job.

On one hand, I think it's fair game to discuss the content. But, in this case, the content contains personal details of the blogger, so on the other hand, it straddles the line of whether we're talking about the blog/content or the person.

oliver2002

Well, the recent deletions were about some implied affair and about who fathered what. No grey zone there. Especially for veteran Flyertalkers who frequent far more strictly moderated sections of FT on a daily basis. There is plenty of things that can be discussed about the bloggers that is definitely not personal.

Regards Oliver2002
Mod EM&PR

cova

Personal details, scandals, etc is what sells. There are several other good travel blogs without the personal details and emotions - that are not as popular.

Kim Kardashian is worth $1.8B. We all know how she got there.

ctownflyer

This, plus TPG is hardly the model to follow. He sold out way too early in the game.

NWplatinum

Maybe, but didn't he get extremely rich from it?

cova

As I heard - the points guy earned $3.5M in 2 years and bought a multimillion dollar condo in Miami.

I don't know how a travel site compares to a youtube - which can earn millions if large following.
Travel site is mostly credit card links @ $150 each, and now regular ads imbedded.
Question - is how many hits per day - I am guessing maybe 200,000 - 500,000 - 1M? Maybe more?
Although you need to be in the millions to get big bucks.

Also OMAAT runs a travel booking business - with a think a dozen employees - which you have to pay.

I am guessing he earns personally $1M a year.

NWplatinum

I thought I had heard that he shut down the travel booking website above, and there hasn't been activity on the booking website since 2017. I would say your estimate is probably correct about 1M a year. Between the credit card referrals, visits, and other incomes from the website defineitely between 500-1M a year.