kokonutz

Well let's agree to disagree that there have been more Amex blog posts since Amex re-upped affiliate payments to points and miles bloggers.

It seems both obvious and natural that when people get paid (again) to post certain affiliate links that they'd post those affiliate links.

YMMV.

gpapadop

>>>>>>>>>>>>>It is everything else you posted based on a number which you are quite unlikely to know the reality of which I've suggested is erroneous. I still believe that to be true.

You confirmed the fact that BA ad revenue dropped suddenly so my claim was not erroneous! Thank you! I inferred from that (with blatant disclosures about my wild imagination ON TOP) that BA bloggers may have increased the frequency of posts and certainly the number of credit card links embedded in the posts. I still believe that to be true IN MY HEAD. Or maybe I do have a wild imagination (which was properly disclosed on top of my post....yes I just repeated myself). Won't be the first time I am told to get my head examined by the way or I should eat broccoli (I love broccoli so it would not be too bad lol)

>>>>>>>>>>>I did exactly this. The numbers haven't really changed. That huge list has the post dates in it and I even included the nubmers broken out so you wouldn't have to count.

Oooops, totally misread those tables. MY BAD. I am sorry, senior moment! So...I checked out OMAAT and I am SO exhausted!

June 156
July 195
August 197 [note we have a few days left since your table cut off!. I infer from that he is going above 200 ]

The BA revenue drop happened in July. So maybe my head does not need to be examined. Dammmit I will miss the chance to eat my broccoli
I also think the jump in embedded credit card affiliate links will be even MORE pronounced. According to my head again.

>>>>>>>>>>>At what point do you think there was actually a change in the behavior? April 1 (certainly not in the summer window)? July 1? July 15? August 1? August 15?

I answered this above. We can not know the exact date as BA folks keep totally quiet (and it is their right of course as a private company). But I gave you the month and you know it well. They need to do a better job ;-) And I think they will.

>>>>>>>>>>>Name a date where things changed. It is not hard to look at the actual posts and determine if there is something to such claims.

See my answer above. You tell me based on the OMAAT numbers! Oh, AMEX links came back on August 15 I believe. I bet 100% of my super tiny Amazon link revenue that Amex cc links have gone way up in BA blog posts. Again, my head talking. But I trust it on this one

>>>>>>>>>>>For me (or anyone) to change behavior based on revenue models we'd have to know when the revenue numbers changed, right?

Certainly! Perhaps you should be taking it out at BA management instead of calling me a liar for erroneous claims and erroneous everything (really?)

>>>>>>>>>When do you believe that happened? I've asked that now a few times because that seems to be the crux of your claim: There has been a noticeable difference in posting behavior based on lowered revenue.

I did above. I always respond to questions as you blow off mine. For the 3rd (I think) time: Are you upset a little bit about the BA ad revenue drop and how BA has handled it?

>>>>>>>>>>>I included both of those in my counts.

I had misread the tables. It would be great if you came up with a template that totals the number of posts per month as it was such a biitch counting them for OMAAT! How about a template for embedded cc links too...THAT would be awesome! I can have an intern do that...keep track of embedded cc links of all bloggers...what a hoot this would be huh? And then I take bets on who is going to be #1 per day, week or month. At the end of the year I can have the TBB Linkie Awards (sponsored by Chase naturally). Ok, here we go with my imagination. Hope you are laughing, I am. Lighten up, u so serious all the time!

>>>>>>>>>>>I won't argue that more posts cover CCs now than 1 or 3 years ago. That's quite clear.

Clear in your head or actual numbers Seth? Just kidding.

>>>>>>>>>>>>But there has not been a change in the past few months. And any supposed link to ad revenue v CC post frequencies is purely imagined.

Well, OMAAT numbers I posted above do show a pattern of what I inferred? Thanks for making me do that on a Saturday night Seth. Thanks a lot!

I need to go to bed. Going to Slow's BBQ tomorrow in Detroit and will have one for you ^

sbm12

No, I didn't. I said that MY revenue was down in July versus June. I did not provide a scale on which that happened but clarified that my average for 2014 is still higher than 2013.

OK, but I've provided quite a bit of evidence now to suggest that you are attributing that to fictitious events. You keep insisting that you feel or believe something which is demonstrably false.

So you picked July, right? The next question to help narrow this down would be when you think that someone writing more posts in reaction to a theoretical drop in revenue would find out that the revenue numbers changed and therefore be able to react. When do you believe that happened? The reporting is not real-time; there is a lag.

This is a very different claim than the one you made originally that the behavior change was made based on ad revenue numbers. I have no doubt that a return of affiliate links caused a few posts to show up. That happens pretty much every time there is a change in a promo. But that has nothing to do with the ad revenue numbers. I've presented more than sufficient evidence at this point to demonstrate:

• There has not been a change in the overall posting patterns of the group; and,
• There is no way that the post counts could have changed in response to a change in the revenue numbers you're claiming knowledge of given the timing of the release of that information to the bloggers.

As I mentioned several times in this thread there are two possibilities when one is presented with evidence they've screwed up: Admit a mistake or fight vigorously. You've chosen the latter and done so in the face of a growing mound of facts to the contrary. That's unfortunate in so many ways.

No need to disagree on these bits; I agree wholeheartedly with them. But that's not the claim gpapadop made originally which I called out as false. He has claimed that there was some sort of cataclysmic event within Boarding Area which caused bloggers to start posting lots more about CCs. And I've provided a ton of evidence now to show that to be false.

Yet he still insists. That is a shame, really.

ETA: To be incredibly clear on the topic of CC posts, I also do not believe that the pattern has really changed recently, another claim being made by gpapadop. I provided some evidence from OMAAT and the 7 posts in May about the Ink card which I believe supports the view that any time a new CC offer like that comes out there will be some bloggers who write a lot about it. I've previously provided similar data on other offers going back into 2013. This is not a new habit nor does it appear tied to any other external influences. If there's an offer they'll write about it. Sometimes frequently. But that's just facts countering an imagined reality. And no evidence has been provided to counter those facts.

gpapadop

This is totally insane!

I am not going to repeat myself as I believe you read only what you want to and keep repeating the same arguments when I have repeatedly explained myself. And you blow off my questions repeatedly!

Just a few final points for the rest of the readers here:

>>>>>>> I said that MY revenue was down in July versus June.

Thank you! I have confirmed this with others and no I am not telling you who! Readers can make their own judgments whether I am lying by making erroneous claims and of course making erroneous conclusions based on those claims (won't be the first time, I have a wild imagination fully disclosed up front okay?).

>>>>>>>>I've provided quite a bit of evidence now to suggest that you are attributing that to fictitious events.

Your evidence for OMAAT posts:
June 156
July 195
August 197 [note we have a few days left since your table cut off!. I infer from that he is going above 200 ]

I don't know, maybe it's all in my head Funny how you chose not to address these numbers Seth, come on!

I don't know how the BA reporting is done. Enlighten us. All I am saying is that is what I INFERRED based on a claim I know it is true that you have confirmed it yourself for your own account and I have confirmed with others! (with blatant disclosures up on Top). Based on the OMAAT numbers I chose to count late on Saturday night maybe, just maybe, all this may not be a figment of my imagination?...Or maybe it is and thank you for calling me out that my conclusions are erroneous! It won't be the first time this happens and this FT thread is useful in my opinion!

>>>>>>>>>Admit a mistake or fight vigorously. You've chosen the latter and done so in the face of a growing mound of facts to the contrary.

I fight what I believe in! If it was a claim by a blog in my Ignore list, I would ignore it :-) But I admire and respect you, I always have! I think you are nit picking my words and I find this quite bizarre when there is much more crap on the blogs hurting people! Can't explain it dude. And I would definitely not call the OMAAT numbers you provided "growing mound of facts", come on!

Thanks for not answering the question I asked for the 3rd time I believe.

We let the readers decide here. Being called a liar making erroneous claims by a blogger I highly respect rubbed me the wrong way. I couldn't care less if it came from someone else! If the conclusions I inferred from my claims are wrong I APOLOGIZE TO ALL. And it won't be the first time I screw up nor the last. Hold me accountable please.

That's all. I need to step away. Just to make you feel better Seth, you win :-)
And I still like your fighting spirit and sticking with what you believe in. Would love to talk more about this one day over drinks, my treat. Now please let me go enjoy some awesome BBQ in Detroit, will ya?

sbm12

Actually I did address them. Mostly by noting that there's no way based on the timing that they are tied together. And there's the part where the number of CC posts - the main claim you've made and which I've challenged - hasn't actually changed. But you've skipped that part again.
I've ignored it because it is wholly irrelevant to the point being discussed here. The only answer you need is that I'm easily capable of cutting those ties if I so choose and I have not done so.

I've tried. You keep denying.

If a thread on FT is preventing you from such then perhaps the problems are deeper than I originally thought.

gpapadop

>>>>...there's the part where the number of CC posts - the main claim you've made and which I've challenged - hasn't actually changed. But you've skipped that part again.

Your evidence for OMAAT posts:
June 156
July 195
August 197 [& counting]

English is my second language. Are we speaking English? ...!

>>>>>>I've ignored it because it is wholly irrelevant to the point being discussed here.

I believe it is not "wholly irrelevant" to the point being discussed. I think it may explain why you are so FIXATED in this issue.

Do not call me a liar for claiming the fact that BA ad revenue dropped sometime in July. You can call me a bozo for my erroneous conclusions. And questioning my character was something I never expected from YOU!

As far as the BBQ, it was FANTASTIC, one of the best meals we ever had! I was so stuffed I took a nap

From me to you Seth with love after our meal:
https://twitter.com/FlyerTalkerinA2/...727616/photo/1

1848

Your own data shows that OMAAT has had a 'sudden influx' of ~25% from June-August (198/158). Also, it simply is not hard data when you say you see something "roughly" and "at first blush". That is basically a synonym for having a hunch like TBB has been accused of. As covered upthread many of the titles of these posts are misleading and thinly veiled reasons to throw in a bunch of affiliate links.

Furthermore, if you cannot see a huge drop off recently in the quality of posts at BA then I think maybe you should actually try reading some of your colleagues posts. Much of the output lately is more drivel than anything else.

With that being said, I do enjoy your writing and visit your site from time to time so I hope you aren't offended by this, but much of your defense of BA (that I have seen here on FT) seems a bit Kent Brockman-ish.

http://knowyourmeme.com/memes/i-for-...sect-overlords

gpapadop

>>>>>>>>>>>OMAAT has had 158, 183 & 198

What? I had missed this and went ahead and counted them on my own. On a Saturday night! I am such an idiot! Glad that I picked OMAAT's posts to count and not VFTW's. If I did I would be eating broccoli still. Which would not be a bad thing at all actually

beachmouse

From Outside Magazine:

http://www.outsideonline.com/adventu...n=facebookpost

Astrophsx

Points, Miles & Martinis

Southwest Launches New South America Service

Yet Southwest has not launched service to South America

djtsukasa

Haha. A travel blog that doesn't know Central vs South America. Interesting...

84fiero

They also don't know the difference between "it's" and "its". They have since corrected the post title, after a couple of reader comments about it.

cruisr

That is so sad.

Astrophsx

Points with a Crew
Time to go all in on Amazon Payments?

I wish we could get more people like Rick (FTG) to post cautions and spell out the risks of things. Although it was 4 years ago and maybe fake DrumDrum on FT posted about ordering a bunch of dollar coins and having them stolen after they were dropped off at the doorstep. With Amazon Payments, while unlikely, they potentially can freeze your account and hold the funds for some time.

Points with a Crew writes at the end of his blog entry:
(In case it needs to be said, again, in bold print DON’T DO THIS! I DON’T RECOMMEND IT! YOU COULD GET YOURSELF IN A LOT OF TROUBLE!)

This was his "financial" advice yesterday with MS:

freeloader

later redacted - but it was posted that the AA business card is a 5x reward card

http://rapidtravelchai.boardingarea....i-aa-business/

apperently this was presented at FTU Advanced this weekend? $250 ticket fee IIRC