dhammer53

Bloggers provide a service to those that are interested. Read or not. That's my call and everyone reading.

Bloggers do provide a service. As an example, MMS did a series on the Southwest Companion pass. When I qualified for that pass, everything I ever needed to know was on his blog. It was helpful. TPG did a series on BA Avios points. When my wife and I each got the 100,000 point credit card bonus, his guide was an Avios 101 to me. It helped me quickly learn a new program.

This is a symbiotic relationship. Bloggers take page views and credit card links from us. We take information and insights that may not be printed on Flyertalk.

benzemalyonnais

I bet their readers would've wanted to know how they were using Avios to fly MH F for such a great rate a short time ago

kokonutz

I agree that blogs serve a useful purpose (although FT wikis tend to do a better job of consolidating information since they are open source).

If bloggers weren't under so much pressure to get clicks and eyes and credit card apps they would not be incentivized to work against the best interests of frequent flyers. Alas, it is far from a perfect world.

kokonutz

whlinder

They certainly monitor a lot of sources.
But I think you overstate the amount of time it takes to push a new international fare.

whlinder

No idea what that has to do with my question

tcook052

May no longer be printed on FT more like it after all why give away what can instead be sold?

GUWonder

It's less about selling the travel info than it is about monetizing the sharing of the travel info.

That said, I'm curious which, if any, bloggers provide consulting or other paid-for/compensated services to any loyalty program owners/operators. VFTW doesn't seem that type; and I know that there are deal aspects that have come to the VFTW blogger's attention but not been monetized via VFTW (nor otherwise, to my knowledge).

lwildernorva

I sometimes find threads like this a bit frustrating because they seem to assume if it just weren't for the Garys and Luckys and Canadian Kilometers of the world, these deals would last forever. That seems to miss the point that with anything as open as the Internet, the Garys and Luckys and Canadian Kilometers would just be replaced by the Billys and Dons and Maldivian Miles--someone is going to monetize the information.

The response--private boards to disseminate information--is also a natural offshoot of this process but may also not protect information. The reason we know who the bloggers amongst us are is because they've chosen to tell us. Just as there are Russian and Chinese and American counterspies, it seems likely that a wise blogger wanting information could get into one of these groups without revealing their true identity (perhaps easier than you might believe because the smart and connected ones would actually have valuable information to add to a private board) and then publicize the deals without attribution in their blogs. I wouldn't be surprised to find out some of this has already happened.

We accept that you don't hoard FF miles/points because they don't appreciate and will only devalue. It seems the corollary here is to be flexible enough and quick enough to jump on sudden deals with the understanding that they'll go away--and soon. Trying to shame Gary about this seems as useless as Gary's trying to shame United or Delta or Hilton about their program changes. It assumes leverage that just isn't there.

Clincher

I understand the question and I understand why it is asked (because obviously it is frustrating when word spreads quickly and hits the eyes of airline representatives who shut a deal down).
However, I just don't think you can change the way the Internet works? Word may spread quicker on some websites because they have more readers, and these days I would put FT in the category of top readership. This is obvious by the abundant single digit posters on a good deal FT thread. If it is a good deal it will spread. If it is a fantastic deal it will spread even faster.
I don't necessarily like it either but what can be done to stop the power of the Internet?
By the way, if anyone finds a fantastic deal PM me don't post it

Beckles

I think blaming any blog for the death of a deal is ridiculous, it's like we all want to know about these deals ... but don't tell anyone else after I find out about it! In my opinion the goal as a community should be for as many people as possible to be able to take advantage of such opportunities, not to keep the opportunity available for myself as long as possible at the expense of others taking advantage of the opportunity.

Bear4Asian

Jumping in here with all you big guys with thousands of postings, so pardon my naïveté.

1) But how long does it take to "push a new fare".

And

2) Why is it such a big deal that a blogger posted this deal vs. Flyertalk posting it? I get that he makes money from clicks and all, but Flyertalk has ads all over every page. So Flyertalk isn't non-profit.

Don't get me wrong, I love Flyertalk and it is my source for all things travel. But you know, the InterWeb is hard to control.

kokonutz

Entirely IME and IMHO:

1) All it takes anymore is an email or phone call from an airline exec.

2) Bloggers push their posts via various feeds: RSS, Twitter, Facebook, etc. While a deal in a FT post can relatively easily be found by an airline exec, bloggers proactively push information directly into airline execs in-boxes. Likely causing them to shoot off an email or pick up the phone to immediately have the deal changed, even on a Saturday morning when they might not otherwise be actively poking around.

Now, does that allow more folks to see it or shut it down faster? Both, imho. So the question is: what's the cost-benefit breakdown?

Personally, I'd rather a deal linger. Clearly others feel otherwise. That's why the thread title is a question rather than a statement. ^

eponymous_coward

Internet Brands certainly has the intention to "monetize the sharing of travel info".

sbm12

FT has RSS feeds as well. The feed for this forum can be found at http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/exter...2&forumids=723. And FT also routinely pushes content into FB & Twitter.

Depending on the city pairs involved anywhere from a few minutes to a few hours. Bigger issue is that the fare loads don't happen immediately; they are only a few times a day. So if UA discovered this misfiled fare at 8am CDT they could push the fix into the next load batch but it would still be a few hours until we see that change. VFTW (or anyone else) posting about it in that interim period won't affect that it was already fixed, but it may lead to the impression that it was fixed so soon after Site XYZ posted it, even if said fix was queued for some time.
There are some who believe that FT is a bastion of sharing and selfless love for each other, a purity of chasing the deal, rather than monetization and capitalism. I happen to think they're wrong.