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-   -   Boarding Area's Fall (https://www.flyertalk.com/forum/external-miles-points-resources/1586440-boarding-areas-fall.html)

bthotugigem05 Apr 5, 2023 8:48 am


Originally Posted by lsquare (Post 35139640)
For someone interested in getting into travel blogging, is it possible to get on BA easily with no experience or Randy is picky with who he wants on his platform?

I'm assuming for someone new to the industry, it's better to be on BA than being a standalone website?

So not everyone is permitted to sell credit card apps? Like if targets aren't met then affiliate links become inactive or removed?

Most blogs (regardless of focus area) do not last longer than 6 months. What Randy mentioned when he brought me on to BoardingArea in 2014 was he reviewed my writing and felt like I had a unique, authentic style and would benefit from being on a larger platform like BoardingArea. I had been writing consistently for two years at the time. He was right: I have benefitted from being on a larger platform like BoardingArea! My blog will always be a part-time endeavour for me because I do not write extensively about credit cards and do not have credit card affiliate links on my blog.

lsquare Apr 5, 2023 8:56 am


Originally Posted by bthotugigem05 (Post 35145838)
Most blogs (regardless of focus area) do not last longer than 6 months. What Randy mentioned when he brought me on to BoardingArea in 2014 was he reviewed my writing and felt like I had a unique, authentic style and would benefit from being on a larger platform like BoardingArea. I had been writing consistently for two years at the time. He was right: I have benefitted from being on a larger platform like BoardingArea! My blog will always be a part-time endeavour for me because I do not write extensively about credit cards and do not have credit card affiliate links on my blog.

Are you still on BA?

Why do most blogs fail after six months and where did you get this data from?

Given your experience, can anyone get card affiliate links from Chase and AMEX on their blog or they need certain number of views in order to be eligible to join such a program?

Even if I were to do this, it'll be a side gig as I can't quit my primary job given that I have job and income stability never mind all the benefits that I get. I'd love to be like some of the famous bloggers out there, but at this stage of my life, I can't afford to risk trying it.

bthotugigem05 Apr 5, 2023 9:56 am

I'm still on BA and very happy with the team there.

Affiliate links require a LOT of work if you're going to include them in a blog and it can be incredibly hard to be approved for them. There is no hard and fast rule for how many views you need, but there are countless disclaimers and compliance checks to go through, rules you have to follow, and it can all change on a whim.

s0ssos Sep 1, 2023 12:49 pm

BA pops up an article about Starwood. Well, they have not existed for a long time.
https://dealswelike.com/how-to-get-s...-does-it-mean/
Obviously the blog lied and updated their date for the article.

HadesNL Sep 1, 2023 1:34 pm

Wow, that's a time capsule unearthed!

It is pretty funny that the new timestamp is still there with old comments of 9 years ago......
what stays on the internet is eternal till the world ends

gpapadop Sep 2, 2023 4:18 am

That blog should have been renamed years ago to: DealsSheLikesAndGetsPaidForThem

diburning Sep 2, 2023 5:58 am

Well, it's not completely wrong. They DO like those deals. They just didn't disclose that the reason why they like it is because they're paid to promote them ;)

(I like money too :D)

Raffles Sep 3, 2023 3:23 pm

John The Wanderer (a new one on me) appears to be John The Chat GPT Robot:

"This article is Virgin Voyages Returning to Portsmouth in 2024. It is about Virgin Voyages returning to Portsmouth, England in 2024.

Virgin Voyages first sailing after covid was visited. It was historic for the port town in England many people enjoyed the initial sailings to that port.

Since the restart, Virgin moved its Europe Home Ports to Barcelona and Athens and stopped visiting Portsmouth."

oliver2002 Sep 4, 2023 1:31 am

That gentleman has been blogging since 2016 :p

gpapadop Sep 4, 2023 3:30 am


Originally Posted by oliver2002 (Post 35551899)
That gentleman has been blogging since 2016 :p

I have been blogging since 2012 too so...this is encouraging lol.

GUWonder Sep 4, 2023 5:00 pm

Boardingarea.com was having the same blog article show up repeatedly on its homepage. With that, the SPG blog article popping up on there in recent weeks, and its founder’s final retirement moves, it seems like the site’s operational challenges may be growing rather than shrinking.

Raffles Sep 5, 2023 1:34 am


Originally Posted by GUWonder (Post 35553831)
Boardingarea.com was having the same blog article show up repeatedly on its homepage. With that, the SPG blog article popping up on there in recent weeks, and its founder’s final retirement moves, it seems like the site’s operational challenges may be growing rather than shrinking.

It doesn't help that some people simply republish old content without editing (we do reuse old content but it is updated top to toe first). I was halfway through a VS flight review last week when the author suddenly started talking about 'minimal food due to covid' - a quick scroll to the comments and they'd just bumped a 3 year old piece.

gpapadop Sep 5, 2023 4:56 am


Originally Posted by GUWonder (Post 35553831)
...and its founder’s final retirement moves, it seems like the site’s operational challenges may be growing rather than shrinking.

I always wondered what is Randy's succession plan...

FindingFoodFluency Sep 6, 2023 5:48 am


Originally Posted by Raffles (Post 35554628)
It doesn't help that some people simply republish old content without editing (we do reuse old content but it is updated top to toe first). I was halfway through a VS flight review last week when the author suddenly started talking about 'minimal food due to covid' - a quick scroll to the comments and they'd just bumped a 3 year old piece.

I occasionally write at BA under the name "No Work All Travel." Culinary travel is one of my focal points, as is including foreign language vocabulary into posts.

I have recycled articles, but always review them beforehand. My piece on airport supermarkets gets reposted roughly once a quarter, but that's because I discover new entries.

Raffles Sep 6, 2023 7:35 am


Originally Posted by gpapadop (Post 35554903)
I always wondered what is Randy's succession plan...

Selling BA should be simple. It’s a pure ad sales operation. It’s not as if they are selling credit cards which bring licensing / approval issues. See for eg the sale of Simple Flying to Valnet.

The network benefits of BA to the writers are so strong that they would stay (given lack of alternatives) even if Randy’s team all left.


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