JonNYC writes:

Similarly, OttoGraham writes:

I mostly agree with these comments, even though I participated in OMNI from time to time on these very subjects. I readily admit I found OMNI's main benefit to the Community to be that it provided a place to keep much of that type of crap out of the main FlyerTalk frequent traveler forums.

But I do think there is a spot and need for truly personal issues (such as questions about appliances).

If I had a wish for a future general OMNI rule, it would be that it is for general non-travel subjects that are solely about personal issues of the FlyerTalker. Not more general world events and news items that might effect us all. There are other sites for that.

In other words, "My son got straight A's" "How do I fix my laptop" "I got fired today" "I got a new car" "I just saw Seabiscut" "Can you recommend a book for me"...that sort of thing...fine.

I, Mine, My, Me.

"Inspectors find no WMD in Iraq" "Lance Armstrong wins" "Judge rules over size of penis" and other general items that other bulleting boards, and news venues exist for...no.

A sort of:

Perhaps rename it "Community" and rename the old Community, "Get Togethers"?

Randy, thanks a lot for the insight. As for the points you made I must say I think I understand your decission now.

I really hope that OMNI will get a new chance soon. IMO the only realistic (because simple) way for that would be that the two moderators there (and only there) get some more tools and powers. I think they would be able to handle the thing. And I'm quite sure that the majority of the community will back their decissions.

I agree 100%. I think there was a bit of overreaction here, which could have easily been solved through aggressive moderation and perhaps tweaking the BB settings (if it's possible).

OMNI was a big part of this "community": a place to thrash about opinions, and ask questions (which often got answered) about various innane things of momentary interest. It was one of the few places on the net without a proprietary interest/agenda (save maximizing miles/points/travel experiences), and that's what made it valuable-- an opportunity to interract with others of various backgrounds/beliefs/nationalitites, etc.

Make it an "invitation only" circle-jerk, and I'll just have to go elsewhere, for all topics, I'm afraid.

I was thinking along the same lines: this was an unfair/unexpected disruption of the system. Kinda like a force majure. I know my guess was made during the "doc" or doc (who knows?) posting frenzy. And now, no OMNI really dampens things.

Conspiracy types would think that those who forced Randy's hand may have had ulterior motives...???

Perhaps Randy can reassess the contest and make it 2.5 mill posts or whatever?

I can't see how allowing certain individuals to post will work. Lots of threads without replies or only replies from the "chosen few" will make for a very uniteresting forum.

Was this not happening everyday?

The decision to close OMNI is very unfortunate, as I believe that is EXACTLY what certain people were hoping to achieve by their behaviour. IMHO, one person in particular knew that their anti-social behaviour would provoke a response from others on OMNI. That person was not interested in any sort of "peace process" and knew that if they continued to incite a conflict Randy would have no choice in closing down OMNI.

Quite why they wanted OMNI closed is a mystery to me. We can all speculate but the real reason is known only to them. For the last week I suspect they have thought all their Birthday's and Christmases have come all at one time.

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Gaza's oneworld & Star Alliance Round the World Information Pages - www.rtw-info.co.uk

[This message has been edited by Gaza (edited 08-26-2003).]

I agree wholeheartedly with Premex about the appropriate content for Omni. In addition to a wealth of information about frequent flying, FTers possess a wealth of information about other subjects that is an incredibly valuable resource. Without ScottC, I'd never be able to get my computer started in the morning. Without Gaucho, I'd probably still be drinking cheap champagne.

There are very few questions that I've ever posted that haven't been answered quickly and accurately. That's pretty amazing.

Gaza:
"...and knew that if they continued to incite a conflict Randy would have no choice in closing down OMNI."

"Quite why they wanted OMNI closed is a mystery to me."


Gaza, I hate to indicate any dissent to your otherwise lucid post (meaning I agree with it),
except that I don't see how anyone could have calculated that their actions would shut down
OMNI. I believe that this is giving too much credit to any such person.

We can lament that this is exactly what has happened, but I cannot believe that this was
any kind of a 'master plan' to shut down FT or OMNI.

Perhaps we have now been conditioned to expect this kind of terrorism at any or all levels.

But the greater dangers are hidden forces at work in our country that determine our actions
in Middle Eastern and other foreign policy, domestic energy and economic policy, and so forth.
Such people know exactly what they are doing and why they are doing it. I don't believe
that loose cannons in OMNI deserve a thousandth of the attention (or credit) that we give them
by comparison. It is more important to discuss other issues.

Of course, we must not forget the highly popular OMNI sports of Bush-bashing, Gray Davis
and the California recall speculation, the Middle East (again), new discussions of church and state regarding the Ten Commandments monument, and other pleasant pastimes...


I believe that this timeout for all of us has been beneficial to reasess our appreciation,
involvement and relation to OMNI, especially for the future. I hope this will act as a
"reset" or 'cold boot' for a fresh start, but with the benefit of the previously existing
base to grow on.
.

I agree with the moderators of OMNI, that it should stay pretty much the same.

With the exception of one night of postings, Omni had really quieted down and was running really nicely.

Omni should be a virtual water cooler, and whether one wants to discuss personal issues, or political news, the freedom to do so helps to stimulate conversation, and sometimes dispute. But that is human nature. To ask people to change human nature so that conflicts are non-existant is like asking the sun to not be so hot. IMHO the moderators are the best solution to conflicts that go too far.

I have not found another web forum as captivating as Omni tends to be at times, and I can only hope that Omni will return to its former self. Otherwise it will be a great shame for all.

MapleLeaf I hope for your sake, and many others, that you will not drift away. But I feel the same as you do.

While, afters years of learning and profiting from FlyerTalk about miles/points and Frequent Flier status, I now probably am answering questions and giving tips 90% of the time I am logged into FT Miles (except infos/posts about FlyerTalk get-togethers!).

It is (was?) in/on/from OMNI that:
* I still learned (and did profit from) personal informations/interests about my current (and future) FT-colleagues/-friends (I would not have that personal FT-link, when discussing OMNI-'themes' on other www-boards. If these themes would be discussed on another FT-board, I probably would seldom (or not at all join there), because I would miss the link to specific FlyerTalkers, and also I doubt, that I would be able to get to know (first online, later in person) new FlyerTalkers as easily as until now.
* OMNI-themes kept (keep?) my interest awake to still log-in so frequently, and to go on trying to go on answering miles/points/flyer questions on FT Miles at the same time.

I don't believe there was any masterplan to shutdown FT but I do believe there was a concerted effort to force the closure of OMNI or, at the very least, to see an "new" OMNI that they apporved of. Perhaps they didn't care for some of the topics being posted or the lifestyles of some of the posters - who knows? Not me.

I don't think it is too difficult for one person to behave in such a way that causes an enourmous amount of trouble and then spoil everyones fun. It is akin to someone on a night out who is hell-bent of causing trouble in a bar. They can engineer a situation that develops into a mass brawl which results in the Police being called and the bar being closed for the remainder of the evening.

I agree with the suggestion that the mods are given greater power to sanction individuals who overstep the mark on OMNI. This happens every day in "real" life. My partner is a teacher. When she is confronted by a child who cannot play nicely with the other children or disrupts the normal flow then that child is removed from the class and serves a "timeout." Normally this is enough to make then see sense. In extreme cases if the child repeatedly offends then they are expelled. If it works for 5 year ols then I'm sure it can work for adults - play nice or you are sin-binned

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Gaza's oneworld & Star Alliance Round the World Information Pages - www.rtw-info.co.uk

I agree 100% with PremEx's proposal. A leaner & meaner OMNI, with no press postings that you can find elsewhere would be a great thing. And yes, we certainly need a place to ask about where to buy what...

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Gaucho100K

What Gaucho100K and PremEx say.

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Gaza's oneworld & Star Alliance Round the World Information Pages - www.rtw-info.co.uk

I agree completely with JonNYC! Shut it down and focus on flying.

I miss OMNI. It was one place where I can read and learn about a variety of different subjects and viewpoints from above-average minds, albeit that I lately skipped quite a bit of unusual subjects and tolerated bumped-up old threads.

FlyerTalk is one of my first to-go places when I get on the net, and OMNI is a must-visit within FlyerTalk. Lately, however, without OMNI, I also have not visited the other parts of FlyerTalk as much. Some posters here have said we should keep the site limited to travel only. But, when you are travling, don't you meet people and talk about various subjects?

There will always be some bad apples who don't respect the rule of law or trash a gift from our generous host. On the other hand, as long as we have moderators who are authorized to time-out or suspend posters who violate our rules, I see this is how OMNI is a microcosm of our society, free but with limits. We should be able to live with one another. There is always the freedom to participate or ignore.