Wish to protest new Coupon Connection rules

I haven't seen any protest thread regarding the new restrictions on Coupon Connection. But after thinking it over, I really don't feel the new rules are fair. I currently have ~65 posts, none made in the Coupon Connection forum, have been registered with Flyertalk for over a year, and was a lurker for 6 months or so before that. At my current rate of posting, I'll be able to post in Coupon Connection in ~215 days or so, at the rate listed under the profile.

I check CC from time to time to see if there is a particular coupon I need or if anyone is asking for a coupon that I have but will not need. I received 3 things this past year from other posters and gave away 2 things. Responding to posts in that forum is not an issue, as I generally go through email anyway. But now I have no right to even offer to give something away for free, or request a trade, because my forum access has been cut off.

Although my post count is fairly low, I hope my posts are informative enough that other people find use in them. But if I don't have something to add, I try not to clutter the board space, which keeps my post count low. I still think I'm a valuable member of Flyertalk and plan to continue posting. I'm just frustrated that I have no access to a forum that I have found useful in the past. I assume that most members with fewer posts don't feel empowered to make this protest, so I wanted to do it. I'm assuming that none of the moderators or established Flyertalkers have anywhere near as low as 100 posts.

My suggestion would be to return the rules to the way they were previously, or reduce the posting limitation to something like 20 or 25.

Good point for you Murph.

Maybe the rule could be something like 100 posts or 25 post and one year tenure, to cover low post count members like you. That would still meet FT's needs as well.

Infact a time-based qualification would be far more robust. If someone was so inclined, they could simply register and post nothing of any significance - within a couple of days they would be at the required level...

You can't please all of the people all of the time, but i'd second the inclusion of a time factor here.

I would like to add to the protest. I have intermittently posted for a couple of years - and have given away 3 coupons to FTers without compensation ( a club pass twice and a 50% spg - all about to go bad). I feel restricted in giving away things - I've never asked for anything but advice - and I try to check the boards first.

I agree that a time limit - perhaps 1 year and 25 posts - makes more sense.

Oops - I'm one post closer to 100!

Murph, Those were my sentiments exactly upon discovering my CC posting privileges termed. Like you, I'm a post-shy member of one year's standing with my one-and-only CC post to date being a give-away coupon. Initially, I felt penalized for the misdeeds of others. I also suggested additional criteria be considered besides the post count (although I took a different path by PM'ing the FT Admin). However, I gave it a little more thought and decided to align myself with the vision of an engaged FT community and started posting! Thanks to your post, my count is 20 something and still adding on...

Looking for Mile Post 100 In The Fog,

mrspilot

Same type of protest for me.

There are a few problems with the current rules:

1) even if I only want to give something away, I cannot. I believe the post limit should only apply to people who take from the community, not give.
2) a post limit encourages people to post without having anything to add. For example, people who has time to play those posting games in OMNI will undoubtedly have much higher post counts.
3) if a person decides to give something away, it should be him deciding who gets it. What kind of arbitrary cut-off is 100 posts? The giver has the right to condition their offers (i.e. "only people with 100 posts can have this"), similar with those who are considering responding to requests for stuff. If they think the requester is too "young" to the board, they can simply refuse to give anything - or, better yet, ask them to participate more before you give it to them.

What we need is some sort of transaction record. Taking a cue from AnandTech (www.anandtech.com) forums where they have a for sale/trade/for free forum for various tech stuff, they make use of a feedback system that is similar to ebay's system.

Sure people can forge new accounts, but the poster themselves can make a judgement based on who is leaving the feedback -- feedback from many low post accounts is likely to be fradulent, so is a lot of feedback in a short period of time.

I guess, in a nutshell, I don't see why FT has to interfere with what people wishes to do with their property.

because FT does not exist PRMARILY for trading or even donating items - it exists primarily to share inofrmation of interest to Frequent Flyers. Randy has made it clear he's not interested iin turning CC into an ebay or other kind of transaction-based forum.
Participation in CC is based on having an interest in at least some of the other activities that go on here.

There is also a 100 post rule in OMNI

I've been a lurker for years. I agree with the OP.

Now I'm one post closer.

I agree with Randy's vision. Read my Who We Are bio and you will see I am indeed a frequent flyer who joined FT for the comraderie of others who shared travel interests, like myself. I'm not here just for the coupons; in fact, to date I have exactly one post in CC and that was to give-away a discount airfare coupon, expecting nothing in return.

Back to Randy's vision; I can appreciate his rationale for taking action to minimize the number of new posters whose primary goal appears to be "What am I getting today?" Taking a look at the current iPOD offer and all the newbies who've signed in on that one promotion is persuasive that something had to be done. However, it was still no less upsetting to see my membership of one year's standing had been demoted to the same category as the "Me-First" newbie.

My advice? Onward and Upward, as the pilots might say. I'm now posting with the BIG DOGS so hopefully I won't have to sleep on the figurative CC porch much longer!

Destined to Have My Place Once Again In The CC Fog,

mrspilot

Not always do I agree with squeakr, but this is one time and I agree 100%. (And that goes for OMNI as well.)

I also endorse the 'year member' exclusion on FT others suggested - if that is technically possible.

Perhaps my suggested solution was not the best, but I still do not think my other points are invalid. In particular (slightly edited):

I believe that FT should let the owners of the coupons to condition their offers as they see appropriate - not to arbitrarily reduce their options.

NOTE: I have never used CC in the past except to give away a UA CS25 I had lying around. I believe in the community concept and the need for further participation in other areas. But I also believe that FT should not regulate something that should be left to self-regulation.

As for
I do not think posting is a good indicator of that and it is difficult to gauge just how good it is. I agree that perhaps it is the only indicator available, but I do not believe that we should force an imperfect indicator upon everyone who uses CC.

I personally will prefer one very good trip report from a first-timer (who usually provides an interesting perspective), to someone who posts one-liner responses that repeat what has already been said in the same thread--something that is perhaps very tempting to do.

You can't please all of the people all of the time. This rule does more good than harm. Get over it - - or find some other place to trade your coupons.

It is rare that I agree with the sentiments, anyway, underlying the way CP has in his always inimitable way expressed this, but for better or worse this is what Randy has set up and it may be worth trying to make it work and civilly suggest what are perceived to be improvements as we continue to get experience with the system. There may be room for exceptions or a tweaks as things move forward. But that's Randy's call. And, fwiw, he has also asked the moderators to institute two other policies (actually one is new, the other simply a clarification of across-the-boards FT practice/TOS); those can be found here: http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=332071
and the Coupon Connection FAQ (which by the way, does try to take a balanced view of the notion of "post count") reflects those new realities and can be found here: http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=310076


Chuck
aka cblaisd
Moderator, Coupon Connection