Focus on miles/points & potential value of segmentation of FT boards
 

Obviously, many FT'ers have different interests and come to the boards to illicit different, but particular bits of information and also to provide diverse input!

Merry, among others, has previously bemoaned that the initial focus of FT has perhaps been lost, or at the very least, diluted.

It stikes me that the board could possibly be roughly divided into 5 distinct primary types of posts or even areas :

1. Miles / Points

2. Airfares / Hotel/ Rental Prices

3. Travel Information (not miles or prices)

4. Community

5. OMNI

in approximate order of importance to me!


Has anyone ever given any thought to possibly segmenting the board into 5 such dintinct categories or sections?

One could perhaps ideally choose to go directly to an appropriate "section" of interest, possibly even on separate servers or portions of a server.

So an airline, for example, CO could have separate "sections" for mileage bonuses, and for special fare deals, and for other news informational type posts and so on! http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/smile.gif

It may be of potential considerable help to those who are frustrated either by slow connections and /or who are overwhelmed by the massive amount of posts and material!

As the boards have grown, it seems that there are many folks to support each distinct "section."

On the other hand, the more sections, the more difficulty in general there likely is/will be in properly posting to the appropriate section! http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/wink.gif

Or alternatively, if this is absolutely not feasable, we could have each poster select an appropriate numerical categorization to define their post. Perhaps this (1) as for miles, could also be displayed within the title?

Just a thought! http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/smile.gif

Anyone think this might work? Or that it might help? Or not! http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/biggrin.gif

I think the only even semi-workable proposal there is to ask people to make their thread titles crystal clear. Segmenting individual airlines in to 5 sections just isn't feasable. People can't agree on the appropriate forum to post topics in now when they only have Buzz/T Talk/Spam/Omni/News/Community/Airline to choose from. You are talking about giving them about 600 options! The situation would change from people being overwhelmed by the massive amount of posts to overwhelmed by the massive number of places posts could be.

What might help is if/when webflyer sets up a sister board to deal with more general topics like specific cities, where to eat in..., where to stay in...., whats the airport in... like, etc. A comprehensive FAQ for topics that are visited again and again might thin things out.

Other than that, I actually think most of the specific airline/hotel/car/credit forums are well focussed and easy to use. UA might be an excpetion (and I don't read CO), but, for example DL, BA, Amex, Hyat, Hilton are all quite user friendly.

To echo one of James' thoughts (and I know it has been suggested many times before), it would be extremely helpful if there was an ability to edit thread titles. Seems to have been a recent increase of misleading or confusing titles.

i think most of what you are mentioning will be taken care of with our next relaunch. We are moving to additional technology that allows multiple boards from one central database: You'll find that "General TravelTalk" will be moved to a new board called "FlyerTalk Travel". There will also be a new board called "FlyerTalkAirports", "FlyerTalkDining", FlyerTalkLibrary" and "FlyerTalk Community". There will be others to come and they will be linked by graphics but the entire part of the separate forums will not be featured in every board. So, in this case, travel informatio nad airfare, etc. information moces to other boards and those current forums in that area are the start. That means for the most part that "FlyerTalk" will convert to only miles and points information, though each is easily still within one click of the board you are on. At least the separation of church and state will be attempted. It will take some monitoring to get us all through where is apprpriate the comments you want to make, but we're close on this one - just going through final tests right now to make sure that every thread from the current board can be posted into other linked boards.

Does this help?

[This message has been edited by Randy Petersen (edited 02-08-2001).]

Randy: That sounds great. Is there a way you can segment out news stories / press releases into a separate area as well? I find myself getting overwhelmed by the sheer volume of them of late.

Thanks for listening!

Randy do you have an approximate time when the new board will launch?

I have read different posts and you have been discussing the new board quite a bit and it sounds like it is right around the corner.

Side note: If the color choices are between hot pink and hot orange then I would prefer hot pink

doc I understand where you are comming from. I usually hope that most of what I am looking for will show up in The Buzz. Unlike you and your contless free time, I do not go into individual airline forums. I go into other forums but I do not have time to check individual airlines and scan through the various posts.

Believe it or not, my time is actually not "countless" but I do not sleep an awful lot and I am online most off the time! You make time for whatever you feel is really important! http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/biggrin.gif

Thanks very much as always, Randy! http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/smile.gif

I bumped into Randy Tuesday morning at the Denver RCC. We discussed the new software and from his verbal description, FT users are going to be pretty happy.

Randy is making a considerable financial and staff investment in this upgrade. It's going to be quite different from what we see here now.

I really don't have a relaunch date, that being driven by my tech team. Most of the time to date has been with fully testing all the various options we have so we could compare the boards to choose from.

i do know two things - my requirements to my team is 100% of threads being moved, no archives, no past and present, and also, I want the spell checker to really work....if only for my spelling problems. Two of the team members are currently off site for the next few days going over the details of the move. We're likely going to have to shut down the board for a day (probably a weekend) to move everything, test, retest and test again before bringing it up active again. My guys do know that i want this yesterday...

Thanks Randy.

Now you will let us know in advance of shutting the board down. I know I am new but I am addicted to this site. A day or two without FT will be tough.

Shucks a spell checker?? DOC .... Maybe you won't be able to use illicit again like you did in the top line of this thread. http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/smile.gif http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/smile.gif

Randy this bit confuses me. Are you saying there will be, or WON'T be, archives to old FT threads available? Seems a backward step if old threads are not able to be referenced at times, as it often covers posting entire long answers to newbies with queries etc.

------------------
~ Glen ~

I believe that Randy is saying that there absolutely WILL be! http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/smile.gif

Other ways to further segment the board without losing input and member might be:

1) Division of the FT boards into a paid and another second "unpaid" section. Folks could lurk at both but post only in in the paid if they do!

2) Alternatively, there could be two (or even three or more) rooms, where folks would get along well (frat's and sorority stuff does come to mind :eek http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/smile.gif. If one did not sit well with the others, for whatever reason, they could gravitate to another "room." There could also be "sponsors" if necessary for one or more of them.

These ideas are obviously not mutually exclusive and I do NOT necesssarily subscribe to either of them. I can live with most any FT arrangement, as I feel I can adjust personally! Hopefully we all can and will! http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/smile.gif

Any thoughts?

Randy: Can you give a week's or so notice of the changeover day so I can arrange to be somewhere from which I don't have access anyway? http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/biggrin.gif

May I suggest a visit to http://www.flyersplaces.com/

It's coming! http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/smile.gif

http://www.flyertalk.com/forumcgi/ub...n=2451991.1551

I guess the migration is imminent! http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/smile.gif

Yet, perhaps in the interim, General TravelTalk could be easily be subdivided into:

Gen Travel Information

&

Gen Travel Deals

Would this possibly help to avoid "clutter?"

Any thoughts? Thanks! http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/smile.gif

[This message has been edited by doc (edited 05-23-2001).]

Is it time to possibly revisit this issue?

Just asking! http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/smile.gif

I've noticed that many new people post their questions on FT Travel (presumably because they follow the posting guidelines to the letter) and are greeted with a very tepid response simply because most regulars have found ways to talk about anything and everything under the auspices of FT Miles.

I'm guessing people might be more inclined to follow the rules if it were easier to navigate between the two sites. Another possibility would be to let users display only the forums they care about, but all on one screen.

I should add that the "Airlines, Hotels, and Car Rentals" forum is an especially bad trap for newcomers. They post but noone hears them. Plus, if people did use it as it was intended -- for all airline, hotel, and car rental talk that doesn't deal exclusively with points -- it would grow into a great big mess.

I know I keep harping on this, but I really believe if we had a top level forum that was just a meet n greet place, where nothing that within the terms of the TOS is considered off-topic, we could preserve the intention of buzz. The reason OMNI isn't used more is that by it's definition it sounds like "whatever doesn't matter". That and the fact that it isn't the top forum. Given the dilution of purpose of buzz, it's no wonder that newbies are posting irrelevant posts there - irrelevant by topic I mean, not by content. And it's a huge waste of moderator talent - and they're already taxed.

I think multiple divisions within a airline forum would be unwieldy.. but I understand the premise. I admit that on the few occasions I have posted on the travel forum, I have received responses - but posting it even on Omni gets more responses. I think this is most confusing and discouraging to new posters.

I understand that the "moderator issue" is a primary goal of Randy's and that it is his hope that TalkBoard will provide some guidance here. But it is not clear to me exactly what the goal is - even having sat on TalkBoard. Is it more moderators? Is it clearer or more specific guidelines? Is it a recruitment/training process? Is it protection from abuse? Is it all of the above?

Sorry to stray off the title here.. but I think it's all interconnected.

"In keeping with a goal of FlyerTalk to be the prime destination of members to talk miles and points and travel on the Internet, we have narrowed the ability of members to post to this forum. Its purpose is to create an enviroment to exchange pleasantries of opinion on topics not travel or miles or points related. Also, as an unmoderated forum, it's purpose may sometimes take away from what we are trying to do with FlyerTalk and thus we'll start to isolate its presense outside of the general board areas. Members may still find access in the "Travel" board area but this location is seen as temporary until a solution of convenience is found. Thanks for your understanding and continued thanks for supporting the topic of travel on FlyerTalk."

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/Forum75/HTML/000032.html

AND ALSO

"We/I have decided to take down Only Randy Petersen for an undetermined amount of time. The energy it is taking to monitor that area and the demands of other things important to the board are not synching up. When there is more news on this forum, it will be made available here."

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/Forum75/HTML/000031.html

---

While some advance notice would have been nice, one can easily see where this was becoming more and more of a problem each day!

FWIW, at the PPRuNe Bulletin Board, they now post "As this is a very busy forum please limit new topics to items of news or rumour related to public air transport..."

http://www.pprune.org/ubb/NonCGI/ult...?ubb=forum&f=1

and

"A forum for issues that don't fall into any particular category available in other forums. Due to the excessive workload in policing this forum there will be no political or religious topics allowed. Ideally this forum is for stories and jokes that you can use on the flight deck. So...
** DO NOT ENTER IF YOU ARE EASILY OFFENDED ** "

and

"Due to the almost impossible task of policing these forums I have decided that there will be no more politics or religion discussed on the website. You may consider this decision despotic and you may be right but then who gave you a vote? All current threads that I consider to be too politically or religiously sensitive will be closed and any new ones will be dealt with accordingly. Anyone objecting to this decision can make their complaints in writing to [email protected]. Replies may or may not be forthcoming, depending on my workload or mood. Being a despot has its rewards."

http://www.pprune.org/ubb/NonCGI/ult...?ubb=forum&f=4

Would this type of approach help here on FT? http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/smile.gif

"FWIW, this fantastic board once already went "offline" a few years ago due to intense sniping.

Another related travel board, PlaneBusiness, also imploded recently for essentially the same sad reason..."

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/Forum1/HTML/006510.html

Will simply locking threads and pulling fora properly do the job and effectively take care of the "problem"?

All good questions! http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/smile.gif

Any answers, anyone?

Perhaps these changes will actually help us ALL to better focus on "Miles and Points" and to better enjoy the boards main "thrust!" http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/smile.gif

The new easily accesible links:

FT Miles | FT Travel | FT Dining | FT Airports | FT Archives

across the top of the page should help considerably, IMHO!! http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/smile.gif

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/Forum95/HTML/001797.html