FlyerTalk

This question submitted by member ScottC:
First of all, thanks for your time in running for a spot on the TalkBoard.

Looking at the TalkBoard over the past years, how do you think it has
served the community, and how do you see the future of the TalkBoard?
Would you change anything the TalkBoard has done in the past years or do
you plan to propose changes if you are elected?

nsx

Besides modifying the Terms of Service to allow suspension of membership for a consistent pattern of value-subtracting behavior, I propose prohibiting all divisive signatures that annoy any significant number of members, including all political signatures. As a politics-free zone, FT will be a welcome refuge from all the campaign noise in 2008.

...he said as he fired up his TalkBoard campaign.

lucky9876coins

I think Talkboard is vital to the growth of the FlyerTalk community. Looking at all of the things that TB passed over the past year, it's clear that many were important for Flyertalk to "keep up" in this ever-changing world of travel.

If I were elected I don't have any immediate changes I would make, but I would be open to new ideas. I am coming in totally open-minded, and hope that user involvement and interest grows and can ultimately guide FlyerTalk instead of just a group of nine people.

Cholula

I think that the present and past TalkBoards have done a respectable job considering, as with the moderator group, it’s a volunteer, often thankless job.

The future of TB is a bit unclear as I’m not sure whether the new owners will look to a member-elected board for suggestions and direction.

What I’d like to see change on TB, as per my currently “invisible“ platform, is that TB would be more receptive to the creation of new forums. We seem to set up a lot of barriers and hurdles and I’m of the “You create it and they’ll come” school.

It costs nothing, in terms of $$$’s, to set-up an IBB forum and nothing to close one down.

If the new forum doesn’t draw X number of members in X months or doesn’t meet some other preset criteria, then we close it down and get on to other business. I fail to see the complexity that we use to surround new forum creation .

Pizzaman

I don't see anything the TalkBoard has done over the last few years that I would reverse. TalkBoard provides an integral service to the membership by trying to facilitate the progression of FT and it's forums in a way that best serves the members. I hope to see TalkBoard continue to be an open communication vehicle for the community.

FewMiles

On the whole, TB has served the community well. It has provided a voice for FTers so that they can participate in the direction of FT as a real partner for Randy.

As FT continues its transition in ownership from Randy to Internet Brands, I see the role of TB still being one of an advisory board both to Randy but increasingly so with IB. I think the TB has done a good job, and as I am not privy to its private deliberations other than what is revealed on the public TB forum, I can't say I would really change anything the past TB has done.

One change I would like to make is for TB to adopt a code of conduct for its members and candidates. Past TB elections have had their share of not so pleasant events at times and I think that the no holds barred election campaigning was not always the best for the community as a whole.

kanebear

Talkboard, as Flyertalk, has morphed over the years from a somewhat informal 'shadowy' appointed advisory board to an elected board with clear-cut policies, procedures and ever more open decision-making processes. I think over time that the TalkBoard has done an excellent job of responding to FT'ers needs.

Even while achieving this, it has acted as a gatekeeper to ensure that FT does not become 'balkanized' in attempting to respond to members' needs. The course charted for FT by TalkBoard as it has grown has resulted in a FlyerTalk that in my opinion is more dynamic and vital than ever before. That's a very difficult line to walk, yet previous TalkBoards appear to have found the proper balance.

I see the future of TalkBoard as remaining in that same capacity as sounding board and gatekeeper, and as an excellent representation of our members wants and needs, for Internet Brands. I know of no other Internet Bulletin Board where the members have such input in shaping the board and I think that is one of the main reasons why FlyerTalk has become and remained such a valuable asset.

kanebear

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GenevaFlyer

Hey all,

During my time at FT, I've always seen the TalkBoard to be adding value to the community. Rather than having some dark shadowy decision making process, there is room for the community to help evolve FT, with a transparant approach to decision making.

As such, I believe that TalkBoard is working very well as is, and I would not change it if I were elected.

Cheers,

GenevaFlyer

skofarrell

I think the current Talkboard has done a good job. Communication has improved and it seems to me that there's been more done than in the past.

The only improvement that I can think of would be to improve the rate of change. It seems to this outsider that it takes a long time to makes changes to the forums.

GenevaFlyer

In addition to what I've said above, I would like to add one more comment.

As FT is growing, I think that we need to ensure proper geographical distribution on the leadership side, to reflect the growth in the non-North America based user community.

It's important from every aspect, such as being able to evaluate the needs of this community, as well as being available for moderation issues and for the general participation in discussion.

As such, I encourage the TalkBoard representation to be global in its composition.

Cheers,

GenevaFlyer

ClueByFour

The Talkboard needs to focus on important changes and getting them right rather than focusing on trivial matters. It needs to more heavily involve the membership of FT while doing so, and improve it's own code-of-conduct all the while.

Less time on things that no member actually asked for (edit time revisions, emergency forums and the like) and more time spent on things like Flyertalk Cares (I disagreed with the latter motion, but on technical terms--which might have been worked out had more time been allocated). I'd like to see the vote cycle-time shortened. I'd like to see criteria set in stone for new forum creation so as to make that process all-but automatic and removed from the TB's hands--both to eliminate politics and to free the Talkboard up for more weighty matters that may come across it's path.

More time needs to be spent listening to and actually actively asking the membership what it (membership) thinks needs to be tweaked. If that's polls, focus groups, chat sessions hosted by the House of Miles, or any other conduit for feedback--the ideal would be to maximize the amount of time spent listening to the FT membership and implementing motions based on that feedback, with minimum time for bureaucracy and, insofar as it's possible with an elected body, politics.

Moreover, unless requested by Randy, the House of Miles, or Internet Brands, I believe that the FT membership should be given the time to comment upon any motion raised before voting begins. The practice of being "above member input" needs to be curtailed.

I additionally believe the talkboard needs to self-police itself better in the form of a much more aggressive code of conduct for Talkboard members with very specific remedies for members who do not abide those rules, and much more aggressive action in the event of a functional "absence" on the Talkboard. In the last term, several Talkboard members missed scores of votes reported as either "did not vote" or "abstain" (and the latter occurred at least half a dozen times or more when no conflict of interest was present). Despite several calls for action from the membership, the Talkboard took no action to remedy these absences or lack of votes. I believe this disenfranchised a large portion of the FT membership who voted for TB members, and would suggest that policy is best made to avoid a repeat of this type of behavior. Much has been made of the conduct of the volunteer moderator corps by several candidates, and I believe we, as Talkboard candidates and members, should be willing to live by a code of conduct that is at least as stringent as our volunteer moderators do. This is the sole exception to the "wasting TB time" concept above, but if elected I will immediately motion a code-of-conduct for Talkboard members that will ensure that TB members don't miss votes, don't abstain constantly to gum up the process, and can live up to a level of behavior at least as stringent as our volunteer moderators are required to abide by. As this year's field of candidates demonstrates, there are plenty of qualified individuals willing and able to serve on the Talkboard. Poor behavior, absenteeism, and chronic vote-games do nothing to serve the FT membership--and that behavior should be addressed, not swept under the rug as has been past practice.

I'm unaware of any other internet bulletin board of Flyertalk's size that has a body akin to the Talkboard. And I believe that body should do everything possible to be responsible to the FT membership as a whole, within it's purview. I don't think that's necessarily happened in the most recent Talkboard terms, and I want to change it.

kokonutz

Here are the official decisions that the current TB has taken in response to these issues being raised and/or reported.

Personally I think this TB has followed the pattern of the last several TBs in that it has been a fairly conservative TB. They only made changes that had overwhelming support or were blatantly obviously great ideas.

IMHO, that worked well in instances where I didnt want to see changes (ghettoizing OMNI, creating an EMERGENCY! forum, making FT into something it is not like an Alcoholics Anonymous forum) but left me a frustrated in instances where changes and clarifications appear necessary but the TB was unwilling to take/make it (mens/gender-specific travel issues forum, defining what S.P.A.M. actually is and is not, Seattle forum).

Where I think this TB really shone was in response to Randy putting the kibosh on opening the private TB debate forum to poster viewing on a read-only basis. Although they did not stand up to Randy's edict on this issue, in response TB members offered proposals and compromises that have lead to better communication about when a motion is made in the TB and allows for member input before the vote is closed. While this did nothing to help posters understand what TB members positions are or why those positions or taken nor allow posters to know what non-motioned issues are being considered by the TB, it was a good faith effort by the TB to be more open in light of Randy's not allowing them to open the TB debate forum on a read-only basis. And it has lead to better communication between the TB and posters.

So overall I give the current TB an A for consistency in its conservatism, a D in fixing what I see to be shortcomings and problems and a B in openness for an overall grade of B-, along with a hearty thanks for all the efforts.

Punki

In the past Talkboard has served primarily in a housekeeping capacity--opening and closing fora, changing smilies, etc. These are good things, but I would like to see TalkBoard expand its horizons and become the true legislative body of FlyerTalk, cleary in charge of making the rules and refining the TOS. So, that's where I hope it goes.

RichMSN

I've said it before -- if I am just elected to decide whether we need an Outer Mongolia forum on FT, I'm really happier if I finish outside the top 5. The TB should be a more active, legislative body of FT. Why is it that the moderators are given an audience with InternetBrands and the ELECTED representation of FT is spending time debating whether we need a 9W forum or revisiting the Religious Travelers forum for the fifth time?

And who decided to put this board here? I would've never found it had I not gone looking for it. It needs to be in TalkBoard Topics, where it's been the past two years.