Question 13: Personal Postive Post Links
 

This question was submitted by member bhatnasx:Please share 5 links to posts in which you feel you have positively impacted the FlyerTalk community, preferably not from the same forum.

Well this one is easy enough I think :

1. IC Promo Master Thread. I updated this master post for IC Promos in 2006 and started a new one in 2007. The thread has had 1586 postings and 148,153 reads (as of 9th Nov). This is considered to be the ultimate Promo Thread for IC. Click HERE.

2. IC What Hotels have you stayed in. Again another IC thread, this is a fun one where folk post a list of Intercontinental Brand hotels i.e IC, CP, HI etc. I then compile the list into the master post. This is the 2nd year I have did this and last year I had input back from 103 FT members. Click HERE.

3. Tesco Forum in BA Thread. Helping to spread the word about promos and extra points earning. Click HERE.

As for other posts, well there are a few more in the BA Forum and certainly a lot in the IC forum. With Link 1 above that has a lot of messages from me in the thread helping folk.

Two of the greatest pleasures I get from FT is to welcome new posters and to provide all members with information that they may or may not have known, but did not think about. Here are 5 links that show that during the past month.

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/showp...&postcount=707

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/showp...16&postcount=2

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/showp...97&postcount=4

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/showp...22&postcount=2

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/showp...34&postcount=7

Many of my posts and welcomings are in the AGR forum.

Here's a few:

From the travel side, I've helped a bit on places I've been:

Las Vegas
Where to play: http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/showp...34&postcount=5
The infamous $20 tip thread: http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=302011

Canada
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=740796
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=739869

Miles and Points side, I (along with the other AC mods) have helped facilitate the Air Canada board wrestle a lot with "Off topic" posts and where they should go.

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=733258

Only having the ability to go over my last 500 posts...a couple months worth...makes this a bit more challenging:

1. Here's a thread where I was honored to be able to escort FT's beloved Freddie Jr..

2. Placing a link to an outstanding CommunityBuzz! post in the main CBuzz! sticky for reference by future FT'ers.

3. Helping a new poster and journalist find the proper location for her thread.

4. Successfully guiding a member in Technical Issues to help solve his FT premium renewal issue.

5. Explaining the rationale for TalkBoard not creating forums at the drop of a hat.

1. Obscure facts and tips for the Hilton Waikoloa Village was fun to write, compiling many years of experience staying there.

2. I pioneered the sticky "News flash" thread that sends you an email when I post hot news for Southwest. I keep it valuable by posting only about 10 times per year. There's something interesting on there right now about converting Continental miles to Southwest and tripling their value.

The same sticky thread gives forum posting guidelines and links to the huge Southwest Airlines Rapid Rewards Wiki FAQ that I wrote. Using one sticky thread for all three purposes saves users' screen space. JetBlue's Seat13c copied this sticky thread and posts the news for that forum.

3. Buying Savings Bonds for miles was one of the biggest bonanzas ever. People got hundreds of thousands of miles and very good interest rates, too, churning Savings Bonds every six months or just buying and keeping them.

4. I contributed some detective work to the most entertaining thread ever on the Southwest forum. Girl seeks 15 minutes of fame, and FT busts her (pun intended, sorry about that).

5. For the fifth pick, I'll indulge myself by raising the profile of my very favorite getaway spot. Be sure to bring your driver's license and insurance card. You'll need them to get in the gate. You won't realize just how valuable this post is until you actually visit the place.

It's too bad I can't post some of my PM exchanges, because those are what I'm most proud of. There are some great FT members who started out on the edge of suspension. I helped them realize how to get the respect they deserved through better posting habits. I haven't found a single member that couldn't turn this corner with sufficient diligent and respectful attention. I moderated the Southwest forum for 5+ years with PM only and no ability to delete anything. So PMs are where I provide the most value to FT.

I've compiled information in places like the Status Match Master Thread, the Hotel Status Match Master Thread, and the What Credit Card Should I Choose? Master Thread.

Once upon a time, at each posting milestone, I used to compile what I had learned over the course of the previous thousand posts I had made on Flyertalk. For example, here's my first one and my second one.

Of course, I've also gotten my share out of Flyertalk...

I can't because Randy took away my ability to access OMNI. :( ;)

I've spent quite a bit of time on FT helping others as best I can in areas where I have knowledge and can assist. Sometimes this leads to a bit of disagreement as the following will bear out.

IE7 was highly lauded at first, yet turned out to be exactly what I feared it to be. Problematic. Indeed, it took quite some time to shake out and now is mostly ok.

Question asked and answered. I was looking for GDS access and found it. I was happy to share the info as well. I'm still ticketing my own and building awesome itineraries exactly as I want 'em.

For a time, I was doing fare updates for the OneWorld forum. I'm happy to do them but haven't been asked in quite some time. I'd also love to learn how to find the *A fares so I could post those along with the rules!!

Here is a recent example of an attempt to help on a tech matter.

I consider it almost a reflex to welcome first time/new posters... so there's lots of that as well.

I am reading from the Air New Zealand Club in SYD, between flights. When I have enough time to do some searching, I will answer the question.

Personal Positive Post Links
 

This is a tough one --after all, if you're not posting something positive that benefits the community, why bother posting it at all?

I think all of my posts are "positive" ones ...so I just skimmed through to look for some notable ones...

CO Uncompetitive with Lifetime Benefits
http://flyertalk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=719131
I'm proud of this one because the community and the airline were able to rally around a concept with intelligent debate and dialog. CO is rolling out a lifetime benefit program ...and while I don't take credit for the program, I do take credit for helping foster dialog here between passengers and the airline in what such a program could look like.


Hilton Guam Trip Report
http://flyertalk.com/forum/showthrea...therboy&page=3
In the theme of all-things-positive, I love providing feedback on places I've been to. As remote as the Hilton Guam is, I left a detailed trip report here that others enjoyed.


Lake Las Vegas Trip Report
http://flyertalk.com/forum/showthrea...ght=weatherboy
As with the Hilton Guam report, I was one of the first to go to this new Hyatt property. (Which unfortunately is no longer a Hyatt property.) In any event, I wrote a lengthy trip report that detailed out things that a frequent or not-so-frequent traveler would value.


Fly Yourself in Hawaii
http://flyertalk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=628629
In the Travel boards, I posted this lengthy "article" of how you can have a real adventure in Hawaii and hire your own plane to fly. It was a tremendous opportunity flying around the island with a flight instructor; not only did you see some amazing sights, but you learned flying skills too.


2000th Post Dedicated to CO Insider
http://flyertalk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=696083
Again, back to the theme of keeping things positive, I took a moment to applaud Continental Airlines for having a full-timer on FlyerTalk. Not only was I able to share my own thanks, but others were able to chime in and also thank the carrier for its commitment to this site.

Hmmm, searching through 8000+ posts to come up with specific positive links is a bit hard, an taxing on the FT search engine.

I'll give examples of some of the things I've done - I've given away UAL upgrade / drink coupons to fellow FTers. I've answered technical questions in Travel Technology on issues I'm familiar with. I've used my miles to help upgrade fellow FT travelers. And I've helped keep some Omni threads going with random meaningless posts.

:)

I hate this question, because it's mainly self-serving on my part to answer and also because it is so easy for all voters to see my entire body of work. Click on my name to the left and look at anything I've posted anywhere.

But one of my annoyances with others is a failure to actually answer posted questions, so if the debate is still open after I'm finished traveling (tomorrow), I'll post five links. If it isn't, then click on my name and evaluate my entire body of work.

(Edit forthcoming.)

(Here's the edit.)

Here are the first five I found.

Helping a member in Travel Technology by reminding him to buy memory for his laptop from a third-party source:

http://flyertalk.com/forum/showpost....0&postcount=54

In an OMNI thread about Dovster becoming trailer-park trash by eating at Waffle House unshaven with a hat on, I passed along some info on well-respected Philly steaks:

http://flyertalk.com/forum/showpost....8&postcount=73

In the following TravelBuzz! thread, I (along with many others) tried helping out a new consultant trying to navigate the murky waters of expense reimbursement:

http://flyertalk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=753338

I may not have helped anyone here in this Northwest thread, but I think it's important that we compliment people on FT. Many posts involve negative experiences, especially on some airline/hotel forums:

http://flyertalk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=753892

I always extol the virtues (as I see them) of Outback Steakhouse, as this DiningBuzz! thread shows:

http://flyertalk.com/forum/showpost....&postcount=130

FlyerTalk has always been a source of great information regarding little-publicized promotions. In this Marriott thread, I finally had enough of the varying level of information and called the Platinum Line directly and got a very direct answer:

http://flyertalk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=733718

I think FlyerTalkers are helpful in points and miles forums, but even more frequently knowledgeable and helpful in the varying Buzz forums and OMNI. Anyone who doesn't look at these forums (especially OMNI) is missing out on part of the FT experience.

Once again, if anyone is interested in reviewing my entire body of work, click on my name to the left and choose "Find more posts by RichMSN." I am not ashamed of my posting history, not in the least bit.