PTravel

I had written Randy a PM asking him about endorsements. He's been too busy to respond yet, so I've decided to go ahead, anyway. These people have not sought my endorsement (and, I'll bet, at least one will be surprised by it). I prefer not to "go negative" and, though there are people running who I would not like to see on TalkBoard, no one should assume that I'm opposed to anyone I haven't endorsed. I do believe, however, that these candidates represent not only the best of FlyerTalk in terms of participation, discussion, and rationality, but will do their best to account for, and be accountable to, the Flyertalk membership.

Accordingly, I recommend:

RichMSN -- always a voice of rationality, civility and well-considered opinions.

bhatnasx -- for a courageous stand against the Mission to the World approval, as well as many valued contributions to the substantive forums.

Spiff -- for his passion, humor and unquestioned commitment to FlyerTalk.

There are many other worthy candidates this year and, on another night my list might be different. I think most will agree, however, that these three are standouts.

mjm

Dear membership of FlyerTalk,

Why am I running for election to the TalkBoard? Plain and simple. It is time to give a little back. And I want to do just that.

I have received a lot. More than a lot in fact here over the past decade that I have been here on FT. We all do. With that in mind, I feel that now, with a great familiarity of FlyerTalk, with the knowledge of who dozens of you are from face to face meetings, with true insight into what it has taken to get us here, I feel I should give something back.

Like all of you I work and I have a life of FlyerTalk. The funny thing is though, it is hard to go an entire day without sharing an e-mail with someone from here, planning to meet someone else, or simply looking to see who might be in town when I pass through next time.

I truly love the community that has developed here. It has given rise to people who care about its continued existence. Thread after thread that is based on the basic idea that whatever the issue at hand is, people have come to really, deeply care about the things we discuss here.

And to think it all started as a way to get ahead in the miles and points game. That is indeed our mission, but now that a community has developed it needs representatives. It is my hope to be able to use my insight, my experience, my skills at finding solutions, and a desire to make a real commitment of time and effort to make sure that those people who happen along to flyertalk.com in the next year, two years, ten years, find a place they find to their liking as much as I do.

Write me an e-mail or PM now, write me an e-mail or PM if I am elected. At all times I plan to be there to give something back for anybody that speaks up. It is my sincere hope to be elected and I hope you decide to help me accomplish that. It shall not go unheeded. It is now that I can give something back.

Thank you,

Mike

RichMSN

PTravel may think that I am surprised by his endorsement, but I am not. We do not agree on everything (hardly, in fact), but what normally happens in those situations is that we either respectfully agree to disagree or we listen to each other and at LEAST get a better understanding of the other's position. And if he's not talking about me, well, never mind.

I don't think that endorsements are a bad thing from candidates, and in a way gives the voters an idea on what we are like and what we look for in candidates.

Personally, here's how I see it. If you are not mentioned, it doesn't mean I am not voting for you and that nobody else should, but the ones I mention here are the ones that stand out for me:

PTravel. I know it seems like a huge quid pro quo, but it's not. PTravel is a great voice who has been very visible around FT, has always been respectful to others and has also helped lead the charge in the areas that have interested him. He also loves OMNI (I think) the same way I do. And he's articulate (I don't mean this in the pejorative way ) and writes in a way where I *enjoy* reading his posts, which is rare on the Interwebs these days.

Radioman and I have run and lost together a number of times. We've not agreed on why we've lost at times (I think, and I'm too lazy to look back -- it's easier and more useful to look forward), but I think both of us run for the same reason. Our love for FT, the community.

bhatnasx is my incumbent choice to remain. I think he's been a centrist voice of reason on the current TB and should get another term.

There are other candidates I think are wonderful people and members, but I won't vote for them because they are moderators of FT. As I mentioned before, FT needs to be more inclusionary, from using more moderators (nobody needs to moderate more than one forum, for example) and having different people volunteer to be on things such as TB. Just my personal preference, to be certain, but that does guide my viewpoint and my vote. It is frequently mentioned that FT has 169K members (or something like that). So why then do we need to have people wearing 2, 3, or even 4 hats, when there are passionate, loyal people looking for opportunities to volunteer?

Thank you , again, for a forum for me to make my voice heard, and I wish all the candidates well, as well as the next TalkBoard.

LessO2

While I am not a moderator, I think basing endorsements on whether they are moderators or not demonstrates poor judgment and is poisonous thinking for TalkBoard. That troubles me greatly.

If you look at the U.S. Government, many congresscritters sit on subcommittees and do their job representing their constituents fairly.

Again, I'm not a moderator, but if there was one that I thought would be in the best interest of FlyerTalk by being on the TalkBoard, I would vote for that person.

Endorsing candidates should be based on their merits, not by disliking other candidates or rebellious viewpoints.

phillipas

I can see both sides of that argument. Personally I think there'd be quite a bit to say for having an electoral college type system. The mods get to choose one of their own with the remaining 8 places being for the general membership.

I think I can just see your side of the argument now! Don't read too much into the 169k figure though (or whatever it is) as that includes everyone including that bloke who registered in 2002 and made one post. And the spammers.

I'd actually be interested to get some information as to membership and posting activity - but I'm pretty sure it's seen as confidential which is fair enough.

RichMSN

You failed to read (or consider) the rest of what I posted. Best candidate is subjective. There are many candidates who would do a good job. There are at least 10-12 candidates who I think would do a good job on TB. I would just like to see more people given an opportunity to volunteer and be involved. So I have made it a practice to support and endorse good candidates who are not currently wearing another FT Volunteer hat. If you think that shows bad judgment, I guess I lost your vote, then. I hope others see there is nothing nefarious about this, although I will not deny there are some moderator (and non-moderator) candidates I do not like and would not vote for even if I didn't feel this way.

I feel passionately about this and I'm not ashamed to say this in public, which is why I posted it in the first place. I just don't wish to be misquoted or have my words twisted to mean something they do not.

LessO2

I read your comments in their entirety.

Like I said in my original reply, I choose to vote based on who I think would be best for TalkBoard and FlyerTalk. I do not hold bias on whether the person is a moderator or not.

phillipas

I don't think the two are mutually exclusive. In deciding whether it's a good idea to vote someone to TB people throw a whole range of things into the mix. In RichMSN's case on of those things is whether the person in question is a mod.

As an idea it's got some merit - but it's for each individual member to decide just how much merit.

RichMSN

I suppose we agree to disagree, then. I consider the election to be a collection of great candidates. Given two equal (or pretty darned close to equal) choices, I think bringing new blood into the mix adds more value.

Voters, it's up to you to decide whose viewpoint you best identify with.

nsx

The Southwest forum is a pretty quiet corner of FT, so you may not have seen much of me. You might have seen my speculation on MilesBuzz and in the UA forum about whether United or Southwest has the better business strategy on junk fees. You might have read some tips from me about the Hilton Waikoloa Village or the Regency Club at the Hyatt Cancun Caribe. Or I might have waded into a tax discussion. But for the most part, I stick to the Southwest forum.

That's why I not well known on FT. On the other hand, I'm a moderator with no enemies anywhere on FT, and that's pretty rare. You have to be relentlessly positive to achieve that. You have to give respect first and have faith that you'll eventually get it back. I've never been disappointed in using that approach. Never. It just takes patience.

If you don't know me, I want to ask a favor of you. Please send a PM to anyone in your circle of friends who gets around FT and would know me. Ask any TalkBoard member what he or she thinks of my contributions to TalkBoard topics this year, and whether my activity on TalkBoard Topics was important in achieving the recent remarkable 9-0 vote on the guidelines.

Ask any moderator or former moderator what he or she thinks of my contributions and advice. Ask people who visit the Southwest forum, whether they like Southwest Airlines or not. If you get even one less than positive comment, I'll be very surprised. And I'd ask you to remove any identification of the source and forward it to me, so I can improve.

My philosophy is simple: I want to increase the value of FT to its members. When we encounter a harsh new poster on the Southwest forum, pretty much all the forum regulars are onboard with the "kill 'em with kindness" program. Once new posters start engaging in constructive conversation, we've got 'em. The very same method will be effective in improving collegiality on the TalkBoard. I've been practicing it all year on TalkBoard Topics.

phillipas

Well… the end of the campaign period is here. I thus appeal directly to the members and explain why I ask for your vote.

Put simply I’m a straightforward guy, who if elected to TalkBoard will just stick to the basics and consider whatever ideas come up by asking no more complex a question than that most simple one… ‘is it a good idea?. There’ll be a whole range of reasons why something might be a good idea – and why it might not. But whatever they are – I’ll stick to answering that simple question… is it a good idea?’.

What I will not do is use my time on TalkBoard as an opportunity to hone my debating skills on ever more irrelevant points - as has happened previously. I’ll not zoom in on one obscure point of a motion and hold the proposal hostage to said obscure point - as I have again seen happen. I’ll not limit my consideration of proposals to pre-defined specific criteria – another thing that has happened, not least during what can only be referred to as the debacle that was the Mission To The World vote. No huge debates, no politics, no grandstanding – just that simple question… ‘is it a good idea?’.

If the question comes in I’ll answer it… everytime. If it’s a motion I’d support I’ll be happy to make the motion or second it… everytime. If you ask TalkBoard a question, I believe you are entitled to the courtesy of a proper answer… everytime.

FlyerTalk is a fantastic website. Randy created it and has steered it along – but the real value has come from the members. Times are changing though… we’ve got new owners no doubt looking to recoup their outlay. Now is not the time to be populating TalkBoard with wannabe debaters and politicians. TalkBoard needs common sense and good judgement – which I humbly suggest I offer..

I ask for your vote.

PTravel

An exchange with another candidate in the Question 18 thread has gotten me thinking -- what is it I really value about FlyerTalk? I've decided it's the "3 Cs": Content, Community and Civility.

Content is, of course, what attracted all of us to FlyerTalk in the first place. We recognize it as THE resource for in-depth, comprehensive and accurate information about flying and travel. I have yet to have a question about these subjects that doesn't result in multiple answers from diverse viewpoints. Maintaining the quality of information available on FlyerTalk requires maintaining the quality of FlyerTalkers -- we want to encourage those with positive, substantive material to contribute. Which brings me to the next, "C": Community.

As I've said in other posts, we are all united by a common passion for flying and travel. For most of us, travel and flying isn't merely incidental to our lives, it is a specific lifestyle. We are a community of travelers -- in fact, quite a large community. As members of a community we depend on each other to keep FlyerTalk functional -- we answer the questions of others when we can, communicate inside tips when we learn of them, join in celebrating good moments and commiserate about sad ones. FlyerTalk is a social experience as much as a substantive, informative one. This is why I think OMNI is such a critical component of the FlyerTalk experience -- it's where we get to know each other and talk about a range of issues unrelated to FlyerTalk's core mission. Anti-social behavior, though inevitable in any community as large as this, is destructive and antithetical to the purpose of FlyerTalk. We have moderators who squelch the worst of this, but it really falls to us -- the members of FlyerTalk -- to police ourselves. And that brings me to next "C": Civility.

Here's the dictionary.com definition of civility:

ci⋅vil⋅i⋅ty   [si-vil-i-tee] –noun, plural -ties.
1. courtesy; politeness.
2. a polite action or expression: an exchange of civilities.
3. Archaic. civilization; culture; good breeding.

We're usually pretty good at this on FlyerTalk, better, I think, than virtually any other web forum I can think of (and certainly better than many I visit). However, sometimes we're not. We have moderators riding herd but they're a solution, not the solution. I'm a firm believer in leading by example. I know that over in OMNI, I, along with a number of other posters, have tried this year to keep the tone civil -- and it's worked. I don't take credit for the atmosphere in OMNI -- many, many others have contributed to this effort -- but even the most heated topics, with very few exceptions, have been discussed with respect for other viewpoints and beliefs. Indeed, there have been a number of instances, at least in past years, in which I've felt more welcomed (or tolerated ) in OMNI than I have in some of the substantive forums. In fact, I'd like to take this opportunity to express my gratitude to nsx, who has always made me feel welcome in the Southwest forum, despite my rather publicly-stated lack of affection for the airline (nsx, if I knew you better you'd be on my "endorsement" list as well but, unfortunately, I do not often venture over to the Southwest and JetBlue forums). Would that were true of some of the other forums.

I think the kind of civility I'm describing here is critical for TalkBoard. As representatives of the entire FlyerTalk community, we need to be able to work together for the good of FlyerTalk. TalkBoard membership has, I think, one mandatory requirement: Must play well with others! In-fighting, sniping, trolling, argument-for-argument's-sake, personal vendettas -- none of these have any place on TalkBoard. Let's elect a TalkBoard that can work together in the interest of the membership and help FlyerTalk continue to grow and thrive.

squeakr

FWIW I wanted to mention the folks I think would do an awesome job on the TB, in addition to myself of course. (And if you don't endorse my candidacy, please don't let it negatively influence your consideration of these members.)

I think there are 7 or 8 people who would do an excellent job, and my endorsements are in now way meant to slight those folks. But I have some specific reasons for my endorsements, so here goes:

mjm - One of the longest standing members; very active poster with substance who also attends and assists with DO's when he can; I have never seen him say a negative word about any member and all his posts contribute something to the knowledge base and good fellowship on FT. Plus he's based in Japan which gives him a good international perspective on the board.

Markie Another international candidate with excellent experience on FT; great leadership qualities and an excellent listener. He's able to reframe and resolve conflicts and discussions so that everyone is heard, and the final decisions sit well with all concerned. He's extremely politic while able to also speak his mind clearly and I think he would be a great asset to the TB.

peteropny Another long time poster who has been a great resource and help in establishing and moderating the LGBT board. From the earliest discussions about the LGBT board to its current life as one of the best run and most fun boards on FT, peteropny has been instrumental in working with the personalities involved and keeping his own perspective while listening to diverse points of view.


As well as voting for these fine candidates I hope you will consider giving me your vote as well.

Thanks.

GK

So the campaigning period is coming to an end.. so get out and vote people.. some have asked if my entry into this election is serious.. of course it is.

See, I can write whole sentances when I want to.

nsx

Bonkers.