The Open Forum for Candidates
 

This forum is designed to allow candidates to address other issues beyond those in the direct questions from the members of FlyerTalk. All candidates have been advised to not make things personal - its about the issues and it's about only those things that happen on FlyerTalk.

You can find more info the candidates and their platforms at:

http://www.flyertalk.com/talkthevote/

A reminder that members will be selecting 4 new TalkBoard members: the current terms of bhatsnax, Jenbel, Spiff and techgirl are ending.

If you have a question-at-large for the candidates, please send email to [email protected] or PM Randy Petersen.

Thank you.

So it all starts here!

I'm looking forward to the debate - as much for the opportunity to learn more about the other candidates as to actually give my own views.

I'm not standing with any particular agenda. My pitch is simply that I believe that I can apply a bit of common sense when it comes to voting on motions - so the questions I'd personally love to see are some hypothetical motions for me to comment on and then you can get a feel for how my approach to voting would work in practice.

Good luck to all and let's have a fair and clean contest. :)

Hello Folks,

Well here I am again, putting myself forward for yet another election. The past few years have seen some very heated debate/discussion.

Again there is a good number of people standing for election. I would just like to make it clear at this point that I dont offer bribes, no I cant get you free nights at ICs, but I can listen and represent folk.

regards
J

Greetings All,

I'm looking forward to the Great Debate and looking forward to, with your blessing (and vote!), another opportunity to serve you.

I do encourage you to read the forums and evaluate each candidate on their contributions & philosophies and hopefully match them up with what matters most to you.

As for considering myself, I encourage you to look at my voting history over the past two years & see what your thoughts are on how you feel I have represented you in the past. If I can continue to represent you - I'd love to - if you feel that I haven't represented your concerns at all, I would encourage you to vote for those whom you see as a best fit.

Remember, you only have 4 votes this year, please use them wisely!

Thanks for reading & feel free to ask me any questions in this forum or via PM or email if you'd like.

Thanks & happy browsing!

Hello Ladies, Gentlemen and Cholula,

Just want to put in a word about myself and what you'll see in my answers.

I'm a very straight-forward guy. While I do wear my heart on my sleeve, I'm the type who knows where the line is between being helpful and being a jerk.

In person, I'm kind of a quiet guy....but not the former Postal employee kinda quiet guy, if that makes sense. I'm a quiet guy in person because I'm always thinking, maybe a little too much for my own good.

Anyway, good luck to all the candidates, and if something doesn't make sense to you and/or you want some clarification to what I said, feel free to PM me.

And I promise, no RoboCalls.

Greetings :)


I will keep this intro short and just take this opportunity to say how excited i am about this opportunity.

As i mentioned many times in my responses to questions and in my profile - i am an avid flyer talker for many years with flyer talk being my home not only on my web browser - but in my head as my main information source.

Flying is most of my life - whether as a weekly long haul traveler, my passion to flying commercially (unfortunately not at the moment) as an Airline Transport Pilot pilot license holder or as a flight instructor.

I look forward for the debates and hopefully contributing to talk board as a member if elected.

It is an honor to be among the 25 being considered and i wish good luck to everyone.

oh... and please vote for me? pretty please? :p

Hello, fellow FlyerTalkers,

For me, it's all very simple: FlyerTalk is much more than a resource for technical information about flying. It's a community sharp, intelligent and very interesting people, all united by a passion for travel. My focus is on the community -- I want to keep FlyerTalk the kind of place where I enjoy spending (far too much of) my time.

FlyerTalk: Come for the information, stay for the society. :)

Hi folks !

I'm really excited as a first timer running for Talk Board.

Personally I look forward to the Debates and think this is one of the highlights of my FT time.

Good luck and everybody enjoy the elections (all of them :D) !

Cheers,

S.

There is a very strong field of candidates this year, and a very large one! I hope it will become clear during the debates who would be best to serve on behalf of the members. I hope that my time spent as a volunteer will help people know that I have a committment to the cause of points and miles.

A subscriber to Inside Flyer for more years that I care to remember - anyone else remember the black and white editions - I came to the board just after it was announced and have spent more time here that perhaps I should.

However, great information for members, and from members have kept me here. I'd like to see a return to these basic ideas.

And if you decide not to vote for me I'd endorse - (without their permissions) - and only because I know them (!)

bhatnasx - who was the only true voice against Mission to the World from the start.
peteropny - whom I have worked with at Hyatt for several years and I know has the time and heart to devote to TalkBoard and Flyertalk
Spiff - what can you say - just reading some of his posts has lightened my day.

I am not a first time candidate, and I spent most of October wondering whether I would actually run this year.

I decided to run this year, not with any kind of serious agenda except this:

I think FlyerTalk has, thus far, not maximized its opportunity to become a powerful voice in the travel world. FT is quoted in major newspapers and major media websites and the host is a famous travel expert. And yet, with a few minor exceptions, FlyerTalk participants have not really been able to guide the direction of frequent flyer or frequent stay programs.

So, I guess that this is my platform.

I find FlyerTalk a fun place to visit and a good place to get information, and yet it should be so much more. To the non-policy-wonk who has never set foot in TalkBoard Topics, what has the TalkBoard done for them?

It will be my goal, if I am elected, to work closely with the FlyerTalk Host and with InternetBrands so that FlyerTalk actually influences the Frequent Flyer and Stay programs in a pro-consumer direction. I would do this by trying to get formal liaisons between the programs and the FT forums (as have been established in some cases), try to get some chats and other methods of interaction in place, and also encourage more people to become active and volunteer to make FlyerTalk everyone's FlyerTalk.

I look forward to the debate period and hope people will consider me when voting.

To me, FlyerTalk is primarily about (i) Information and (i) Entertainment, as I said in my opening statement.

I want to keep it that way:

* more information,
* more entertainment, and
* less "bit_hing and moaning".

That's why I have proposed a new "mega thread". I miss the "good 'ole days" when you could post or discuss just about anything without being lambasted as "OT".

Or, when you could get some really good insights in response to a somewhat obscure question, because it was posted on a mainstream forum which had lots of viewers/participants.

Maybe I'm in the minority...or, maybe not? Maybe, we'll see. ;)

Not that I don't love and appreciate what FT is and what it has become...that's why we're all here in the first place.

Got to hand it to Randy, though. Where but FT would you find so many nuts like us, spending hours and days on end trolling through travel forums; meeting up with each other as relative strangers in places near and far; and otherwise helping each other get more out of life (certainly more out of travel -- but I think more out of life really applies here)?

Gotta love it. ^^^

nl

More Cowbell.
 

I'm looking forward to a spirited debate and may I, and the best three other candidates, win.

Because of some confusion in matching an automatic and manual system of acknowledging candidates, mjm is now active for this debate and TalkBoard campaign period.

Our apologies to him for the late start.

Thanks for the opportunity to present myself and my candidacy.
 

Some FT'ers will know me as a longish time poster for SF events and do's.
Some know me as the formerly-scared-to-fly squeakr who recently flew to London (oops, LHR) to see Prince.
Some know me as former mod in UAL and current mod in Only Randy Petersen, Hilton and San Francisco boards.

Whether you're familiar with me and my postings or not, I hope you take a moment to review my debate responses and read this short blurb.

I feel I've grown up on Flyer Talk- when I first joined I hadn't left the country in years; I sometimes blathered a lot and spoke out of turn; and I didn't know how best to work with the diverse group of people that comprise FT. I have learned over the 7 years as a member and the almost as long as a mod, that it's the variety or perspectives and concerns and interests that FT members have that makes it the addicting place it is for me. And as someone who has benefitted greatly financially and otherwise from the travel "tips" I've learned, I sincerely want to give back to the community by representing all FT'ers as a TB member.

I don't see any great conflict between being a TB member as well as a mod - I am and have always been a member first and I would dearly love to give back as much as possible in the dual roles.

I have little patience for grandstanding or stump speeches , so I'll just say I will listen to all FT members not just the ones I agree with. As a relatively low-income member who travels for leisure, I obviously have a certain perspective on travel but as a former biz traveler, I also understand the challenges that group faces. I hope to be able to do my part to make FT a great place for those groups and everyone in between.

hello