Question 1: Effective Feedback
 

submitted by lucky9876coins
What do you believe is the most effective way for TalkBoard members to receive feedback in the public forum? Would you seek feedback mostly by reading the comments of the membership, or would you engage in debate with the membership?

Well there is no one real effective way. Both of the things you have mentioned each have their own good and bad points:

As we know there are a vast amount of lurkers in FT. This will never change. I believe that folk who post and take part in these debates/discussions are ones that usually have a point to put across or in some cases a grievance. So debates get be very good but can get very heated.

Recently on the BA forum a suggestion was made regarding changing some of the formats. This was put out to the forum members so that they could debate and also vote in a poll about what they though was the way forward.

A lot more people took part in the poll than actually posted comments. I think we could learn from doing more of that sort of thing. This means you can have the debate side, read the comments and see what others think via a poll.

Regards
J

The reading of the forum specifically devoted for the feedback is a satisfactory system right now.

However, a TalkBoard member should be able to read between the lines in no matter what forum he or she reads. Picking up trends, pluses and negatives in posts in all the forums outside of the ones specifically designed for feedback.

Some of the best ideas and feedback are assembled in the mind when you least expect them.

As this is the first question i will start by saying how excited i am about taking part in the debate. I'm looking forward to answering questions, getting to know more FlyerTalkers and enjoy the wisdom of fellow members.

Now, to the actual question:

I think the Suggestions forum does a great job for member feedback, along with the actual talk board forum.

An idea i think would have been helpful to have polls and issues which are important to our members that allow lurkers and registered members alike to participate, similar to RadioMan's suggestion.

I'm not sure 'debate with the membership' is the choice i would have made, rather taking into consideration the input from all feedback and offering it for debate within the talk board.

D.

Firstly I value feedback hugely - it allows me to develop my thoughts into something better than I can otherwise manage.

If elected to TB then I'll take feedback in any which way it comes. And I'd make a particular effort to actively seek feedback from a group wider than those few members who wander over to the obscure bit of FT that is 'TB corner' - feedback from those FTers who will be affected by Randy accepting any particular recommendation that TB make is critically important.

And now moving to the question (thanks lucky9876coins:)), which I see as being about conduct as much as anything.

My answer really has to be 'somewhere in the middle' as I believe the worst case is if a TB member adopts either of the extreme positions - the 'aloof silence' and the 'high school debating society' ends of the spectrum.

My commitment if elected to TB is to be open with my thoughts, to seek feedback, and to take said feedback it into consideration when further developing my thoughts. In fulfilling this commitment I'll no doubt engage in a bit of debate (I prefer the phrase 'interaction' myself), but have no intention of being seen as a member of the aforemention 'high school debating society'.

I read the TalkBoard public forum quite regularly, as I'm the current TalkBoard liaison. I'm often called upon to wear two hats, one as the liaison and the other as a TalkBoard member who is not speaking for the TalkBoard. I feel I do a good job of handling both of these roles. I'm mostly content to read the comments of FlyerTalkers who post in this forum, but I will engage in dialogue with FlyerTalkers when it is approporiate to do so through: clarification, points raised that I strongly agree/disagree with, or insights to provide.

I'm going to try and format my first responses to questions without reading responses from the others, to try and express my true feelings. I reserve the right to go back and decide I like someone else's idea, too. :D

I would definitely use the TB forum (both current and archives) to help get a sense of the community's view on a specific issue.

But I also think individual interaction can be very helpful in having members "convince" me of their views. In the end, TB is there to represent the members, and if a member doesn't have the ability to change my opinion on a topic, I probably shouldn't be on TB. Accepting this role with preconceived notions would be a disservice to the community.

soliciting

I appreciate this question also.
 

(FYI going forward that will hold true for all the questions)

I think there are a myriad of ways to engage with members and get their feedback on the forum about issues pertinent either to individuals or to segments of the FT membership. In my role as a moderator, I have learned that there are many lurkers and otherwise non-vocal members who have strong opinions about issues, and as a TB member I would want to try to engage those members as best I can.

To that end I would read the public forum, as well as use quick polls as some other candidates have suggested. I would also like to initiate a couple of campaigns a year, maybe through Talk Mail or FT-wide notices, to call attention to a particular change or policy that TB has initiated, discussed, or is otherwise of interest to members. It wouldn't have to announce major changes, just to point to some activities the TB has taken on.

I would also be very aware of my role as a TB member in dealing with individual members or through my general posting behavior. Many times those postings can help open up dialogues, officially or otherwise, with individual members on issues dear to their hearts.

I think both methods are mandatory. I believe that TalkBoard should function as a representative body, voting on issues based on the will of its constituency. A public forum is a neat and convenient way for FTers to express themselves, but some issues are so sensitive that direct communication with the TalkBoard member may be required.

I'd read and respond to comments in the forum daily, but I would always be receptive to PM (or, if an FTer thinks its necessary, private email).

Finally, note that the phrasing of this question is a little odd. I don't view the role of TalkBoard as one of "debating with the membership" -- a representative body shouldn't sit in an adversary relationship with its constitutents. Discussion is important, and I'd always participate in discussions with the membership, whether on the public forum or by PM or email. I don't think debate is appropriate as that implies taking a position contrary to that of the membership.

There are multiple ways to gather feedback from membership - and no one way is better than another, IMHO. Each has its different attributes.

A couple of the ways:

1) Read the TB Forums as an observer - this is good to get an idea of what folks are saying - but keep in mind that only the the passionate may be actively posting, so it's important to to also read & focus on the folks that may just post one post in a particular thread and listen to their point of view as well. In the TB forum, it's important to filter the noise to signal input.

2) Actively participate in TB threads - this is important when you need clarification on an idea - or if you personally are passionate about an idea and want to win support for it. It's important to engage members on occassion though to ensure that they know you are working towards a common goal.

3) Solicit feedback from forum participants - recently when a forum closure has been recommended, the TB has tried proactively soliciting feedback from the actual forum participants who may value the forum rather than the proverbial "outsiders" who are just requesting the forum be closed based on post counts within the forum.

4) Talk with folks in person can be helpful as well - earlier this year, the TB met in person for the first time ever on our own dimes to better work together. This occurred at the Freddies - which was a good opportunity to meet other FTers in person & put a face to the name & have a meaningful two-way conversation.

5) Be available for members - many members this year have sent me PMs or emails directly to bring up ideas that they may not feel comfortable bringing up in the public TB forum - this allows us to discuss the matters that matter to the membership.

I would like to see as much feedback as we can get from all Flyertalkers including trying to reach out to those who do not regularly post in the TalkBoard Topics Forum.

While I will always attempt to post my thoughts on the issue, I do not believe that the endless back and forth between a couple of individuals (including TalkBoard members) are productive.

I will take all comments into consideration in my final position on issues however.

The members who post (and debate) in the TalkBoard Topics public forum are the very vocal minority whose views do not always reflect the views of the userbase at large.

Find compromise and consensus; don't polarize
 

The TalkBoard Topics (TBT) forum can be contentious. Furthermore, the viewpoints posted there are not necessarily indicative of the views of most FT members. Some of the people who post on TBT have completely immovable opinions. All this makes it very challenging to wade into TBT and achieve any useful result.

But that's what I've been doing for all of 2008: wading right in there and attempting to get TalkBoard members to see the advantages of cooperating with each other. In effect, I've been working the flip side of this question: using TBT to give my feedback to the TalkBoard.

The TBT forum is best used to find and cement a compromise on a difficult subject, where the easier path would be for the majority to steamroll the opposition without accommodating them. I am pleased as punch that my efforts this year have helped avoid steamrolling and have helped achieve a remarkable result on the most contentious issue of the year: how to handle suspensions of TalkBoard members. You can read the full details of that in the Question 5 thread later today.

Here's what I will _not_ do on TBT. I will not start petition threads asking for a meaningless head count of people who agree with me without providing any opportunity for opponents to be counted or dissent to be heard. Maybe it's just me, but I find such threads to be both polarizing and pointless.

Polarizing action would be a perfect fit if the TalkBoard members were supposed to operate like politicians. I reject that view. In my opinion, the TalkBoard should be a cooperative group, not a bunch of political backstabbers. The recent (presumed at this point) success on the new TalkBoard guidelines brings this cooperative ideal closer. This was the improvement I wanted to see before deciding to run for TalkBoard. Because I'm no politician.

Feedback is as always appreciated and important.

I would see two ways: Either reading the general comments or having counter questions asked.

Depending on the nature of the feedback it can be useful to engage in a constructive Q&A, especially if there are questions in regards to my already expressed opinions that were maybe unclear or need more detail.

A supportive race of counts and applause seems to be unreasonable for anyone. It doesnt give you any indicator and only leads to fake hysteria. And dont we have enough of this already on the news !? ;)

Whilst the TalkBoard forum is a good place to start I do not think it is visited by many members.

During the Mission to the World debate I reached out to hundreds of members who had an interest in the debate - informing, listening and updaing them on the issue, where it was going and urging them to make their voices heard.

It strikes me that direct contact with members like this is the way to hear the real voice of members.

I don't think "debate with the membership" is worded well.

I do think the current TalkBoard is, at times, too adversarial for my tastes. As a general member, it's OK for me to be obnoxious, adversarial, etc. especially when I'm trying to make a point. And I have been there and done that the past few years, mainly out of frustration towards the TB and the Mods at the feeling that "we're running this place and if you don't like it, too bad."

But as a TalkBoard member, I don't think that funny acronyms and smileys do anything but foster a poor relationship between the TalkBoard (and yes, when a TalkBoard member speaks he or she is not only speaking as a FT member, but as a member of TB, as well) and the people they are supposed to represent.

I would like to see communication be open. Whether it's TB Topics or whether it involves me as a TB member straying out into forums I don't currently visit trying to get a feel for the users' FT experience, I think it's worthwhile. I think the first thing that we need to do is be proactive when we see a user that is unhappy with the FT experience -- send out a PM and ask "Is there anything I can do?"

I see TalkBoard as so much more than a group that advises Randy. And even if it does just do that, TB members cannot sit back and wait for people to ask questions or complain. TB members have to get out within the community and look for opportunities to make a difference. And I will do me very best to do that, if I am elected.

Good Question
 

Most FTers rarely -if ever- read the TalkBoard forums. I barely looked at them myself until I went looking for a constructive way to serve the community.

As a member of TalkBoard, I will do more than read the comments of FTers who have taken the time to post to the TB Forum. I will actively seek out some of the key participants in the other fora (e.g., lucky9876coins over in the UA forum) to make sure that it's not just the squeaky wheels that receive lubrication.

Speaking of lubricants, one of the great ways to find out what FTers think is over a beer/wine/absinthe at an FT DO. I've attended (or co-hosted) DOs in ANC, DCA, EZE and other random places across the planet and find them excellent places to poll the membership.

Lastly, I should hope that FTers would feel comfortable PMing me on issues of concern to themselves and to others.

B747: This is a very good observation and I agree with it. If TalkBoard members rely on the TalkBoard Forum as its exclusive (or primary) source of feedback, the Board is getting a very limited perspective from a vocal minority. I think TalkBoard members can weave some questions/discussions into the other forums in the context of the on-going discussions there...when and as they see an opportunity that's consistent with a given thread.

I also think FT could and should use internet surveys, possibly with the inducement of sponsor prizes, to take the pulse of members on major issues on a regular basis (annual?).

Then, there's always the old fashioned way: meet 'n greet 'em. I think TB members should make it a point to attend more community get togethers, and even try to host some.

I agree with the idea expressed by a number of people that the TalkBoard forum is not as often read as, for example, OMNI. :) I like the idea of polling the membership, though I think it should be non-binding -- polling is a useful tool for assessing the feelings of the membership, but I'd hate to see it become the equivalent of the proposition process in California.

I too believe that the TalkBoard forum is underused/under-read.

Perhaps the most effective way of collecting more feedback would be to publicize TB in other fora, so that the general membership (and lurkers) can become aware of the issues under consideration, and be able to give feedback.

There have been a couple of issues in the last few months that I believe were not discussed enough before votes were cast. More discussion might have changed the results.

One simple way to garner more feedback would be to use stickies/announcements more freely. (No, we don't want a crowded top of the page that's ugly - but one or two lines concerning issues of great importance to the entire community might generate the sort of discussion we look for).

Two points of thought on this....

First, to me, part of the role of being on TalkBoard, is to constantly absorb information, some when you least expect it. I feel we're elected to do more than just vote on things that are presented to us. Part of being on TalkBoard is to have an extra set of eyes and part of our brain when we peruse through FT. Then, when we vote, using all that information we've collected, we're obligated to make an informed decision based being a member of TalkBoard, someone dedicated to serving FlyerTalk full-time.


Second, Let me make this clear -- we SHOULD solicit input from FlyerTalkers. However, some of what is being described so far makes it sound like TalkBoard would merely be rubber-stampers to the polling, and as said in the first point, being a TalkBoard member has far more responsibility than just having a title below your screen name and voting once in awhile.

Again, TalkBoard members should be taking input from all FlyerTalkers. General polling doesn't allow you to ask follow-up questions to FlyerTalkers -- that is a HUGE shortfall in a broad-based poll. Look at the presidential polling out right now -- some of the people interpreting the numbers have a bunch of "yeah, buts" put in there....meaning it might not be empirical data and polls sometimes generate more questions than answers.

Personally, I would feel much better knowing the reasoning and thinking on where a FlyerTalker is coming from when he/she asks a question. People like their opinion to be heard, and acknowledging and/or inquiring further only makes the FlyerTalker feel much more involved in the process. Much, much more than having people check a box and hit 'send vote,' but to ask follow-up questions to the FlyerTalk member, and to learn the reasoning and thinking is a more powerful tool.

In the long run, it's a much more effective way, combined the with aforementioned heightened sensitivity and duty of each TalkBaord member, is good for both TalkBoard and FlyerTalk overall.

Question 1: Effective Feedback

Naturally the most effective way to have feedback is to sit at a bar and chat about it over a cold one.
However this isn’t that practical unless we fit webcams in our locals and personally I wouldn’t people to see my after too many......
I think that each forum should have a sticky and or poll thread where feedback is collected. Talkboard is read by only a few.

I think that to read the forum is but one way to get feedback. I am very much of the “more data, more data, more data” school of thought. This means to me that I should not only actively read the TB forum, but also that I should avail myself of all possible comments I have time to read (and making time is key to be being successful here) in the forums that are related or specifically involved in the discussion in question.

Take for example comments on a Fitness forum. To get real feedback from those involved in the debate and those likely to be effected by the decision taken, I needed to take time to go to the exercise blog in Omni, the UK travel forum, the Hilton and Starwood fora among other to get a sense for how others view the topic and not rely solely on my own perspective. What came about was a reasoned and clearly explained decision and position. This is what everybody needs to be confident they will enjoy.

I would, and did seek the opinions of those passionate about the discussion, or the above example, the opinions of those that were tasked with making the final decision. The solicitation of those opinions in an open forum allowed not only me but all who looked to see what opinions were held by whom. If TB members are to be the eyes and ears of the FT public, the TB members must passively read, actively research, periodically engage in discussion directly, but above all participate in doing the representing they are volunteering to do.