'Mega-threads' are out of control. What can the TB do to fix it?
Dec 20, 2010, 7:40 am
#31
Original Member, Ambassador: External Miles and Points Resources
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That's a serious problem as it renders FT useless to newbies and oldies alike!
I do agree that there is a time and a place for mega-threads. Hotel properties are a good example (although, in many instances they end up turning FT into TripAdvisor light). All questions about, say, a specific route too. But something as general as 'upgrades' is far too broad.
There is a TOS that requires threads to be on-topic, as I recall. This TOS is regularly violated by mega-threads which appear to my eyes to take any post containing a keyword (say, 'upgrade') and combining them into a single mega-thread whether the post has any relevance to other posts in that mega-thread or not. That's just lazy and it should be a TOS violation.
If the TOS on this matter is not specific enough, perhaps the TB should take a look at that TOS and consider making it more specific.
Dec 20, 2010, 7:56 am
#32
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Personally I hope that the Ambassador programme will create a way that members can ask "new member type" questions without being told to do a search. Although a little unstructured - which is the nature of these things, the thread in Hyatt allows new members, or established members new to Hyatt, to ask questions which the 'old hands' just know the answers to.
I think it's been great and would love it rolled out across the whole board.
I think it's been great and would love it rolled out across the whole board.
The so-called mega-threads can exist for historical purposes or for those with the time and inclination to wade through them. But if someone has a question of any type they'd like answered they can ask it in the Ambassador/"Newbie" threads.
I too would like to see this concept rolled out throughout FT as it has been an unqualified success in the AS Forum.
I don't see TB as having any active roll in controlling the merging of threads but they can champion the adoption of the Ambassador program.
Dec 20, 2010, 8:18 am
#33
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Here's my problem with mega threads.
(I'm going to reference it with a thread which neatly shows the problem. This is not meant to be a dig at the forum mods, it's just one thread which I am aware of which shows one of the issues with hotel mega-threads).
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/hilto...a-rosales.html
This is a hotel thread about a hotel which hasn't been stayed in much. The thread commenced in 2003. Between 2003 - 2009, there were five posts in the thread, all of which asked questions about the property, and all of which went unanswered. As a public service (and it was entirely fortuitous I found this, I did a search for Bogota across FT and noticed there was a thread about the hotel I had stayed in), I posted a review of the hotel in 2009. So we've had 6 years of a thread ostensibly about a hotel, but in which there was no concrete information provided to those seeking information.
But of course, because there is a mega-thread, then everyone assumes that there will be information on the property in the thread, so unless they are particularly interested in it, they don't bother to read the thread and contribute answers to the questions. Then we get a bit of interest in it following my review, a few folks stay there, or admit to staying there, but by June, this year, we are back to having questions go unanswered again.
I would guess, on most forums, a thread with 0 replies would have some folks looking to see if they they could help out in some way. But a question in a mega-thread which goes unanswered is lost for ever... you have to be interested in the property to notice that someone needs help.
At the other end of the scale, the popular or well known hotels can spawn threads which are hundreds of posts long. If I'm looking for information on a particular aspect of a hotel (and not just a general review), I really don't want to read through hundreds of posts which are unrelated to my query. I'm almost forced to ask the question, which may have been asked before, because the information is not that easily found in a mega-thread. And of course, if no-one answers... I'm stuffed because the question might go easily unnoticed, or lost in the deluge.
Mega-threads can be great for storing information of a general nature about a particular property. But they are often not so great when it comes to being able to find very particular information, or sometimes get a question asked and answered. And that goes back to - what is the function of FT?
(I'm going to reference it with a thread which neatly shows the problem. This is not meant to be a dig at the forum mods, it's just one thread which I am aware of which shows one of the issues with hotel mega-threads).
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/hilto...a-rosales.html
This is a hotel thread about a hotel which hasn't been stayed in much. The thread commenced in 2003. Between 2003 - 2009, there were five posts in the thread, all of which asked questions about the property, and all of which went unanswered. As a public service (and it was entirely fortuitous I found this, I did a search for Bogota across FT and noticed there was a thread about the hotel I had stayed in), I posted a review of the hotel in 2009. So we've had 6 years of a thread ostensibly about a hotel, but in which there was no concrete information provided to those seeking information.
But of course, because there is a mega-thread, then everyone assumes that there will be information on the property in the thread, so unless they are particularly interested in it, they don't bother to read the thread and contribute answers to the questions. Then we get a bit of interest in it following my review, a few folks stay there, or admit to staying there, but by June, this year, we are back to having questions go unanswered again.
I would guess, on most forums, a thread with 0 replies would have some folks looking to see if they they could help out in some way. But a question in a mega-thread which goes unanswered is lost for ever... you have to be interested in the property to notice that someone needs help.
At the other end of the scale, the popular or well known hotels can spawn threads which are hundreds of posts long. If I'm looking for information on a particular aspect of a hotel (and not just a general review), I really don't want to read through hundreds of posts which are unrelated to my query. I'm almost forced to ask the question, which may have been asked before, because the information is not that easily found in a mega-thread. And of course, if no-one answers... I'm stuffed because the question might go easily unnoticed, or lost in the deluge.
Mega-threads can be great for storing information of a general nature about a particular property. But they are often not so great when it comes to being able to find very particular information, or sometimes get a question asked and answered. And that goes back to - what is the function of FT?
Dec 20, 2010, 8:39 am
#34
Moderator: Hilton Honors forums
Join Date: Dec 2002
Location: Marietta, Georgia, United States
Posts: 24,997
Here's my problem with mega threads.
(I'm going to reference it with a thread which neatly shows the problem. This is not meant to be a dig at the forum mods, it's just one thread which I am aware of which shows one of the issues with hotel mega-threads).
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/hilto...a-rosales.html
(I'm going to reference it with a thread which neatly shows the problem. This is not meant to be a dig at the forum mods, it's just one thread which I am aware of which shows one of the issues with hotel mega-threads).
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/hilto...a-rosales.html
I did a search for “Bogota” in the Hilton HHonors forum, and all I found was that one thread with content posted 13 times to it overall, including your trip report. Should that thread be split up right now into multiple threads?
Typically, the way the Hilton HHonors forum is set up is that each Hilton HHonors property — with the exception of threads with minimal content, such as with the example above — have a minimum of two threads, each with a different purpose: a main general thread for questions and answers, and a “trip reports and reviews” thread so that FlyerTalk members may instantly get the “Trip Advisor light” experience without wandering through the clutter of questions and comments not related to the experiences of FlyerTalk members.
Some threads, such as certain Hawai’i property threads, have multiple threads assigned to more specific topics because they are rather lengthy. It is all in the name of assisting FlyerTalk members with finding the information they need as quickly and as easily as possible.
Finally — and I have done this many times in the past — if FlyerTalk members contact me about certain content in an existing thread that should be a separate thread in and of itself, I am usually more than happy to split out that content into its own thread. Some FlyerTalk members will even suggest a title for that new thread, and I usually oblige with that suggestion unchanged.
As I posted earlier...
I will be the first to admit that the policies we moderators have in the Hilton HHonors forum — which were created as a result of the feedback we receive — will not work in every forum. However, it is a study of what can happen when moderators and FlyerTalk members work together to create as close to the optimal experience as possible.
Dec 20, 2010, 8:59 am
#35
Original Member, Ambassador: External Miles and Points Resources
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Join Date: May 1998
Location: Digital Nomad Wandering the Earth - Currently in LIMA, PERU
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Here's my problem with mega threads.
(I'm going to reference it with a thread which neatly shows the problem. This is not meant to be a dig at the forum mods, it's just one thread which I am aware of which shows one of the issues with hotel mega-threads).
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/hilto...a-rosales.html
This is a hotel thread about a hotel which hasn't been stayed in much. The thread commenced in 2003. Between 2003 - 2009, there were five posts in the thread, all of which asked questions about the property, and all of which went unanswered. As a public service (and it was entirely fortuitous I found this, I did a search for Bogota across FT and noticed there was a thread about the hotel I had stayed in), I posted a review of the hotel in 2009. So we've had 6 years of a thread ostensibly about a hotel, but in which there was no concrete information provided to those seeking information.
But of course, because there is a mega-thread, then everyone assumes that there will be information on the property in the thread, so unless they are particularly interested in it, they don't bother to read the thread and contribute answers to the questions. Then we get a bit of interest in it following my review, a few folks stay there, or admit to staying there, but by June, this year, we are back to having questions go unanswered again.
I would guess, on most forums, a thread with 0 replies would have some folks looking to see if they they could help out in some way. But a question in a mega-thread which goes unanswered is lost for ever... you have to be interested in the property to notice that someone needs help.
At the other end of the scale, the popular or well known hotels can spawn threads which are hundreds of posts long. If I'm looking for information on a particular aspect of a hotel (and not just a general review), I really don't want to read through hundreds of posts which are unrelated to my query. I'm almost forced to ask the question, which may have been asked before, because the information is not that easily found in a mega-thread. And of course, if no-one answers... I'm stuffed because the question might go easily unnoticed, or lost in the deluge.
Mega-threads can be great for storing information of a general nature about a particular property. But they are often not so great when it comes to being able to find very particular information, or sometimes get a question asked and answered. And that goes back to - what is the function of FT?
(I'm going to reference it with a thread which neatly shows the problem. This is not meant to be a dig at the forum mods, it's just one thread which I am aware of which shows one of the issues with hotel mega-threads).
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/hilto...a-rosales.html
This is a hotel thread about a hotel which hasn't been stayed in much. The thread commenced in 2003. Between 2003 - 2009, there were five posts in the thread, all of which asked questions about the property, and all of which went unanswered. As a public service (and it was entirely fortuitous I found this, I did a search for Bogota across FT and noticed there was a thread about the hotel I had stayed in), I posted a review of the hotel in 2009. So we've had 6 years of a thread ostensibly about a hotel, but in which there was no concrete information provided to those seeking information.
But of course, because there is a mega-thread, then everyone assumes that there will be information on the property in the thread, so unless they are particularly interested in it, they don't bother to read the thread and contribute answers to the questions. Then we get a bit of interest in it following my review, a few folks stay there, or admit to staying there, but by June, this year, we are back to having questions go unanswered again.
I would guess, on most forums, a thread with 0 replies would have some folks looking to see if they they could help out in some way. But a question in a mega-thread which goes unanswered is lost for ever... you have to be interested in the property to notice that someone needs help.
At the other end of the scale, the popular or well known hotels can spawn threads which are hundreds of posts long. If I'm looking for information on a particular aspect of a hotel (and not just a general review), I really don't want to read through hundreds of posts which are unrelated to my query. I'm almost forced to ask the question, which may have been asked before, because the information is not that easily found in a mega-thread. And of course, if no-one answers... I'm stuffed because the question might go easily unnoticed, or lost in the deluge.
Mega-threads can be great for storing information of a general nature about a particular property. But they are often not so great when it comes to being able to find very particular information, or sometimes get a question asked and answered. And that goes back to - what is the function of FT?
Not an elegant solution, but it works for me in the short term even as it further erodes the usefulness of FT as information is shared by PM rather than on the public boards.
Dec 20, 2010, 9:05 am
#36
Join Date: Apr 2005
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Clearly it's a complicated issue with many pros and cons on both sides. I certainly see the utility of megathreads, but yes I do think some fora are megathread happy.
I'd like to +1 on the most serious (imho) issue with the megathreads, and that is that posts that get merged very quickly often go completely unanswered. Perhaps a delay on merges would be the solution in many cases?
A great benefit of FT is the fact that with so many users reading constantly one can usually post a question and have a virtually instant, knowledgeable, response to your issue and often while one is still in the midst of said issue.
Instant burial in a megathread pretty much kills this "feature" of FT. Honestly, I have to be very interested in a topic to dive into a 200 page thread.
I'd like to +1 on the most serious (imho) issue with the megathreads, and that is that posts that get merged very quickly often go completely unanswered. Perhaps a delay on merges would be the solution in many cases?
A great benefit of FT is the fact that with so many users reading constantly one can usually post a question and have a virtually instant, knowledgeable, response to your issue and often while one is still in the midst of said issue.
Instant burial in a megathread pretty much kills this "feature" of FT. Honestly, I have to be very interested in a topic to dive into a 200 page thread.
Dec 20, 2010, 10:29 am
#37
FlyerTalk Evangelist
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I am continuing to read this thread with interest and greatly appreciate specific ideas about what the TalkBoard can do within its purview to keep the membership happy.
However, I suggest the following two posts would be quite appropriately merged into http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/hilto...ds-thread.html, which could, of course, then be renamed into The Merged Merged Threads Thread [Merged].
However, I suggest the following two posts would be quite appropriately merged into http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/hilto...ds-thread.html, which could, of course, then be renamed into The Merged Merged Threads Thread [Merged].
Here's my problem with mega threads.
(I'm going to reference it with a thread which neatly shows the problem. This is not meant to be a dig at the forum mods, it's just one thread which I am aware of which shows one of the issues with hotel mega-threads).
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/hilto...a-rosales.html
This is a hotel thread about a hotel which hasn't been stayed in much. The thread commenced in 2003. Between 2003 - 2009, there were five posts in the thread, all of which asked questions about the property, and all of which went unanswered. As a public service (and it was entirely fortuitous I found this, I did a search for Bogota across FT and noticed there was a thread about the hotel I had stayed in), I posted a review of the hotel in 2009. So we've had 6 years of a thread ostensibly about a hotel, but in which there was no concrete information provided to those seeking information.
But of course, because there is a mega-thread, then everyone assumes that there will be information on the property in the thread, so unless they are particularly interested in it, they don't bother to read the thread and contribute answers to the questions. Then we get a bit of interest in it following my review, a few folks stay there, or admit to staying there, but by June, this year, we are back to having questions go unanswered again.
I would guess, on most forums, a thread with 0 replies would have some folks looking to see if they they could help out in some way. But a question in a mega-thread which goes unanswered is lost for ever... you have to be interested in the property to notice that someone needs help.
At the other end of the scale, the popular or well known hotels can spawn threads which are hundreds of posts long. If I'm looking for information on a particular aspect of a hotel (and not just a general review), I really don't want to read through hundreds of posts which are unrelated to my query. I'm almost forced to ask the question, which may have been asked before, because the information is not that easily found in a mega-thread. And of course, if no-one answers... I'm stuffed because the question might go easily unnoticed, or lost in the deluge.
Mega-threads can be great for storing information of a general nature about a particular property. But they are often not so great when it comes to being able to find very particular information, or sometimes get a question asked and answered. And that goes back to - what is the function of FT?
(I'm going to reference it with a thread which neatly shows the problem. This is not meant to be a dig at the forum mods, it's just one thread which I am aware of which shows one of the issues with hotel mega-threads).
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/hilto...a-rosales.html
This is a hotel thread about a hotel which hasn't been stayed in much. The thread commenced in 2003. Between 2003 - 2009, there were five posts in the thread, all of which asked questions about the property, and all of which went unanswered. As a public service (and it was entirely fortuitous I found this, I did a search for Bogota across FT and noticed there was a thread about the hotel I had stayed in), I posted a review of the hotel in 2009. So we've had 6 years of a thread ostensibly about a hotel, but in which there was no concrete information provided to those seeking information.
But of course, because there is a mega-thread, then everyone assumes that there will be information on the property in the thread, so unless they are particularly interested in it, they don't bother to read the thread and contribute answers to the questions. Then we get a bit of interest in it following my review, a few folks stay there, or admit to staying there, but by June, this year, we are back to having questions go unanswered again.
I would guess, on most forums, a thread with 0 replies would have some folks looking to see if they they could help out in some way. But a question in a mega-thread which goes unanswered is lost for ever... you have to be interested in the property to notice that someone needs help.
At the other end of the scale, the popular or well known hotels can spawn threads which are hundreds of posts long. If I'm looking for information on a particular aspect of a hotel (and not just a general review), I really don't want to read through hundreds of posts which are unrelated to my query. I'm almost forced to ask the question, which may have been asked before, because the information is not that easily found in a mega-thread. And of course, if no-one answers... I'm stuffed because the question might go easily unnoticed, or lost in the deluge.
Mega-threads can be great for storing information of a general nature about a particular property. But they are often not so great when it comes to being able to find very particular information, or sometimes get a question asked and answered. And that goes back to - what is the function of FT?
As one of the forum moderators of the Hilton forum where that thread resides, I just researched your question — and no, I do not take what you posted as a “dig” at all. I am always open to constructive feedback.
I did a search for “Bogota” in the Hilton HHonors forum, and all I found was that one thread with content posted 13 times to it overall, including your trip report. Should that thread be split up right now into multiple threads?
Typically, the way the Hilton HHonors forum is set up is that each Hilton HHonors property — with the exception of threads with minimal content, such as with the example above — have a minimum of two threads, each with a different purpose: a main general thread for questions and answers, and a “trip reports and reviews” thread so that FlyerTalk members may instantly get the “Trip Advisor light” experience without wandering through the clutter of questions and comments not related to the experiences of FlyerTalk members.
Some threads, such as certain Hawai’i property threads, have multiple threads assigned to more specific topics because they are rather lengthy. It is all in the name of assisting FlyerTalk members with finding the information they need as quickly and as easily as possible.
Finally — and I have done this many times in the past — if FlyerTalk members contact me about certain content in an existing thread that should be a separate thread in and of itself, I am usually more than happy to split out that content into its own thread. Some FlyerTalk members will even suggest a title for that new thread, and I usually oblige with that suggestion unchanged.
As I posted earlier......which means that by working together, we can help improve the searching of information and data on FlyerTalk as much as possible within the limitations of the technology that currently powers FlyerTalk.
I did a search for “Bogota” in the Hilton HHonors forum, and all I found was that one thread with content posted 13 times to it overall, including your trip report. Should that thread be split up right now into multiple threads?
Typically, the way the Hilton HHonors forum is set up is that each Hilton HHonors property — with the exception of threads with minimal content, such as with the example above — have a minimum of two threads, each with a different purpose: a main general thread for questions and answers, and a “trip reports and reviews” thread so that FlyerTalk members may instantly get the “Trip Advisor light” experience without wandering through the clutter of questions and comments not related to the experiences of FlyerTalk members.
Some threads, such as certain Hawai’i property threads, have multiple threads assigned to more specific topics because they are rather lengthy. It is all in the name of assisting FlyerTalk members with finding the information they need as quickly and as easily as possible.
Finally — and I have done this many times in the past — if FlyerTalk members contact me about certain content in an existing thread that should be a separate thread in and of itself, I am usually more than happy to split out that content into its own thread. Some FlyerTalk members will even suggest a title for that new thread, and I usually oblige with that suggestion unchanged.
As I posted earlier......which means that by working together, we can help improve the searching of information and data on FlyerTalk as much as possible within the limitations of the technology that currently powers FlyerTalk.
Dec 20, 2010, 1:40 pm
#38
Original Member, Ambassador: OneWorld Alliance
Join Date: May 1998
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Posts: 1,015
I have always viewed many merged threads as being in one of three categories (there might be more):
I also think that if finding the older thread plus the time to find the answer in that thread takes an expert more than a few minutes then there is a chance that a new thread might be needed. After all, one of the purposes of FT is to enable people to get answers, if keep the forum organized hurts this goal then the organization method should be questioned.
- Multiple threads on the same subject being created at once (e.g. after announcement for an airline multiple people started a thread on the announcement). IMO, this is an easy case the thread should be merged.
- A repeat question/subject whose past thread has had no activity for weeks (ten?) or more. If the older thread is short (under 40 posts?), I don't think that merging will have a negative impact. However, in cases when the older thread is a "mega thread" there is a good reason to wait for at least week before merging. Maybe the right answer is not to merged or to merged after the discussion has slowed down.
- A common repeat question/subject (e.g. will my upgrade clear). I cases in which it is the answer is clearly in the older thread I think that a pointer to the answer and a lock of the new thread might be a reasonable solution. In cases when the new thread has a some twist then merging might be the right answer, but I would still advise a short waiting period (a day?) before the merge.
I also think that if finding the older thread plus the time to find the answer in that thread takes an expert more than a few minutes then there is a chance that a new thread might be needed. After all, one of the purposes of FT is to enable people to get answers, if keep the forum organized hurts this goal then the organization method should be questioned.
Dec 20, 2010, 2:04 pm
#39
Original Member, Ambassador: External Miles and Points Resources
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Location: Digital Nomad Wandering the Earth - Currently in LIMA, PERU
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I have always viewed many merged threads as being in one of three categories (there might be more):
I also think that if finding the older thread plus the time to find the answer in that thread takes an expert more than a few minutes then there is a chance that a new thread might be needed. After all, one of the purposes of FT is to enable people to get answers, if keep the forum organized hurts this goal then the organization method should be questioned.
- Multiple threads on the same subject being created at once (e.g. after announcement for an airline multiple people started a thread on the announcement). IMO, this is an easy case the thread should be merged.
- A repeat question/subject whose past thread has had no activity for weeks (ten?) or more. If the older thread is short (under 40 posts?), I don't think that merging will have a negative impact. However, in cases when the older thread is a "mega thread" there is a good reason to wait for at least week before merging. Maybe the right answer is not to merged or to merged after the discussion has slowed down.
- A common repeat question/subject (e.g. will my upgrade clear). I cases in which it is the answer is clearly in the older thread I think that a pointer to the answer and a lock of the new thread might be a reasonable solution. In cases when the new thread has a some twist then merging might be the right answer, but I would still advise a short waiting period (a day?) before the merge.
I also think that if finding the older thread plus the time to find the answer in that thread takes an expert more than a few minutes then there is a chance that a new thread might be needed. After all, one of the purposes of FT is to enable people to get answers, if keep the forum organized hurts this goal then the organization method should be questioned.
This seems like a good start at least. There was a pretty specific upgrade question asked in the UA forum, but the answer was general in nature. It was less than an hour before the thread had been mega-threaded.
Since it was an utter newbie asking the question there is a possibility that he or she will never even be able to FIND his or her question again now that it's in the mega-thread. That's terribly, terribly unhelpful and frankly quite a rude way to treat a new customer.
Dec 20, 2010, 3:35 pm
#40
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jun 2002
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That said, I do believe it's a huge probelm that's not been adequately addressed. I remember a complaint to Randy a while back & he had said (and I'm about 99.9% certain I read this or heard him say it, but I could be wrong) that the majority of the mergers/consolidated threads were due to member requests - I'm not sure that I believe that, but it's a problem.
Originally Posted by Randy Peterson
After all, factually it is overwhelmingly the members of FlyerTalk that recommend that threads are merged. Come on, give the members their due!
Dec 20, 2010, 4:51 pm
#41
Moderator: Southwest Airlines, Capital One
Join Date: Sep 1999
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In the meantime, I suggest the following work-around. The poster of any question on a mega-thread topic promises in the OP that he himself will alert the moderator in one week to merge his thread. As a moderator, I would definitely honor a request to delay merging if the poster promised to alert me a week later. That way it's easy to handle, provided that the OP keeps his promise.
Dec 20, 2010, 5:01 pm
#42
Suspended
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In a busy forum, it's difficult to keep track of all these threads for a week. If the software provided a "merge after specified time delay" feature, I'm confident that moderators would use it this way. However the current software has no such capability. I believe it's on the wish list, but I don't expect to see it added.
In the meantime, I suggest the following work-around. The poster of any question on a mega-thread topic promises in the OP that he himself will alert the moderator in one week to merge his thread. As a moderator, I would definitely honor a request to delay merging if the poster promised to alert me a week later. That way it's easy to handle, provided that the OP keeps his promise.
Dec 21, 2010, 7:09 am
#43
Original Member, Ambassador: External Miles and Points Resources
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In a busy forum, a post will be long gone (past page 2) after a week. And if it's not, that means that lots of people have been posting in it, indicating that it is a topic with a lot of interest, and probably shouldn't be merged anyways.
Ha...most threads on common topics are started by relatively new posters. Do you really think they will know to make a "promise" along with their question?
Ha...most threads on common topics are started by relatively new posters. Do you really think they will know to make a "promise" along with their question?
And if there IS already a conversation specific to the OP in an existing thread then the correct course would be to lock the new thread with a link to the existing pertinent thread.
I realize this might require a little more work by moderators, and that they are unpaid (although not always uncompensated), but mega-threading is killing the functionality of FT. It has to be fixed.
Dec 25, 2010, 5:50 pm
#44
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jun 2000
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While the mega-thread phenomenon has been getting worse and worse, what motivated me to start this thread at this time is a story that a former-frequent poster told me over drinks recently. He came back to FT to find a specific answer to a specific question pertaining to upgrade status of a general member on same PNR. Unable to wade through the several mega-threads on upgrades that search returned he posted his specific question. Before anyone could reply it was moved to one of the several mega-threads that had little relevance to his specific question. There it went unanswered.
That's a serious problem as it renders FT useless to newbies and oldies alike!
I do agree that there is a time and a place for mega-threads. Hotel properties are a good example (although, in many instances they end up turning FT into TripAdvisor light). All questions about, say, a specific route too. But something as general as 'upgrades' is far too broad.
There is a TOS that requires threads to be on-topic, as I recall. This TOS is regularly violated by mega-threads which appear to my eyes to take any post containing a keyword (say, 'upgrade') and combining them into a single mega-thread whether the post has any relevance to other posts in that mega-thread or not. That's just lazy and it should be a TOS violation.
If the TOS on this matter is not specific enough, perhaps the TB should take a look at that TOS and consider making it more specific.
That's a serious problem as it renders FT useless to newbies and oldies alike!
I do agree that there is a time and a place for mega-threads. Hotel properties are a good example (although, in many instances they end up turning FT into TripAdvisor light). All questions about, say, a specific route too. But something as general as 'upgrades' is far too broad.
There is a TOS that requires threads to be on-topic, as I recall. This TOS is regularly violated by mega-threads which appear to my eyes to take any post containing a keyword (say, 'upgrade') and combining them into a single mega-thread whether the post has any relevance to other posts in that mega-thread or not. That's just lazy and it should be a TOS violation.
If the TOS on this matter is not specific enough, perhaps the TB should take a look at that TOS and consider making it more specific.
I am not interested in what UA web support said or did in 2005 etc.
Ask a very specific question about the United website, and that is where it will end up buried today - as post 6,548, and never get a response.
I almost never post there, and am still a 1K after 10 years. Many others tell me the same story .. they just simply do not bother any more.
If that is good for FT .. well others with skin in the game can make that call.
However I can, totally free of charge, condense the UA forum down to three threads if that will assist anyone.
Will save everyone a ton of time. Few members will read or post anything of course, but gee think how neat and tidy it will look. @:-)
Glen
.
Dec 29, 2010, 5:24 pm
#45
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jun 2002
Location: n.y.c.
Posts: 13,988
As has been pointed out earlier on this thread, the United Forum seems the main culprit here.
I am not interested in what UA web support said or did in 2005 etc.
Ask a very specific question about the United website, and that is where it will end up buried today - as post 6,548, and never get a response.
I almost never post there, and am still a 1K after 10 years. Many others tell me the same story .. they just simply do not bother any more.
If that is good for FT .. well others with skin in the game can make that call.
However I can, totally free of charge, condense the UA forum down to three threads if that will assist anyone.
Will save everyone a ton of time. Few members will read or post anything of course, but gee think how neat and tidy it will look. @:-)
Glen
.
I am not interested in what UA web support said or did in 2005 etc.
Ask a very specific question about the United website, and that is where it will end up buried today - as post 6,548, and never get a response.
I almost never post there, and am still a 1K after 10 years. Many others tell me the same story .. they just simply do not bother any more.
If that is good for FT .. well others with skin in the game can make that call.
However I can, totally free of charge, condense the UA forum down to three threads if that will assist anyone.
Will save everyone a ton of time. Few members will read or post anything of course, but gee think how neat and tidy it will look. @:-)
Glen
.
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