Every time--except two--that I've logged into FT Chat, I've been the only person in there.

The lounges also allow the conversation to be archived and referenced later (as I just did for my post above). In Chat, the content scrolls off of the screen in a relatively short amount of time.

I have nothing against FT Chat; I just don't find that it works well for me. In the rare occasions that I find activity in there, I do enjoy it. I find the lounges a workable extension of the FT Chat experience.

The lounges really are quite fun, and I can't fathom why anyone would be so vehemently against them. I don't get the sense that they're exclusionary at all; in contrast, as soon as a new person stops by, I see nothing but warm welcomes all around.

I'd really encourage you to drop by and visit perhaps some of the other lounges you haven't said hi in before casting wide aspersion on all lounges. I think you'll find them very much within the spirit of the FlyerTalk community. Might I suggest a sampling of http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/alask...y-welcome.html? :)

(NB: I am indeed following and paying attention to the comments about the core subject of this thread; I simply wanted to address some of the misconceptions I've seen posted about this subject.)

Where were you in 2007 when the lounge thread started in the CO forum? That one has been out there for 4 years now and has over 300,000 posts. If it was going to be moved to OMNI, or the subsequent threads in Community or UA moved to OMNI, that would have happened long ago. Just accept that we have lounge threads even though you may not participate in them (I don't, but I accept they're in various forums and those posts count).

I think you're better off spending your energy getting OMNI posts counted versus complaining about lounge threads.

You seem absolutely wanting to impose your vision.:eek:
That's amazing and conflicting IMO with the description of Ambassador's role you've made.
If your Omni topics are so important and helpful why not post them in an other forum ? :confused:
Count of negative posts for lounges posting and even hide lounges threads if that help you to feel better :D:p

BTW :
- Saying 'Good Morning' is a social proof of respect (even if respect is not important for people nowadays)
- lounges posts have been the basis of several DOs
- lounges posts allowed me to meet physically people that I never knew in other circumstances because I frequent BA /BD / LH forums and theirs are UA / DL / AA.

In conclusion I respect the participants of Omni and I'd like that they could be able to argue to obtain the counting of their posts without denigrating other threads on which they have no idea.

Which forum would you suggest for posts on how to make home repairs or handle a hit and run accident, if not OMNI? These have both been recent topics there.

Apparently, lounge threads also serve the purpose of post-padding, so that members can gain access to CC and OMNI.

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/16437361-post294.html

Where would you have posted this thread... http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/omni/...dies-75-a.html

Dan

No, I stated my opinion and backed it up with an example which I felt fit the situation.

Feel free to complain if you feel I'm not being welcoming to newbies, because that's my role.

My topics? I'm talking about helping others and having the community put zero value on it. It's not about my topics or anyone else's. It the value the community places on mine, and other's responses, as I noted above.

:confused: :confused: I wish I could hide them, and I'm sure others do as well.
All of that... every one, has taken place in Omni.

No idea? I tried to follow one and it became impossible. I simply do not have the time to sift through 300-400 posts that can appear overnight.

There is no denigration here. The issue I raised is why a good morning has value to the community and my identifying a rose plant and telling people about it's culture does not. Or someone assisting another FTer getting the best price on an engagement ring, or how to easily fix plumbing.

Isn't this just an extension of the previous discussion (albeit, the one I was actually involved in dealt with CC)? If OMNI should be masked because it's a special forum that has nothing to do with travel, then why should posts count? The posts themselves don't contribute to the 'core' of FT.

And is the only real value of a post an additional tick-box next to your name? Isn't the value of posting in, say, an OMNI Clinic thread that you're helping a fellow forum user?

Further, I'd argue, that this only increases the dim view I have of certain posts in the CC discussion. Given that the discussion included opinions that the two forums should be *more* restricted than they currently are, counting posts in them just serves as another slap in the face to members who don't have that access. Sort of a "well, if y'all just post in OMNI, you can make sure that your post counts stay high enough to always have access". Which may or may not make sense or be representative of anyone's desired reality, but just adds to the perception that it's an elite club whose members are trying to make it more elite and/or exclusionary.

* I should note that I've read through the thread, and I understand where some folks are coming from, and I'm not trying to attribute the above to anyone, but it seems like a lot of these discussions don't have a clear point of view from people 'of my post count', so I wanted to throw it in.

You are repeating the same things again and again !;)
Is this the Coué method ? :p
I'm sorry but I get out of the loop :D

Can you make your point without accumulating any additional emoticons? You've already used 14 in this thread.

that would be nice to also count the emoticons ;)

Quite unfair to base your entire perception about a valuable community feature on a statement about something that is infinitesimally minor and that I have never seen be a problem.

Additionally, the moderator corps is very good at spotting these kinds of "runners" who post with only the goal of accessing Coupon Connection and dealing with them appropriately.

That's never happened in the Delta Lounge...or in the one I welcomed you to last night (an invitation which I notice you did not respond to):

I apologize. I was packing last night and am getting ready to leave for the airport shortly. I'll take a look as soon as I get a chance.

I can tell you that it happened on a regular basis in the CO lounge thread. I see 40 posts per page and it was not unusual for me to see 5-10 new pages overnight - never-mind how many there were during the day.

FWIW - I don't have an issue with lounge threads, per se. My issue is with them in the core forums when, IMHO, they belong in the off-topic area. That way, if everyone who now participates in those threads all show up in Omni, the wealth of information will expand greatly, and more people will get to know each other that otherwise would not.

How can I possibly take seriously any suggestion which includes that statement?

That's fine. :)

I will say the CO Box has slowed down tremendously. Like you, I couldn't follow it in the past, but now, there's maybe a half a page of posts a day, and I've been following the newest incarnation since its inception.

The culture there is definitely different from the DL and AS lounges that I'm used to, but it's still fun and educational. ;)

As to your other statement about lounges being moved to OMNI: I see your point, but I don't know that they would function in the same manner there. They certainly would not have naturally sprung up there. The lounges in the individual airline forums began somewhat organically and feel like a natural fit. Herding the cattle all the way over to OMNI and making the lounges harder to find could have the effect of dropping participation in the lounges as they become less visible and/or more difficult to access.