tcook052

On that we can agree as I've always felt it should be no harder to close a forum than create one.

I thought as much while checking out the forum recently. This lowly poster's opinion is also that there are other forums for the large majority of the topics posted to this forum and it could be closed with very little impact.

goalie

Which appropriate forum?

SkiAdcock

From what someone posted, this is one of the most viewed forums on FT & by its nature probably isn't the type to garner a lot of posts. I'm still a bit perplexed on why koko is focused on this particular forum to close & quite frankly don't see an overwhelming need to do so.

Cheers.

kokonutz

That's a moderator-type decision. But generally speaking, TravelBuzz!, where all of the other similar general-travel issues are discussed.

Travel News is basically redundant to TravelBuzz!. The only difference is that all of the Travel News threads start with a link to a specific article, while only some of the TravelBuzz! threads start with a link to a specific article.

Over the course of the history of FlyerTalk, yes. But that is only because 1) it has been around for a long time, and 2) a lot of people USED to look at it a lot. But look at year-to-date posts and views on threads. Now compare that to all of he very the similar threads on Travelbuzz!.

Please don't be perplexed. The reason I am focused on this forum is because as it stands, there are two forums for discussing general travel topics. Keeping ALL general travel discussion in the Travelbuzz! forum whether the discussion is based on a specific news article or not simply makes good sense.

CPRich

I support the closing of this forum. Perhaps I'm another alter ego, as I've crafted the same OP post in my head, almost verbatim, several times after visiting and seeing all of the moves, locks, etc. Thanks for getting around to what I never bothered.

Ancien Maestro

FWIW.. I like the news format on the home page. It sets Flyer Talk apart from other travel websites, and seems to highlight non-partisan information headlines for the day. Gives credibility to Flyer Talk as a resource.

JMHO.

lin821

If I am not mistaken, this thread is about FT's Travel News Forum, which koko wants to close, not the FT homepage.

Having said that, I share the same confusion with Sharon, especially when our MilesBuzz! Forum is taking significantly more "beating" recently:

(emphasis mine)

I am not doubting TBers' ability to multitask. Sometimes I am just simply stumped by the priority list on TBer's table. However, if this is koko's attempt to pick an easy target to demonstrate TBers' incapability to close underperforming fora, well, that's another story:

BTW, does Travel News Forum come up at the top in the private TB's annual review back in Feb 2013, in terms of "the least-used forums for possible closure", per TB's motion on criteria for forum closure that was passed on June 28th, 2010?

Is there even any one single forum that fits the bill based on 2012's yearly metrics? Or did the review take place back in Feb at all?

SkiAdcock

Reviews have taken place in the past. A few forums come up that could potentially be closed (and Travel News isn't on the list IIRC), but the consensus is usually eh, what harm does it do to keep them open. Which is why, out of all the forums, this particular one seems to bug koko enough that he's trying to close this one is perplexing to me. Given it's one of the most visited forums on FT, doesn't make sense to me. So if this goes to a vote I'd be a no on shutting it down.

BTW - because TB doesn't seem to close forums, it's one of the reasons I believe strong cases should be made when discussing the creation of new forums.

Cheers.

kokonutz

I thought we could start with the low-hanging fruit. I mean, here's an example of 2 forums, TravelBuzz! and Travel News, that serve the exact same purpose.

But if we can't even eliminate the low-hanging stuff, then no, I would expect that forum will ever be eliminated ever. In fact, I can only think of one (where the points or miles provider did not go out of business or merge, of course), Senior travel, that was eliminated. Ever. Someone correct me if I am wrong.


ETA, i did find a second: Phone Programs/Partners forum was eliminated in 2006.

Oh, and I am not aware of the TB ever complying with its own 2010 motion to ask for and review forum metrics and make decisions on closing forums. Then again, I have never lent any credence to that motion at all. I think it was a dumb to try to set standards for something (creating needed new forums while eliminating non-useful existing forums) that is far more of an art than a science.

SkiAdcock

Actually they don't.

Cheers.

MSPeconomist

Wasn't there a Toronto forum that was opened and then closed pretty recently?

Eastbay1K

As a "user" and not a "decider," they pretty much do. The News can easily be placed in the Buzz. Or, the rules of the News have to change to keep it from being so worthless, i.e., padlock city. Some days it looks like an S&M party, with padlocks and arrows for the bad bad posters who have been bound and shot.

tom911

I think that's a better idea. Let's go back to how Newsstand, now Travel News, was before the rules changed there that commentary had to be offered before posting a news link. I don't recall the Talk Board signing off on that requirement. Take it away and it will be a much busier forum as it was in past years. I saw many interesting news items there in years past that easily stood on their own without commentary being offered. It was also a good place for new members to get some starter posts in to become familiar with how to post on FT.

I'd also request the Talk Board restore "doc's" name to the forum. Somewhere along the way it was removed from the forum description. He had a lot to do with FT's success in the early years and was a prolific poster in that forum. He should get the credit he deserves.

cblaisd

Today?

Funny guy!

A much more effective travel news clipping service would be https://www.google.com/search?hl=en&....1.bMOsg2JXBac

On a discussion forum, I continue to think what is most worthwhile is when thoughtful FT'ers interestingly discuss general travel news stories. When a op posts a story link and his/her thoughts on why it is interesting it can make for great discussion and it's fascinating to see what posters think is a story worthy of discussion and why.

tom911

I have actually used that for years for stories about American Airlines and United Airlines, as well as coverage on my last employer. Before Google even offered that service I subscribed to a paid service from the San Jose Mercury News offering something similar (think it was called Newshound) where you could customize a limited number of topics. That would have been back in the mid-90s.

With Newsstand, I'd find interesting news articles I might not otherwise see covering topics like Boeing, Airbus, loyalty programs, transit strikes, airline crashes, scams, and many other topics I don't have clipped. I would click through and read the entire story on many occasions. Many of those were stories that I did not see anywhere else and was appreciative that an FTer took the time to post them.

Now, there was one occasion when an FTer posted hundreds of stories about appointments of obscure airport officials at airports you or me would probably never fly to that made the forum useless (it wasn't doc). I felt there was some type of contest underway to see if a new daily posting record could be made in that forum. That was with a prior mod running the show there and stopped after a few weeks.

It was nice to have an inventory of stories there covering a wide range of topics and have the discretion whether to read them or not based on a descriptive topic title provided from a newspaper or wire service. I really do miss the forum as it was before the changes. I did regularly participate there before the changes and I'd venture that the majority of my posts there did not include commentary. The news articles pretty much stood on their own.