Reconstructing FT to make it more of a social flagship?
#16
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jun 2006
Location: IAD/DCA
Posts: 31,797
new features for http://www.flyertalk.com/
The plan is to reconstruct the FlyerTalk site more towards and make it a social flagship...The goal of the mobile version of the site is to add real value to FlyerTalk, not just a mobile skin; for example facilitating airport networking by adding a feature that allows you to find other FlyerTalk users in the airports they visit.
The plan is to reconstruct the FlyerTalk site more towards and make it a social flagship...The goal of the mobile version of the site is to add real value to FlyerTalk, not just a mobile skin; for example facilitating airport networking by adding a feature that allows you to find other FlyerTalk users in the airports they visit.
#17
Founder of FlyerTalk
Join Date: May 1998
Location: Colorado Springs, CO
Posts: 6,540
Rather than with your expertise with competing websites of FlyerTalk try and blame perhaps something that I do not believe exists with my knowledge, you might consider that perhaps IB has other strategies in mind and I of course would support those. A better user experience has always been a desire of anyone who has managed FlyerTalk. A truly customized solution might be better an example of fatwallet.com. The daily function of FlyerTalk as a forum bulletin board is largely indifferent than that of other websites using vB in the 3.X range, other than the graphics. Even another competitor of FlyerTalk, travelingbetter.com continues to use the same version of vB without moving forward to the 4.X version upgrade of vB and it appears that competing website does not have any custom enhancement.
Anyway, I have faith that IB will figure out which direction of technology they may want to take FlyerTalk and do a good job with it. As a note, there have been many websites not wanting to make the leap to 4.X of vB and it's almost always not because their current website is custom or even "screwed up."
#18
Founder of FlyerTalk
Join Date: May 1998
Location: Colorado Springs, CO
Posts: 6,540
While it may be that you have access to things that even I do not have access to, and thus your explicit knowledge of the difference in a labor of love and a profit, I don't think you can speak for me. I have always had an overall model — trying to help travelers increase their travel knowledge with very special focus on miles and points. Call it what you like, but each new toll i have introduced seems to do well at that and I'll continue to try and help those that appreciate what the gift of more travel knowledge can do for them. As for profit, I'll add my own thought on that since you seem to have yours. I'm was, am and will always be proud that individuals such as yourself seemed to have profited by the existence of FlyerTalk in how you have increased your travel knowledge and social network. My profit from FlyerTalk I define as the next person i meet in an airport with a bag tag going somewhere with a purpose and likely more knowledge than they had before FlyerTalk. There is nothing more valuable than that for me, though you may have other definitions for your own personal use. But please don't try and define my life in helping other travelers for me.
#19
A FlyerTalk Posting Legend
Join Date: Aug 2002
Programs: UALifetimePremierGold, Marriott LifetimeTitanium
Posts: 71,114
While it may be that you have access to things that even I do not have access to, and thus your explicit knowledge of the difference in a labor of love and a profit, I don't think you can speak for me. I have always had an overall model — trying to help travelers increase their travel knowledge with very special focus on miles and points. Call it what you like, but each new toll i have introduced seems to do well at that and I'll continue to try and help those that appreciate what the gift of more travel knowledge can do for them. As for profit, I'll add my own thought on that since you seem to have yours. I'm was, am and will always be proud that individuals such as yourself seemed to have profited by the existence of FlyerTalk in how you have increased your travel knowledge and social network. My profit from FlyerTalk I define as the next person i meet in an airport with a bag tag going somewhere with a purpose and likely more knowledge than they had before FlyerTalk. There is nothing more valuable than that for me, though you may have other definitions for your own personal use. But please don't try and define my life in helping other travelers for me.
But I do think it's a bit disengious to say it was only a labor of love, since you did sell FT for a profit - and then created a competing website to FT a few years later
Back on topic - while I might not be up on social media, if IB can implement things in that manner that makes FT a better site for its users, good for them. Whether the software allows it I'll leave to others.
Cheers.
#20
Ambassador, New England
Join Date: Aug 2001
Location: Maineiac, USA
Programs: Amtrak, WN RR, Choice
Posts: 2,655
#21
A FlyerTalk Posting Legend
Join Date: Aug 2002
Programs: UALifetimePremierGold, Marriott LifetimeTitanium
Posts: 71,114
Speaking of which... any updates on the Wikiposts Resolution?
Cheers.
#22
Original Member, Ambassador: External Miles and Points Resources
Join Date: May 1998
Location: Digital Nomad Wandering the Earth - Currently in LIMA, PERU
Posts: 58,626
koko, while I respect you do have expertise in bulletin board software from when you helped start a competing website against FlyerTalk (moremiles.org) and oliver2002, I also realize that you may have ample knowledge of website operations given your close involvement and active support of another competing website against FlyerTalk (vielfliegertreff.de), I might suggest that you may be misinformed or even uninformed about the customization of FlyerTalk. There is actually very little custom conversion of the vBulletin base software with some additions added to external pages of content such as Best Practices for the Moderators and an outside db of member history related to an occasional infraction of one or more of the basic rules for all members, etc. There may be use of a few plugins for vB that the developers decided to not support for the 4.X release, but those plugins were not developed by those who helped build FlyerTalk. And actually the history of FlyerTalk is that is did in fact move forward with version releases of vB from 2.X to 3.X, etc. and all the .X releases in between with little or no problems that don't typically occur.
Rather than with your expertise with competing websites of FlyerTalk try and blame perhaps something that I do not believe exists with my knowledge, you might consider that perhaps IB has other strategies in mind and I of course would support those. A better user experience has always been a desire of anyone who has managed FlyerTalk. A truly customized solution might be better an example of fatwallet.com. The daily function of FlyerTalk as a forum bulletin board is largely indifferent than that of other websites using vB in the 3.X range, other than the graphics. Even another competitor of FlyerTalk, travelingbetter.com continues to use the same version of vB without moving forward to the 4.X version upgrade of vB and it appears that competing website does not have any custom enhancement.
Anyway, I have faith that IB will figure out which direction of technology they may want to take FlyerTalk and do a good job with it. As a note, there have been many websites not wanting to make the leap to 4.X of vB and it's almost always not because their current website is custom or even "screwed up."
Rather than with your expertise with competing websites of FlyerTalk try and blame perhaps something that I do not believe exists with my knowledge, you might consider that perhaps IB has other strategies in mind and I of course would support those. A better user experience has always been a desire of anyone who has managed FlyerTalk. A truly customized solution might be better an example of fatwallet.com. The daily function of FlyerTalk as a forum bulletin board is largely indifferent than that of other websites using vB in the 3.X range, other than the graphics. Even another competitor of FlyerTalk, travelingbetter.com continues to use the same version of vB without moving forward to the 4.X version upgrade of vB and it appears that competing website does not have any custom enhancement.
Anyway, I have faith that IB will figure out which direction of technology they may want to take FlyerTalk and do a good job with it. As a note, there have been many websites not wanting to make the leap to 4.X of vB and it's almost always not because their current website is custom or even "screwed up."
What would you suggest FT do to increase social functionality without losing the attractive simplicity that it currently enjoys, short of abandoning the ship and starting a new site on different BB platform?
#23
Moderator: Lufthansa Miles & More, India based airlines, India, External Miles & Points Resources
Join Date: Dec 2002
Location: MUC
Programs: LH SEN
Posts: 48,190
[...] oliver2002, I also realize that you may have ample knowledge of website operations given your close involvement and active support of another competing website against FlyerTalk (vielfliegertreff.de), I might suggest that you may be misinformed or even uninformed about the customization of FlyerTalk. [...]
#25
Original Member, Ambassador: External Miles and Points Resources
Join Date: May 1998
Location: Digital Nomad Wandering the Earth - Currently in LIMA, PERU
Posts: 58,626
As I recall, at the outset of the competing BB venture a great deal was made about the social-media-like look and feel of the BB software the competing site was built on.
So, as I say, I think Randy is uniquely positioned to give the TB advice on how to improve the 'social mediaization' of FT. But given his financial stake in a BB that is a direct competitor, and the fact that the relationship between Randy and IB ended in (settled out of court) lawsuits, I guess I can't hold out much hope for actually getting that valuable input...
If it is not,as Randy insists, over customization, then I wonder what the drawbacks of going to v4 are. Anyone have perspective?
#26
Join Date: May 2004
Location: Home
Programs: AA, Delta, UA & thanks to FTers for my PC Gold!
Posts: 7,676
As to the Vbulletin question, yes, IB owns that as well. I am sure it does streamline the process to get fixes made but it still remains a process. Upgrading a given site (especially one as huge as FT) to new versions of VB is also a process, and not one we undertake lightly; we'd rather deal with a relatively small issue for a while than risk losing the whole site over a rushed update.
#27
Original Member, Ambassador: External Miles and Points Resources
Join Date: May 1998
Location: Digital Nomad Wandering the Earth - Currently in LIMA, PERU
Posts: 58,626
#28
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Mar 2004
Location: SGF
Programs: AS, AA, UA, AGR S (former 75K, GLD, 1K, and S+, now an elite peon)
Posts: 23,196
Not traveling so much as moving. I'm a bit closer to being settled down, but moving 4,000 miles across the continent does take a toll on time on FT.
As it relates to vB 4.0: I have talked with the IB tech guys about this and understand their hesitation. There is something to be said for stability over functionality. On the other hand, where there's a will, there's a way, and I believe it's time to modernize FT. I actually don't even think vB 4.0 goes far enough to that end, but it may be the best we can do with the resources we have. FlyerTalk will ultimately survive for a very long time regardless of the interface simply due to the massive amount of collective knowledge and wisdom (and community) we have here, but I hold out hope that we can also engage with the new social web in a relevant way. I am not the expert in how to do that, though, but like Justice Potter Stewart, I'll know it when I see it.
#29
Original Poster
Join Date: Feb 2010
Location: US
Programs: (PM)AA SPG (Marriott), Hilton
Posts: 1,040
#30
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Oct 2006
Location: Marriott or Hilton hot tub with a big drink <glub> Beverage: To-Go Bag™ DYKWIA: SSSS /rolleyes ☈ Date Night: Costco
Programs: Sea Shell Lounge Platinum, TSA Pre✓ Refusnik Diamond, PWP Gold, FT subset of the subset
Posts: 12,509
The basic interface of the FlyerTalk iPhone app is not wholly horrible, but there are a few minor bugs that unfortunately make it impossible for me to use it with my browsing habits. Therefore, I haven't opened the app in several months and have little to say about it, other than that while I appreciate the folks at IB who bring us FT and I know they are doing the best they can with the resources they are given, stepping back a bit, I am a little underwhelmed at IB's responsiveness to address some of these (and other) issues.