JDiver

Que risa me diste! (How you made me laugh!) Thank goodness we don't decide fora by national head size... and I will not say any more.

Anyway, the OP has have great information from SkiAdcock and lin821, so maybe a nice meal in the local chifa or maybe better some ceviche, anticuchos and picarones, followed by a nice cafecito and prefaced by a Pisco sour... and TalkBoard will take the case under consideration. Like us, TB members are volunteers - they are diverse in work, travel, etc. so it can take some time.

SkiAdcock

We've brought it up for discussion in the private forum. A # of us are traveling or have some work obligations at the moment, but it is something that's been introduced for discussion.

Cheers.

kokonutz

As I said in the private TB forum, I feel that Villavic did a good job of jumping through the bureaucratic hoops that were set up, and that I am supportive of the forum.

So you need to convince (at least) 5 more TB members to get 'er done. ^

goalie

I'm supportive so that means 4

SometimesFlyer

If I may chime in ... (and I'm from neither Peru, Chile, Argentina or Brazil so please pardon me here )

As someone who frequents parts of South America (both the forum as well as in person due to work travels), I have been trying to participate in the South America forums and contributing to the discussion as much as possible. I do find that Peru and its associated topics do seem to come up, usually in spurts. Maybe it is because of tourist season, maybe seasonal promotions, who knows. But at least for the relatively short time I've been a member of FT, that seems to be the trend.

In addition, there seems to be specific questions and discussions about very peru centric topics that are not general to South America (like obviously Machu Picchu, Lima airport overnight info off the top of my head). There also seems to be a trend of the same questions being repeated.

All said, my gut would be to voice support to the OP (who if I may add, has been wonderfully patient and helpful on the South America forums) and his proposal for a separate Peru forum.

I took a look at the list of "questions" one of the moderators posted earlier and took my own stab at trying to answer them. So, IMHO, here goes ...

Thanks for listening.

1. Will the forum be (or is it now) beneficial to FlyerTalk? (IMHO, yes.)

2. Will the new forum benefit a relationship with FlyerTalk? E.g., does the forum provide value for FT members, such as a friendly ear highly placed in the company (NA?)

3. Is FT the best place to discuss this subject? (Already is being done. Same level of discussion, with less specifics at times, on sites like tripadvisor. I find discussion on FT more direct, useful and to the point.)

4. Is there a passionate following? This is essential in order to provide dedicated expert helpers to get questions answered. (Somewhat chicken and egg. I think a dedicated forum will only make it better. There are a core group of folks who seem to help provide info, exchange ideas. Then there is a transient following of people planning trips. And as Peru tourism grows, this will only improve.)

5. Is a critical mass of posts and readers anticipated or existing? We need adequate traffic to keep everyone visiting frequently. One living forum is more valuable than two mostly dead ones. (Probably same answer I would give in 4 above.)

6. Is this the best place on FlyerTalk for this subject? This is the classification issue. The answer depends primarily on achieving and maintaining critical mass. It also depends on whether or where the discussion might (or does) occur in the absence of the forum. (I think South American -> sub country makes good sense. It is a very large, diverse and populous ... )

7. For proposals to split a forum, is the split expected to improve the signal to noise ratio? Why? (I guess creating Peru much be considered splitting out from South America. I think the SNR would improve given the very specific nature of Peru questions. If the forum is created, I can think of 3 or 4 "stickies" that get created immediately to reduce the noise immediately. )

Procedural Statements by the TalkBoard

8. The TalkBoard does not anticipate using automatic sunsetting of forums, preferring instead to create forums only when we they are strongly expected to succeed."

MarLim

I think this is already done with the 2 specific subforums for Brazil and Argentina.

While I can see the reason for having Brazil singled out due to its size, I don't see any reason why Argentina should have its own subforum and not Peru. I have not looked into number of posts relating to each country, but I agree with Villavic that there are dozens of reasons why Peru could get its own subforum, but in the end the only thing that matters is if there are enough FTers around which share the interest for this destination to ensure enough people browing through the posts.

Personally, I'm in favor of having a dedicated place for Peru, despite I'm not Peruvian, nor am I living there, but I'm travelling there about 2x a year and know the country quite well.

skchin

I was seating next to a Peruvian physics professors couple weeks back. The description of his homeland landscape and cousine sounded very interesting. I wouldn't mind taking my whole family to visit Peru in the near future. I support the creation of Peru forum.

FrogProf

4. Is there a passionate following? This is essential in order to provide dedicated expert helpers to get questions answered.

Based on nothing more than the number of times I've recommended a visit to Astrid y Gastón, you would definitely categorize me as a passionate follower of all posts pertaining to Peru.

My thoughts as to the main limitation of a separate Peru forum were expressed well by JohnnyColumbia. There seem to be quite a few threads such as "I'm travelling to Peru and Chile next month and need advice." Would all such multi-country threads henceforth belong in the Peru subforum? Also, since I see at least as much activity pertaining to Chile, would the addition of a Peru subforum suggest the need for a Chile subforum?

Regardless, I completely agree that the sentiment that Villavic makes an excellent case!

However, sadly, the peruano food I've had in Chile (not at top top restaurants, but in moderate places) has been lacking, substantially!

To EastBay1K: I recommend trying El Otro Sitio at the Parque Arauco mall. It's not in the same league as A&G, but it's surprisingly good food for a reasonable price.

iahphx

As long as there's a knowledgable person willing to moderate, I don't see any harm -- and I see a heck of a lot of good -- in having a Peru forum. This is obviously a major South American tourist destination, and all evidence suggests visitation will continue to grow. It benefits Flyertalkers enormously when we're able to exchange information in an efficient manner. Personally, I think EVERY country that attracts a significant number of tourists should have their own forum in Flyertalkers are interested. It's kind of a "you know it when you see it" rule. Paraguay does NOT deserve its own forum. Peru and Chile do. Ecuador is probably a close case.

Embuexpat

Now that Argentina and Brazil are sub-categories of South America, I believe that Peru would be a useful addition as there are many repeat queries that tend to get lost: the Chile or Peru posts can then be dealt with at the SA level. There is certainly sufficient knowledge of and passion for Peru to provide a specific and informed response to most queries I can imagine.

RichMSN

I'm in favor as well. So that's at least 3 yes votes.

SkiAdcock

Moved by RichMSN and seconded by SkiAdcock

"Talkboard recommends the creation of a Peru Forum."

This vote will close on April 17, 2012, at 5:05pm or after all TalkBoard members have registered their vote, whichever comes first

Per the TalkBoard Guidelines:

A motion shall pass if at least two-thirds of the yes or no votes cast by TalkBoard members are ‘yes’ and a majority of the total TalkBoard membership votes 'yes.'

The purpose of posting voting topics in the public TalkBoard Topics forum is to solicit member feedback on any motions that are up for a vote and to allow for comments after a vote is made. It is at the sole discretion of the individual TalkBoard members whether they choose to post in the public discussion thread, there being no requirement to do so.

So while there is already a thread and discussion on this general topic and it is safe to assume that TalkBoard members have reviewed that thread, this thread is about this specific motion.

Please feel free to post questions, comments or any other sort of feedback in this thread, or in the other discussion thread http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/talkb...eru-forum.html

dhammer53

Since we're Peru bound (thank you BA), I think a Peru forum is a good idea. A dedicated forum will encourage new threads. @:-) I like having everything organized, especially since search isn't 100% perfect.

dh

kokonutz

As promised, I have already voted in support of this proposal. I realize it will likely be two full weeks before the vote is final, but it's my hope that if enough of us vote early for this 'no-brainer' proposal it can get up and running well before the last TB member votes which, as I say, I can only assume will be at the very last minute.

goalie

Make it two votes in support