I guess you are going to have to stay confused, that wasn't the thread that I was mocked on. I have been around 5 years and there were a lot more interactions than that one, some aren't around any more because they went way off track. However I do have 300+ unanswered questions in one thread alone! :)

Do you expect one of the Talk Board members to make such a proposal as a result of this thread? What would it entail?

as ive said before, if people want TB to do more, that needs to be an election topic, from candidates

ive also said i find it interesting that no one who brings up issues is doing so from the perspective of terms of service

Perhaps the mods of this forum can explain exactly what is meant by "specific moderator actions" as posts have disappeared from this thread which only discussed moderation in general -- and even then only in connection with this one issue.

Which would be discussion of specific mod actions :) Trust me, the stuff I removed/redacted were comments on specific actions.

Nonetheless, the topic of this thread is how the FT 'attitude' affects newbies?

This new thread in MilesBuzz is a great example:

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/miles...s-january.html

This person has done NO homework. I doubt they've even looked at the award charts to see how many miles they need. But they want somebody else to tell them - they can't even be bothered to click on the credit card threads that are in the same forum they've posted. And yet, you'll see some FTers helping.

Isn't that how it should be? Not everyone has a command of everything that appears on FT. The poster you're referring to has 20 posts compared to you having over 2,000. I'd expect you to have a higher level of expertise. Someone with 20 posts? Maybe not. I'm willing to give those folks the benefit of the doubt and nudge them in the right direction. It's something I do pretty regularly in a newbie thread on one of the airline forums I frequent. Sometimes that's all that is needed.

Actually that thread is a great example of FTers being friendly & helpful to someone who's new (and posted that up front). I say good for the FTers who provided input. ^

Cheers.

That is an excellent thread on how I wish FT would react all the time.

moved

Apologies if I was misunderstood. My point was that FTers are nice even in cases where the poster has clearly not done their homework. That shows that FT is really not hard on newbies, even in cases where it could be argued that the newbies don't deserve help. So I don't see a 'problem' with FT attitude per se.

And BTW, nobody has taken me up on my offer on posting acronyms that cannot be found with a Google or FT search.

When I run into someone like this, I always politely answer their questions while also encouraging to do some research on their own. I generally don't find links for them, but tell them how to find the information.

A some have inquired as to why posts regarding moderator-related issues, I will remind the TOS is specific about moderator actions, and the sticky thread that has been there since October, 2004 and edited February 2011 states:

The topic is Does FT "attitude" drive newbies to blogs? It is, IMO, an important topic and it does not include the perennial discussion of moderators and moderation that caused the "sticky" post to begin with.

Thanks,

JDiver, Senior Moderator

previously - http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/talkb...l#post18139256 (link to a post) >
in this thread >

TB >

moderators >

JDiver is one of four senior moderators, and two others have also posted in the thread

a comment from me >

"feels" = softener, emotion

"for being new" = characterizes as personal (covered by TOS)
in other words subtracting the post/content/action (not personal) from equation

I think what's driven newbies to blogs is the fact that blogs are very well put together these days and they have loads of content and current events in them. An all in one shop, with less sifting but more results. Lately, the blogs HAVE been giving up some golden nuggets too.

As well, one doesn't have to read countless threads or feeling as though they may risk posting the wrong thing in order to try and get info. The 'story' is generally told by the author in full and then commenting people can verify or ask to alter things as need be as a sort of update section that follows the story.

Everyone seems to be on more equal playing fields in this sense-- whereas most commentary comes as a secondary or subset-like section of information from readers instead of how things go on FT... In FT, a poster with 20,000 posts who has been here since before computers were around could intimidate people without even meaning to, and a new person with 10 posts could look like they know nothing when they actually might. People tend to think in these terms sometimes (I'm giving exaggerated examples of course) but in blogs, everyone is pretty much equal when commenting, and the blogger is the one leader. Thus, people think that this one leader MUST be all knowing. No worry nor thread about participating in blog land when you know who is in charge.

Blogs have become easier to make and also can be made to look much more professional than they used to only a few years ago. Back then if you wanted to have a 'blog' you almost needed to host a website. Like, take Gary Steiger's site. Been around forever. Great site, has everything, but it's a website not a blog.

Blogs can be LIKE sites--and look as nice as a website looks and be full of info, but as said, they can allow people to comment and therefore alter the blog. AND they allow comments to happen on a specific topic right here and now, which is what people want these days. We know websites do not have much of that unless the administrator is workin' round the clock on it--which fortunately, Gary S does seem to do!...

FT on the other hand, could have threads that go on for ages. Many have lasted years. For blogs, comments sections go on for maybe a week or so. And of course websites cant always have comment sections in them. Again, the here and now. In and out.

So blogs have become more popular and user friendly by nature. They capture the immediacy people utilize these days with social media such as Facebook and Twitter, and they remain current on events and deals --like the SPG card offers or a mistake fare, etc. They grab you, you get in, get the skinny, add a remark if you'd like and move on. The whole thing scrolls on by. They are also professionally designed and easy to navigate but they don't require a significant web design cost nor does one require so much uber-techie knowledge to create.

There's nothing wrong with a newbie or anyone trying to find the easy way. After all, isnt that what all of us are doing who seek out deals, offers, savings and such? But what blogs have done is that they have made it ok for people who only rely on them or rely on them too much to think LESS for themselves some times. And that, my friends, is exactly what we must avoid.

:)MM