Close the Information desk forum
Dec 2, 2014, 1:02 pm
#16
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Except that it is the place to come for Information. From their "Start Here" thread:
And also:
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/infor...how-works.html
I think its accomplishing its goals pretty well. And furthermore, there's a total of three days worth of threads on the first page, four of which are already closed. It's not like it's an overwhelming amount of data to sift through.
The Information Desk is a flame-free forum where all FlyerTalkers can seek answers and advice without fear of unfriendly responses. Its primary purpose is to provide:
New-member guidance — learn to use the site and get pointed to the right forum
Cross-program advice — questions involving multiple programs or which don't seem to fit in any one forum
New-member guidance — learn to use the site and get pointed to the right forum
Cross-program advice — questions involving multiple programs or which don't seem to fit in any one forum
If you're still not sure where your question belongs, post it at the Information Desk. No question is too stupid! If there's a better place for it, we'll simply move it to a forum that can provide the most knowledgable answers and advice.
I think its accomplishing its goals pretty well. And furthermore, there's a total of three days worth of threads on the first page, four of which are already closed. It's not like it's an overwhelming amount of data to sift through.
Dec 2, 2014, 1:46 pm
#17
Join Date: Mar 2000
Location: Santa Cruz, CA USA
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There was a reason why ID was created in the first place - Miles Buzz had been taken over by people asking advice on how to....
That problem has clearly been solved by ID. If you want to close ID, then you need to come up with another solution for the original problem that ID solved. You shouldn't just close ID without considering why it was created in the first place and finding an alternative to ID if you don't like it.
Remember, nothing is perfect - ID improved some things. I think we are better off with it than without it and unless you come up with another way to solvethe original problem, I don't think you should close it.
That problem has clearly been solved by ID. If you want to close ID, then you need to come up with another solution for the original problem that ID solved. You shouldn't just close ID without considering why it was created in the first place and finding an alternative to ID if you don't like it.
Remember, nothing is perfect - ID improved some things. I think we are better off with it than without it and unless you come up with another way to solvethe original problem, I don't think you should close it.
Dec 2, 2014, 2:14 pm
#18
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There was a reason why ID was created in the first place - Miles Buzz had been taken over by people asking advice on how to....
That problem has clearly been solved by ID. If you want to close ID, then you need to come up with another solution for the original problem that ID solved. You shouldn't just close ID without considering why it was created in the first place and finding an alternative to ID if you don't like it.
Remember, nothing is perfect - ID improved some things. I think we are better off with it than without it and unless you come up with another way to solvethe original problem, I don't think you should close it.
That problem has clearly been solved by ID. If you want to close ID, then you need to come up with another solution for the original problem that ID solved. You shouldn't just close ID without considering why it was created in the first place and finding an alternative to ID if you don't like it.
Remember, nothing is perfect - ID improved some things. I think we are better off with it than without it and unless you come up with another way to solvethe original problem, I don't think you should close it.
Cheers.
Dec 2, 2014, 3:11 pm
#19
Join Date: Jul 2009
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Posts: 7,321
It is not *the* place to go for information. If you want information about say, flying Delta, or hotels to stay in in Hawaii, there are other forums for that information. Every forum on Flyertalk is a place to go for information.
The week surrounding Thanksgiving is not a good base to judge posting activity.
Most folks here seem to be talking in binaries, either close the forum or open it. No one is responding to concrete suggestions about fixing it, just defending how important it is to make "newbies" feel "welcome". In reality, its a place for people to ask questions that are answered on google or elsewhere on Flyertalk, or simply to create threads that say things like "Hi I am new and excited to be a travel hacker." There is no information sought or given in a "Hi I am new and excited" post.
The week surrounding Thanksgiving is not a good base to judge posting activity.
Most folks here seem to be talking in binaries, either close the forum or open it. No one is responding to concrete suggestions about fixing it, just defending how important it is to make "newbies" feel "welcome". In reality, its a place for people to ask questions that are answered on google or elsewhere on Flyertalk, or simply to create threads that say things like "Hi I am new and excited to be a travel hacker." There is no information sought or given in a "Hi I am new and excited" post.
Dec 2, 2014, 3:19 pm
#20
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Tweaking a forum is something for the mods & FTers more than TB. You've got specific suggestions & my recommendation that you post either in the public ID forum or send a PM to the mods re: specifics if you think that will garner their attention sooner.
Cheers.
Cheers.
Dec 2, 2014, 3:51 pm
#21
FlyerTalk Evangelist
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That is precisely one of the key charters of the Information Desk forum: to serve as an information desk for navigating FlyerTalk.
In fact, the very name "Information Desk" was created to conjure up images of the airport information desk you'll often encounter staffed by volunteers--they may not know the answers to all of the questions about checked baggage or TSA policies or local transport or whatever, but they can point you in the direction of the folks you should talk to to get your answer (the airline check-in desk, the baggage services office, the taxi stand manager, etc.).
So you're proposing to scrap the Information Desk and then create an Information Desk. That doesn't make sense...
That said, one thing we need to talk about is the "Cross-Program Discussion" aspect of the Information Desk. Although I have long argued that such discussion has not had a home on FlyerTalk (making it difficult to compare multiple airlines/programs, since you have to choose one airline forum to post the question in, which of course leads to, at best, uninformed or biased responses) and so I wouldn't necessarily want to see that go away, that part of the Information Desk seems to be the cause of some of the "noise" therein. In any case, we need to have a dialogue about that kind of subject matter on FlyerTalk (and no, it does not belong in the "TravelBuzz" or "MilesBuzz" forums). We've tried to create a space to host this kind of dialogue in the meta-Info-Desk thread in the Info Desk forum, but no one seems to want to engage in a dialogue there.,,
In fact, the very name "Information Desk" was created to conjure up images of the airport information desk you'll often encounter staffed by volunteers--they may not know the answers to all of the questions about checked baggage or TSA policies or local transport or whatever, but they can point you in the direction of the folks you should talk to to get your answer (the airline check-in desk, the baggage services office, the taxi stand manager, etc.).
So you're proposing to scrap the Information Desk and then create an Information Desk. That doesn't make sense...
That said, one thing we need to talk about is the "Cross-Program Discussion" aspect of the Information Desk. Although I have long argued that such discussion has not had a home on FlyerTalk (making it difficult to compare multiple airlines/programs, since you have to choose one airline forum to post the question in, which of course leads to, at best, uninformed or biased responses) and so I wouldn't necessarily want to see that go away, that part of the Information Desk seems to be the cause of some of the "noise" therein. In any case, we need to have a dialogue about that kind of subject matter on FlyerTalk (and no, it does not belong in the "TravelBuzz" or "MilesBuzz" forums). We've tried to create a space to host this kind of dialogue in the meta-Info-Desk thread in the Info Desk forum, but no one seems to want to engage in a dialogue there.,,
I like the Info Desk forum, I agree it's still not perfect, but it's at least become a clearing house for the threads that used to clutter up Miles Buzz! and made that forum easier to navigate. It's also a good way for new members to get their feet wet in Flyertalk. I think the Mods are doing a great job transferring threads and pointing people in the right direction as need be.
Last edited by Thunderroad; Dec 2, 2014 at 4:11 pm
Dec 2, 2014, 3:53 pm
#22
Suspended
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Location: Atherton, CA
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Meh...
I think it is fine to have the flame free Info Desk, as it provides a place for the usual questions from relative novices. Seems like it also draws a lot of the spam, which can be quickly deleted from there without infecting the rest of FT, as well as a lot of the silly fare requests, which can be summarily dealt with similarly.
As long as the Info Desk Mods aren't running into insurmountable problems, I say leave it alone, or tweak it a bit. For those members who are annoyed by stuff posted in the forum, why not just ignore the forum or hide it? That way you don't have to deal with the "junk" anywhere.
Cheers,
Doc
I think it is fine to have the flame free Info Desk, as it provides a place for the usual questions from relative novices. Seems like it also draws a lot of the spam, which can be quickly deleted from there without infecting the rest of FT, as well as a lot of the silly fare requests, which can be summarily dealt with similarly.
As long as the Info Desk Mods aren't running into insurmountable problems, I say leave it alone, or tweak it a bit. For those members who are annoyed by stuff posted in the forum, why not just ignore the forum or hide it? That way you don't have to deal with the "junk" anywhere.
Cheers,
Doc
Dec 2, 2014, 5:40 pm
#23
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Original Poster
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Meh...
I think it is fine to have the flame free Info Desk, as it provides a place for the usual questions from relative novices. Seems like it also draws a lot of the spam, which can be quickly deleted from there without infecting the rest of FT, as well as a lot of the silly fare requests, which can be summarily dealt with similarly.
I think it is fine to have the flame free Info Desk, as it provides a place for the usual questions from relative novices. Seems like it also draws a lot of the spam, which can be quickly deleted from there without infecting the rest of FT, as well as a lot of the silly fare requests, which can be summarily dealt with similarly.
Dec 2, 2014, 5:46 pm
#24
Join Date: Jul 2009
Location: Washington, DC
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Posts: 7,321
Mods cannot change the title of Info Desk. Mods cannot create a separate forum for people looking for help finding cheap fares. Mods have ignored suggestions except to say IB has some new technology in the future that will somehow ameliorate the problem. So I guess we are SOL.
Let's look at some of the threads sitting there now:
Vancouver BC afordable hotel help (flagged for mods yesterday, still there)
ANA Square First 777 Question (there all day today)
9 hours layover in DXB (posted yesterday, flagged yesterday)
Barclays Arrival Card churnable (there since yesterday)
Hyderabad (HYD) - Mumbai (BOM) - Newark (EWR) (questions about connections in India, there since 11/16)
Lounge Access (questions about 2 specific airline lounge questions, too lazy to post in 2 separate fora, since 11/14)
It seems that most people here are content to have a disorganized, unhelpful Info Desk that encourages laziness, based on the idea that the initial idea in creating Info Desk was good, and who cares if it is not being used as anything other than a place to post every single question anyone could possibly have on Flyertalk. The initial idea was good and darn it, we're not going to revisit it.
Last edited by Adam1222; Dec 2, 2014 at 5:56 pm
Dec 2, 2014, 7:01 pm
#25
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Location: Durham, NC (RDU/GSO/CLT)
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All those issues are moderator related. And again, with three days worth of threads on the first page, threads that wait a day or two to be moved or closed don't really impact the forum all that much.
Dec 2, 2014, 8:19 pm
#26
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When the moderators have to move more threads as misplaced than threads that actually belong, I'm not sure the moderators can do anything.
Mods cannot change the title of Info Desk. Mods cannot create a separate forum for people looking for help finding cheap fares. Mods have ignored suggestions except to say IB has some new technology in the future that will somehow ameliorate the problem. So I guess we are SOL.
Let's look at some of the threads sitting there now:
Vancouver BC afordable hotel help (flagged for mods yesterday, still there)
ANA Square First 777 Question (there all day today)
9 hours layover in DXB (posted yesterday, flagged yesterday)
Barclays Arrival Card churnable (there since yesterday)
Hyderabad (HYD) - Mumbai (BOM) - Newark (EWR) (questions about connections in India, there since 11/16)
Lounge Access (questions about 2 specific airline lounge questions, too lazy to post in 2 separate fora, since 11/14)
It seems that most people here are content to have a disorganized, unhelpful Info Desk that encourages laziness, based on the idea that the initial idea in creating Info Desk was good, and who cares if it is not being used as anything other than a place to post every single question anyone could possibly have on Flyertalk. The initial idea was good and darn it, we're not going to revisit it.
Mods cannot change the title of Info Desk. Mods cannot create a separate forum for people looking for help finding cheap fares. Mods have ignored suggestions except to say IB has some new technology in the future that will somehow ameliorate the problem. So I guess we are SOL.
Let's look at some of the threads sitting there now:
Vancouver BC afordable hotel help (flagged for mods yesterday, still there)
ANA Square First 777 Question (there all day today)
9 hours layover in DXB (posted yesterday, flagged yesterday)
Barclays Arrival Card churnable (there since yesterday)
Hyderabad (HYD) - Mumbai (BOM) - Newark (EWR) (questions about connections in India, there since 11/16)
Lounge Access (questions about 2 specific airline lounge questions, too lazy to post in 2 separate fora, since 11/14)
It seems that most people here are content to have a disorganized, unhelpful Info Desk that encourages laziness, based on the idea that the initial idea in creating Info Desk was good, and who cares if it is not being used as anything other than a place to post every single question anyone could possibly have on Flyertalk. The initial idea was good and darn it, we're not going to revisit it.
I gotta ask...
Why does this bother you so much? You can just ignore the whole forum and thus not be bothered with the misplaced or inane posts, while enjoying the rest of FT with less of the flotsam and jetsam which floats into the Info Desk.
Dec 2, 2014, 8:58 pm
#27
Join Date: Jul 2009
Location: Washington, DC
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As to the question why do I care, you could make the same argument about any post on Flyertalk. Because I want to make Flyertalk better, because I think there *should* be a forum for cross-program discussion, but I don't think it should be the same as the Imanewbiesoiposteverythinghere forum. Finally, because information is more accessible to everyone when all Delta questions and answers are in the Delta forum, all Dubai questions and answers are in the Middle East forum, etc.
Im not going to apologize for caring.
Dec 2, 2014, 9:17 pm
#28
FlyerTalk Evangelist
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As to the question why do I care, you could make the same argument about any post on Flyertalk. Because I want to make Flyertalk better, because I think there *should* be a forum for cross-program discussion, but I don't think it should be the same as the Imanewbiesoiposteverythinghere forum.
I will take this opportunity to post a bit of a mea culpa for not being good about responding to RBPs as of late. Between a very long stretch of overseas travel (over two months) and a few things such as my laptop and passport getting stolen, dealing with rental car damages (the car was broken into), and other challenges, I've been significantly less available online than I usually am (or, frankly, than a moderator should be). Fortunately, I've had the great help in the Information Desk forum from my fellow moderators scoow and especially aBroadAbroad, who deserves nothing but the community's utmost thanks for continuously making a Herculean effort to almost single-handedly keep the Information Desk forum from melting down. She truly is a gem, and without her persistence, I'm sure you'd all have voted to close the Information Desk down weeks ago.
Fortunately, I'm typing this from my new replacement laptop, which I just got turned on and running today, though I'm waiting for a few more Cyber Monday parts to arrive before being able to put it into full-time use. I hope to be back to full-time moderation of the Information Desk forum by this time next week--which means back to making the Information Desk the best place for people to find resources to help them use FlyerTalk more efficiently and find the information they need to learn the ropes of miles, points, and travel.
Dec 2, 2014, 11:55 pm
#29
Join Date: Mar 2014
Location: EWR
Posts: 2,112
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/infor...how-works.html
I think its accomplishing its goals pretty well. And furthermore, there's a total of three days worth of threads on the first page, four of which are already closed. It's not like it's an overwhelming amount of data to sift through.
I think its accomplishing its goals pretty well. And furthermore, there's a total of three days worth of threads on the first page, four of which are already closed. It's not like it's an overwhelming amount of data to sift through.
Dec 3, 2014, 5:17 am
#30
In Memoriam, FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jul 2002
Location: Durham, NC (RDU/GSO/CLT)
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START HERE: Welcome to the Information Desk! What It Is, How It Works