Nov 6, 2016, 7:14 am
Last edit by: JDiver
TalkBoard Will Disband 30 November 2016
"Talkboard will be disbanded at the end of November. Many people have faithfully served as Talkboard members. Many good decisions have come from it, and FlyerTalk has been strengthened as a result. However, FlyerTalk is now a mature board with little activity where Talkboard can engage. It's been increasingly difficult to get members to vote in the Talkboard election. I think that readers are happy to engage in conversations about miles and points but have little interest in the mechanics of the board. I deeply appreciate all that Talkboard has done over the years. We are a better site thanks to their efforts.
Carol
Community Director" (See post #4)
In our opinion, the members who have so ably served TalkBoard and the Community over the years deserve our thanks for sharing their interest, time, efforts and varied points of view towad building an ever better FlyerTalk.
Please direct your comments, feedback and discussion regarding this new stage in FlyerTalk's growth and direction in a friendly, respectful FlyerTalk manner here.
JDiver and Moderator2, proud to have been your TalkBoard forum Moderator team
No TB Elections: TalkBoard Disbands 30 Nov 2016
Nov 17, 2016, 12:57 pm
#61
Founder of FlyerTalk
Join Date: May 1998
Location: Colorado Springs, CO
Posts: 6,540
Let me weigh on on this topic if I may.
Let me weigh on on this topic if I may.
Let's look back on the origins of the TalkBoard. The concept originally came about in the late 90s (FlyerTalk officially started in 1995) as a way to open up a channel of communication within the members of FlyerTalk and use the voice of members to help build a path for FlyerTalk. Of and by the members was important in those early days. While not true today, FlyerTalk at the time had no mentors, had no competitors to learn from, no existing business/community model and as a pathfinder in a new and growing forest called the World Wide Web, used a process that is now called "crowdsourcing" as it's listening device. Yes, FlyerTalk was early on in travel: among the first to form a crowdsourcing "business plan", among the first to create what is called social media today by introducing formal lurkers and among the first at so many other things. All members should be proud of its heritage.
As for the TalkBoard, actually when Internet Brands acquired FlyerTalk in 2007, the wind down of the TalkBoard was among the topics that i advised Brent, the main representative of Internet Brands, of at the time as I had thought that FlyerTalk had gotten to a point even in a day and age of growing social interaction in 2007 that any local decisions for changes could be made individually without the need for a board action given it's long and illustrious history of other decisions. The point, it doesn't take a village to decide if Spirit Airlines requires its own forum—it doesn't.
While it has taken a while to get to that advice given in 2007, I support this being completed and would ask members of FlyerTalk to be proud of how it got here. And it does not signal a message that member input is no longer needed—it is. Along that path and is mentioned upstream in this thread is that there was previously a "Suggestions" thread and a return to that format would ensure a public channel of ideas and suggestions from FlyerTalk members thus still ensuring the concept of "crowdsourcing" continues past its 21 years to date. Anyone at Internet Brands could parse though those suggestions based upon its relevance to technology or to content or to structure and speed along the process of implementation.
Members and their voice are just as important today as they were in 1995, it's just the process of parsing that voice will be done in a more expedient manner. (cue the jokes about how many TalkBoard members does it take to .....)
For all those who represented the voices of our members—applause, applause, applause. I recall many great moments in the TalkBoard history, many great dinners (Lon's at the Hermosa Inn in Scottsdale was my personal fave) and of course many great discussions of what eventually would result in what FlyerTalk is today.
Losing the TalkBoard doesn't mean FlyerTalk losing its vibrancy. It doesn't mean anything more than we have arrived.
Let's look back on the origins of the TalkBoard. The concept originally came about in the late 90s (FlyerTalk officially started in 1995) as a way to open up a channel of communication within the members of FlyerTalk and use the voice of members to help build a path for FlyerTalk. Of and by the members was important in those early days. While not true today, FlyerTalk at the time had no mentors, had no competitors to learn from, no existing business/community model and as a pathfinder in a new and growing forest called the World Wide Web, used a process that is now called "crowdsourcing" as it's listening device. Yes, FlyerTalk was early on in travel: among the first to form a crowdsourcing "business plan", among the first to create what is called social media today by introducing formal lurkers and among the first at so many other things. All members should be proud of its heritage.
As for the TalkBoard, actually when Internet Brands acquired FlyerTalk in 2007, the wind down of the TalkBoard was among the topics that i advised Brent, the main representative of Internet Brands, of at the time as I had thought that FlyerTalk had gotten to a point even in a day and age of growing social interaction in 2007 that any local decisions for changes could be made individually without the need for a board action given it's long and illustrious history of other decisions. The point, it doesn't take a village to decide if Spirit Airlines requires its own forum—it doesn't.
While it has taken a while to get to that advice given in 2007, I support this being completed and would ask members of FlyerTalk to be proud of how it got here. And it does not signal a message that member input is no longer needed—it is. Along that path and is mentioned upstream in this thread is that there was previously a "Suggestions" thread and a return to that format would ensure a public channel of ideas and suggestions from FlyerTalk members thus still ensuring the concept of "crowdsourcing" continues past its 21 years to date. Anyone at Internet Brands could parse though those suggestions based upon its relevance to technology or to content or to structure and speed along the process of implementation.
Members and their voice are just as important today as they were in 1995, it's just the process of parsing that voice will be done in a more expedient manner. (cue the jokes about how many TalkBoard members does it take to .....)
For all those who represented the voices of our members—applause, applause, applause. I recall many great moments in the TalkBoard history, many great dinners (Lon's at the Hermosa Inn in Scottsdale was my personal fave) and of course many great discussions of what eventually would result in what FlyerTalk is today.
Losing the TalkBoard doesn't mean FlyerTalk losing its vibrancy. It doesn't mean anything more than we have arrived.
Nov 17, 2016, 1:08 pm
#62
Community Director Emerita
Join Date: Oct 2000
Location: Anywhere warm
Posts: 33,737
Thank you, Randy. It's great to see you visiting your family. And thank you so much for sharing with us the history of Talkboard, of your pioneering use of social media, and the use of crowd sourcing to create structure for FlyerTalk. This all gave us a robust site. And thank you for your support for the decision to wind down Talkboard. I am deeply appreciative of those who served, of the hard topics they took on, and the wise decisions they made. And the time has come for the next chapter.
I expect to set up a new forum called "The Suggestion Box" and place it adjacent to CommunityBuzz. It wlll be the place for members to come who have an idea for how to do better what we already do very well.
Carol
I expect to set up a new forum called "The Suggestion Box" and place it adjacent to CommunityBuzz. It wlll be the place for members to come who have an idea for how to do better what we already do very well.
Carol
Nov 17, 2016, 6:03 pm
#63
Original Member
Join Date: May 1998
Location: PDX
Programs: TSA Refusenik charter member
Posts: 15,978
The 3 Moderators are long time members of FT. Another 10+ will be added after some experience is gained.
There is currently no Talk Board. The post #'s you seen in that forum are from the historical and current group of ~10 long time FT'ers who aided in the testing and commenting of nFT. The continued posting in the Talk Board forum is follow-up and new minor issues.
The first Talk Board will be appointed (4) and elected (6) in the next weeks. They will have a one year renewable term.
Anyone can apply for these positions: TalkAssist, TalkModerator, TalkBoard.
Apply here -> http://www.flyertalk.com/talkteam.shtml
That being said, I assume this thread will be moved to a more appropriate forum.
Dorian
(code)
[This message has been edited by Dorian (edited 07-22-2001).]
There is currently no Talk Board. The post #'s you seen in that forum are from the historical and current group of ~10 long time FT'ers who aided in the testing and commenting of nFT. The continued posting in the Talk Board forum is follow-up and new minor issues.
The first Talk Board will be appointed (4) and elected (6) in the next weeks. They will have a one year renewable term.
Anyone can apply for these positions: TalkAssist, TalkModerator, TalkBoard.
Apply here -> http://www.flyertalk.com/talkteam.shtml
That being said, I assume this thread will be moved to a more appropriate forum.
Dorian
(code)
[This message has been edited by Dorian (edited 07-22-2001).]
Nov 23, 2016, 10:11 am
#64
Moderator Hilton Honors, Travel News, West, The Suggestion Box, Smoking Lounge & DiningBuzz
Join Date: Jun 2000
Programs: Honors Diamond, Hertz Presidents Circle, National Exec Elite
Posts: 36,018
Nov 30, 2016, 4:08 pm
#65
In Memoriam, FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jun 2000
Location: Benicia CA
Programs: Alaska MVP Gold 75K, AA 3.8MM, UA 1.1MM, enjoying the retired life
Posts: 31,849
I've only posted in two threads since January 1: a thread trying to merge Travel News, where I regularly post, with another forum, a topic that just never seems to die, and a thread from an Internet Brands employee asking for feedback. I was a regular poster on this forum for years, contributing weekly if not daily on some issues, but the dissent among a few Talk Board members, timed around the last election, and the public harassment of one Talk Board member, soured me on participating in this forum. I suspect I was not alone in mostly sitting on the sidelines.
Goodbye, Talk Board.
Goodbye, Talk Board.
Nov 30, 2016, 5:48 pm
#66
Join Date: Jun 2002
Location: BCT. Formerly known as attorney28
Programs: LH HON,BA GGL GfL,Hyatt LT Glob,Mrtt LT P,Hilt LT D,IC Amb,Acc P,GHA Tit,LHW Strlg,Sixt/Av/Hz D/Pres
Posts: 6,823
That is why members no longer bother to vote in TB elections and, indeed, very few are interested in serving on TB. This is a pity as you have these three thousand or so members who are very dedicated to FlyerTalk, tend to be more highly educated and professionally successful than posters on other boards, and could have made substantial contributions to how FT operates if only they were allowed to do so.
Yes, for the reasons outlined in Dov's post above. Might as well close it down.
Agreed 100%....I've always felt, even when I was a moderator & a TB member, that this was a pretty bad policy. I can understand not discussing specific actions, as that's what Randy's view point was - but it's become a taboo to talk about it in general & if members can't express or discuss their community and how it's managed, then it's not really a community...
If that's all it's allowed to deal with, which is what it came to many years ago already, then yes, closing it down has been overdue.