While I prefer that the trip reports be posted directly to FT, at the end of the day, I want to read good trip reports and if some posters are more comfortable posting to their own sites, then I'd rather that than not to have access to the trip report at all.

I personally preferred everything posted on FT when I was still somewhat of a lurker. However, I decided to go to the path on posting my TRs on my blog and linking them for a number of reasons:

I much prefer trip reports to be posted here and with lots of photos. I don't like going off to someone's blog site.
I do wish there was some way to be notified or know when the op had added to the report so that I don't have to slog through comments to get to the good bits.

I much prefer the reports to be hosted on FT. It helps to create a fantastic archive of trip reports in one location rather than having to click onto other sites or personal blogs that may, in the future, no longer be accessible.

Changes have been made :)

Totally agree.

Completely agree. It's hard enough to write the trip report and if we post them on individual forums, we would need to edit and format each of them again after we are done. And if we want to make a change, we need to change it on every single site.

Not to mention if they host the entire TR on FT, the contributors will be allowing FT to print or duplicate their TR contents without notification or compensation (unlikely that this will happen but still a valid reasons for them not to do so)

http://www.flyertalk.com/help/rules.php#q73
Personally I haven't posted any trip reports on FT, but have done so on other forums. If I am forced to have the entire TR hosted on a forum, I wouldn't even consider posting it. Especially when FT doesn't provide photo hosting and I would have to pay for the bandwidth and hosting the photos myself.

I wonder how many of the ones here who have expressed they don't want to click another link to view the report are actually TR contributors (again, just a disclaimer, I am NOT a FT TR contributor). We should try to stand in those contributors' shoes too.

What I am against is someone who simply create a thread and post a link to their site. They should at least make an effort to write an intro and then add the link if they choose to host it on their own sites/blogs.

I have no preference for trip reports hosted elsewhere. I would rather through FT be able to read the report, then miss out all together on it.

I am not one for video reports and do enjoy detailed written reports over ones that are just photographs. Maybe I am old school.

I agree with Seat 2A. I get so peeved when I open a thread and find it is for an upcoming trip. I would prefer at least a decent portion of the trip reported then just saying you have an upcoming trip.

But I do love this forum and live some dreams through it.^^^

hahahahahahaaaa :D

Surprisingly, there are a lot of products around here that you can buy that do contain ham/pork (including actual ham for ham and cheese sandwiches)... But yeah, you're not going to find that many people roasting a pig in their garden (more beef, lamb and chicken I would say).

Thanks for the correction Seat 2A ^ ^

^

That really gets on my goat as well.

It seems to me like a bit of bragging is going on when they do that. Some don't even come back and post the flippin' report. :td:

Let me add another +1 to that. But I'd also like to mention that I don't like when people include links to their other reports in the first paragraph. Let me read your report then decide at the end if I want to be linked to somewhere else. It's like with a book, you have your author bio and other works on the rear dust jacket, and I like it that way.

Just my personal feelings...

I much prefer TR's to be hosted on FT... I am not keen on being re-directed to another site to read stuff. I like the format of FT for reading reports.

I tend to only read reports that feature mainly on the travel getting too and from somewhere. Be it plane, sea or land, but the travel, planing and execution of said trip is what interest me. Oh, and hotels.

I have a strong preference for TRs to be posted on FT itself, and not a private blog. It is rare that I'll click through to a blog, unless it is from a well known FT identity like Lucky.

Some of my reasons:

History and archival. Whilst there's never any guarantee, there is a much greater likelihood that an FT TR will remain in some accessible form throughout time, those on personal blogs, despite the best intention at the time of posting, are at a far greater risk of vanishing due to changing interests, ISP/blog provider changes, and general neglect.

Formatting and style. There is some comfort in consistency, which makes it more readable.

Safety. I trust FT. I do not trust that an externally hosted blog will not be a host for malware or annoying ads or pop-ups.

But, most importantly, community. FT is not a blog, or a board. It is a community of like minded people, and posting a TR here contributes to the growth of that community.


Now, there are certainly good reasons why someone might prefer to post to their blog instead, and I certainly considered doing so with my TRs. But, in the end, I felt, and still feel, that belonging to the community means contributing to it, and keeping TRs on the board is one way of doing so.

^ Totally agree with this one, it's got to be one of the main reasons for hosting a TR on FT, giving back.

I too would like to see TR's here, rather than be directed to another site via a link.

Indeed.

I don't buy the argument from the Bloggers that posting ones report on several sites is far too time consuming. I suspect some people are using this as an excuse in order to direct traffic to their site.
The most time consuming part is actually compiling the report. Once you've done that on Word or similar then it's a simple copy and paste job. I've done this in the past when posting the same report on FT as well as on other sites.

First, I'd like to say that this is the finest forum on FT, and I am most appreciative of the hard work that goes into each and every TR, whether it's a photo report or a long, photo-free missive. This place is just a wonderful resource. ^

Add me to the list of folks who are irked by "previews" posted sometimes weeks or even months in advance of a given trip. I understand why people do this--to try and build anticipation for their report--but it serves the opposite purpose. Whenever I open a thread and am greeted by a message to the effect of, "Stay tuned--coming Summer 2012!," I give it a big :rolleyes: and move on, most likely never to return to the thread. Sorry, but as much as I love a good TR, I'm not going to add yours to my calendar half a year in advance. It just doesn't work that way, and I'd be happy to see mods begin deleting these "threads to nowhere."

As for links to external blogs, I'm not completely against it, though I do prefer to read reports on FT itself. Some of my favorite TRs have been written on Airliners.net or by independent bloggers who link here, so I'm not going to advocate for removing linked reports completely. My only real complaint in this department is that, like others who have posted in this thread, I get the sense that some bloggers are using this forum as a free advertising venue, trying to funnel readers away from FT for their own financial or egotistical gain. Mods could/should keep a close eye on this, and I like the idea of adding a [LINK] tag to the title.

This is the bottom line. It's a wonderful place. Let's not change it too dramatically. I don't think that destination reports necessarily need their own forum or that photo reports should be in a separate sub-forum, etc. IMHO, the place just ain't too terribly broken, so why complicating it by forcing a fix?

Again, I am guilty of the "stay tuned and preview post". All my photo trip reports are from trips already taken months ago not in the future. The problem with me is work, time and travel.

I have difficulties finding time to post all photos at once (average 400 to 500 photos per TR). If I don't start a TR, then I will probably never get around to it.

I hope my posting schedule won't irritate readers too much.:(

No, no, no--definintely not talking about you, UA_Flyer. :) Your reports are some of the most interesting and anticipated in this forum.

Starting a thread after a trip with a few teaser pics and saying "stay tuned while I actually write the report" is one thing. I was only talking about those who start threads saying things like, "Hey, I'm taking a month-long RTW odyssey in EK F and a private jet. Departure in T-minus three weeks. I'll write up the trip report when I get back!" That gets my goat.

Good points raised by several.
My preferences:

Standardize the title threads somewhat. If a link only, indicate so.
I also like to see pics / no pics indicated in the thread title.

I prefer the TRs to be posted on FT, mainly for the archival purposes. It does not solve all issues as sometimes the photo hosting site is not maintained so embedded pictures are lost. Any chance for FT to start hosting the pictures for this forum? From what I hear, storage is now cheap ;)

I join many in disliking the "stay tuned for my RTW trip which starts next year" postings. Delete away, please.

No preference for a "transport" element to be included for posting a TR. If someone feels it is worthy of a TR, let them post. Maybe a sub-forum for "destination reports" if they become too numerous.

Thanks to all the TR posters (after doing one, I realize how long they take) and the mods.

Happy travels.

Thanks for your comments. I appreciate them.

You did bring up good points, which lead me to beleive my TR are long and take too much time to complete. :)

I see many good points raised in the thread and will definitely consider them in my future TRs.

I actually have to disagree with your first point. Posting a few teaser pictures and saying in essence "stay tuned while I actually write the report" is to me the same exact thing as advertising a future report. Please, don't do it!

Why is it so important amongst some of our report writers or photographers that we all become aware of their activities NOW when their trip or report hasn't even started? Why can't they wait for a week or two in order to present us with a decent effort?

Is the gratification received in the form of positive comments from our readers THAT important to them that they need to start getting it as soon as possible? :confused: Before they've even earned it? :rolleyes:

Maybe the key factor is time between substantive additions to the report. I am far more likely to come back to a thread if the trip has already been taken and the report is in progress than I am if the trip hasn't even begun yet. I don't think that *every* pre-report teaser needs to be deleted. Many people post teasers and then dutifully begin the report within 24 hours. Perhaps, at the mods' discretion, there should be a maximum one-week lag time between the teaser post and the first installment of the TR itself. After that, the thread should be deleted.

BTW, Seat 2A, might I just add (apropos of nothing) that based on your reports, you have to be the coolest dude on this site. :cool:

I completely agree...he is the coolest guy on this site. He could give a course on this stuff.

O.k., o.k. eightblack, I guess you're pretty cool too. ...but Seat 2A is automatically cooler due to the fact that he is a Dead fan.

I hear ya, zcat18 and I think that's a reasonable option.

Thanks again to the moderators for soliciting our collective input. The Trip Report Forum is certainly one of the most entertaining at FlyerTalk and we all look forward to making it the best that it can be.

BTW, been listening to alot of Railroad Earth these days. ^

Thanks for all the great feedback everyone.

Feel free to continue to respond to this request. In the meantime Swanhunter and I will digest the feedback and respond in the new year.

While I am at it as it is fast approaching - Happy New Year and safe travels to you all.

For me the following are preferences:

Transport is preferred; however, I will happily make exceptions for reports about unusual destinations (ie Afghanistan, Bhutan, Iran, etc).

I'd prefer to see a copy of the report on FT rather than just linking to the blog. A copy and paste job is not all that difficult.

Some idea of what it going on in the thread title would be appreciated too (Airline, Destination, Class of Service, etc).

Putting together a TR is a major feat, may take anywhere from an hour or two to days, depending on the scale of the report.

As I am more of a AFF reader rather than FT reader, I have in the past just posted a link to my report on FT and AFF remains the "source" thread. If I were to duplicate a full thread post by post on FT and other forums, I could be up for long slog at the PC. I did this tonight on my new TR - and after reading this thread, I decided to recreate the thread on FT as it was on AFF - it took about 20 mins to ensure formatting etc was correct, and links etc worked.

To this end, I am against placing any restrictions on FT members linking to other sites/blogs. This forum is a travel resource, and if people are really interested - they will click the link. If they don't want to go to the outside site, they will continue no further. We should be encouraging everyone to contribute to this forum irrespective of how they choose to do so.

I rather have all TR's hosted by FT, too.

I find ALL reports nice to read. but in my opinion the reports with and without flight element should be separated in a "wings" and "non wings" section. so "wings" reports are not pushed back in line so fast.
People are free to use the programs available to them to do posting in my opinion. We should have the liberty to do so. It would be a great shame to loose the blog reports as there are some cracking reports to read.

I made a trip report and used a blog because I found making a trip report on this site very user UNFRIENDLY and difficult. I believe that the site invites to blog use as a blog is very easy to use. ( took me only 15 minutes after trying for days on this site)

Moderators, It is more important to ask yourselves the question: Why do people use blogs and not this site to make reports?

if I read the blogs most of them are made JUST for the report and not for advertising other stuff. For me it proves that people struggle with this site making reports.

Make a thread where " how to make a trip-report" is explained. a thread were people cant post on , because the excising one is not clear any more. The post with" how to put pictures in report" 2008 is now that long that if you were to print it out, no trees would be left in the Amazon rain forest for sure. it is in need for some updating, so new members get a fresh look on the site. Site attracts new(young) FTers every day!!!

Please do not forget that people that like planes are not all ICT intelligent.

The thread should be an easy step by step explanation of how to use the site, add pictures , place pictures etc. The post you have on this is UNCLEAR. on a blog you just copy and paste your pictures. on this site you have to be an engineer in technology to post or format a picture.
use screenshots as you explain the process.

so
1) Make wings and non wings section
2) Make Protected thread with " How to make tripreport"
3) Use step by step explanations with screen shots for EASY USE
4) Don't let people post on this thread as it makes things confusing.

I would say the opposite actually. Once you've done it for the first time it's very easy to post a trip report here....if I can do it anyone can.
The only problem here is the maximum amount of pictures allowed in one post. Which might be a good thing in so far as picture heavy reports can be hard to load.
Picture size is also important....I've cut down the size of my pictures on my reports lately as they used to be too large and might not load very quickly for some people.

Thanks for seeking this feedback. You raise some interesting and timely questions. This, and the Luxury Hotels forum, are my two favorite areas on FT. We are lucky that there is a culture here of not saying gratuitously negative things. Members of this community spend a lot of time to create these reports, and many people pass a word of thanks, which as an author, I know is much appreciated. If someone doesn't like something, or isn't interested, they simply move on. Factual errors are generally politely corrected.

In considering the questions raised, we should be mindful that some parts of FT, at least, have become very (unduly?) rules-oriented. There are a number of widely varying trip report styles - heavy on pictures, planes/airports only, humorous (to the point of exaggeration in some cases) - all of which sort of come together nicely I think.

Importantly, we have created a culture where people feel welcome to contribute. As a community, we should take special effort to preserve that special feeling. (Regrettably, that feeling doesn't permeate through all parts of FT any longer.) If we get to the point where this forum has a "RULES FOR POSTING TRIP REPORTS" sticky post, that will be a big step in negating the special feel that we presently have. The "Ding Ding! What makes a great trip report" thread of suggestions is much more conducive to the special feeling we have here.


(1) Re posts that merely link to blogs (presumably without any even preliminary content here) / Should reports be hosted on FT.

In general, I'm a fan of having more content here. At the same time, I recognize the significant amount of effort it takes to set something up here (if there are a lot of pictures involved). (Text only reports are very easy to populate here.)

I faced this dilemma last night (before I read this thread). I was posting parts 3 and 4 of a 10 part report (one part had 30+ pictures in it). After all the time spent writing it, I decided I was running out of steam and decided not to re-link all the photos here and simply placed a link directly to an outside blog that I set up where the report was also featured.

I think what I did should be the exception, not the base case, for posters. In my case, if people read down to part 3 (parts 1 and 2 were fully posted here), readers will know if they want to read on or not.

I don't, however, think it should be a "rule" that all content need to be posted here. For those posts that are purely an external link (be it Airliners, Milepoint, SQtalk, or a blog), perhaps we could add a bracketed statement at the end of those threads' the titles that says "[Link Only]" or something. Clicking to Airliners is no better or worse than clicking to a blog.

For those that clicking into a thread to only find a link onward has been a waste of their time, in light of the thousands of hours people put into writing the content here (or on other sites), while you may elect not to click onward, I would encourage you to ask how much time was actually wasted versus the aggregate amount of time people have put into creating wonderful content here. While not everything will be to one's liking,

As to searching, as long as the key messages of a report are captured in the FT post (airlines, cities, classes of service, etc), even if that report then links outward, the FT forum will still be searchable. I don't see search-ability as a big deal.


(2) Transport versus city/attraction:
Everything related to trips should be welcome.

While I enjoy reading about TG F as much as the next guy, the 18th picture of the golf cart picking someone up or of the caviar plate probably doesn't tell me much more than the 17th. (Or the 2nd, for that matter.) If TRs were transport only, barring when a carrier introduces a new cabin (ie: CX's new J), this forum would be extremely repetitive. If we were transit-only, we wouldn't be able to have popular threads like Eightblack's current saga...which has very little to do with the type of champagne served on BA. Nor would we have had Olafman's epic trip...which while did cover, in great detail (and in a good way), EK's showers, was so much more than the transit. (That report brought a tear to my eye, perhaps the most memorable ever here for me.)

To share another approach used in other parts of FT, in the hotel point forums, they have gone so far to create master threads for specific hotels. If we felt this forum was getting overwhelmed, we should create a master thread for TG F - and all reports on TG F should go in that one consolidated spot. (I think creating master threads would be a bad idea - this forum isn't overwhelmed, nor close to being overwhelmed. But if it were, this would be the logical next step.)

Having read trip reports on just about every carriers' premium travel and every airport lounge in the world bar one (stay tuned for my upcoming post on HA's KOA F lounge!), reading about (and seeing) restaurants, sites, and activities is a very welcome part of this forum for me.

I certainly don't set a reminder, either. Perhaps adding a "[Coming Soon]" to the thread title would be a good solution rather than deletion.

Agreed.

+1

Good trip reports come in all styles and flavors. Yours include lots of good detail...don't be discouraged (if you have the time!).

I use FastStone Photo Resizer to standardize the dimensions of my photos and reduce the amount of storage space they take up. I downloaded it for free recently from CNET and have been very pleased. It is extremely simple to use, and can add watermarks and other features.

(I have no stake or ownership interest in the program. I don't even know who the author is.)

I normally prefer the reports that are hosted on the site versus links out to other places but don't object when the author wants to link. I figure that if they want to take the time to author a report then who am I to object to how they choose to provide the content. I'm also not opposed to location reports as opposed to those that are transport centric...it's a trip report forum and IMHO a trip contains many elements, not simply the transport piece.

Trip Reports are far and away the best part of FT for me. I do prefer to have the reports hosted on FT though. Makes it easy to read and to keep track of changes/comments. Reports that are only about the attractions don't bother me at all.

One thing that would be nice is an index of reports. I often want to find a report about a specific airline or class. Search never really turns up anything useful -- for me at least. It would be daunting to create, but the index would be a great resource.

Indeed a daunting challenge...but I agree, this would be a great resource!

It wouldn't be too bad to put new reports in an index - if people submitted their own index terms. Those who have time could also submit index terms for their old TRs