Ronda

I use many travel books. I like Rick Steves for itinerary suggestions, but Fodors has the best hotel information for me. Reading what others say on this site about those hotels aids me in my selection. Plus suggestions from others has pointed me in a direction in Switzerland I hadn't considered.<BR><BR>I'm with you serious, I like the funny posts as well. I have laughed myself silly reading some of them but I don't like the malicious ones. <BR><BR>What I have observed about people is that there are many different personality types. There is the class clown, the leader, the logical thinker, the nurturer, and no one is perfect. We all need each other. If we were all logical thinkers, wouldn't this world be a boring place. But if we were all class clowns, nothing would get done. <BR><BR>So, I think we should be a little more understanding of others and appreciate each other a little more. If the class clown makes a silly post, laugh, but know that we also need the logical thinker to post their train schedules, cost analysis, etc. We can all learn from each other. As Mr. Rogers would say (boy, am I gonna get it for this) "you are special."

Obsv.

Sure, Serious, I'd agree with you, IF it were only the oddball, funny, lightening, to paraphrase your view. And, you may be sure I speak for only us. What I am referring to, as I imagine you already know, are the attacks, the nastiness, where one persons completely denegrates another. Yep, lets keep the light-hearted trolls and goofballs and funnies, no harm there. But lets try to get the obsessive attackers, who are ill, off the site. Surely you can see the difference when they start up, and surely you're willing to support making the site healthier. If you don't, you're entitled to your views. But I hope Fodors doesn't accept the status quo quite as easily as you do. Some people have gotten hurt on this site, and when you're one of them, you'll be calling for change too.

Jimmie

too many people not willing to stand up and be counted when the crap starts here cause they dont want to be a target for the nonsense. The nasties really got some of you on the run, afraid to complain cause they'll be on your ass next. Hey, its all anonymous, say what you really believe, and stop being so PC.

ja

I actually have bought more travel-related books since discovering Fodors on-line- books that have been recommende online!<BR>ja

napster

I'd appreciate it if anyone out there can name ONE previously successful and FREE internet site or service which suddenly decided to implement a service fee and continued to be succesful.<BR><BR>Yahoo considered a pay site, but hasn't figured out how to do it yet. Microsoft tried to charge a fee for the previously free ListBot mail service it hosts, and its competitors jumped all over it, encouraging former ListBot users to switch to THEIR free services instead. Napster is trying, but there are too many mirror sites out there. Everyone just migrates to the new free sites instead. <BR><BR>No one is going to pay for what was previously free, there are too many entrepreneurial web hosts out there who will step up and create mirror sites to capture a customer base. <BR><BR>If Fodor's implemented registration and fees, you can be assured that a site similar to Fodor's will crop up elsewhere and urge users to move to there instead. The remaining Fodor's clique will be the same old pompous fools who like to pontificate and pat each others' backs, except that no one will be around seeking their "sage wisdom" any more. Nah, they'll all be at the FREE site.

Rex

Surely there are business models of "clubs" - - for consumers who are "really into it", run by for-profit companies who sell products to those same people.<BR><BR>An airline (hospitality lounge) club is an example of this, right? Everybody can have a magazine and a soft drink on the plane (and some airlines have magazines and coffee in the boarding area - - or maybe they used to - - haven't flown southwest since 9/11).<BR><BR>If you want to pay, you can have something a little nicer. Mostly for your ego. Strictly optional.<BR><BR>I think we got on this subject from "how does this site influence your willingness to buy Fodors books?"<BR>

geehowdidweknow

Speaking of ..."same old pompous fools who like to pontificate and pat each others' backs..."

New

Rex, you offered a comparison that is really apples and oranges. The internet is not the same as traditional old business models that may have worked in the past. It's a new business model, and to my knowledge, napster is correct. I don't think anyone has figured out yet how to get customers to routinely pay for sites or services that used to be free. That's the big challenge to most net companies now. <BR><BR>Oh, except for porn, of course. They are the only industry on the net that can routinely get people to pay for service.

exclusive

"Club" is exactly what the controlling types here are trying to create and everyone else wants to avoid. No one is going to visit a "club" site so they can feel like an outsider if they don't conform to the cliquishness of the "club." Sounds like a guaranteed way to decrease site hits to Fodor's Travel Talk. <BR><BR>

r

I have gotten wonderful tips, encouragment, and information from this site that have enhanced my trips. That said, using this site does not decrease my travel book purchases one bit. In fact, it may increase it. I also take travel books out at the library. I usually take more reference books and notes on a trip with me than anything else! rebecca

Rex

Apples and oranges seem pretty similar to me. An apple is much more similar to an orange - - than an airplane ticket, a car, a house or a college education.<BR><BR>Each of those four require different marketing and advertising strategies. In my local paper, they put apples and oranges right beside each other on the same grocery ads page.<BR><BR>Aren't we talking about how to promote the sale of travel information - - printed on paper, with a binding?<BR><BR>If my local grocery store determined that a small number of people loved those grocery ad pages SO much, they would be willing to pay - - for their own personalized copy??!! I don't know - - why wouldn't they do it?<BR>

get

No Rex, YOU'RE talking about it, in your usual convoluted and pompous way, as if Fodor's gives a darn. How did they ever manage to create a successful business without you? They must wonder about it every day. And after they read all those "helpful" business suggestion e-mails from some two bit wannabe tour guide, they probably enjoy a hearty laugh before hitting the delete key.

Wondering

Okay, so even assuming that people going to this site, then finding the Forum, then reading and replying to this message are NOT a self-selected group who would buy travel books regardless of the existence of this site (which I think is a huge assumption), note that only one or two people mentioned that they consistently buy Fodors products. (sorry for the long sentence, I'm a lawyer).

Just

I think this site is an excellent marketing tool for Fodor's. They can glean a lot of demographic and marketing information from the visitors and responses on their site, and possibly even use it to evaluate their marketing strategy. <BR><BR>Personally, I see a large division between the predominately budget/moderate travelers who visit here and the obviously high income travelers Fodor's travel books target. <BR><BR>Every time I come here I get great budget travel advice. Every time I read a Fodor's book it harps on "the very best of everything"...the five star hotels and restaurants, the glitzy shops...stuff I'm not interested in and wouldn't pay for if I was. I don't want to isolate myself from the culture in American style luxury surroundings, nor spend my vacation time shopping. I can get more of the practical information I want from other travel books. <BR><BR>IMO, that may be one reason that the Fodor's site is a hit, but the visitors here don't often buy the books.

Rex

Surely there are business models of "clubs" - - for consumers who are "really into it", run by for-profit companies who sell products to those same people.<BR><BR>An airline (hospitality lounge) club is an example of this, right? Everybody can have a magazine and a soft drink on the plane (and some airlines have magazines and coffee in the boarding area - - or maybe they used to - - haven't flown southwest since 9/11).<BR><BR>If you want to pay, you can have something a little nicer. Mostly for your ego. Strictly optional.<BR><BR>I think we got on this subject from "how does this site influence your willingness to buy Fodors books?"<BR><BR>I think.

Donna

I only purchase books if it is a "big" trip such as 10 days thru Italy or 10 days to Hawaii, say. But, I confess, I prefer Frommers. I use this site tons, but I also go to my local Borders, grab ALL the books for my destination, curl up in a chair, compare recommendations, take notes, etc. Hence, I always quite OVERPLANNED by the time I get to where I am going. I also do a lot of internet research and send off for tourist stuff, since I also prepare far in advance, trying to utilize FF miles or hotel points.

cheep

This site is great, but it doesn't make me buy Fodors books. I didn't buy them before either because like "just" above they emphasize the high end too much. I am pretty comfortable financially, but I see no reason to just concentrate on things because they're expensive. The only guide books I've bought lately have been "Time Out". Others I read in the store, thankfully I have a good memory.