Fodors = Big Brother
 

Hello? Am I on Mars?<BR><BR>For everyone who protested registration, did you think it would come to indexing replies BY PERSON? Isn't anyone else appalled by this overreach? What purpose does it serve?

It's a wonderful way for people to find their own posts. Why on earth would you complain about this?<BR><BR>In fact, it is a brilliant solution to someone who says I can't find my post.<BR><BR>No overreach at all.<BR><BR>Best wishes,<BR><BR>Rex<BR>[email protected]<BR><BR>

Are you actually interested in travel? This new indexing lets us see that your only posts, here and on the US board have been about the politics of foreign policy.<BR>

Rex,<BR>I do post about foreign policy, because I think it is tied inextricably to travel. That's one of the reasons I think I'll be banned -- because the head in the sand crowd will say I'm too poltical. But I have traveled in Western Europe and Central America a lot and will be happy to answer any question I can. <BR><BR>

I am not opposed to discussions about foreign policy, as they relate to travel.<BR><BR>and this is a prejudice of mine - - if it is wrong, then I apologize for it - - I have a tendency to think that a person ought to come here and contribute &quot;ON topic&quot; (i.e., answer mainstream travel questions) to &quot;earn the right to complain about matters that are &quot;off topic&quot; (i.e., how the forum is administered by Fodors).<BR><BR>Sorry if I came across as waging an ad hominem attack. That is what this forum has tried hard to get rid of.<BR><BR>I do not think that the ability to search by screen_name is nefarious in the slightest. Rather, it is likely to be very helpful to newcomers and veterans alike.<BR>

No, you're not on Mars. This is the Europe board. There isn't a Mars board yet, but you might suggest one.

Well, perhaps Magnus can post from Mars.<BR><BR>For myself, I think indexing replies according to the name of the poster is a fairly good idea. First, when I've given or gotten some good information but I can't recall some detail, it's helpful to pull up past posts. Second, I think it's a reasonable disincentive to people inclined to misuse the forum and rant about tangential or even offensive ideas. If this were the only time Magnus got incensed about something, and otherwise he (masc. form of Latin word) offered good advice, I'd be less inclined to ignore him. Perhaps he'll think twice if he knows he's getting a reputation for nattering.

Yes, I did think it would come to this, and no I'm not appalled. It's pretty standard on boards with registration that postings can be viewed like this. No big surprise. As others have pointed out, it helps people to see posts in the context of other posts by the same poster. If you want to keep your post a secret, then why post it?

I think it will just make us accountable for what we post, <BR>the thread will resurface to haunt us.<BR><BR>I don't mind, but I will have to mind my manners, for my own sake, because none of you know me personally.

I love the indexing by person. It does enable you to seek your posts quickly, and it, along with the registration, seems to have cut down on the lunatic posts significantly and quickly.<BR><BR>Cheers,<BR><BR>BB<BR><BR>

We were always able to do this, just type a persons name in the text search and you can find every post they ever replied to or started. It is fascinating, I have found people from years ago, it is fun to see what they were up to then:)

Congratulations to Fodors! They drove away all the funny posts and made this as interesting as a AARP meeting.

But it is instantaneous now. I also suspect that it makes it possible to search for the name of someone who has a &quot;common&quot; name.<BR>

I for one am of the view that registration has made this board incredibly boring. I miss the trolls! (Although, before you ask, I was never a troll myself). Personally, I am visiting this site much less frequently and I notice a huge drop off in posts since registration.

234 threads have been posted to in the last 24 hours. Maybe I'm not remembering right, but I don't think that's a huge drop off.

I like this feature. It's going to make it possible for me to do better research for certain trips because I can call up the posts of people I have considered to be experts in certain areas. Next time I go to London, for example, I'll just click on Ben Haines. By the same token, I would hope that anyone going to the Dordogne might click on my name and find a lot of information that I might not need to post repetitiously.

Magnus, you claim in one of your posts to be a libertarian. If you really are, than you would know that this forum belongs to fodors and they can do anything that they want to with it.<BR>Also noticed that you have not asked or answered ANY travel questions.

I hate to break this to you, Magnus, but whether or _not_ Fodors _offers_ the search functionality, guess what? They'll STILL be able to index by person. How dumb are you about databases???

I agree that the forum is a bit boring since we have had to register. I used to laugh myself silly at some of the posts. My husband could hear me from the other room and wonder what was going on! On the other hand, we now have more serious information and we don't have to put up with disgusting posts that would sometimes appear and stay much too long.

Sorry, Magnus, but I see why it upsets you. As you've already been shown, someone can now click on &quot;Magnus&quot; and discover that you don't seem to offer any advice (even though you say you've traveled a lot in Western Europe and hundreds of questions are asked about it). Nor have you asked any travel related questions. It's going to make it harder for the people who come here just to cause trouble or complain to hide as well.