Danny & Co. I feel you have jumped the gun on quite a few posts here and on the US forum. I mean truthfully, how often can we(I, all of us) answer the same posts over and over again? Where to stay? What to do? WE have had some very funny interesting posts THAT WERE NOT TRAVEL RELATED eg do I tip the pilot, three words, where do you live. etc. What I am trying to say and probably quite badly, is that to do only "just the facts, mam" type of posts, leaves me feeling just a bit uninspired. I suppose there are others who relish just a straight forward fact filled forum, but I find it a trifle frustrating and not fun. I know some will point out that things can deteriorate rather quickly, but I say ignore those nasty posters. IMVHO, Judy

If you need satisfaction from creative writing, may I suggest a creative writing course at your local college or write and article and try and get it published. Some of us don't share your frustration and many of us don't think we're just spitting out facts. Fun is relative.

My signature is on this petition

I should also add, I'm all for no censorship and no editing, as long as people don't swear at each other.

Thanks for your support Faina.

Judy, I happen to share your opinion but, on the other hand, being a editor of a forum like this has got to one of those you-can't-please-everyone jobs.

I guess the one thing that baffles me, more than the funny posts being deleted, is when posts having to do with cultural issues (including, but certainly not limited to, naughty things that are legal in some European countries but frowned upon in the U.S.) are deleted, because don't cultural issues reside under the "travel-related" tent?

judyrem, if you really want to dialog with the editors, email them at [email protected]. Posting here will not get you a response, to the best of my knowledge.

Capo. yes I see your point about the cultural aspects of travel. I also agree that it is tough to be an editor, but let's have some type of concensus? Marilyn, I wanted to get some feedback, and sometimes the squeaky wheel yada, yada yada.

Judyrem, I'm with you...... I think if we only posted the hard facts, people would lose interest pretty quickly. I don't think you'd have this big group of regulars who obviously love coming here to chat if you kept it too cut and dried. Some of the most fun threads are not as purely travel as some would prefer........... (Yes, yes, I know! I'm guilty! )

Judyrem, I would hate to have to get rid of my .

Besides, posts like "degas" provide some levity vis a vis the "nasty."

I'm still trying to figure out how much I should tip the pilot.

And where else would I learn about the peaberry?

It's possible that the editors are seeking to keep the topics not just 'travel related' in a general sense, but in the spirit and form of Fodors publications. Fodors has a noticeably different 'tone' from guides such as Lonely Planet, for example.

In other words, if you're looking for a 'rhyme and a reason', you could try taking your cue from the typical Fodors travel guide. If the subject is broached there, it's probably going to pass the acid test for the board. That said, some humour (e.g. how much do I tip the pilot) seems to be tolerated.

Picking up on what capo said, I regretted that a discussion awhile back of Scandinavian society compared with that in the U. S. seemed to be truncated. This was directly related to questions coming from travel as I was considering how values are different regarding freedoms and welfare based on my visit to certain European countries.

Bill in the Ozarks

It is really ironic that some other travel forums eg Frommers, Rick Steves etc, does not have the sort of cult following that Fodors has. Why we even had our own pin(I still have mine)! IMO, this stems from one thing only, the frequent give and take of ALL kinds of ideas, not just travel in a strictly defined way. This forum would not be nearly as popular if we stuck to their "rules". IMVHO, Judy

And of course,I complained about "What do the British REally Think" being deleted, and everyone went crazy saying "Fodors has to delete on account of storage space" or "you have no rights, understand-they control the content of their site." Sheesh, give me a break! I could NOT, obviously, agree with you more, Judyrem. There are just so many times you can go over and over essentially what to do in London, Paris, Rome, Florence, and how to get there.

It has been my observation that Fodors uses a heavy subjective hand in the deletion of posts that may only arguably have a political tinge, but are otherwise insightful and interesting to the reader.
On the other hand, I feel compelled to point out that our resident travel expert on the Asia board can get away with calling Chinese govt. officials "the thugs in power" in his posts and nary a word deleted, more power to you Peter N-H-some people have more clout with the editors than others, obviously!

Just thought I would introduce an example of an absolutely wonderful thread on the US forum by Scarlett about "egrets in her yard". It was wonderful, and pulled many newbie posters in! Not "strictly travel related" but informative, entertaining and witty. What more can Fodors editors want? I would think advertisers would love this type of thread... more people= more exposure.

Thanks, Bill. Always nice to see your name here. I enjoyed that thought-provoking thread you started.

Judy, as I noted above, I'm in your court (hmmm...does that mean you're Judge Judy? )

I don't think it's that editors here -- or on any other sites where there are staying-on-topic rules -- dislike "informative, entertaining and witty" threads per se. Rather, it's likely one of those where-do-you-draw-the-line things? That's a dilemma in a lot of areas of life.

Judy. I agree actually and I'm one of the ones who point out that Fodors can do what they want. I still think that's true. We're all banging away on keyboards, entering data into what IS Fodor's property.

But, as a "customer", one who has the choice to stay or to leave, I would prefer that Fodors editors were a little more light handed. Cultural issues and concerns are certainly a big part of my interest in travel. Their call though.

Which threads were deleted?

There was a discussion not long ago about the coffeeshops in Amsterdam. I posted a reply about the current difficulties Amsterdam is having with the coffeeshops and why the current policy may be changed in the future, and this was deleted. Since so many American tourists like to visit these coffeeshops, I do think this post was relevant and travel related. To me deleting a post like that feels like American political correctness.