Hey Fodor's
 

I know a fourteen year old who can make this look like a 21st century travel site by including edit and delete functions, spell Czech (I needed a European reference) and an easy way to upload photos.

That would work for me!! Especially the photos as I have about 16,000 logged onto my computer.

Iris-

I would, however, propose a 12,000 photo limit.

Yeah, great, but does your fourteen-year-old know how to pick (shakedown) "the best" hotels?

Yes, but she says the best hotels evah.

My 21 year old (third year law student) Grandaughter can tell you 16 reasons why that might lead to increased liability for the website (Fodors)owner but at the same time would be willing to tell you how many billable hours a law firm would want to charge, to research and give a written opinion (without any legal obligation on the law firm's part of course) on the advisability of any such action being taken.

The idea of uploading photos would probably result in nearly a thousand billable hours alone.

But yeah, an edit would be useful. Delete isn't necessary if you can edit.

With all due respect to the OP and our eminent hosts, if you think I'm lending them my photos as well as the odd quotation they've lifted from me, you've another think coming.

Liability is just another cost of doing business.

BTW, any lawyer can tell you why you can't do something, it is the valuable lawyer, who tells you how to do something and minimize your exposure.

I can see at least two problems with the photo uploading idea.

One problem is copyright.

The second problem is the spammers. I've seen what can happen when "anyone" can upload photos to a group or forum website. It's not pretty. Sure, moderators could remove the pictures, but that would soon turn into a fulltime job. And any "really nasty" picture that slipped through could be seen by lots of people.

Could your 14-year-old code a notification of new activity in threads that interest someone, or to which they've contributed?. When you click on the link in the notification, it should bring you to the first new unread response. Nearly every forum on the planet has that possibility.

Threading would be just too beautiful, I don't want to ask so much.

Spell check? What are you using to post that you don't have spell check??

Edit would be nice, but allowing people to alter their posts could result in gobbledygook threads, which is why most sites don't allow it.

Delete would be nice.

Photo uploading would create a nightmare.

Edit would be nice, but it would need a time limit so you could only correct typos, not completely recompose your post several hours later.

Internet browsers already have spellcheckers. Even my phone has an excellent spell checker.
Doesn't mean I don't make typos though.
The problem with posting photos is people will upload the 7000 unedited photos they took, and use it as a storage facility. Copyright could be a problem too. I wouldn't agree to Fodor's having a free license for instance.

The one thing I would really like is the ability to send a private message to someone.

People upload all sorts of images on FB. People post pictures here but in on some outside service.
__________

When I type here there isn't a spell check available.

_________

How much revenue have you lost due to Fodor's or others using your words? How much revenue do you anticipate losing posting your own images?
________

Heismjs-people could upload a maximum of five per posting.

Sissy Spellcheck? The actress?

What is the name of that insufferable person Tori Spelling?

Perhaps you don't have spell check because of your default programs. I use a Windows laptop, MS Word, and Firefox and see typos underlined. Place names are often underlined if the Fodor's editor doesn't recognize them.

It's easier to have all my photos in one place and use hyperlinks to show one or more photos. I would not want to take the time to upload photos on this site, particularly if I have to adjust the size.

I've posted a few photos on the Slowtrav site but it took too long to change the size and upload them so after posting a few I stopped doing that.

Edit/delete functions would be nice.

I get the indication that words are misspelled but I am cyber ignoramus and do not know how to correct them.

Right click with mouse or keypad and choose the spelling you want. If there are no spelling choices shown refer to a dictionary. :)

It actually works the same way as using MS Word or email. You can also manually fix the spelling.

Thanks Adrienne. I appreciate it.

Figuring out how to get your own expensive equipment to perform a spell check is surely faster than asking Fodor's to create a redundant feature. Light a candle, no?

edit would be nice.
<Yeah, great, but does your fourteen-year-old know how to pick (shakedown) "the best" hotels?> DITTO!


I was not impressed with the list, for one I couldn't afford any of those places. They need a budget fodor's forum pick next year.

Fodor's weirdest list was second best cities. Who agreed what was the first best?

Marriott Rewards Insiders site allows you to edit or delete your posts, use italics/bold font/underscores/etc with the click of an icon, spell check, upload photos, insert emoticons, send private messages to other Insiders, etc.

I agree that those features would be nice on Fodors.

You can get italics, bold, etc. by adding your own html tags. I unfortunately have an American laptop which has been redefined as Italian, and the "greater than" and "less than" signs got lost somewhere over the Atlantic. I can use tags easily on my desktop computer, but on this laptop, I would have to use arcane codes which I can't be bothered to remember.

I don't understand the negative comments about a facility to allow upload of photos.

Firstly sites like Facebook function perfectly ok whilst allowing this.

Secondly, who in their right mind would use Fodors as their default repository? The resolution, organisational ability and capacity is always going to be better on something like Flickr - hence I can't see any need to worry that someone would see Fodors as a holding place for all their pet and baby snaps.

Thirdly you can limit the amount of pics an individual can upload in case you do have the odd person who is too daft to realise any/all of the above.

Fourthly - its possible to impose copyright limits on pics and/or to block download - and tbh why is people using your photos any worse than using your quotes in guides. Could actually be mutually beneficial if Fodors were to pay a small amount to licence your pics for publication - still cheaper than them getting a pro photographer and how cool to have your pictures in a travel guide.

More than anything this, is the 21st century - the internet is a hugely visual medium and it's archaic not to have a fuller range of features.

Btw, I agree with the calls for an edit function and pm function.

<i>The second problem is the spammers. I've seen what can happen when "anyone" can upload photos to a group or forum website. It's not pretty. Sure, moderators could remove the pictures, but that would soon turn into a fulltime job. And any "really nasty" picture that slipped through could be seen by lots of people.</i>

Easily remedied by not allowing people to post images or links until they have made a certain number of posts. Many forums do this already.

All of the issues/concerns being discussed have been addressed by proper forum software and administration for over 10 years now.

It's time for Fodor's to get with the times.

RM67, The original post did not say anything about limiting uploads of photos. Trust me - when a forum offers the chance to upload photos people do, and abuse the facility.
Yes, you can put a watermark on your photo, but unless it is so obtrusive as to block the photo it can be cut or cloned out. You can reduce theft by uploading low quality photos, but in this day and age who wants to look at a low quality photo on their super duper high res monitor?
Fodor's would have to block downloading of photos.
Can you seriously see Fodor's paying someone for the use of a photo published on their website? They would be pretty unique if they did. The standard licence for websites allows the website owners (and that includes the likes of Flickr) to use the photos for free, and sometimes even to pass them on to third parties for free too, so you have no control over who uses your images, or what they are used for.
Who are we to put professional photographers livelihoods at risk by allowing Fodor's to use our photos for free, or in return for yet another free guide?

Basically Fodor's remains a message board, not a forum, and we just have to accept that. I very much doubt they will change it - they have only ever done minor tweaks in the past.

Hetismij, I participate in plenty of forums that do allow photo upload and/or limit the number of pictures added at any one time and there is no problem with abuse of the facilty. Why would it be a problem for Fodors to block download? Plenty of sites do this already. You are wrong about Flickr - it has multiple licensing options and you the user get to select what degree of sharing is or is not allowed. Look up Creative Commons. Look up their agreement with Getty Images. And if you are worried about putting pro photographers out of work by allowing the use of your images professionally maybe we should all stop giving travel advice on here toin case it puts travel writers out of work too.

Last but not least - anyone who does not want their images shared on a website that allows photo hosting and sharing has the option not to upload any. So why try and limit the options for people that do want to do that and are happy to do so?

Please RM67, do not try and be reasonable. You are destroying the fun of others who are being irrationally contentious.

So true.

hetismij2 writes- The original post did not say anything about limiting uploads of photos.

______

Yes hetismij2, I was not trying to enact legislation, I was merely making a suggestion. But if I had included limitation of photos that would have Section 37.9-4a(c).

Some strange thinking processes going on here.

Spellcheck is for people who cannot spell. Don't write words you don't know how to spell correctly. If that limits your available vocabulary too much, go back to school and learn to spell. http://theoatmeal.com/comics/misspelling

I find that many posters not only can't spell, they make many grammar and punctuation mistakes as well.

Most spelling mistakes such as your instead of you're or their, there and they're will not be caught by spellcheck in any case.

Don't blame Fodor's for your poor spelling, blame yourself for not learning how to spell in the first place. Fodor's by the way is spelled with an apostrophe. Is there a readingcheck function available anywhere that does the reading for you? You read the word Fodor's every time you come onto this site and yet cannot spell it correctly.

Spellcheck is for those too lazy to proofread what they write (not right) before they post it.

Regarding photos, just what photos would anyone want to upload on Fodor's and for what reason? I do hope the desire for this is not so that people can bore me with their holiday snapshots.

This is a forum, what does the word forum mean to you? The definition of forum is a place to discuss a subject. The word discuss means to examine or consider a subject in speech or writing. Nowhere in that do I see any need to post photos. Speech or writing are all that are required. I for one am not the least bit interested in anyone's snapshots.

<This is a forum, what does the word forum mean to you? >
A place to live, for some.

< I for one am not the least bit interested in anyone's snapshots.>
This is why simply linking to photos stored elsewhere works so well. Those who are interested can click over, the rest can ignore. I have seen some great photos by posters here.

Grammar scolds say nothing elegantly.

Spelling is not an indication of one's intelligence but as evidenced here, another's intolerance.

I am a terrible speller, but I will measure my vocabulary, including the etymology of the words, against anyone who complains about spelling.

Having been characterized as 'The Most Ignorant Poster on Fodor's' because of my spelling, I am very happy to use spellcheck.

Dick - You can't self nominate for that award!

I would love to be able to edit other poster's posts. Is that what we are talking about?

Dick, if only the sole criterion for that award was spelling.