schnauzer

I agree with Fidel about the regulation. Before our skiing trip I went to a "skiing" board to see if I could glean some particular information, the language was absolutely outrageous and the messages...well... I couldn't begin to explain other than to say I got off there quick smart.Yuk.. I like Fodors even if sometimes it gets a bit heated, adds to the excitement of my day! I have received some fantastic info from this board and have tried to contribute back when ever I can. Schnauzer

suze

In the spirit of... if you don't like a post don't answer it. No one is making you tune in to Fordor's. There's all kinds of travel boards out there on the internet. If you can find one that suits you better, go there.

NeoPatrick

"If the questions seems stupid and fake to you, don't answer. Why is that so difficult?"

Could we paraphrase that as "If the board seems rude and pompous to you, don't participate. Why is that so difficult?"

It's always amazing to me that people focus their complaints on other people complaining. In other words "let me complain about how people complain".

Scarlett

gametogo, you are right. the posters here are horrible and I think you should run away before you become one of them...
why, just the other day, someone posted this...http://fodors.com/forums/threadselec...p;tid=34967531
Horrible, right? Rude? Pompous, I cannot get over it.
What will they do next?
I bet they will start wishing someone a Happy Birthday.
You are better off somewhere else, this place is way too unpleasant for you.
Best of luck wherever you go.

suze

other travel websites:
Frommers
BudgetTravelOnline
Lonely Planet
Trip Advisor
Travelers ToGo

cigalechanta

I return from a Bach concert to a barf thread. gametogo, I'm sorry you feel that way but a poster attacks and it's their only post, even I get suspicious and I try not to say anything unless they get insulting.I think we do get out of hand to tell someone to go elsewhere rather than like the few who told you to jump in, post, get to know all of our quirky personalities. We were all new here at one time like you.
Some of us have never met eachother but like eachother and those who don't like us may be rude or insult us but in cyber space it is best to ignore them.
If you come across as a truthful person you will be fine here so give fodors another chance and come in peace

easytraveler

suze: "Fordor's" ???

Is this a new kind of car, like a Tudor?

("Madam, what would you prefer: a Fordor (four door) or a Tudor (two door?&quot

Sorry, Friday night and one ( or is it two or is it three?) too many already!

Have a great weekend!

NeoPatrick

But Scarlett, don't you get it? That's exactly the kind of post this person is complaining about. People here like each other, they are too familiar, they get to know each other, they are a clique -- and this person isn't a part of it and feels terribly left out so makes a big complaint. Of course, the fact that this poster has never posted before, never asked for help, never given any, never made a nice comment to anyone, or never wished anyone a happy birthday couldn't be the reason she feels left out now, could it?

Besides if someone is thinking of becoming a part of a message forum it's always a good idea to insult everyone first.

suze

good one easytraveler(!) thanks for a smile and your keen editors eye. this post is just so lame but i can't seem to stay away, oops are we a clique now?

mrkindallas

Wow! What a way to thank all of the people who have posted the advice that you are using for your big summer trip. I almost feel sorry for your family to have to travel with you if you have this attitude toward a group of strangers who have done nothing to you and have provided so much of the information on this message board that you found to be advantageous to read and use. By the way, why would you use advice posted by people that you despise?

A couple of definitions for you:
Rude - Characterized by roughness; umpolished; raw; lacking delicacy or refinement; coarse.
Pompous - puffed up with vanity; "a grandiloquent and boastful manner"; "overblown oratory"; "a pompous speech"; "pseudo-scientific gobbledygook and pontifical hooey."

Gametogo, since you just posted one of the rudest and most pompous posts I've ever seen on Fodor's, why would you belittle others for being like you? Your boastful, overblown lecture certainly lacked the refinement that the regulars you lectured generally have when participating on this message board. Sure, there are a few here and there who have a bad day now and then...don't we all? But, having found this message board to be very useful yourself, you have to admit that the majority of the postings here are neither rude nor pompous.

Thanks for your participation...Now, if you don't like this forum, leave and don't come back...simple as that. Good luck to your family.

enzian

As a relative newcomer, I will say---from what I have seen, any new poster who asks a sincere question gets many sincere and helpful answers. Dialog is appreciated.

Those who register to ask a single provocative queston (like this one) get what they ask for.

LoveItaly

Oh good grief. I got home late, clicked on Fodor's, saw this thread and thought some Fodorite was mad..well nooooo. Just someone who has posted one post to give some Fodorites holy h*ll, lol.

Hmmmmm, you have been lurking gametogo for quite awhile to quote you and you have evidently picked up lots of good information that many Fodorites have taken the time to post over the past months so that you can plan a "perfect" vacation. And now you post your first post to let us know how digusted you are with so many of us.

Well easy solution..quit reading the Fodor's Boards. And do have a lovely vacation.

Fidel

Upon further review, I take back all the nice things I said. lol

Let's add to Mr. Kindallas' list of definitions the word Troll, people who feel they've been disrespected and basically just can't handle the heaving unpredictability of a message board.

I've seen them throw small firecrackers every night, putting up a phony coy persona to dig, dig, dig. They post off-topic and try to disrupt the flow, and of course the pinnacle of trolliness is to sit back and watch the board erupt in fights and bad feelings.

But the Fordor's format, the best out here imo, doesn't lend itself to that style. Oh sure, some of the pointy noses try to regularly throw a slice of troll on the barbie, and they do sometimes get the attention they crave, or someone may lurch in once and do a drive-by, but posts sink quickly.

No, to do it up right here you have to unleash the H-bomb, and gametogo should get a page in the Troll Handbook. She stewed for months about her insecurities and then, well there it is, the moaning diatribe. And if she is really a traveler, in the meantime she extracted most valuable advice and tips.

So to angry trolls everywhere, take it to your shrink please.

katya_NY

well, more than 12 hours have passed- no word from the OP.

I hope everyone has a nice day.

Clifton

Actually, I'm with Carrybean... I see some truth in what's been said. I just don't think it'll make much of a difference. People don't see themselves in things like this anyway. For all I know, I'm one of 'em.

Anyway, possibly look at it as a favor, gametogo. If people are showing their colors to you on threads, to the point you don't find much in common with them, then you know whose advice to ignore across the board, right? Otherwise, you could have gotten to Europe with a fist full of printed recommendations and find you are following in the path of a pompous arse.

daveesl

In some ways I agree with Game. I have been on this board for about 9 months now. The vast majority of the postings are very helpful and informative, but there are some that I have seen that are just downright rude.

That's not to say "fodorites" are rude, but just like any community, you have your occasional jerk.

For me, I just try to ignore the rude folk and focus on the wonderful people here that have provided TONS of fantastic advice.

This board has saved me lots of time and money. I hope to do the same for others. Yes, I'll occasionally put up a post that I hope is funny, but I try not to ever post it to a single person.

dave

Travelnut

One reason regulars 'out' a troll post is to protect readers who may be less experienced and won't recognize false information. When the same people have posted for months and even years, they do seem to form a 'bond' of sorts, and will close ranks if one of them is 'attacked'. If 'gametogo' is feeling like an outsider, he/she just needs to participate and, over time, will suddenly find him/herself accused of being 'in a clique'. Some people do post in an unnecessarily brusque or pompous manner, but I confess occasionally to laughing at some of these. Of course, no one has directed any of those responses to 'me', so that's good.

Zeus

Interesting. We got all the expected responses from the expected people. Just a little tip for you, Gametogo: Act like the customers in the Soup Nazi's line.

1)Just post your question making sure the title meets all the requirements. Ask your question succinctly then just move down the line without any further response.
2)Be sure not to comment on whether you have any pre-conceived ideas or concerns about a place you will be visiting because whatever you think you will be scolded for it.
3)Make sure you include some sort of reference to visiting museums and opera performance so that you aren't attacked as some sort of Philistine.
4)Never ever mention shopping at Walmart, eating at McDonald's, buying a car out of Detroit or flying on an American flag carrier and actually enjoying it. Simple rule of thumb - anything American or even Canadian - bad, very bad.
5)You can insult whoever you want as long as you add a smiley face at the end of the message.
6)Exception to the "Everything about the USA sucks" rule - Everything about New York City is fantastic and it should be considered as "Western Europe".
7)Never wear shorts, sandals, sneakers, or anything else comfortable because even though Europe has been experiencing heat waves every summer for the past few years it still lacks (working) a/c almost everywhere you go, but it is insulting to Europeans for you to make yourself feel comfortable. You just might cause an international incident should you actually look like a tourist pumping dollars into their tourist-based economies. Check out how well-dressed German and English vacationers are when they visit Disneyworld or Las Vegas. We can learn a lot from their examples.
8)Andrea Bocelli (believe it or not, that's a guy's name) is the greatest musical performer in history simply because he doesn't perform pop music. Since "pop" is short for "popular" please note that any music the rest of the civilized world enjoys is deemed "barbaric" by those in-the-know. And when touring through Europe be sure to load up your Ipod (any other brand of MP3 player is gauche) with plenty of Andrea's warbling as well as opera, New Age World music and books on tape of heretofore totally unknown English (not American) authors.
9)Be sure to read any thread with more than 100 responses then laugh like a raving lunatic as club members weigh in with pun after pun of hilarious mirth. If you really want to win over the in-crowd, add a "LOL" after quoting the most mindless or corny of the puns.
10)If you have a Fodor's deathwish try criticizing Paris, Rome or London. It's fine to poke fun at any site a tour bus would actually stop at. "Those stupid tourists are actually looking at the Eifel Tower. How sad. How........American". You should not look up at Big Ben, pose for pictures with the "Gladiators" at the Colisseum nor join the lines at Notre Dame. That's so played. You're supposed to stay in your rented apartment (hotels are for tourists) all day, then at night you should pay an exorbitant amount of money for a giant plate with a dime-sized piece of seared entrails along with a wine you can't pronounce. Furthermore, German food sucks because they actually serve you more than you can eat and the wines are actually tasty.
11)If you really want to "wow" the club members pick out the tiniest little village in some godforsaken little country like Montenegro or Albania and ask what the food is like there.
12)There is a fine line between what is called a "troll" and what is considered "Fodor's humor". Non-club members like myself actually thought questions like "How much should I tip the pilot" and "Are the Vikings really bad in Scandanavia" sounded like trolling, but that's good, funny stuff. I haven't figured out why that's ok but if you ask about Kontiki tours or buffet meals in Paris, you are a troll. Methinks you have to be a club member to start stupid threads.

Viajero2

The OP is obviously not a New Yorker!!

I agree w/a previous assertion: if you were to ask a question in front of a room full of people you would get the same style of responses; some kindly worded, others impatient, others inquisitive. Posters that take rude responses too personal need to grow a thick skin. Take the good and run with it, it is free, great advice MOST of the time anyway!!

HAIL FODORS!!!!

Josser

TWOULD ring the bells of Heaven
The wildest peal for years
If Fodor's lost its senses
And posters came to theirs.
And they and we together
Inveighed with angry sneers
Gainst rude and pompous posters
And people who say "quaint"
Who talk about the "Chunnel"
See foreign food and faint.

Apologies to RALPH HODGSON ;-)