rex

I realize that it's their website, and they can do anything they feel like, but what objective do you suppose they were trying to achieve with this new addition - - especially that they couldn't achieve by having their own people (presumably paid staff) contribute HERE on the forum?

In particular, there are recent posts there by John Rambow that present info likely to be helpful, and of interest to many of the "Euro-phile" Travel Talk crowd.

For example, I wish I had seen this one:

http://www.fodors.com/blog/archives/000216.cfm

(on the appropriate date)

=================================

Tipster on CNNfn

Our own Tipster, Dave Downing, will be on CNNfn?s ?Your Money? today at 5 [pm] Eastern. The live roundtable discussion with the host and someone from Travelocity will cover traveling overseas this summer, and how to prepare for the crowds.

Posted by John Rambow at 05/26/2004, 12:02 PM

==========================

Are any of you other "Euro-dites" keeping tabs on "Right This Way"? Can we/should we copy Europe-relevant entries there to the forum here?

Are they getting any comments at all (I just made one on the entry cited above - - and then, I will &quot;cite&quot; <i>this</i> post as a second comment <i>there</i>.

Or does nobody <i>here</i> care about <i>there</i>? Is this just another example of me having too much time on my hands?

How many of &quot;us&quot; spend more time here than all Fodors' staff put together?

An interesting commentary on &quot;us&quot; = = or &quot;them&quot;!

Best wishes,

Rex

marcy_

Hey Rex,
Aren't you watching the Pacers game?

rex

Hmmm... I guess it's apparent I was not. Not really anything that interests me - - kinda like no one is interested in this question (or they haven't discovered &quot;the Fodor's blog&quot; or aren't intrested in it, just like I thought I wasn't either!)

Sue_xx_yy

Rex, I have to confess that while I have heard of blogs, I'm not even sure what they are - some kind of online journal? How do they differ from messageboards?

rex

I would hardly call the Fodors blog a true blog - - a contraction for a &quot;web log&quot; - - and yes, it's a kind of online journal. But I think there is a connotation that a blog is aa &quot;personal medium&quot; wher the whole world is invited to interact (through writing) with the blog's owner.

Based on my own (largely) skipping over it) amd the lack of responses to this question, it seems that few if any regulars here (or even newbies) have paid much (any?) attention to the announcement of this new Fodor's feature (an announcement about it is highlighted at the top of the first page, every time you enter this forum!)

Anyhow, it does NOT seem to be significantly different from a (<i>this</i messageboard except for these three ways:

1. Fodors' staff are starting all the new threads

2. Indeed, only they can, as far as I can tell.

3. Essentially no one is responding to them.

So, my underlying querstion remains: why don't the Fodors staff simply post these &quot;entries&quot; here on the forum?

Clifton

Rex, you know, I read through it when it was first posted. To me, it seemed to have some decent information in it, but I agree with you - it's not really a web log (blog). It appears to be more a running list of links to articles. The articles to seem to be in any sort of sequential association to the previous. Sort of like calling CNN.com's constantly evolving front page a blog. There was a poster named Smasher awhile back that had posted a link to his journal of an RTW trip on another site. Now <i>that</i> was a travel blog - and a good one at that. It was chronological, on topic and filled with personal observations.

As to why they don't just post here - I suspect it's to differentiate between the expert and amateur advice. I've seen that distinction made more than once on pages on the site. I know of at least a couple of travel writers in the forums, including a published guide book writer, so for me, the distinction is grey at best.

Clifton

Post-post correction -
The articles <i>don't seem to be</i> in any sort of sequential association to the previous

April

I had looked at the blog, but was rather baffled about why it was there.

dutchie

I have looked at it, and I like it as a link to travel-related articles that I would most likely have missed otherwise. Had they posted those links here I likely would have missed the articles because I do not check this forum constantly, and the posts could have been buried so deep I would not have seen them.

So, I don't care what they call it or what it really is. I find it convenient and I like it.

jgita

This is the first time I've heard of it --I go to this site directly from a bookmark. In general, I don't read blogs. Usually too long and more detail than I can take in.
But, I have to check out this new one just to get an opinion in the controversy.
j

artstuff

I checked it out when it was first offered, I guess expecting to find some kind of daily travel journal. I looked around and hadn't really gone back since. I suppose I'll have to give it another look. Peace.

Robyn

ira

Well, I went and looked and found the opening line to be &quot;There are only a couple of weeks left to bid on the Ultimate Britney Experience, ....&quot;.

nuff said.

RufusTFirefly

This forum is for users. I don't think Fodors should post its articles here.

rex

&lt;&lt;This forum is for users. I don't think Fodors should post its articles here.&gt;&gt;

Well, I agre with the first statement, and disagree with the second. What is an article (at least some articles) if not a <i>report</i> of info intended to be of use to users.

And while I agree that simply citing other publications is not as interesting as making observations firsthand - - well, Fodors staff do that also, don't they? Moreover, many of &quot;us&quot; here cite interesting published material. So, maybe just pointing out the euro-relevant blog entries here on the forum is a step for someone (no one person has to do this all the time) - - especially if you feel like commenting on it here.

As much as anything, I would rather see someone &quot;cite&quot; a blog entry and comment on it <i>here</i> rather than <i>there</i>.

Shanna

Hi, Rex. It's been a while since I've visited this site and don't really care much for the new format but was interested in the &quot;blog&quot;. Until I looked at it: Don't get it; won't go back to it. My sense of blogs is that they are personal opinions about hot-button issues - but this one seems to be a lot about nothing much. And strangely, I'm more interested in the opinions of the regular folks who post here than anyone trendy, so . . . it doesn't work for me.

Statia

I've looked at the blogs a couple of times and have not found much interest in them, either.

Dallas

Jgita, I hadn't thought of bookmarking this page. Does that help avoid the annoying pop-up ads?

Christina

I completely agree with Rufus. This forum is for non-Fodors staff to post/answer questinos and discuss travel. It isn't a site for Fodors to post their own articles. The Fodors web site has many different sections on it, which serve different purposes. Rex, I think you are really overly-involved in this web site and spend too much time criticizing it and thinking Fodors should do whatever you personally think they should, and I don't think I have ever agreed with any of your opinions on this matter.

ira

Hi dallas,

No. The popups will still come up.

I downloaded the popup blocker from www.google.com.

It works, mostly.

rex

&lt;&lt;Rex, I think you are really overly-involved in this web site and spend too much time criticizing it and thinking Fodors should do whatever you personally think they should, and I don't think I have ever agreed with any of your opinions on this matter.&gt;&gt;

Christina:

I appreciate that your comments, directed at me, were civil, and I will respond civilly.

Even I commented on this post being a possible example of my having too much time on my hands. I am working a six-and-a-half-day continuous stint in a hospital this long holiday weekend, and do not always have enough to do.

And if I have encouraged change on this site, it has at least been gratifying that some ideas that I have &quot;backed&quot; have been adopted on the site: registration, the ability to cite a previous thread (my original idea was one I called &quot;timestamps&quot, and improved searching (I do not take credit for conceiving of the ability to search by a registrant's name - - I did NOT think of that one). I still think there ought to be better instructions - - especially a directive to new regiatrants to read certain helpful hints in the FAQ.

Last of all, my original post on this thread was a statement/question about my wondering what was their objective in starting &quot;Right This Way&quot;? It can, of course, be construed as criticism of Fodors staff for not participating more here - - but if you read the message header, my intent is clear - - to ask others what THEY think. Not inherently a criticism.