where are they?
 

Where are all the regular posters that gave so much information and were fun? Where are Sheila, Christina, Kavey, Mimi, Carol Escrita, Oaktown, Rex, St. Cinq, KK, PB, and so many others missing?

You don't suppose they got chased away by all the nastiness that has permeated this board recently, do you?

Maybe some are traveling right now. Remember right after Sept 11 so many were saying they were supposed to go to Europe in Oct or Nov but weren't sure they'd go. Guess they went.

Bet they're having a good time, though.

I am here, and I post a few times most days. There just aren't enough travel questions to answer (for which I know something to contribute). <BR> <BR>Best wishes, <BR> <BR>Rex <BR>

I'm taking a shot in the dark that that's my name in that list. Actually, I "have* posted this week. And I'm not one to get "chased away" by a good tussle or some attitude. I do live in Brooklyn, after all. But as someone who writes for a living, I have gotten tired of Fodor's habit of taking the content I provide free of charge and dumping it wholesale. <BR> <BR>Let's just say they don't do that on Lonely Planet, which also had the wisdom to recognize that travel and politics DO intersect and made additions to its threads to accommodate people's needs in the wake of the WTC attack. And if anyone REALLY misses me, that IS a real email address up there.

Just in case anyone has any doubts that Fodors is deleting anything that might discourage travel, let me share what I noticed: There was a little post, just before the bet-they're-having-a good-time comment,that said that they're not traveling. Nothing more, no "because...." That post disappeared after several hours. There was also one other totally innocuous post that I can't remember (but it was totally devoid of nastiness), and that has disappeared as well. <BR> <BR>Yet,some of us have written in about truly vicious defamatory posts that truly malign a poster, but in doing so are not likely to discourage travel in any way. Fodors has not deleted those posts, apparently because they do not deem them to be harmful to their own business interests. <BR> <BR>Conclusion: Fodors workers couldn't care less about the dignity or feelings of the people who frequent this board and make it a success. But their livelihood depends on our traveling. They don't want people to be attracted to this board by political and current events threads that might tend to scare them off travel. But if people are attracted because they enjoy reading cruel and dishonest non-travel personal attacks, Fodors couldn't care less. <BR> <BR>I do not know yet whether I will ever regain my enthusiasm for travel. What I do know is that, as a small gesture of protest, I will NEVER purchase a Fodors product, and I will encourage others never to do so.

In addition, it appears that the staff who do this must be totally unsupervised, since their decisions are so inconsistent. Does anyone know whether Danny Mangin still works there?

where are the rest?

Hi, My fellow posters, now things are not as nasty, so I hope others will return. Watching the news every day has been depressing. Many people losing their jobs and money in investments has taken the thought of travel away when compounded with the flamming that was going on. Hoping we can and will support eachother more. mimi

Is it true as one poster stated, these guys started their own site?

Yes.

Yup. The Chai Coffee Club. The URL is http://pub92.ezboard.com/fthechaicoffeeclubfrm1

The URL doesn't do any good without a password to enter there, right? <BR>

what's the password, please.

Do tell.

No replies from anyone else?

Why would you want to know the password to a private forum you haven't been invited to? <BR> <BR>Are you hoping to gate crash? <BR> <BR>Do you feel the need to gate crash private parties in real life and shout nasty things at the guests? <BR> <BR>It's not a travel forum anyway, and if the password is posted here it will be changed immediately anyway. <BR> <BR>Users cannot access the site without registering, Administrators can ban any registered user they wish. <BR> <BR>If you like the idea of a private forum, why not start one yourself. <BR> <BR>If you are just being vindictive and petty, get a life. <BR>

In answer to P.S., it's doubtful Danny is still around. All appearances indicate no one is in charge, and whatever caretakers remain are doing little of consequence. <BR> <BR>Bertelsmann, Random House'owner, would do well to eliminate the forums in their present state to avoid further tarnish to their reputation. <BR> <BR>It's quite likely Bertelsmann, a giant conglomerate, cares little about what forum participants think. However, you can write to Bertelsmann, if you care to, at <BR>http://www.bertelsmann.com/contact.cfm

I wrote Fodors and Danny about the censorship last week and received an answer from Danny from the "editors" email address. It was definitely from Fodors and the style matched my previous communications with him. Nothing earthshaking was imparted -- just a restatement of the policy on the main forums page. Re: the criteria for deletions -- you can state them clearly to your employees, but there will always be personal variation in how they are interpreted. <BR> <BR>What is bothering me is not the deletions -- that is their perogative -- but the people who top these threads just as the forum seems to be getting back to discussing travel. I have to wonder what your agenda[s] are?