Not mentioning the heat and humidity of South Florida in August would be like not mentioning Disney when someone asks about attractions in Orlando.

fiona!!!! What a fantastic site!

I just cleaned cookies, etc., out of my browser so Fodor's thought I was a newbie when I logged in and gave me the whole page of suggestions. Very nice -- but something like finoa's &quot;albinoblacksheep&quot; site would be <i>soooooo</i> effective -- and maybe miscreants, trolls, and twits should get a warning requiring them to take a &quot;refresher course&quot; revisiting the same set of instructions, with the same irritating voice!! :-D

Perhaps we ought to develop a template for asking questions? I use BiddingforTravel.com and that woman won't even give you the time of day until you have done your homework and filled out her form. Just kidding!

BiddingforTavel.com is an excellent example of one specific model of a website (flyertalk is some what similar); 90+% of the value of the messages comes from just reading what others have posted - - and this is in large part because the posts ARE highly structured. I have saved hundreds of dollars with
BiddingforTravel, and only rarely posted there (trying to contribute back); as I mentioned on anyoher thread (&quot;News from Fodors&quot;), this website seems to be heavily &quot;question-driven&quot;, so it is only natural to tolerate a lot of questions that range in structure from way too vague with way too little info (and often asked poory)... to ultra-specific, in a highly stylized format.

The alternative format has far fewer posts, relative to people READing those posts (and gaining very real, useful info) - - on those message board websites, you learn how the board operates, and don't ask question that can be answered (90% of the time) through reading/researching the highly structured posts there... because the payoff for making such an &quot;investment&quot; (in time and effort) is &quot;insider&quot; info, of REAL value.

Best wishes,

Rex
(from the Europe forum)

You mean like this question?
http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...amp;dirtyBit=1

I think another thing we all need to bear in mind is that comments made on a forum with a keyboard may not be interpreted in the same way by its reader as the same comment made in person.

Because of my military and police background, I am usually quite direct in my comments. On top of which, I have a somewhat dry sense of humor and often use gentle sarcasm to make a point. I have found a number of times that comments I have made on this forum, intended as useful advice and not intended in any way as criticism or complaint have been interpreted by some readers to be negative or attacking. I do not seem to have the same problem with people I speak to directly.

I suggest we all try to be a bit more tolerant and give people the benefit of the doubt when something might be interpreted in more than one way.

I understand the need for clear titles but I don't mind opening up the vague ones -- they're sort of like surprise packages.

Also, I think readers could give a little more latitude when reading a title. If the title is 'How rude are waiters in Paris?', expect what the poster means is 'I've read plenty on this board about rude waiters in Paris. Is that true? I feel a little insecure now about going to restaurants. What kind of service should I expect?'-- a little wordy for a title, right?

I think everyone really knows what the poster is asking when he says 'how rude are waiters in Paris' and should cut him some slack.

Hi Tess--I don't really know if you were asking for opinions, but since I started this thread a month ago--surprised to see it back!!--I would say that the thread you cited, is an example of someone who put at least some--dare I say a modicum of--effort into their plans, and is seeking the advice of those who have been to those places.....:)