Fodor's Travel Talk Forums - Should Fodor's Require Registration Here? Pros & Cons

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After the furore over the 'partitioning' ( which seems to have been hurriedly dropped ) recently there is no chance that Fodords will have a 'register / no register' partition. I venture to suggest that the vast majority of people would be against this also ( the splitting, not neccesarily registration ).

And if 'Fordords' won't do it then I don't think Fodors will either........

I visit this site daily, but don't post often. I've picked up a great many travel tips and enjoy this site tremendously; however, the trolls and venomous messages are increasingly annoying. I think registration is a wonderful idea! If Fodors is afraid it would limit "drop-in" visitors or would be off-putting to first-timers, maybe they could set it up so that you could either register and have full access, or choose not to register and only be able to read threads without posting. I vote yes for a more pleasant atmosphere! Reading nasty posts is no way to spend one's lunch hour.

Like I'd use my real name and catch the bombardment. This is so strange: so many of you take time to rant and rave at one another when someone suggests registration or some other means of control, and yet people's perfectly reasonable requests for advice on travel often go unanswered, or elicit only a paltry response. Why is that do you suppose? Is it possible that what you really wnat is a place where you can vent over every supposed ill on the Fodor system? Danny actually does give you a rant and rave location - so, go use it. Registration smacks of control - and that always seems to be people's automatic response to every issue. Get a grip, and please Fodor's, delete this entire thread. Enough already!!

After reading these responses here, I've come to realize that registration may be a good thing after all. People are much more interested in arguing and stating their own opinions about the issue of the day rather than discussing travel, and the legitimate travel threads ARE often ignored. I've been guilty of it too, probably more so than a lot of others here. And as someone who has been impersonated on this board (it's a strange feeling, let me tell you) I would welcome the opportunity to have a site I.D. that no one could copy.

Oh, well. At least my impersonator can spell correctly.

I'm a YES to some form of registration. You can alsways use a "handle" and a freebie email address.

This is Fodor's site and they own it. They can do what they want and you all have little to say since most of you do not spend a dime on their products. All of you non people want free info and advice. Then that is not enough. You also want to own the site. As the quality of the site goes down as it is now tending, Fodors will do something. They can't afford to add memory forever for all of the useless postings. Also, for the real travelers they would like to have a quality and perhaps dull site. I come here when I need real information from real people. I never give any real value to those with no real addresses. The ones that ask real questions with real addresses I answer direct oten as then I can be more specific than I would like to be on a public forum. The only answers to my postings that I have received that have been of real value have been from real people. Some have come all of the way from Turkey. It would be nice if all of you non-people would go elsewhere but that is too much to hope. Otherwise, it is no real skin off of my teeth. You know that you are wasting disk space on this thread. The only thing that counts is direct e-mail to Fodors. The real people are out there and easy to find. All you have to do is look at the addresses which I have used to contact direct to get some real info. So all of you non people continue to have fun until Fodors gets rid you all for reasons only they understand. If your want to know who I am, run a search on those places where I have have real info and answers for questions. I am easy to find as I like to help people that are traveling for the first time to areas that I know well. Good Luck.

So, Userealaddressfortravelposts, if I provide my real name and address, you'll contact me directly? Oh, goodie!

The Real Cindy: Yes, he/she can spell, but your grammar is far better.

This post just exemplifies what Cameron was talking about! Man oh man....I have a sneaking feeling that the loudest and rudest opposition to a system of registration here is from those who don't want their cover blown for whatever reason. If you've got something to hide here, then why should anyone be taking your advice anyway? You must have a motive to want to post ignomiously, be it promotion or the desire to put others down in order to build yourself up. Either way, replies like that serve no one except the poster. If we could post with registered site names and no e-mails, I'd be all for it.

I say we have to present a PICTURE ID too. LOL :)

I am against vicious, insulting, and anonymous posts, but I am also against registration.

And I'm getting tired of being accused of being a travel agent just because I like to post about Hawaii. Registration would help.

Would it help if we used a different term from "registration"? I think some way of sifting through the posters and discouraging the spammers and flamers is long over due. They are more likely to "drop in" than anyone else, and they don't add anything. To the contrary.

I agree with signing up to use this forum. It may help in keeping out the 'undesirables' as it would take time from their surfing to register, and possibly change this forum a kinder and gentler place than it is right now.

I'd be willing to "sign up". Whatever it takes to weed out people that come here to slam and spam, and never add anything as far as actual travel advice.

Oh, yes, registration. Let's make it like credit card companies and keep a record on your history of positive replies, negative replies, belated replies to old posts, etc. You'll have to supply your name, your social security number (for registration purposes, honest), your mother's maiden name (to double check registration), your home address, your work address (we'll also need that daytime phone number to verify employment--what you don't work, well then I guess you are one of the vacationing elite), blood type, and dental records. Then, we can have our information sold to the travel agents and Hawaiian souvenir shops to be included on their mailing lists. Don't forget to register; you'll get a free number tattoo for your arm and lovely living arrangements in a gated community (note: barbed wire included absolutely free). I'm NOT sorry if I offend any previous pro-registration people. I guess that just makes me "undesirable." And hope I don't vacation next to one of you stuffed shirts during a rainstorm... I don't plan to rescue you drowning with your nose upturned like it is.

Can't get a straight answer to this, but I'll ask again. If you are not interested in all of the Hawaii threads, why are you clicking on them? If you are not clicking on them, how do you know they are not legitimate? And if you are clicking on them even though you are not interested in Hawaii, doesn't that make you kind of bent?

or sign in, or whatever. I'm for it.

I vote yes! Some of these invasion of privacy scenarios are a hoot! What a pathetic scare tactic -- why so worried about registration, some of you? Got something to lose? Your days of unrestricted soliciting to a free target market seem to be waning, so better make the most of it.

As a Hawaii poster getting TIRED of the travel agent witch hunt, count me in for registration!

If it's done in a manner similar to A&E's, then YES to registration. Sounds like a workable solution.

Yes, registration PLEASE! It only upsets those who visit Fodor's to do something other than offer nonbiased, not-for-profit travel advice. And who wants them around anyway?

Yes, please register. So I can legally call you all morons. "Ooh, he's one of those uncultured, unsofisticated troublemakers!" "Quick, Mararice! Start a new Post and Thread and maybe he'll go away!" Yep! Thank goodness for aminimity. Bless the bold people! And hey, this IS an open forum, so non-registereds like you and me can make these absurd comments! I can say what I want regarding this subject post; think of it as a cyber-pants drop and butt wave at you! Nah nahnah nah naaaaa nah! If you want registered friends, trade email addresses, simpletons!

The speller from Hell eh ? How does it feel to cause hilarity when you wanted to cause outrage ???

No, you won't find someone like Earplugs advocating registration on Fodor's. He wouldn't be able to spell his own name on the sign-in page, and that would just increase his frustration at being unable to vent and spew. After he opens gunfire on a crowd of people, he'll probably try to sue Fodor's for denying him an outlet for all of his pent-up anger at the world.

I apologize for my rushed from-the-heart letter and any misspellings. The quickened typing of random thoughts rattled off the innards of my broca area was abysmal and atrocious. I, too, get irritated by the misspelled rantings of someone who doesn't have any life but to read these threads. Worse yet, to respond to these childish pranks. "I want registration!" "I don't!" "Mom, they took away my rights!" "What about my needs?" In summary, please except my apologies, oh proofreaders of the posts. I really meant to say: "Fuque ewe und da hoarse ewe road inn on, ewe ace-wholes!"

Earplugs: Whatever you say Q!

As if anyone needed further proof that this site is now the permanent home for an assortment of crackpots and weirdos, just read the latest rantings from Earplug. Did he escape from the looney bin and find the nearest E-Cafe or do you suppose it's just Turrett's Syndrome? Either way, he has decided to make this travel site his own special place. Now why don't all you scaremongers explain again why registration is a poor idea.

To Earplugs and friends who have such an apparent NEED to rant and rave under the cloak of anonymity: Have a Happy Halloween! Go for it tonight, get it out of your system! And if symtpoms persist, do yourself some good and seek professional advice.

Gosh, I sure do feel low and (sniff) shunned by the community at large. Waitamoment! You made me respond, thus kicking this post back up to the top of today's listing! My day is made! It really IS my forum! Halleluiah, it's an Annoyance Revival! Amen!

To Earplugs/aka Registration Nevermore: ...this one's for you! To Fodors: If this forum keeps going the way it's going, we'll all be going somewhere else. If signing-in will help, please do it.

If the hand-wringing, busy body, self-absorbed and obviously bored people would quit starting these threads about policing and controlling this forum then you wouldn't attract so many of the "crackpots and weirdoes". Personally I think a majority of the regular posters rarely travel as I only see their names on complaining or criticizing posts. I never see their name on a post asking or answering a travel question. Fodor's, please don't regulate this site too much. We DON'T need registration. I have gotten such great advice and would hate to see this site stifled.

Please oh please oh please don't make us register. We'll be good. We promise.

I don't have adamant opinions on this but must comment that many of those on here who want registration don't seem to have a clear understanding of internet privacy issues, advertising and data collection issues, what registration does and does not do, and what Fodors practices are now. Those who think Fodors would never collect info on them or use it for their benefit should be aware of the fact that Fodors partners with Doubleclick and everytime you log into this site, you are already being tracked right now. Bet you didn't know that, did you, as there is no disclaimer on the front page that I've seen. But, if you think Doubleclick is harmless, read some recent business news reports as I believe they have already been sued/had formal complaints filed against them with fed agencies, courts or something as they planned to take the info they gathered from people w/o them knowing it from sites such as Fodors that they have bus. agreemts with and have access to, and then link that to very personal information in other databases. I became aware of this one day when this web site was loading very slowly and you could see the various URLs it was trying to load and I noticed Doubleclick on there. Sure enough, if you go into the fine print of the privacy policy, they disclose there (but not on the home page, nor on the info about this site, etc), that they partner with Doubleclick and that they consider any information you give them "willingly" up for their use any way they wish--registration would obviously be "willingly." Anyway, registration doesn't do anything to prevent people from saying things you dislike. What the people who get so excited about this really seem to want is for Fodors to censor and monitor these boards regularly on an ongoing basis (according to their standards, not Fodors) and then somehow bar people with certain email addresses from posting in some way if they don't like what they have said. This is not what registration does; for Fodors to do that, they would have to devote a lot of staff time (and thus $)to such a task. As far as ads go, in many cases, they could already be doing such things if they wished as one catch22 with travel agents is they kind of HAVE to give a working email address if they wish someone to contact them. So, Fodors could already be doing what you want on that regard for many ads if they wish. I have complained to them a few times about very blatant ads on here from travel agents and the last time, when I even quoted the post verbatim for them, gave them the guy's email address and the title and date of the post, they did not even respond to my complaint at all, or stop this fellow from his current advertising where he tries to drum up group tour client business. So, if they are not even responding to such blatant business promotion now when they know the person's email and have the info given them directly, why do you think they are going to hire staff to monitor posts continuously? Personally, I don't even notice a lot of ads, just the occasional travel agent, so I don't know where they are. I read the US forum fairly regularly, maybe I'm just not attracted and so don't click on all these ads, but I've never noticed them. I've never read a Hawaii post, though, if that's where they are. I also don't think a travel Q&A board is that comparable to A&E's ongoing discussion board, either. If you think nobody "legitimate" would object to registration, I have objected many times to registation on some sites where I just wanted to browse or post once and they wanted me to fill out a bunch of info, and I wouldn't, and I'm perfectly legitimate. That's because I work with computers and have been on the internet quite a while so I know what kind of data-gathering goes on and how it is used; I avoid excess amounts of it whenI can and don't register lightly at web sites.

If people can play within the rules i.e. no rudeness, no advertising, then we don't need to register. Otherwise, registration will make it harder for slammers and spammers, and it's a small price to pay. Everyone on the net is already tracked. What you have is an illusion of privacy. Privacy is a concern, yes, but so is civilized behavior. We can all do our part while still having a little fun in the process.