Taking my crayons and going home
 

This used to be my most favorite website of all times, I was absolutely addicted and could hardly wait to read it everyday. <BR> <BR>But, I am taking my crayons and going home. I always try to post polite questions and/or answers. I am tired of the hateful, snide, bickering responses and I'm tired of getting my feelings being hurt when I'm just trying to help. I am not usually that sensitive a person but I've had it on this forum. <BR> <BR>Good luck to those of you who are nice and helpful and happy travels. <BR> <BR>(p.s., I am not a whiner, I'm just tired of the jerks.) <BR> <BR>

C'mon lightweight, snap out of it! <BR> <BR>No wait, is this LEONE?

Hey. <BR> <BR>Switch to the newsgroups. <BR> <BR>Try rec.travel.usa-canada <BR> <BR>Go to groups.google.com and begin to read newsgroups. <BR> <BR>Click on rec then travel then usa-canada. <BR> <BR>Don't need to sign up to post. <BR> <BR>To post, simply create a temporary e-mail account at yahoo; then read your e-mail to activate your google account. <BR> <BR>Then you can start posting. <BR> <BR>Often, people cross post on Fodors and the newsgroups (e.g., 4 people in a NYC hotel room). <BR> <BR>The newsgroups are very easy to ignore flames and other "i need attention" types of posts. <BR> <BR>Fodors is still ok, as it has a beginners mentality to travel. That can be very good to learn new places, etc. <BR>

I am right there with you "tired".

To "tired" and "I hear ya" -- When I first was attracted to Fodors.com, I was enchanted. I liked offering help with places I'd been, chatting with people about places I'd like to go, sharing thoughts and experiences. Some of the more imaginative threads full of whimsy and humor could really make my day. That was about 3-4 years ago. <BR> <BR>In the last 12 months, the nastiness quotient has gone through the roof, as has the loon factor. I still have the habit of clicking on "forums" with anticipation, but time and again as I scroll through the threads, I see more and more that are just picking fights on some political or social agenda. It's even spread to the Europe forum of late -- and the acrimony between Americans and Europeans there has become distressing indeed. <BR> <BR>I can only speculate as to why bad humor has taken over, and why certain hardcore misanthropes have become the dominant posters. Posts like "FloatLikeButterfly's" demonstrate exactly the snide tone that have sapped the forum of its cordiality, as well as its usefulness. <BR> <BR>I'll probably pick up my own toys at some point soon and move on, too - no longer enjoy playing the game. I don't expect anyone to beg me to stay -- to the contrary, I'm sure the three of us will draw all kinds of parting "good riddance, it's your problem, boo-hoo to poor you, lighten up, get a life" shots. But want you and anyone else who cares -- apparently not many -- that you aren't alone. We are all regretful that the acid-mouthed jerks have moved into the neighborhood and now pretty much run the show. <BR> <BR>Maybe I'll see you on another website.

Hello Fodors, wake up. It's time to register users and force posters to sign in. Maybe that would get rid of the trash and this would be a more useful site.

Amen to "me." I think if registration was a requirement, the hostile, silly, and/or non-travel questions/posts would be zilch. Anonymous and xxx addresses for the most part are the ones who fan the flames (and start the fires!). <BR> <BR>I know it's easy for us to skip past or not respond to the questions/posts we know are going to be heated, but I feel they shouldn't be at this site, anyway.

Responding to these negative posts and/or leaving the forum is giving these people more credit and satifaction than they deserve. As when dealing with a bratty child, it's best to ignore negative behavior than to reward it by attention. The helpful responses in this site far outnumber the flamers. Let's focus on them and support each other.

I agree that the forum has gotten way too nasty lately. Fodor's used to be more diligent in monitoring and deleting the offending stuff, but since they have had corporate cutbacks, they are diverting their energies to other battles....

Just thought this topic needed to be sent back to the top....agree that we all need to be registered....I hate the "hate" also

Q.E.D. <BR> <BR>Another vote for registration.

I agree. But, is there anything we can do. Could we all email Fodor's? I doubt they care if they let it go on this long.

Couldn't agree more

Email address: [email protected]

I said this before on another thread, but it bears repeating: I don't thing registration will end the "hate" stuff. I used to post regularly on my hometown newspaper website, the St. Petersburg (FLA) Times, which requires registration. The posters there are so nasty, I eventually stopped. See for yourself: <BR>http://forums.sptimes.com/Forums/ubb...ultimatebb.cgi <BR> <BR>So, although I wouldn't object to registering here, (and I won't stop posting either which way), the best solution was given by MAGGI: Ignore the brats, support the helpful posters. <BR> <BR>Thanks, Maggi!

Disagree with the registration "solution." Other sites have tried it, and it doesn't change a thing. You're trying to legislate civility, which is impossible. <BR> <BR>Free and independent speech is all about taking the good with the bad

Although I agree that the bickering has gotten out of hand as well as the "snide" remarks, for the most part I like being able to post without using my real email address etc. I get inundated with personal requests for help and although I enjoy helping to a certain extent, it can get tiresome. Being able to post anonomously is an added bonus. Frankly, if you think this site is bad, you should visit the Lonely Planet. There, 50% of the posts are intended to cause bickering. So, I still think this site is pretty well managed.

I was a daily addict of both the U.S. and Europe board until recently. I don't visit as often now because, frankly, I got bored. But I'll still check in now and then - you never know when something interesting crops up, and I really like some of the regular posters. I've found them to be friendly, knowledgeable, helpful...and fun! I love reading trip reports, and am always willing to be of assistance to others here when I'm able. <BR> <BR>Most of the posts, however, lately, are ridiculous, or just plain boring. I don't have the time or the inclindation for a lot of this crap. That's why I'm not around much anymore. Though I'm here today! :-) If your feelings are hurt or you've had your fill of this site, take a break. I have, and highly recommend it. <BR> <BR>It's unfortunate that the Fodors staff who were maintaining this site were laid off. This could be (and still is to a large degree) a terrific site. It just needs a bit of friendly monitoring/mediation to keep it sharp. <BR> <BR>In lieu of that, regular posters could let the trash drop to the bottom by just ignoring it. Don't top it by responding. If you're enjoying a good thread that you feel is being ruined by negative or stupid posts, just ignore them. Don't respond. <BR> <BR>And that's my two cents, for what it's worth! <BR> <BR>Regards!

Have to agree with Jim ... unfortunately, we do have to take the good with the bad. I have gotten much useful information from this site and try to offer other posters information when I can. It's best to probably just ignore negative posters, however often there are large numbers of responses that have been incited ... probably just what the "negative" poster was trying to do! <BR> <BR>I also have to agree with dnorrie. I use "xxx.com" because my e-mail address would state my place of employment (which I want to keep confidential for obvious reasons) and also I do not want to get e-mails coming in to me at this address. (Just like trying to keep your phone number private to avoid lots of unwanted calls.)

Gee, I thought the lame "crayons" posting had died a quiet one. People continue to clamor for registraion ... this site must be brought back into line, to become that once great thing it used to be. Well, may I offer another idea: no one gives a damn what this site is doing ... so lets get over the "center of the universe" complex under which some of you labor, and post on. Excuse me, but while people have been trying to make the case for registration, I've yet to see anyone explain compellingly why some group would actully invest resources to create and enforce an effective registration system here. As Pogo used to say, we have met the enemy, and he is us. We are stuck with one another, like it or not, and the only action Fodors is likely to take is to cancel the posting apparatus. So, why don't we just pretend all is well, and maybe the Fodors folks will leave us alone in our distant corner of the INTERNET UNIVERSE to continue to communicate. We used to bitch and moan things couldn't be worse ... and then one day the aliens arrived. Ciao

Some people are very sensitive and I can understand that they don't want to participate in this forum. However, after finding this site and looking at many others, I wouldn't change a thing about the way Fodors operates this forum. Earlier this summer we took a trip to Europe. In preparation for the trip we read a lot of posts, asked a lot of our own questions and posted our itinerary for comments. As a result, we obtained a lot of great information. When we got back from the trip, we posted our trip report, including our personal opinions on many of the places we went and the things we had seen. Both before and after our trip, we got a few mean comments back from some posters. Some were anonymous, but the most notable came from a couple of people who I discovered are "regulars" on this site. You know the ones. They are self-appointed experts on travel anywhere and they think themselves the sole arbiters of what is good or bad, worth doing or not worth doing, etc. Basically, these few individuals didn't like our questions or disagreed with our opinions. I quickly discovered that if you disagreed with their opinions, they attacked you viciously. At the same time, I also have to say we obtained lots of great information from other regulars and from a great many people who chose to remain anonymous. The problem here is not the forum, it is the individual posters. Basically, I simply ignored the rude ones. I certainly didn't bother to respond to them. As to changing the forum to require registration, I would not use this forum if I had to use my real name or email address. There is already too much of a loss of privacy in our society. Almost every time you register on a web site, you are setting yourself up for a sale of your personal information to others. Anybody who tells you differently, is full of it. If Fodors ever does start to require registration, I'll be gone and I'm sure a lot of other very good, anonymous posters will be too.

Not much to add other than to say that I too would not want to use my real name and/or e-mail for the above mentioned many reasons. I think that most of us can tell when someone is giving reasonable advice and personal opinions <BR>regardless of whether a name is attached. <BR>Someone who uses the opportunity to rant about unrelated issues, or is downright nasty in a post, is, in my opinion, less <BR>trustworthy and useful as a source of advice. I have just ignored those specific posts and moved on unless i feel they are giving FACTUALLY incorrect information to others. <BR>As far as the annoying troll posts or troll answers to real posts, they're not worth getting upset about... <BR> <BR>By the way, I really appreciate the mostly thoughtful and civil tone of this <BR>discussion!

I also dislike reading nasty responses some people post. I read the posts to get informed not impressed. Courtesy is a thing of the past. It's not politically correct to give a straight non-embellished answer. I scan the posts and skip the scum.

Leone, as we all know, is one of the major new bad apples in this barrel. But "Tiredtoo," if you use a phrase like "politically correct," you are part of the problem, too, since it indicates you have a pre-existing negative attitude toward certain kinds of comments, people, etc. This is a phrase that has long since been "coded" as a put down a philosophy and way of seeing, doing, saying things. Ironically, it was originally used in a completely neutral and objective analysis to explain why voters might or might not like a candidate, and what kind of public expressions might or might not work in a given district. Now it's been adopted as a generic attack, but the a priori condemnation is not shared by everyone. <BR> <BR>And in fact, every time I see the "p.c." or "politically correct" phrase in a thread, I give up on it automatically because it means we're just in for another brawl -- which is exactly why I am visiting here less and less. <BR> <BR>I'd like to talk about wonderful places to visit and marvels to see. I don't want to hear what your political philosophy is. <BR> <BR>

To Tired: Eventually, you'll figure out that no matter where you go there will be jerks, idiots, and otherwise inconsiderate people. You can learn to deal with them, ignore them, or go someplace else. Most people realize that the 80 percent of this forum that's terrific is worth the pesky 20 percent that's ridiculous. And, if people would cease and desist from responding to the nuts, they'd pretty much go away. You say you are not a whiner but that was a lot of whining. You say you're not usually sensitive, but it would seem that you really are. So, I guess it's "bye-bye".