I like the new site, but one problem with the"hot message threads" function is it's turned the forum into a competition to see who can get the most responses. Someone even posted a note asking people to add a response because it was hit new goal to be recognized as the creator of the hot thread. I yearn for the days when this was a place to exchange basic travel stories and tips.

Amen Finally!

I hate to complain, and this really isn't a major complaint, but, it seems as though people are seemingly "competing" by posting questions which will generate a great number of hits. The problem is, many of these posts are NOT really travel related. They're more psychological, i. e., "Rambo parenting", "stealing soap from hotels", etc. I mean, I read these posts like everyone else, but do they really belong HERE. Maybe Fodors needs to have a Human Interest site

Yes, I posted a similar comment on the recent "Neal" thread. Everyone wants to be the star of Fodor's with their flowery narratives, ridiculous surveys and "thought-provoking" asinine questions, all in an effort to gather the most responses and have their question featured on the front page. Whoopee.

Basic travel questions sink like rocks while all the wannabe Great American Novelists and attention junkies compete for this dubious distinction. Some even serialize their self-serving threads, like "Been There, Done That" and "One Traveler's Opinion." All for the glare of that spotlight! Everyone wants their name in lights and as a result REAL travel discussion is lost here.

I couldn't disagree more. I have started a few unusual threads myself. I do it because I find the people here smart, amusing and broad-minded. I used to start them under my own name (like Neal does), but I found people would become far more interested in attacking me personally than in contributing anything to a lively discussion. Note that many of the star threads are started under alias, which undercuts the theory that people are just looking to be recognized for their creativity.

In fact, I started "Been There, Done That" under an alias. I don't know how anyone could complain about that one. It is purely about travel, and I started it long before Fodors started highlighting certain threads. I learned plenty from it, and judging by the number of responses, so did a lot of other people. What's the problem? If you don't care for this sort of thing, just don't read it.

I think some of you folks complaining here an attitude inconsistent with what Fordors intends this board to be. When Fodors highlights a thread, do they pick "Need a Hotel in Cleveland"? No. They pick something interesting. That indicates to me that Fodors doesn't want this board to be a dry list of hotels, which is one reason why they have the Rants and Raves section.

Finally, Captain, I was surprised to read your point of view. Didn't you recently start a thread on wheeled luggage? How is that different from the other long threads -- it is just a debate among people with different points of view. For what it is worth, I found your thread interesting.

Like I said: I do read the postings in question (well, at least, some of them). The problem with them is that take on such a life of their own that other people's postings have a tendency to fall off the Board too quickly BECAUSE the popular Posts (i.e. the ones we're talking about) keep popping up, causing the other's to fall to the bottom and it doesn't take much time to fall to the "NEXT 50 Messages" or whatever. That's my only complaint with them. As I said, and I mean this, maybe Fodors needs to give us a new site, entitled Human Interest. I'd read it. But true travel questions should be the key here.

by the way - I still HATE wheeled luggage.

Right on Shygal!! I found many places I will not bother with and hope to find more on "Been there, done that, don't bother". Nothing worse then missing the good places when you have better choices.

scphoenix

I don't have a problem with the been there done that thread. I kind of like Neal's essays. But the "where are you this very second" thread is a waste of space (i know, i know "don't read 'em then.") It's just that wading through all the posts to get to ones you are interested in gets a little frustrating. And try as I might, the search engine on this site that is supposed to allow you to sort by country or state is incredibly slow. That's all I'll add to this post. I am going to go start a new thread. "What do you think about when eating strawberry ice cream?" Maybe if I'm lucky, it'll be a hot thread.

To respond to Captain, let's remember that the hot threads really don't dominate the board as much as some say. As I write this, there are about 5 hot threads bouncing around in the top 50. That's 10%. So 90% of the threads are dry requests for basic travel info or other banter, such as this thread, which has no purpose other than to complain about the board.

If someone asks for basic travel info and no one responds before they get bumped out of the top 50, they should just bring it to the top. Also, they should consider whether the reason no one is responding is a poor title.

Finally, I disagree that there are large numbers of people who are not getting their questions answered. When I have asked a question, I have always gotten an answer. When a question comes up that I can answer, I try to help. But I wouldn't even be logged on to help unless I was hoping to stumble onto an interesting discussion of, say, wheeled luggage.

JWagner, you are forgetting that this site is a community. Reading "where are you this second" gives you a picture of what is going on behind the computer screen. Some of us like that. If you don't, well, I don't like all the Hawaii questions either, but the site is not here just for my needs and interests.

If you wish to pose a question about strawberry ice cream, go ahead. Just know that if you are lucky, it will drop like a stone. If you are unlucky, you will be bashed relentlessly. Good luck.

Dear Could-Not-Agree-More: you must be new to Fodor's. Neal's "One Traveler's Opinion" entries are extremely worthwhile, very well received, and highly informative. Until now, no one (in my nearly 4 years reading this Forum)has had anything but compliments for Neal's entries. There are a number of contributors that you can depend on for up-to-date and first-hand information; it's not flowery--it's well written. I'm an English teacher; I know.

Actually, Dennis, not ALL of the readers have responded favorably to Neal's posts. Last week, for instance, Neal was the topic, and the very thing you bring up was discussed. Of course, not all of those criticizing him could possibly be English teachers, so obviously they were wrong in even expressing their opinions.

Frankly, I think those criticizing Neal WERE wrong last week. What would this site become if people had to fret about whether their writing style would be critiqued if they dared to post? If you have an opinion about the substance of a post, fine. But to just say someone's writing is flowery (or wordy, or full of run-on sentences, or has split infinitives, or subject-verb disagreement or dangling participles) is just petty, in my opinion. Hey, at least the guy can write and spell. Many people out there cannot do either.

this has got to be the most boring forum in the fodor's group. the person who started this thread started the same one on the european forum and the only response it got was the first one who said, amen. don't ya'll have something better to talk about. i kept ignoring and ignoring it and it kept jumping back up so i figured the conversation must have turned to something interesting and i opened it up. GOOD GRIEF!!! how about getting a life.

amen...

Valerie,
Charmed, I'm sure.

That said I feel a little silly about this thread because it's come exactly what I was rallying against: sites that take on a life of their own. Sorry folks. Let's drop it. Too bad Valerie is too mean-spirited (nice for STOOPID) to realize that's what happened.

mean-spritied (nice for STOOPID)???

j.wagner
charmed, i'm sure!

As I see it, the difficulty here is that some folks do not like to read travel observations of other people. Neal's posts are travel observations. Same for Rambo parenting. Same for stealing soap from hotels. I think travel observations are well within the parameters Fodors has established for this site, and they also happen to make for fascinating discussions. So I guess I don't understand the objection.

Was my writing style, spelling and punctuation acceptable?

I wonder why no one responded to my 'Poetic Beach Imagery'.

?