Is the Travel forum really a good idea?
 

Understandably, this site is about as excited as contracting forums as major sports are in eliminating teams.

However, I have a concern about the real value of the Travel forum. Tonight I accidentally clicked on the forum and, when in Rome, decided to peruse the forum. The same forum that NT! ships threads to or locks with prejudice for not belonging in OOT (and no doubt this happens in other forums too, like B&M).

My findings were pretty dismal: most OP's questions weren't answered in the timely fashion required ("going to be in XXX over the weekend, advice on XXX?"...first response is three days later).

The fundamental problem with that forum IMO is that it's off the beaten path and it's probably not in the forum rota of most people who could actually be helpful and it's probably the home forum of nobody. This last part is critical because if 2+2 is to view its communities as being among its most important forum assets, then people helping out on these matters is key to their success.

Two examples: respected poster oddjob posted days ago in Travel about where to eat in Palm Springs in the Travel forum, ostensibly the correct place for the post. Crickets. I tried to help as best I could, but no doubt his checking that forum multiple times/day has left him feeling like the forum is of no use.

On the flip, someone posted a thread in OOT today about where to get a good steak in Chicago. That was this afternoon and he has something like 20 replies. I don't consider these topics to be dissimilar, yet the guy who posted in OOT got way more and thorough responses because it's a much higher traffic forum and helping each other out is one of the implied goals of any forum community.

Anyway, that was long and rambling, but hope it's considered and not just drowned out by the small minority who bitches about how their "ask me" thread in OOT got buried and that somehow warrants a forum creation which seems to be the 2+2 equivalent of Siberia.

Re: Is the Travel forum really a good idea?
 

i don't really think the travel forum is ever going to work, but i also still don't want those threads in OOT. if you leave one there you get ten more, and it clutters the forum with [censored] that is interesting to like 2 people.

it's fine if there is just some [censored] that doesn't belong here. how [censored] hard is it to look at menupages or whatever.

Re: Is the Travel forum really a good idea?
 

Sick avatar IMO. I'm not sure how much the pitchers like it but Manny's whole "wow that is WAY out of here, I am awesome" acts are pretty LOL.

[ QUOTE ]
how [censored] hard is it to look at menupages or whatever.

[/ QUOTE ]
I think this misses the point. The more people rely on 2+2 as a community, the more 2+2 benefits. In May of 2006 I was a relative noob but I started a thread about various places to eat and drink in various Atlanta suburbs. People were very helpful and I printed out and used some of their suggestions (only "some" because I was only there three nights).

If I'm a 2+2 regular am I going to trust menupages or take the chance that some respected poster who is a local in a particular area can help me? Further to that point, the more threads that exist like that, the stronger feeling of community that emerges.

I agree that there is clearly a right and a wrong way to go about threads like these, but shipping them all off to Travel seems like a bad idea.

Re: Is the Travel forum really a good idea?
 

I share tuq's opinion. Keep in mind I was always concerned that we have too many forums. I understand it from a monetary POV, but as a user its overwhelming.

Obviously it doesn't seem to be affecting the user base because we are gaining new users at a rate of 100+ a day so I understand that my opinion probably doesn't mater since its not affecting business.

Re: Is the Travel forum really a good idea?
 

So, tubs, you're in Rome?

Re: Is the Travel forum really a good idea?
 

[ QUOTE ]
i don't really think the travel forum is ever going to work, but i also still don't want those threads in OOT. if you leave one there you get ten more, and it clutters the forum with [censored] that is interesting to like 2 people.

it's fine if there is just some [censored] that doesn't belong here. how [censored] hard is it to look at menupages or whatever.

[/ QUOTE ]

How (in)active is the travel forum? Would it fit in a single thread in OOT?

Re: Is the Travel forum really a good idea?
 

db,

Actually "when in Rome" is just an expression. I'm in Phoenix. Today was the lowest high temp in probably six months at around 80 but I was too strung out from playing poker until 4AM last night to go out and enjoy it. Supposed to be back near 100 degrees by middle of next week. My loss.

Let's get back on topic por favor, as they say in Mexico (if you read the Travel forum you may or may not know this).

Re: Is the Travel forum really a good idea?
 

i think the forum could still easily work if given a more active mod, honestly. like 3 of nation's last 200 posts have been in the forum, and all a forum like that honestly needs to get rolling well is one guy who just knows his [censored] and is in every thread, googling, linking, etc.

Re: Is the Travel forum really a good idea?
 

citanul,

nation can only be the subject matter expert on so many cities and places. It's not like he travels the world and reports on it for a living. I get your point about googling and linking but honestly, the best feedback is going to come from presumably trusted sources who live in those cities and are clearly only looking to help. Which of these are you going to trust more:

Chump Change give you advice on where and what to do in Chicago (partially chosen because I think you live there), or

joebob6969 who recommends X restaurant because the service was friendly?

As mods we are by default more invested in the forums than 95+% of the average readers, but I also want to point out that even as a noob part of the reason I posted my travel questions is that not only were there a lot of people from everywhere, but people are happy to be helpful if you offer them the chance to do so.

Re: Is the Travel forum really a good idea?
 

tuq,

honestly when the idea of a travel forum came up i didn't think it would be the forum where stuff like "ok so i'm going to be in chicago for 24 hours to see a cubs game, what 2 meals and 1 bar should i hit" went.

i thought it was going to be the forum where people posted trip reports, planned week long vacations (interational and domestic), etc.

threads about "here's what i did on my trip to prague, with pictures" work well, index well, and inspire people to take good trips in the future.

threads saying "ok next month i want to go to someplace in europe, for a week, budget x, etc" can work out well, i think.

a thread saying "ok tomorrow i'm going to be in omaha, where do i stop for gas" just kinda suck entirely. i totally agree they should live in a higher traffic forum, and probably all of them could exist in one thread in oot.

continuing, other threads such as "great ways to book cheap travel" "good online travel resources" "best luggage" "things you should always take with you when you travel" etc, all work well, i think.

but yeah, the short stupid ones are kinda homeless, and probably even are a detriment to the travel forum.

c

Re: Is the Travel forum really a good idea?
 

citanul,

Generally speaking you're gonna have three kinds of threads, to which you generally referenced:

- questions about certain places, asking for advice, trip reports with pics from said places, etc.

- near future, short trips to places, i.e. "what to do in XXX for a night"

- really dumb, poorly constructed threads about some place that warrants no response due to poor effort.

I guess group one is fine in Travel. The problem I have is group two and so many of the time-critical, user-reliant threads being locked or shipped off to Travel, and as importantly users' probable confusion over where to post (grunching oddjob - "well I mostly post in OOT but I'm taking a trip...where do I post this in order to comply with the rules?").

If I had to boil it down the Travel forum in and of itself isn't a killer, but using it as a catch-all for trips to cities is a bad idea and detrimental to various communities.

Re: Is the Travel forum really a good idea?
 

Guys, I think we're stuck with the Travel forum for two reasons.

1. We beat the travel forum issue to death in ATF.

2. Basically, low traffic isn't a reason to get rid of a forum around here. Entertainment betting only gets about 3 posts per day and we can't even get rid of that one.

Re: Is the Travel forum really a good idea?
 

Imo, one can't compare forums like OOT and travel. A lot of the value of the travel forum lies in its lasting effect. With time many places in the world will have been covered by trip reports and 2+2 will have a good repository for what to do in x.
And users who are able to use the search function (ok ok, i hear you) might find fellow players and get in touch with them ("hey xxx, still in guatemala/mali/whereever?").
All in all, I like it and would hate to see it go.

Re: Is the Travel forum really a good idea?
 

[ QUOTE ]
Imo, one can't compare forums like OOT and travel. A lot of the value of the travel forum lies in its lasting effect. With time many places in the world will have been covered by trip reports and 2+2 will have a good repository for what to do in x.
And users who are able to use the search function (ok ok, i hear you) might find fellow players and get in touch with them ("hey xxx, still in guatemala/mali/whereever?").
All in all, I like it and would hate to see it go.

[/ QUOTE ]

Re: Is the Travel forum really a good idea?
 

Thanks for the candid feedback, everyone.

I guess it's here to stay. One element I will continue to not like though is when a forum regular leaves his community to post in that forum and largely gets ignored, whereas a simple post in his "home" forum would yield a lot of help and suggestions, quickly.

Maybe we should just force all users to start in the Travel forum, that way it will get more eyeballs...

Re: Is the Travel forum really a good idea?
 

Tuq, of course it was a terrible idea.

Re: Is the Travel forum really a good idea?
 

A couple guys get a certain agenda and beat the subject to death until they get what they want.

Re: Is the Travel forum really a good idea?
 

tug,

Prior discussion

Re: Is the Travel forum really a good idea?
 

Madd,

Seriously, though, if someone's going to actually SEARCH for travel content, you think 2+2 is going to be the place for them to do that? That seems pretty absurd to me.

And even if that is the idea, doesn't that actually make a case for keeping travel threads in higher volume forums?

Re: Is the Travel forum really a good idea?
 

Agree with Tuq on contracting Travel forum.

Agree with iron, get rid of entertainment betting too please. (Hooray 1 whole fricking new post today!!!)

Re: Is the Travel forum really a good idea?
 

El Diablo,

sure, if I would go to xyz in 6 hours I would check out the thorntree (lonelyplanet) first. But just because there is a better forum out there for some specific recommendations regarding different locations doesn't mean the 2+2 travel forum is worthless as a repository.
And maybe somebody likes to hook up with some fellow poker players while on the road. Where should he look or post?

Re: Is the Travel forum really a good idea?
 

[ QUOTE ]
tug,

Prior discussion

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Yeah, pretty much (and then some) validates my opinion on the matter. Travel forum may have its uses, but it detracts from the forums in which those regulars post. Thanks for the link.