Tumbleweed in the forum?

I might be just imagining it, but I have the impression that of late this forum has become a bit quieter than it used to be and that some notable frequent posters whose knowledge I greatly respected have disappeared or have vastly reduced their posting rate. I'm thinking of people like slinky and tontybear, not to mention some of the mods.

Anyway, I'm not suggesting we analyse the life-cycle of forum membership, because people come, people go, and that's to be expected. What I'm interested in is whether people think that this is the consequence of more and more people deserting VS for other carriers?

As I say, I might just be imagining it. ?|

[Pete]

I guess it goes in cycles in terms of forum posts, but the visitor numbers to the site as are high as ever, so there may be less posts because there's not much news at the mo; and less questions because most questions have been asked before and can be searched.

Simple life cycle with the former frequent posters I think... Wonder how long I have left ?|

Evidence of this is definitely in looking back at forum posts from years ago.. seeing regular posters with 1000s to their name who are simply not around any more.

People come and go, although their/our contributions here will live on.

Tinkerbelle is the one I miss most -- her comments and "inside" knowledge were always most welcome

Tinkerbelle is the one I miss most -- her comments and "inside" knowledge were always most welcome

Met her on a flight once , had a great chat
Lovely girl

Yes I always hoped Tinkerbelle would come back. I particularly appreciated her advance notice of Menus !

I thought exactly the same, then realised I had been on a hiatus for a wee while v( Don't contribute anything of huge importance like the named legends but still love reading and learning from the experts y)

The King is dead, long live the King!

I've noticed it quieter too but put it down to the winter, seems to be picking up again. People come and go I guess, their jobs and travel arrangements change. They might be back they might not.

.... and that some notable frequent posters whose knowledge I greatly respected have disappeared or have vastly reduced their posting rate.

I guess it was ever such. People do change their airlines of choice so don't have as much reason to be on here. Plus of course, people who were prominent on here, in various ways, might well be (or are) more active these days on other social media, specifically Facebook.
y)

Thanks for the replies.

I think it's more than just the normal coming and going of people on a forum. It feels like the excitement is waning and, as Pete says, there hasn't been much news of late. The big 'recent' developments that I can think of that really got a lot of attention here were the LGW refits and the new UC suite. The DL venture doesn't seem to have got the blood pumping.

I just find it striking that when I joined there was a very obvious group of enthusiasts who had been here a long time and made it an exceptionally welcoming place (which it still is, I hasten to add!) -- if VS is losing even these customers, then what does the future hold, I wonder?

[honey lamb]

My tuppence worth.

I can understand exactly where at240 is coming from.

OK, my perspective - I've been on this forum for ten years now and have answered nearly every question that has been asked, time and time again and I'm at the stage where I'm quite content to let others answer those questions. They have learned from us and to quote a phrase "I have taught you well, grasshopper." )

I visit V-Flyer daily - several times a day, if the truth be told but I really can't be bothered getting my head around such new developments as the timeline for seat selection and the tie-up with Delta. In addition, my recent trips have not been on VS for the simple reason that they are not VS destinations and as a result I have lost my Gold card. Indeed the change in re-qualification was the beginning of the end - no more Gold runs or that extra trip when there was a fare sale. Oh, and let us not forget the forces of nature that swamped my home and forced me to rob the piggy bank known as the Honey Lamb Holiday Fund to shore up the shortfall from the insurance company. As a result price, rather than airline has been the driving factor when booking flights although VS is my first port of call. So I let the current frequent flyers answer the questions.

Finally, sites like VF to succeed must be organic. A couple of years ago there were complaints that is was "clique-ish". It was a fair comment. There was very little movement. Newcomers joining the site found that there were so many "in-house" comments flying around that they felt they were invading a private party. References to Hull, my gin in-take :w and my disaster-prone flights abounded to the extent that they felt unwelcome. That appears to have gone and what I feel is happening is that there is a new generation of V-Flyers who are forming the same kind of friendships that occurred in the first wave of VF. I think HWVlover summed it up succinctly when he posted

.... and that some notable frequent posters whose knowledge I greatly respected have disappeared or have vastly reduced their posting rate.

I guess it was ever such. People do change their airlines of choice so don't have as much reason to be on here. Plus of course, people who were prominent on here, in various ways, might well be (or are) more active these days on other social media, specifically Facebook.
y)

That is exactly what has happened. While we still touch base here, because we have formed friendships courtesy of VF we no longer need VF to sustain that friendship. The current crop of V-Flyers will find the same in the course of time and hopefully more will follow on behind them in the next wave of posters

What a nice post HL .
I've really enjoyed learning from good people like yourself and it is nice to be able to pass that knowledge on to people who are in the same position as I was a year or two ago .

It's a nice post but ultimately we should look at changing mods to those who travel frequently. If someone hasn't posted in a year and is a mod is it not time to let someone else have a go?


I have no desire to be a mod btw, that is not the inspiration for this post.

I also find that my visits to the forum tend to be seasonal.... If I do not have a holiday planned, then I tend to stay away, but as a holidays looms closer, v-f becomes a ritual for me!

Also in recent times we have had hot topics such as the LGW/MAN refit, which have now come and gone...

Amazing relevant post by at240 y)

I have been a member since November 2010 and I mostly check the forum to see what's happening but often I don't have any response to make.

In January, I thought to myself where have all these new names come from, some of whom joined yonks ago but have not posted for years!and suddenly they become 'active' To be honest, I just wondered if 'posters' have several User names (which I know is not allowed) but so many 2013 regular posters have just disappeared

I also find that my visits to the forum tend to be seasonal.... If I do not have a holiday planned, then I tend to stay away, but as a holidays looms closer, v-f becomes a ritual for me!

Also in recent times we have had hot topics such as the LGW/MAN refit, which have now come and gone...

I find if I have no flight planned the forum keeps my taste buds tantalised, if I do have one planned, then I check in here anyhow.

It only started here for me when I was stranded at LGW when they tried to bundle me into the hold....... :0 I was grateful for the help and advice, as despite being a fairly frequent traveller with VS I hadn't ever had an issue. ?|

[honey lamb]

It's a nice post but ultimately we should look at changing mods to those who travel frequently. If someone hasn't posted in a year and is a mod is it not time to let someone else have a go?


I have no desire to be a mod btw, that is not the inspiration for this post.

Just because a mod hasn't posted for some time doesn't necessarily mean that they are inactive. For example, the absence of spam from the site, which some of you may recall was a problem some months ago, is down to the mods monitoring new posts and occasionally making decisions to help improve the site.

In any case, any such decision about the mods is ultimately Pete's as owner of the site.

I've been wary of contributing much - I don't know much anyway but even just "chat" seems rather intrusive when you've just joined. Already I've had such a lot of help and hope I haven't missed the boat by joining after the Lord Mayor's show. I've realised that some of you know each other quite well, not just as fellow posters but you've met. No, this doesn't make me feel "left out" or that I'm joining a clique, I feel I'm a newbie in a group of friendly folk who always seem happy to help for the umpteenth time.

HL... Reading your original post, I'm starting to think that I've been 'groomed' here. Not that I have any issue with being a vflyer toyboy of course!

Although to be completely fair, I've not been completely faithful. On occasion I've been known to flirt with that FT hussy... I hope I can be forgiven, but there's an air of excitement and danger on there that is irresistable

I meant to say thank you to honey lamb for a very interesting reply to my original post. I agree that it did used to feel like there was an inner circle, but to me at least it was never unwelcoming -- quite the opposite.

I was an every day poster a few years ago, now though I tend to read rather than post because I use my iphone more than my mac. Still pop on every day though and quite a few VF people ended up on my facebook.
I did at one point have a problem with a member ( now gone ) that was rather expert at putting people down and bigging himself up which took the shine off so I decided to leave for a long time.

It's a nice post but ultimately we should look at changing mods to those who travel frequently. If someone hasn't posted in a year and is a mod is it not time to let someone else have a go?


I have no desire to be a mod btw, that is not the inspiration for this post.

Just because a mod hasn't posted for some time doesn't necessarily mean that they are inactive. For example, the absence of spam from the site, which some of you may recall was a problem some months ago, is down to the mods monitoring new posts and occasionally making decisions to help improve the site.

In any case, any such decision about the mods is ultimately Pete's as owner of the site.

So let someone who flies regularly do that.

So let someone who flies regularly do that.

I hadn't thought about this aspect when I originally posted -- it's interesting. But I don't see why a mod should necessarily be someone who flies regularly? I would have thought that frequent engagement with the forum would be a better qualification.

So let someone who flies regularly do that.

I hadn't thought about this aspect when I originally posted -- it's interesting. But I don't see why a mod should necessarily be someone who flies regularly? I would have thought that frequent engagement with the forum would be a better qualification.

Whilst someone who engages frequently with the forum is an important factor, I do see where Sealink is coming from and FFs definitely bring a much valued breadth of knowledge to the table. Moderating is not just about the knowledge presented (although an important factor), as HL says there is a fair amount that happens behind the scenes.

In line with the topic, it is a tad frustrating and maybe even intimidating to some to have a never changing 'top table'. Perhaps a bit of shake-up or a few additions to the mod board could not only bring a fresh perspective to things, but also keep the site marching forwards.

Happy to volunteer Pete |:)