[Anonymous]

[LuganoPirate]

I’ve noticed more and more companies posing as posters trying to promote a variety of travel related services. A few days go one even posted an advert for iPads and phones.

BT administrators are usually quick in removing them but it’s none the less annoying.

I have nothing against companies advertising in the side bars, and I can choose if I want to look further or not. I also enjoy posters commenting on companies, services and good deals to be had. This is all part of benefits you get from contributing and reading these forums. I am against companies who try to get free advertising and who may be trying to con us or worse, by clicking on links infecting our computers with viruses.

I don’t know what other posters think, and maybe you disagree with me, but perhaps BT could stop people starting threads until they have posted at least 25 times. This way they could at least contribute to the forum, allow us to build a level of trust in them and if we should want to do business with them we can always link through their profiles. Outright advertising should still not be allowed though.

I know several posters work for large organisations but still usefully contribute to the forum. I have no problem with that.

What do others think and perhaps the Site Administrator could comment as well?

[RichHI1]

Totally agree. Fed up with spivs trying to con people, advertise on the cheap, phoney flight reviews, students or accountants with surveys to fill out.

[Tom Otley]

I agree.

I’ll find out how much it costs… and get back to you.

[NTarrant]

Well said LP, quite agree

[Adey999]

It’s annoying I agree, I have only posted a couple of times, this now being the third, but I don’t see why I shouldn’t be allowed to start a new thread if I wanted help with planning a trip or something just because of other people posting adverts.

[RichHI1]

Apart from the annoyance of people misusing the forum, the major worry I have is people using links which can direct to infected websites. SI there a way to restrict the posting all phone numbers and also hot links which have not been vetted by the site administrators? Rather than making poster post x times as all that will happen is the spivs will do 25 dud posts and then post their scam.

[Bunnahabhain]

An appropriate thread to declare that I have no pecuniary interest in the product that is my handle. I’ll buy you one though at the next posters’ meeting – get practising going up to the bar and ordering it!

Good luck SI on this, from my experience as a forum administrator it’s the price we seem to have to pay for free speech etc, and is always going to be reactive in nature. The global internet means somebody is always awake when we’re asleep – even getting up at the crack of dawn I still had a pile of unwelcome trash, the nature of which needs no introduction, to delete every day. Eventually it became impossible to stem and we had to give up and bin the forum, which I’ve experienced as a user of others, really sad when they are associated with genuine, reputable websites such as local or tribute bands trying to engage with their audience.

Re links, all I think we can do is take the usual precautions of pasting them into the address bar or a search engine (many brands are available!) to check authenticity / infection risk first, and not clicking directly. Or just avoid them if they’re an advert or poorly structured survey / questionnaire (commonly seen in student research and not just undergraduates) anyway.

It would be good if some administrative rigour, albeit likewise reactive, could be applied to the flight reviews as mentioned above. Many of them are just vague and subjective – “we flew from X to Y with Z airline and it was great / ok / terrible”. We don’t really need reviews of holiday flights either on a forum dedicated to business travel, there are plenty other places for that. Accepting that any kind of review, audit or inspection is a sampling exercise and you could well have a very different experience the next day, at least any reviews which stay posted should follow the standard format used by the BT staff. We don’t have their journalistic expertise but that’s not a problem, the fundamental elements of any flight from check-in to leaving the destination airport can still be followed.

Jim

[VintageKrug]

Which posters “work for large organisations”?

[LuganoPirate]

I believe KSHaggag (spelling may be wrong) worked for Marriott and I think London City is perhaps the airport, though not sure. A couple of others but names lost in the mists of time.

Unlike other posters VK, I believe you when you say you do not work for BA so I was not alluding to you.

[LuganoPirate]

Just seen no less than 4 separate threads started for Vietnam holidays. I must confess they were quite interesting but that is not the point. Companies are realising this is a great way to attract attention but I have not noticed this on other forums.

I appreciate Adey999’s point of view and maybe 25 times is excessive so perhaps new posters wishing to stat a thread could first be vetted as happens in the “comments” section?

It would be a great shame if all posts where vetted as I enjoy the spontaneity of the forum. I think this is what makes it special.

Or is this a fuss about nothing?

[VintageKrug]

It might be helpful if someone from the US/Asia offices kept an eye on the forum overnight as that’s when most of the spam appears.

Yes, these are often not even people but “bots” – automated posting systems which spam forums.

Thanks, LP, wasn’t quite sure what was being suggested *goes and checks the aliens in the stationary cupboard are keeping quiet*

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