SOS

[Dark Knight]

if you were of a criminal bent, facebook is great, they all post when they are away and have their profile open to anyone

Anywho, we are where we are and long may it continue

[Frank Manning]

It is a brilliant Forum, and I for one would be sorry if it were to close. You cant be on here all the time though, because for most people there are too many other things to be getting on with. Neither can you keep thinking up original posts. I did get fed up with the P&O Forum because there were a few 'agendas' on that one, but we have met some really nice people through this one and long may it continue.

Just dont take it too seriously; there is life away from the computer, especially on a lovely day, with a couple of boxes of bedding plants to put in.

[david63]

Of the 900 visitors a day approximately one third are unique - in other words we have just under 300 individual visitors who have an average of three to four visits a day.

I don't have any statistics as to how many members post other than the average which can be seen in the "statistics" panel at the bottom of the home page.

(Incidentally - there has been no mention of closing this forum)

[ChesterfieldJohn]

Of the 900 visitors a day approximately one third are unique - in other words we have just under 300 individual visitors who have an average of three to four visits a day.

I don't have any statistics as to how many members post other than the average which can be seen in the "statistics" panel at the bottom of the home page.

(Incidentally - there has been no mention of closing this forum)

David ,

Thanks very much for this.
John

[ITWA Travel Writer]

Hi everyone,

Being the newbie, who appears to be the one being picked upon, please let me clear up a few points:

1. I do not in the least mind being criticised, ridiculed or even being called names. As a lazy, scrounging Scot I am used to it. Only in the UK for some strange reason.

2. I have looked and participated in many cruise forums as well as writers’ forums. However, I now work from home and there are times in the day when I need the interaction with other mortals, so forums have become an important part of my day.

3. You get a quality of information and advice within forums, which sometimes you have to dig below the surface to find, which you don’t get in other social media. However, this forum does stand out above others by the interaction of the few who post regularly. They have humour, cruise knowledge and on occasion let their learning show through, even though they may try to hide it.

4. Some do at times let their sinister side show through, which for some members, may be off-putting. This is one problem on forums you can never stop, but with someone like David at the helm it can and is controlled.

5. There will probably always be differing views between Forums and social media sites like Facebook. I have a ‘Britannia Project’ site on Facebook but it really is just a contact page. If you look closely at social media sites, they provide instant interaction and often very limited useful information, whereas a good forum can provide in-depth useful and valuable information.

6. I would not be alarmed at what appears to be only a small number of contributors to this forum. As David has pointed out many people view the forum but only a few of them post. They view because as I said above, dig deeply and you will find great information, such as with Dark Knight’s report on his Caribbean cruise. Only 10 posts but hundreds of views. Please everyone keep posting because someone somewhere will benefit.

People will always drift in and out of forums. Work, home and family commitments will always take precedent.

For those who think they or others are being treated unfairly, there is on every entry a ‘Report this Post’ button, so anyone who may feel aggrieved by the post can have David and his administrators the opportunity to look at it.

For those who have read this far without falling asleep, I’m still hear and my very nature prompts me to ask questions, so ask I will and I will try not to annoy too many of you.

[Dark Knight]

Has he finished yet? could put a glass eye to sleep, that one

Travel scribbler, playing the victim card does not work on here and only opens you up to more ridicule, you drain on the English economy , you

[Quizzical Bob]

Thanks for your input John, you have added another dimension.

(What does ITWA stand for ? I'm sure it's not 'It's That Woman Again'

[oldbluefox]

DK, he'll not be around much longer once Scotland have their independence and David reveals his immigration policy!!!

[Dark Knight]

There should be a levy for foreign correspondents

[ITWA Travel Writer]

QB it stands for “The International Travel Writers Alliance”

If Scotland votes for independence, I will move house to Cumbria!!

[Dark Knight]

ooh get you moving in next door to Smurfy
doesn't get you any slack on here holiday writer

[ITWA Travel Writer]

The other alternative would be to move to Cottingham where my brother lives!!

[Dark Knight]

I believe Cumbria is a lovely place and Smurfy very hospitable

[david63]

I believe Cumbria is a lovely place and Smurfy very hospitable

I think you have confused me with ObF - he is in Cumbria whilst I am in God's own country aka Lancashire

[Dark Knight]

ooops my bad ickle blue

[oldbluefox]

Don't be too harsh on him Smurfman. As a sheep follower living in 'Ull he was close.

[Mervyn and Trish]

Well if I'd known Foxy was in Cumbria I'd have dropped in for a cuppa last week when we were up there.

It's not my policy to pre-announce absences from home on t'interweb, but I wish I had now. I'm quite confident he'd have invited me round.

Anyway John, having seen your plans to extradite yourself in the event of independence, you better start campaigning against it. Moving is pricey enough, even before you see what the exchange rate might be between the Scottish Pound and proper money. And bear in mind too that when Scotland is outside the EU you might not be able to get in at all! But all that apart, welcome to the forum. As a journalist I'm sure you can tell the difference between gentle satire and genuine malice. I think there's little of the latter here, from most members anyway.

Back to the original question, what probably limits the number of people contributing here compared to the old P&O forum is the lack of the cruise line pointing people here. Members come and go on every forum. P&O's old product was not as good as this one but being on the company website made it easy to find.

[oldbluefox]

Had I known you were up in these parts you would have been more than welcome for a cup of tea, or something stronger. It's a pity I didn't know.

People will be naturally led to the P&O Facecloth site because it is the official site. However it is a poor medium and seems to attract more than its fair share of moaners. It's a depressing place to be. P&O's old forum was interesting but lack of moderation when things got out of hand meant it could become irritating and frustrating and for some, not a good place to be. It was a haven for trolls.
I have looked in on other websites but they seem to be so fragmented it's difficult to get involved. However I do realise some prefer other sites and that's fine by me. As with all fora it needs people posting their views and opinions, especially from those who are new to the site because they bring fresh ideas. I'm always surprised how few questions we have from those who are new to cruising.

[Mervyn and Trish]

Had I known you were up in these parts you would have been more than welcome for a cup of tea, or something stronger.

With that sort of incentive we can always come back!

[oldbluefox]

I'd better get more stock in!!!

[emjay45]

Just caught up with this thread. I'm not making an apology or a pathetic excuse for why I questioned John's presence on the forum. Like GFW I wanted to know. With all the questions he was asking I wondered if he was gathering information for publication. By his own admittance he was. I don’t think I gave him a hard time.
I don’t know about Jonty feeling he doesn’t fit on here. I’m beginning to realise that I probably don’t.

[Mervyn and Trish]

Just caught up with this thread. I'm not making an apology or a pathetic excuse for why I questioned John's presence on the forum. Like GFW I wanted to know. With all the questions he was asking I wondered if he was gathering information for publication. By his own admittance he was. I don’t think I gave him a hard time.
I don’t know about Jonty feeling he doesn’t fit on here. I’m beginning to realise that I probably don’t.

I don't think anyone should feel (or be made to feel) they don't fit here. We all have different reasons for being here and all should be welcome.

[ITWA Travel Writer]

I don't think anyone should feel (or be made to feel) they don't fit here. We all have different reasons for being here and all should be welcome.

In other words Mervyn, you could have said:

“Nice to see you to see you nice”, oops I must get better glasses for I misinterpreted your photograph.

(emjay45), I took no offence with anything you said, to you it was a valid concern which I respect.

[Dark Knight]

so if the travel scribbler is an under cover spy for Cruisers weekly and we are furnishing him with material
What is the pay off, do we get recompense, a free cruise or a round of drinks on the prose miester?
silly me, he is a scot, more chance of riding into Soton on a Unicorn

[Boris+]

Passengers arriving in Southampton on live stock are respectfully requested to undergo procedures at the banana shed.

Em