Let’s go on another wild ride through the blogosphere that is trying to find a way not to become shills and put readers first, my blog nomination for an award (!!!), second best review of the Dallas Centurion Lounge, new meeting of miles/points addicts, how to do Easter Island on AA miles, travel to Yosemite, China, Vietnam and Indonesia and more raising hell material and stuff like that.
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I noticed a pattern. On Monday there is so much drivel in the blogosphere that I hardly get any material to feature here! And then Tuesday comes and bang! So this post may be a little longer than usual.
I received an email Tuesday morning that my blog has been nominated as Best Points and Miles Blog at the Frequent Business Traveler 2014 GlobeRunner Awards.
At first I thought it was spam and almost deleted it. Anyways, I don’t care much about these things but I voted in this one because I was more interested to see who else was nominated. Very mixed group. I am not sure I enjoyed seeing TBB next to Delta Points and Frugal Travel Guy but it was great to see TBB next to Loyalty Lobby, Frequent Miler and the Wandering Aramean! Anyways, if you have absolutely nothing to do today and wanted to vote, please vote here. If you have things to do, don’t worry about it.
Ok, drop everything and read this post by Matt at Saverocity: “Is there room for a Fiduciary in the Credit Card Blogging World?“. I LOVE the fact that my time spent here in TBB is making an impact and questions like these are being raised and asked in the body of blog posts! I have SO MUCH to say on the subject and so little time (more on that below). I may reserve expressing my thoughts during the upcoming meeting put together by the Saverocity and #MileMadness crew (more on that below too). I am proud to say I have been a fee only and fiduciary since day one in the financial planning industry! Ok, just a few thoughts as this is a HUGE topic:
When the fee only guys started doing business putting the clients’ interest first in the late 70’s they were looked down for a VERY long time. But they persevered and eventually thrived and they have clearly won in the marketplace. Are there still commissions sales people selling inappropriate products to people who don’t need them? Yes, of course, uneducated suckers exist everywhere (and many are here in the USA!). I see the miles/points credit card blogs and the hideous drivel that has been unleashed to the masses of newbies treating them like tools without putting their interests FIRST as being exactly the same position as the fee only crazy guys were back in the late 70’s. Heck, the ridicule persisted until the 90s in general! Will this happen here? Nobody knows but the fact we are exploring different paths and asking tough questions (and educating people in the meantime) means to me that there is hope. I am not sure how practical it is to do exactly what Matt is proposing…tweaking is needed. Banks can go a long way to get things corrected by not allowing several different offers for the same credit card product. Tough luck waiting for them to do the right thing as they have been operating for decades in the shove the product out the door be damned business model. My thoughts on this probably reserve a separate blog post…
Which leads me to this: My time is very limited right now. I have less than two weeks to finish all client tax returns and some procrastinate and I am freaking out a little right now. Then I got a notice that the other publication I write for wants me to do a longer piece AND pay me because, I guess, they like my writing. Dear readers, THANK YOU for allowing me here to just write my heart out. Writing used to be VERY painful to me, mostly because I am a perfectionist and control freak. You have NO IDEA how blogging has benefited my writing skills and just letting “go” in expressing my thoughts. I am grateful and blessed doing two things I have a passion for.
I have to slip this in here. Son has first girlfriend. I did what a proud father would do, gave him a high five! 🙂
Hilarious Dallas Amex Centurion Lounge review by PFDigest. Starts out like this, Lol! “Upon entering the lounge, you immediately start floating in the air and ascending toward a bright light as a heavenly choir sings all around you.” This is the second best lounge review I have read. The best one is this one (Full disclosure: It is mine, hehe!)
Just in case you missed it, here is the new IHG Rewards PointBreaks list with hotels for just 5,000 points per night!
Fantastic page with the best credit card offers by Frequent Miler. You clearly know which are affiliate offers and which are not. All the rest of you used car salesmen pumping your affiliate offers non stop and conveniently forgetting the better offers you should be ashamed of yourselves. Well, some of you have absolutely no shame so you will go on fleecing your readers and keeping them in the dark. If you are a newbie reading my blog please check out my three lists: Blogs I Love, Blogs I Like, Blogs I Ignore. TBB readers do not let friends click on links on the Ignore list! If you did, we forgive you, we all make mistakes (including moi before I figured it out on my own and yes, I felt like a Tool!). I would love to do a page like this one day but putting it all together and maintaining it appears to be a bitch and I just don’t have the time!
Hey bloggers: To promote the affiliate offer for the Amex Platinum and NOT the superior non-affiliate offer Mercedes Benz version of the card is, in my own opinion, inexcusable. You are NOT truly helping your reader! Stop treating your readers like tools! Credibility is the most important asset. Make a stand for what is right, don’t just cash the paychecks and go along with this crap in certain blogs! The above is based on my own opinion only. We only live once, do NOT become a Tool!
There will be another meeting with quirky types who think about miles/points 24/7. It will be in Charlotte, NC on May 10. The Saverocity folks are putting it together and it revolves around the milemadness theme. Confirmed speakers so far:
- Frequent Miler
- The Miles Professor
- MilesAbound
- Marathon Man
- Matt from Saverocity
I bought the ticket but have not made any travel arrangements yet. I bet me and you will learn a heck of a lot more there than in the FTU and Chicago Seminars meetings that are pretty much newbie target practice to convert to credit card clickers customers. It will be nice to finally meet in person some people I have gotten to know and respect online. Ok, enough BS. I am going there to meet Marathon Man, the man, the legend, the…. Any tips on flying there and accommodations please comment. Better wait until April 1st to fly using Avios on US Air!
Hack My Trip gives us reason #1,236 to hate Delta with “Delta Pisses Off Seattle Customers“. Ugh…
An excellent interview of Sam from Milenomics. Lots of wisdom in here!
Flying to Easter Island in Business Class With American Airlines Miles. By The Miles Professor. Great comprehensive post.
This Blogs is Not Free. By The Free-quent Flyer. What? Blogs are shills, repetitive and boring? Tell me about it 🙂 Anyways, if there is one blog I have treated unfairly so far that I have not included in one of my two good lists it’s this one. It will soon be corrected. Great original in the trenches miles earning content. Deeper thoughts about blogging and monetizing and trying to keep an independent voice in this post. Please consider subscribing and helping him out. Let’s stop rewarding shills and make this blogging thing a viable and sustainable practice by, most importantly, producing a good honest product that we enjoy without turning into used car salesmen tactics and justify them by whatever tools suit us and, above all, keep adding value to readers’ lives.
An absolutely stunning timelapse video of Yosemite. Found at Dashburst.
A Man Spent An Entire Year Walking Across China — This Is What He Looked Like Afterward. Incredible video how he changed over time, at the end he looked like a Taliban fighter!
Winners Highlights from the 2014 Sony World Photography Awards. At Twisted Sifter. Some seen here before but some stunning new ones!
There is no way in hell I am playing musical chairs with this psycho, no way…I am scared!
Found here
As you know I play soccer every Monday night in an over 40 league for years. After you win a tough game and play really well I always feel like this:
Check out my updated blog lists: Blogs I Love, Blogs I Like, Blogs I Ignore
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George
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First? Nice.
So close…
Book one-ways to and from CLT for 16-19K WN points total before the devaluation. And then cancel if a better option comes available elsewhere.
Since I live near a US hub, I’m also eagerly awaiting the ability to book cheap short-haul flights on US using Avios. The idea of hopping on a flight anytime I want for a small number of miles sounds fantastic. Alas, I suspect the reality won’t be as good. As you probably know, US is stingy with award travel — and that includes short haul flights that seem unlikely to have much demand in US’s own award program (too many miles, unless you were connecting elsewhere).
I’ve looked at some city pairs for April and it’s depressing: I’d have to be uber flexible to get where I want to go. I actually started this thread on Flyertalk to see if they add short haul award seats closer to departure.
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/us-airways-dividend-miles-pre-merger/1561370-does-us-add-last-minute-short-haul-award-seats.html
So far I haven’t seen seats added. Like there’s one flight next Friday I’m interested in; the seat map suggests the flight is more than 1/3 empty, but there are no “low” award seats available. If that’s how US is going to play, it’s going to be a tough game.
Given this reality, I would also recommend booking “speculative” WN award seats if that would work for you. The bloggers don’t give WN much attention (no lounges and FC, I guess), but getting the personal and biz Chase WN cards and spending 10K for the Companion Pass is probably the best credit card sign-up bonus in America these days. It’s worth about $4000 in free domestic travel, plus more paid BOGO trips.
I sincerely hope, for the sake of us all, you are wrong. But I suspect your fears may be right on. I need to book me the some WN fares as backup and then see what we get come April 1st. I agree about the Companion pass; awesome deal for a couple with plenty of time (retired)! That sure is not happening in this household with two kids’ college bills starting soon!
It’s also an awesome deal for any family who likes to get away for the weekend. All 4 of us are going to CLT for 31K WN points total + $40, the lowest cost for 4 paid tickets is $1140.
Sweet!
Given how sky-high domestic airfares are going (you can thank Southwest for buying AirTran, and then jacking up fares on both airlines, while the legacy carriers all merged), the WN Companion Pass has become very valuable. For a family of 4 that travels, I think it pays for both spouses to get the 2 Chase cards and each earn the Companion Pass. Perhaps doing it in alternate years that overlap.
The Chase Avios card is probably the second best credit card to have — at least if AA/US will release award inventory.
It’s nice to think about all those int’l biz class tickets — and I do wonder how the bloggers get enough miles to CONSTANTLY take them — but you also need a way to get around the good ol’ USA at a plausible price in the current fare environment.
@ iahphx: Bloggers buy the international business class tickets because they can afford them as it only takes some credit card conversions. Of course they are not going to come out and say that because, well, you can’t sell the dream that way 😉
…yet so far away
42?
Personally I don’t think a single travel blog contains enough infotainment to warrant a reader-supported no ad paradigm a la Andrew Sullivan.
But I’m intrigued with the idea of a hybridization. I’ve a hunch that with the right combination of bloggers covering different aspects of the ff/travel world, and instead of no advertising perhaps a smidgen (including an affiliates page with no inferior offers), there’s a model that would work as a subscription site. Of course it would take not only the right combination of talent but also the right combination of ethics, like yourself, Matt, and others.
Meh. This Paul doesn’t see much difference from an “ethical” blogster who has the “best” links or one who doesn’t. They are both preying on the ignorance and/or stupidity of their readers.
Readers need to realize that THEY are the most important piece of the equation. If a blogster wants to share some of the $ they earn off my good credit for some small (usually widely known) tidbit of info, then start sharing the wealth. A fair split might be 95% reader, 5% blogster.
Readers need to realize that using ANY pimps links is shooting themselves and the hobby in the foot. Banks would immediately stop using affiliate links and find other methods to attract customers (like bigger signup bonuses and bonus categories).
So people, start avoiding clicking on any affiliate CC link. Realize this so-called “ethical” blogging is just self-serving nonsense with some feel good righteous spin.
Hey P,
I thought you would like this concept, it is only an idea now, but can only become more with enough support – the goal of what I suggested was to take affiliate links out of the equation, ultimately, there would be no need for any pimping of any links using the fee only method.
Isn’t that what you want?
Readers should realise that they are part of the equation in that nothing is actually free and using the odd Amazon link (or clicking the odd ad …..) is a way of paying your sub for the year.
You don’t need to charge for the site and it is counter productive anyway because you lose the ‘buzz’ from having big numbers reading you.
I agree Raffles. As long as my brother in law keeps renovating his basement and buying stuff every day from my Amazon link my site will be buzzing 🙂
I think the NYTImes would disagree with you on the paywall, but actually I was discussing paying for a bolt on service rather than the site in general.
Yeah, I think NYTimes are saying that they have done well with the paywall too. But both of these publications have LOTS of staff 🙂
Explain to me the “bolton” details in Charlotte
Voted!
You got my vote, good luck!
@ Jeff: Nice indeed!
@ KennyB: Excellent suggestions, thanks. I need to get on that and also call Amex to squeeze some more money from them on the Plat card I will cancel soon 🙂
@ Spencer F: true. Perseverance wins #hint 🙂
@ DiffPaul: Interesting suggestions, thanks. I am no fan of the subscription model (in the form of paying to gain access to the content). I think the answer lies in hybridization, just got to figure out the different aspects to it for the “:proper” mix. There have been some great comments in that blog post by Matt. I am very glad to see such questioning occur!
@ P (as in “the real Paul:): I do not see FM preying on the “ignorance and/or stupidity of their readers”. Readers ARE (and should always be) the most important piece in any equation of online publishing. Without readers you got nothing! You will never see a split of 95% reader and 5% blogger. The other way would be nice for a start but it is contractually forbidden (which is a bunch of BS if you aske me!). Stopping to use ANY affiliated links is fine by me if that is what you choose to do. Having said that, by doing that this pretty much takes any viable reason away from blogging in the first place. Which is great to see that so many crap blogs will cease to exist! BUT, unfortunately, great blogs will cease to exist (at least in their current form). I am pretty certain, if that happens, FM will not blog full time. And that would be sad. So, it cuts both ways….Therefore, we need to find a middle ground that helps readers, is ethical and sustains bloggers. Blogging IS HARD WORK, I had no idea! I should have thrown in the towel like a cheap suit long time ago hehe but I am stubborn and weird 🙂 Thanks for reading and expressing your opinion!
@ Lonetree and Tara: Thank you!
@ Matt: Some clients know what I do as a hobby. I have consulted with them about travel and miles. I even turned a few into devoted hobbyists after “coaching” them. But most fall into the complete newbie land, the easy prey of several blogs in this space. I have one who keeps telling me “Just tell me what to do”. But, you know, it is hard to just do it for them as it involves applying, recon calls, meeting min spends, loyalty accounts, paying the cc bills, canceling cards, getting new ones, burning them (ugh!), etc. You can only do so much hand holding. It just gets a bit “too much” to outsource the whole function of ‘earn and burn” package. Technology may help here and you started seeing it in things such as Wallaby but it only pertains to one aspect of the whole package (and the most lucrative one of course!). So, I don’t know. The economics sure favor the cc pimping method. Until that gets reversed somehow I think it is an up the hill battle. Taking the same argument and applying to financial planning…to this day there are product sales people making LOTS of money shoving crappy products down people’s throats while the fee only guys work their asses off for years to create a good sustainable business. But it is more noble and can really make a positive enhancement to clients’ lives and make a good living in it too. It just goes to people’s ethics and the factor of greed…We ‘ll talk about this stuff in Charlotte. I need to start writing, later!
@
Blogging is indeed hard work. You can do it for the money or you can do it for the fun (a few are fortunate enough to do it for both). I’m making less than minimum wage on my blogging but I still enjoy it.
I’m starting to wonder if the payouts from credit card blogging are like that of drug dealing: a few make tons of cash, while the vast majority makes a pittance.
Ideally you do it because you have a passion for it, keep your credibility, have a hell of a time at it and if money comes do not turn into a communist 🙂 Sadly, most wannabees and pseudo “experts” in this space only start with the $$$ first.
I know better not to calculate my wages per blogging hour lol.
Your cc/drug analogy is probably not far from the truth…It will be interesting how the whole field develops. I hear Citi had some trouble passing some threshold tests…maybe all due to the 5% TYPs they keep giving to MilesAbound and Miles Professor LOL.
Right now Google gets most of the web’s ad revenue simply because they’re everywhere. The old ad agencies don’t understand how to webvertise so they throw $$ at Goog because there’s not much alternative.
Facebook is coming up in ad revenue because instead of brute force they offer a more directed model. Ad agencies like that better because it’s better targeted.
I get you’re not a fan of subscription sites (why buy the cow when you can drink for free :-), but that model gives even better targeting to ad agencies. And much, much better than Facebook. What’s better, the idea that someone kinda maybe is your demographic, or that you know someone is because the site is more distilled AND people pay to be there!
A travel site such as I suggest would be compelling to agencies precisely because the readers are preselected aspirationals. Put some actual travel writers (Matador and other sites to which you link in the bottom third) with some secrets/inside info writers, add a MS blog or two, maybe some non-travel finance like Matt has, and garnish it with some travel humor and pointing out the other site’s pimp ways.
I’ve got no horse in the race. But if I still needed to work I’d be hitting up the VC crowd and some of the writers/bloggers. I firmly believe collectively you guys could make more money, have more fun, and remain ethical.
@ DiffPaul: Fantastic commentary, thank you very much! How different is what you are laying out here than a blog aggregator type site?
I have no horse in the race too! As I can not afford to mess with what brings food in my family’s table. I am no risk taker to start hitting up the VC crowds and do this with the energy that will be needed to make it a success. Maybe some other younger person can do this. The original TBB blog idea was to feature here EVERYTHING that a miles/points hobbyist would ever need. I had the motto picked out “We waste our time to bring you the best from the blogosphere so you don’t waste yours”. Well, it got a little bit out of hand so I had to narrow it. No doubt in my mind I could make it work IF I was at this full time. With two kids entering college I am just not that adventurous anymore. Besides, I do love my day job 🙂
I get your points about the ads and directed models. I just had lunch with a client who has been in this business since the early web days so I have had the pleasure to learn more about this field…about stock options too 🙂
Only difference is being a subscription site–with some teasers for those who stumble upon it. Think boarding area distilled down, add Saverocity’s type, add TBB-type, add Matador-type.
The $ubscription would be small, mainly a way to differentiate from free sites, cachet. Sign up terms prohibit republishing. Money’s in increased ad rates not subs.
Thanks for the conversation! I don’t Amazon much, but would tip in the jar if you had CCs. Great site!
Thanks a lot. By the time I get there all banks may have a strict one bonus per card per lifetime period so my timing would be off again, story of my life hehe.
The only subscription site I pay for is WSJ.
“Hey bloggers: To promote the affiliate offer for the Amex Platinum and NOT the superior non-affiliate offer Mercedes Benz version of the card is, in my own opinion, inexcusable”
To expand on that, having an alarmist “AMEX PLATINUM BONUS INCREASES TO 40K” headline, followed by a lengthy post rehashing all the benefits followed by an “oh by the way, there is a better offer…” footnote does not count. Even moreso Rick who didn’t even mention in his brief footnote that the MB card has a better offer (or link to it for that matter).
Gary did it right in his top 10 list – he listed the MB card. He didn’t even mention the regular platinum card. Rick and co. didn’t even have it crack their top 30. LOL
Was outvoted 🙂
you got my vote, keep up this great blog!
Thank you so much, greatly appreciate the support!
Got my vote in early.
Can we “vote early and vote often”? =D
Thank you so much, I appreciate the support.
Regarding voting often, I have no idea. I still don’t know how this whole thing came about. I find it amusing.
Here’s a shocker. The exact same round trip itinerary from DCA to CLT the weekend of May 9-11 costs $199 on USAirways and a whopping $607 on AA marketed as a codeshare with USAirways. You are flying on the same plane mind you. I have seen this before trying to book on LAN for example. So, if you are wanting to pay for coach, this data point may be of interest to some. Buy your USAirways tickets now, not after the merger. I wonder if this is illustrative of other routes?Pretty scary. Antitrust not an issue? I beg to differ.
Wow, that’s ridiculous. When I hear of talk from these execs that mergers are good for consumers I laugh uncontrollably!
Many of those short flights with AA/Eagle to DC are ridiculously expensive. Many go half empty. Reward availability on AA is often pretty good. USE AVIOS points! 9k will get you rt ticket.
I have never had any trouble to get DTW – LGA tickets using 9k Avios flying AA. Hope it continues!
Buzz, your Lions should sign that Musical Chair (woman?). She’s quite the lady.
Best. Linebacker. Ever. Word is the cracker Lions scouting staff was all over her 🙂
TBB said:
“I have one who keeps telling me “Just tell me what to do”. But, you know, it is hard to just do it for them as it involves applying, recon calls, meeting min spends, loyalty accounts, paying the cc bills, canceling cards, getting new ones, burning them (ugh!), etc. You can only do so much hand holding. It just gets a bit “too much” to outsource the whole function of ‘earn and burn” package. Technology may help here…”
Not sure I completely agree. I know someone who consults for local governments and large corporations re: emergency planning – everything from how to keep people safe during an earthquake to how to keep data accessible if the headquarters building becomes off-limits during a crisis. She uses a rubric, filling in the specifics based on the industry, geography, particular risks for that client, etc. It is very tailored to the client at hand. She issues a report with detailed steps to follow. Another friend writes data management plans for mostly government agencies; she said that after many years at it, she can practically do it in her sleep. Both are well regarded and well respected in their fields, regularly winning bids on huge projects year after year.
So I do think one can consult on all the intricacies our our hobby. I think the big task will be convincing those who could benefit to sign up. To me it isn’t so different from burning strategies – most of us book stuff ourselves, often asking for help on FT or a blog or from a friend, but some prefer to pay a fee for that service.
Milenomics urges us to do a demand schedule. Shouldn’t be that hard to go from a client’s demand schedule > which cards to get > how to manage CC accounts once you have them > booking travel. Many (most?) of the bloggers have the basics in a “New? Start Here!” tab. The issue is how to ethically customize for each client and how to market the fee-based service.
There are MANY moving pieces in this hobby and an ever changing landscape that can change before you can say the phrase “Chase Ink Bold” 🙂
To properly consult you need full information about current situation, goals, prior cc history and other special situations (baby, skiing equipment, whatever, etc.). And don’t get me started about burning strategies that could be maddening to pull out (throw a few schedule changes in the mix and no wonder newbies don’t bother…it’s TOO MUCH for them).
But you may be up to something about the “demand schedule”…START there with the goal of a specific trip in mind and the proposal is something like “We can get your family of 3 to Maui and 5 free hotel nights” for $300 if you do X and Y and Z. We can email you specific directions and keep up with your progress and nudge you if you are slacking. After all the points post we will help you book the trip. Now, the key then becomes at what pricepoint do customers buy and you do it in a way that you do not work for less than minimum wage? You see how easy it is to just come up with a post you have posted a gazillion times (i.e., Companion Pass) and catch a few newbies who happened to see you on Nightline or read an article somewhere and with a few clicks you made more than busing your butt trying to help the newbie do this the right way…
You are on the right track. But at the present economics I have a hard time believing this fiduciary relationship is viable right NOW. It will be IF the banks stop over paying for the bloggers marketing work for them. Just some additional food for thought.
I forgot to add of course that the above model becomes MORE viable if in the advice given the BEST links are provided at ALL times. After reading the comment by LHFlyer in Matt’s blog post perhaps give BOTH the affiliate and non affiliate link if they happen to be the same! If not, always must give the better one! And all that is fully disclosed. Of course you won’t be able to disclose the affiliate commission because them bitches contractually forbid it because if the masses knew about it MMS would have interviews scheduled to eternity hehe.
I nee to step away and start writing…
So close I can hear “Aloha”
All we need is FINRA to step in and decide to regulate CCs ….that will fix it! 🙂 We’ll be buried in prospectus and boiler plate disclosures….damn good times.
If FINRA gets involved I will look to retire. Maybe I started TBB looking way down the road for an alternative? 😉
George, We agree on something we agree. This fiduciary is just not going to happen with the players now in the game for some substantial money and the banks paying off the bloggers. Its a great idea but way too late.
I’ve been thinking about this all afternoon and welcome your input. Instead of focusing your efforts on a lost cause “pimping,” doesn’t it make sense to direct efforts of the “Save the World from the Commercial Sinners” crowd to close down the public display of affection for Manufactured Spending and take it underground? There is no big money in the game as of yet, but it will be doomed if we all keep going on the same track as the US Mint, travelers checks, Visa Bucks, and Office Depot VR debacle. That to me seems to be the future of the game and possibly a segment where with all the best minds working together, not fighting with one another to make it last for all?
Do I have the answer? Hell no, but it is sure a more feasible and as profitable game for all as credit cards used to be. Under current government regulations I can see MS having lasting legs, if we don’t blow it with big posts, big threads and over aggressive behavior. Remember the days of Don’t Call the Airlines”. We struck out there as well with uneducated newbies and greedy people.
Some of what you said Rick are sad but true. I don’t think it’s realistic to think that MS can be taken underground. There is always one blogger with an incentive to post it because the gains from posting it are greater than the loss of that deal. Look at the HIGC debacle with MMS. He went full blown arrows and circles on every single deal starting with the Office Depot VR…
These bloggers create uneducated newbies and sadly not a lot of them are willing to go on FT and read the wealth of information there.
Chris thanks for the calm and well thought out response. So here is my next question, if you don’t think that we can move something as profitable as MS that has no major financial players, underground, how do all of you expect to change the so called credit card pimping issue? It would seem to me that credit cards are out of control of the hobbyists at this point but nobody controls MS at this point. In fact the banks would like the publicity to disappear as many in the hobby would as well.
Many will accuse me of trying to divert the attention away from credit cards. So be it. But I think it is a lost cause. But MS discussions can be minimized and handled more like the trick it thread to keep it alive. For gods sake we even have a forum on MS which I think is crazy. That info should never be out in the open.
Thoughts?
I’m not sure that I have an answer for you Rick but I’ll try to articulate one. I’m probably biased because I dislike some of those bloggers out there.
Maybe there isn’t much we can do against the credit card pimping but maybe some of us hobbyist are sad to see the hobby and community turning into some disgusting commercial enterprise like this. Also, the more pimping they do, the quicker the devaluations are coming.
I have mixed feelings about MS and trick-it. I was never part of the trick-it forum but I think that it has worked very well for these people. It is a bit too exclusive to my taste. I was able to figure out a few of the Avianca tricks which I probably won’t get to use but some tricksters would only share them with people they personally know.
If you take MS or anything else underground, you are excluding some people which I think might go against the spirit of FT and the hobby. However, given how the bloggers turned the hobby into a circus, maybe that’s the way to go to preserve those deals. God forbid if they start getting into the MS part. They already post once in a while about BB and VR at CVS and that is maybe why some of these readers play the hiding reloads shenaningans which hurts everyone rather than helping.
So I’m not sure. But yes, it seems that none of the bloggers are touching any tricks with a 10-foot pole. Maybe because they have nothing to gain from it. That may be different with MS.
It’s all about conversions in this circus 😉
The economics of the blogging world presently are warped and full of conflicts of interest. Individual bloggers make a choice on what they publish. TBB will highlight and promote the ones who do it right imho. And single out the ones who do NOT do it right imho. And in the process we get some entertainment around here. And of course education so send all newbies you encounter to my site ok? 🙂
Now I need to find my own inspiration to work on another blog post…I am exhausted.
Chris nailed it: “There is always one blogger with an incentive to post it because the gains from posting it are greater than the loss of that deal.”
But the gains of MS are not in the bloggers best interest, I guess you could tie MS to minimum spend but the banks are really frowning on that type of post.
Headline: Delta Points censors the Frequent Business Traveler. Seriously, check out dps twitter shill for votes. He mms’ed the photo with arrows pointing to his name and ERASED TBB from the list! I kid you not! Smh
Wow. Just wow. Delta Points has entered a cesspool. I saved the screenshot just in case the evidence goes away.
You should send it over to Frequent Business Traveler and see what they think of one of their nominees changing their voting image.
DP has never ceased to amaze me how often I say WTF when I read his “work”. I saw that and I am speechless…again! I wish FBT will send him a threatening email about suing for violation of a patent (just like I have had the pleasure to be the recipient of). I understand the 11 arrows, it’s all pimping style. But deleting my blog is just downright ludicrous.
I wish I had never been nominated guys. If I knew DP and FTG were fellow nominees I would have said HELL NO!
I have a contact at FBT who is a pretty cool guy actually.
Just shaking my head…how low can you go…
Major LOL. I think TBB got under his skin…a little?
11 arrows….11
smh
WTF…again!
Btw, stupid autocorrect – of course I meant Censors 🙂 and I’m not angry one little bit! Lol
Carl, thanks for bringing this to my attention. Isn’t this entertainment or what? I mean, taking all this time to do 11 arrows, erase TBB from it and post it in a tweet? Always putting readers first.
Full disclosure: I sent the voting link in a tweet this morning. I did not mess with any images!
Can you please write about manufactured votes – you’re getting 5 from me!
PS – Extra bonus points for talking about being a perfectionist and ending a sentence with a preposition in the same paragraph!
That is 5 more than I got from Mrs. TBB, great!
TBB is about entertainment. This blog is a tool to control my perfectionist tendencies and expose my inadequacies 🙂
don’t be a tool:)
Sorry Buzz, after careful consideration, I decided to vote for DeltaPoints
(this one gets my vote for funniest post of the night!)
How lazy are the bloggers at FTG? They can’t even be bothered to glance over the template for weekly “features” that they’re bringing back from the dead
“We are thrilled to bring back the Sunday Success Story column”
That’s great Rick and co.
One problem….. today is Wednesday
I just can’t imagine, a man of your stature, being concerned with such trivial data??? Don’t you have a lawn to mow or snow to shovel??? Oh I forgot, it is the change of seasons and your slow time.
there we go with the lawn mowing again…smh
Just tried to vote and got this:
“March 26 at 10:30 a.m. EDT: The provider of our ballot is currently experiencing difficulties and the ballot may not appear or may operate slowly – please check back later as our technicians are working with the company to address the issue.”
Hmm. It is currently March 27 at 2:50 a.m. Has it really been down all day?
Could it be that someone from our travel hacking community decided to hack the contest?
I actually ran into trouble when I tried to vote last night too – got through about 25% of the questions and the Continue button disappeared so I couldn’t, well, continue!
So I have not yet voted for TBB.
I hear on Twitter that this publication is not that esteemed anyway. I should have had a clue when I say my two favorite blogs next to me 🙂
It will still be a riot if 1) I won or 2) if they won how they use it to pimp even more!
DEL(e)TAPOINTS
DULL-TA POINTS
Still shaking my head that dude will take the time to enter 11 arrows and delete my blog name from the image, wow!
From HackMyTrip, on why you should follow his blog:
“But it’s a blog where Travel Blogger Buzz says:[You’ll] always find something different/original here. Always trying hard to educate readers and add value. I may not read every post but I usually find good stuff here.”
Just out of curiosity….. since you’re just a blog that has zero reach, and who only has a loyal following of a handful of angry commenters, why would reputable blogs such as HackMyTrip, PF Digest and others continually cite you to their readers? Why would reputable bloggers such as MilesToTheWild vote for you as best miles and points blogger
Is she an angry top?
For the record, you are absolutely correct in your assessment. Hackmytrip has become a damn good blog
Kudos to Scott on going the anti TPGFTGMMSMVOMAT route…. actually improving over time
For who’s record? You are making the assumption that anyone cares what your opinion is? Most just ignore your anger 😉
Now Buzz, He has a platform to stand on. Your opinion is, well is worth ” A penny for your thoughts” Just my opinion of course 🙂
“Three wars back we called Sauerkraut “liberty cabbage” and we called liberty cabbage “super slaw” and back then a suitcase was known as a “Swedish lunchbox.” Of course, nobody knew that but me”
– Grandpa Ingersoll
Ingy, let me be serious here, I see some patterns…late night posts, many of them angry, some apologies later, obsession with this site….
If you need help again with a problem then I sure hope you seek it out. If I were your friend I’d be pretty concerned and come over and check on you. I’ve had to do similarly in the past.
Doing and feeling just fine. Thanks for your concern. Just getting tired of the same old whining about the same old topics. “This blogger did this. This blogger did that” Can you believe what ____ said?” In fact Steve is the best example of this type of content.
I love checking Tabloid Blogger Buzz primarily for Angry Steve’s comments. George seems to have figured it out that when he dishes it out, I’ll give it right back to him. Congrats George. Your contributions to the space have been much more worthwhile
Good luck in the best blog contest. IB will promote it I’m sure.
“Doing and feeling just fine. Thanks for your concern. Just getting tired of the same old whining about the same old topics. “This blogger did this. This blogger did that” Can you believe what ____ said?” In fact Steve is the best example of this type of content.”
I’m pretty sure even Stevie Wonder can see the irony in Rick making this post in response to me PRAISING Hackmytrip as a quality blog
“Steve is just criticizing everything”
– Rick, in response to Steve praising Hackmytrip
Steve, love you my main man, but you need to get better at trolling trolls. You try to win by untrolling and it has 0% success rate anywhere on the interwebs.
I never said a criticizing word regarding your post on Hack my Trip. You really have a problem with the truth don’t you? I was speaking about your posting in general. The irony about your post about Hack my Trip is the idea that because you agree with somebody that makes them “absolutely correct”
In this case we agree, it is a good blog, but 99% of the time, I think you are just a whiner and in many instances way off the mark. But of course, that is just my personal opinion 🙂
“I never said a criticizing word regarding your post on Hack my Trip”
If you don’t want people assuming you’re replying to a specific comment, you probably shouldn’t click the button that says “reply” under the comment you don’t want people to assume you’re replying to.
(how was that AgendaGuy?)
“The irony about your post about Hack my Trip is the idea that because you agree with somebody that makes them “absolutely correct””
I’m not sure “irony” means what you think it does
Wait, I’m reputable? When did this happen?!
After reading about the Garfield I just don’t know… 😉
Whoever mentioned about the TBB platform, I think they call this darn thing: WordPress
Yea, What AgendaGuy said. I think???
“I think”
first time for everything
I just love playing with you guys. Thanks so much for the entertainment.
http://saverocity.com/travel/room-fiduciary-credit-card-blogging-world/?replytocom=18547#respond
Now trolling Saverocity in addition to TBB!
And he just refunded my registration to Charlotte. You guys just can’t take any push back at all can you? Its like the Hatfields and the McCoys or the Democrats and Republicans. Its your way or the highway. Shows weakness in your position.
You will not change American Greed and Capitalism. Feel sorry for your close minded positions. Too bad it exists in such a great hobby.
Rick,
As I told you via email, you aren’t welcome there after I made a decision on how your presence would be a distraction from the event in general. I would have to dedicate time to dealing with you that could be spent elsewhere working on new ideas with people who haven’t shown me any red flags regarding stability.
Further to which, I want the environment to be a positive experience for all, and I have doubts that it would be if you attended, you have been rude, condescending and bullying to many people in your comments, I wouldn’t want them to feel uncomfortable by your presence.
So, if you did attend I would be distracted by having to monitor you, ensuring that your interactions with the guests were proper, you are the only person who I have doubts about this for, and as organizer of this I am just too busy to have to do that. If you are ever in NYC and want to meet, I am here, and I would gladly do so as none of those factors would be at play.
I hope that there are no hard feelings, and hope that we can meet at some point.
Best,
Matt
You have no idea how my presence would affect your program at all. I could sit there and absorb the information I wanted on MS, see how you handled logistics and get to see some old friends. I think you are afraid. And I’m not the one that called another human being a dick now am I?
Lets be honest here Matt, I disagreed with your idea of becoming a fiduciary until you were willing to give up your links. You never answered the question Matt. Are you willing to give up your links? Try the truth Matt instead of the run around excuses. You didn’t like your idea being challenged and when I gave you the opportunity to show your true self by telling you I registered, you acted exactly as I expected. I didn’t have to tell you I registered.
Rick
Of course I have no idea how you would act- it is the mere fact that your behaviour would be in question that I refunded your ticket.
It was nice of you to tell me you were coming, but I did know that already, as I was alerted when you bought the ticket.
Best
Matt
Do you see my name on the registration now Matt? Are you looking at all the plus 1’s?
Rick, you aren’t welcome, if you come it will be an embarrassment to you when I remove you from there. Please don’t.
Not surprising
If the comments section of this blog should’ve taught you anything, it’s that when somebody has the nerve to call out the practice of targeting unsuspecting newbies with something they’re often not ready for (open up these 9 cards and spend 25,000 and you can go to Bora Bora!) solely to line their own pockets with every last dollar….. the used car salesman that pioneered that tactic turns into a sociopath.
Saverocity reads this blog and the comments here, so that shouldn’t have come as a surprise to him
And once again Steve is going to protect the newbies from the big bad blogger people. What a line of crap premise you guys are trying to sell here out of some hairbrained idea that people are not supposed to be accountable for their own actions and you the almighty experienced player are going to save them.
Are bloggers holding guns to the heads of readers?
Are they forcing their hands onto the submit button?
Are they preying on those with lousy credit scores?
The answer to all three is NO and you know it.
Can somebody go to Bora Bora on credit card sign ups? Hell Yes they can and that is the point. We do this because of all the possibilities open to us if we use our heads. I’ll venture to say that many of the readers here have done things just as whacky and got great results. But the ongoing phoney “I’m gonna protect the world from the big bad bloggers” is really getting stale kids.
Quit trying to save the world kiddies. You need to be accountable only for yourselves and let others choose as they may.
Yawn
“I agree that all sites do not always offer the best cards available”
– Rick
Um, well….. except for all the sites that do always offer the best cards available
Matt: Remove me from a public building? On what basis Matt? Age Discrimination? Differing opinions. It would be fun to bring an attorney and watch what you do. You have no grounds and have already shown yourself to be a coward by unregistering me from the conference.
Just can’t handle others positions? Is that your grounds? You have proven yourself unworthy of representing the space as all opinions are not welcome. You are just exactly what you are, and that is a such a shame. We could have used another voice of reason. I invite all TBB readers to read the exchange on his blog several days ago. That’s how you will be treated if you don’t agree with Mr. Matt.
Go ahead Matt have the last word and think about how you are going to remove me from a public building and wonder if I will even be there. I’m in your head now til May 10th.
I’m not worried about you showing up, I’m just worried about the embarrassment that it will be if you did. Rick, I’m done talking to you, you are clearly unstable, and I don’t want you anywhere near me.
George —
I read your article with interest; and I decided to post a vow in writing:
I promise to reduce the amount of times I post affiliate links in the two weblogs authored by me: The Gate and What’s Your Point?
I might even consider eliminating using affiliate links altogether.
Please wish me luck — and congratulations to you on your nomination for best weblog.
Do you believe that I will succeed in keeping my promise?
You will succeed 🙂
I think you should be compensated from IB imho. In fact you should get a portion of the cc revenue from FTG and F2B–>WalletSlot because your credibility helps both sites immensely.
You have no idea how much I appreciate your comments, George. All I can say is thank you very much.