We take a stroll through the TBB comments of the past week and pick some favorites, enjoy!
Obviously, if you have been following all the great fun we have at the comments feel free to skip the post.
I added my own comments in [brackets] for additional clarification and bold font for emphasis.
First, a few pics that never made it in the past week:
TBB Changes Going Forward
iahphx: “Repeatedly threatened with legal action”? Jeez, there are some people in this business who need to take a chill pill. And read the First Amendment. If your blog was “illegal,” there sure wouldn’t be too many movie critics out there. [Long Live Siskel & Ebert AND the 1st Amendment! 🙂 ]
September 20-22, 2013: Free land, Ryan Air, Bank Reconsideration Numbers, Travel Magic 2013, Military Money Manual & more Buzzzzz
ABC: MMS is hiring two folks to run the business (=> same size as TPG). I can’t help but wonder how much a “top” blog makes in commission. Full time employee + benefits, you’re looking at $150k+ in a year for two. ~1000+ Chase affiliate applications in a year….. is probably viable for the top 10 blogs. Still, there is nothing proprietary. A writer can easily defect and start their own blog. Or just turn the blog into a “TFG” (what has IB’s return of investment been?). BTW Chase cards “aren’t” churnable in the classical sense => repeat business is tougher and I don’t see any new Chase products on the horizon (Chase is the gold standard when it comes to commission). Prepare yourself for greater CC push, MMS will have lots of bills to pay. Best of luck! [An excellent dialogue followed this about the economics of this hobby business]
Spencer (of Military Money Manual): But I’ve already got the family and career I want, so now it’s time to become financially independent in the next 14 years 
Thanks for the shout out. You’re quite right about the points/mile crowd of bloggers just continuing to pump their referral links. As I begin to write about earning points and miles for official government travel, I’m going to ensure that I don’t just become another miles blog pimping my credit card links. [Hope it’s true, we heard this many times before 🙂 ]
Steve: Here are the top comments from FTG’s blog over the pasts week:
Steve: So how many bloggers will use the Southwest devaluation as an excuse to push the SW credit card
Greeks in Greece who depend on the government in some way of another ( a huge part of the population and most politically active) absolutely hate it! Greeks abroad tend to see things differently. I actually love it as the phucked up corrupt political system in Greece needed someone from the outside to PUSH them to cut down the train wreck that was totally out of control and also push necessary reforms. The sad thing in this whole travesty is that the Greeks never did any REAL reforms and what they have done all these years after the bailouts was to cut across the board salaries and pensions AND protect the jobs in the public sector while the private sector (these people actually WORKED) burned and…is still burning. To this day it has been awfully hard to fire ANYONE in the public sector. The ones who were let go were let go with FULL pensions. The ones about to let go will still collect most of salaries for a while. This place needed a SHOCK and AWE treatment from day one but no politician had the cojones to do it. The politicians in Greece make the US politicians look like absolute geniuses. Not sure what is wrong in Greece, maybe it is the sun, the water, or they spray them with lsd gases. All I know is it is the most dysfunctional economic system, I call it Byzantine communism.We call the motherland the land of the absurd. As someone said “It is a poor country full of rich people”.
Maybe I should do a post on it? Father left some inheritance and I have spent more time in line in Greek Tax offices trying to settle the crap he left us than in almost 30y years in the US. Actually, I have never waited in line in an IRS office here lol.
It’s a Greek tragedy. There is real pain and, in my opinion, it was unavoidable. Fear is now the society breaks. Today there were huge fights between communists, anarchists and fascists! Complete mayhem. Others say let them kill each other. Others say “hey, these are the only ones who have not governed, so maybe they should get a shot at it as the mainstream guys already have done such a legendary mess of it”.
My mother’s small pension was cut 25%. And it was guaranteed. Nothing is guaranteed. Unemployment almost 28%, among youth is over 60%. GDP cut 30% in 5 years. Amazing how the place has not exploded yet. I fear for my mother’s safety, too many robberies of seniors going on lately.
Ok, that was more than you expected really. All it has happened so far is that the bleeding has slowed down. But the bleeding has never stopped. This Greek Finance Minister is a real hero. Well respected guy who is working his butt off to save the ship. Probably the only guy in the govt who knows what he is doing. And he is the only non politician, coincidence?
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Amazingly positive exchanges between Drew (of Travel is Free), TJ, Andrew (of Lenticular Travel), me and others about Drew’s blog post about Bora Bora. This is what is all about and how we can all benefit from open and respective dialogue! KennyB added: I just wanna say thanks to TBB for having a forum that makes this back and forth possible, as it makes some of my favorite blogs better. [Thanks, I agree! 🙂 ]
GMB: The photographer of the stranger in the streets of Santiago photo works at a bar a few blocks from my apartment. How random. [This just amazes me, what a small world!]
September 25 – 26, 2013 – Budapest, Boeing 787, Patagonia, Aeroplan, CLC Lodging, Etihad, Le Club, Nordic MegaDo & lots more!
Well, I didn’t find any that clearly stood out so I will repost here the excerpt from Efficient Asian Man‘s blog post about traveling in coach:
“Flying coach helps cultivate gratitude just because it’s such a crappy experience that you can’t do anything except expect nothing;… I don’t think I’d be able to cultivate this same gratitude if I were always flying in business or first, and it’s also easy to forget how to be grateful for these other things if you’re always reading other people’s trip reports about constantly flying in business or first.”
Both pics above are from thechive.com
First?
And I am writing from the island of Chios in Greece…
I just met someone last week from Chios…What a small world! I have never been to this island
OMG Second?
“read the First Amendment.”
Folks? The First Amendment applies ONLY to the GOVERNMENT stopping speech — anyone else? Your boss, your company, your private school teachers? Have a 100% RIGHT to stop or prevent your speech! (That may be by firing you for what you have already said — but it’s 100% LEGAL for them to do so.)
Elenor,
Given that he’s receiving law suits and not threats of his boss firing him, it is Gov’t and therefore is first amendment. Right? He’s not saying “someone I give authority” he’s saying, “someone is telling me that they’ll take this up with uncle sam!” Which I believe would be first amendment.
So it’s not 100% legal. It’s a joke at best.
And if I understand things right, there’s no way that it’s a legit claim. Unless he himself is threatening people, or endangering people. Which he’s not.
Slander is for sure out of the question as all he does is quote them and slander has to be false. So if he says “x person” had “x links”, it’s just a fact. If he says, “x person has gone downhill”, it’s just an opinion and can hardly be seen as harmful.
If TBB said “I witness X blogger kicking orphans on his around the world trip. He also uses slave labor to write his post. Teenage girls in Cambodia!” that would be false and a reasonable case as it’s also damaging. But has to be both. You can’t claim slander for just stating bad opinions.
And he’s not selling info. And he’s quoting with reference and he’s quoting journalistic style. No matter what way you spin it… there’s no way TBB could ever be pressed with a legit lawsuit.
Aren’t there like 20 lawyer blogs out there? We should ask for their opinion. I say drum up the hum. Tell us who it is, make it a feature. Post the threats. It would hit a new high of entertainment I bet.
TBB receiving lawsuit threat is beyond ridiculous period.
Of course it is not a legit claim. Most of these online legal threats are BS. We all know it. But they are done deliberately to silence the other party because, as we all know, it is not the actual lawsuit but the costs in time and money to deal with it. So many frivolous lawsuits in this country happen every day. What they may not realize is I got time (let me rephrase, I will make the time)! and money so I am waiting for it and then you will see my response here 🙂
Hmm, this will make a good topic for a lawyer blog you are right. I will let one know about it.
I am not going to drum up the hum. I will continue to review blogs and wait for the other party’s move. I guess it is my own kind of entertainment. I bring enough entertainment without this here…unless the threat materializes and then all gloves are off 🙂
If they follow through, I hope they’re ready for the Streissand Effect!
Look at how smart that dolphin is, writing words on a buoy and then hoisting it aloft, and she still chose the human guy! SMH.
I thought it was half entertaining and half inspiring….Definitely, not educational. A silly pic to go with the other ridiculously silly pic in this mega ridiculous blog of mine lol.