not normally something you want to see the young ladies wear on holiday

Anything more than 3 inches bellow the butt is too long!

It was a question about the Loro Parque , I posted it as a new thread but then it got moved into an old thread about the place. It doesn't matter now as I have found the answer on another site( I had four replies in the same day), but thank you very much for your effort

That was my exact point about my earlier post. You asked a question and it got moved. Now I visit the Tenerife forum quite often but I don't really visit the threads inside the Tenerife forum. If I'd seen that question in the normal part of the Tenerife forum I'd have tried to answer it as I've been to Loro Park! Unfortunately I didn't even see it! Sometimes questions can be answered within hours but when moved, as has happened here, they just don't get seen!
How about waiting for that question to be answered before moving it!

Chivas69 wrote:

It was a question about the Loro Parque , I posted it as a new thread but then it got moved into an old thread about the place. It doesn't matter now as I have found the answer on another site( I had four replies in the same day), but thank you very much for your effort

That was my exact point about my earlier post. You asked a question and it got moved. Now I visit the Tenerife forum quite often but I don't really visit the threads inside the Tenerife forum. If I'd seen that question in the normal part of the Tenerife forum I'd have tried to answer it as I've been to Loro Park! Unfortunately I didn't even see it! Sometimes questions can be answered within hours but when moved, as has happened here, they just don't get seen!
How about waiting for that question to be answered before moving it!

Yes it is a problem when this happens, I do understand the mods concerns over band width and a tidy forum etc but sometimes things get buried under a banner containing lots of outdated info.

Huge long information threads are ok(If they contain active live debate) but many don't want to sift through them and much of the info is out dated not sure what the answer is??

Just another thought generally speaking, It might depend how you search the forum as to whether a post gets answered don't you think. I come on and look at 'View New Posts' and tend to browse them all but I know some go to specific sections like the Cruises, or Costa Brava for example. Some forums have a date search i.e. 'posts made in the lsat day and last 3 days'. You could still search your favourite forums but would also see that other new posts are there and you may be able to answer the queries.

Just a thought.

Hi MilleMiglia ... in the Tenerife forum example which you mention, I did actually reply within 20 minutes of your enquiry. I explained that I had merged it with the Loro Parque topic in the hope of attracting the attention of anyone subscribed to the thread, who should then receive an email alerting them to your post. I also mentioned a post in the thread from just few months earlier, which was related to your question.

Chivas69, I know that you have a particular problem with merged topics and prefer to post new topics even when directly related discussions are already running on the same page, such as with the Kindles topic for example. That was merged because I felt there was no need for two Kindles discussions running in tandem in the same forum. You felt that your post wouldn't be seen, but members should easily find it via the new message icon or by using View New Posts. You also referred earlier in this thread to the Tenerife forum. Your enquiry about a bar had not attracted any views or responses, so I merged it with the Bars Q&As topic and bumped it to trigger emails to anyone subscribed to that thread. You voiced the usual annoyance about it being merged but you did attract a reply within a couple of hours so went back and edited out your compaint, replacing it with the word 'sorry'.

While some members may not like merging, it does have its advantages. As I mentioned, posting in an existing topic should trigger emails to anyone subscribed to that thread. Many of our established topics also sit very high in search engine rankings and new posts in those threads may also attract feedback from newbies searching via Google, who then register to join the discussion. New topics would not have that immediate advantage. But we also need to ensure that previous feedback from members is seen and used. It must be very annoying for members who spend time providing great feedback on their hotel, only for someone to come along a few weeks later and create a new topic asking for much of the information which has already been supplied. By merging those topics, members can take advantage of existing recent feedback while they wait for further input. In my personal opinion, it is better to have one 10 page topic about a hotel which contains lots of useful information, than to have ten 1 page topics which contain lots of unanswered posts because members understandably can't be bothered giving the same answers all of the time. Bear in mind too that the existing or original topic may also contain vital information about serious health or safety issues at specific hotels. I have come across cases where we have had new topics running in which members are discussing hairdryers or kettles in hotel bedrooms, totally oblivious to the main topic running about that hotel in which high instances of bugs and illnesses are being reported.

One of the things which might understandably bug members is if they feel their new topic has been merged with a very old or dormant topic from several years ago. But while the first post in that topic may be from a few years ago, the latest posts might be from recent days, weeks or months. Perhaps some members are using different display formats than others, hence they are not seeing the latest posts in a thread. No one needs to read several years of posts in a topic, they can just read the more recent stuff if they prefer. But the option is there if they want.

Just as a matter of interest, some members mention using the View New Posts function, others just keep refreshing the page to see if there are any new messages. But do many see or use the View Unanswered Posts function, which sometimes shows an alarming number of posts which have failed to attract any feedback ? Some of them may be statements rather than questions, and so no reply is required. Others might be questions already answered in previous topics and so members don't bother replying again. But there may be opportunities for members to provide their knowledge and expertise there too, so that those asking the questions don't need to go off to other sites.

David

Brilliant response as always David and I do look at from time to time, I will make an effort to look more, at the unanswered posts

So David after all that , What are your thoughts on the topic the thread is actualy about???

David HT Mod wrote:

Hi MilleMiglia ... in the Tenerife forum example which you mention, I did actually reply within 20 minutes of your enquiry. I explained that I had merged it with the Loro Parque topic in the hope of attracting the attention of anyone subscribed to the thread, who should then receive an email alerting them to your post. I also mentioned a post in the thread from just few months earlier, which was related to your question.

Chivas69, I know that you have a particular problem with merged topics and prefer to post new topics even when directly related discussions are already running on the same page, such as with the Kindles topic for example. That was merged because I felt there was no need for two Kindles discussions running in tandem in the same forum. You felt that your post wouldn't be seen, but members should easily find it via the new message icon or by using View New Posts. You also referred earlier in this thread to the Tenerife forum. Your enquiry about a bar had not attracted any views or responses, so I merged it with the Bars Q&As topic and bumped it to trigger emails to anyone subscribed to that thread. You voiced the usual annoyance about it being merged but you did attract a reply within a couple of hours so went back and edited out your compaint, replacing it with the word 'sorry'.

While some members may not like merging, it does have its advantages. As I mentioned, posting in an existing topic should trigger emails to anyone subscribed to that thread. Many of our established topics also sit very high in search engine rankings and new posts in those threads may also attract feedback from newbies searching via Google, who then register to join the discussion. New topics would not have that immediate advantage. But we also need to ensure that previous feedback from members is seen and used. It must be very annoying for members who spend time providing great feedback on their hotel, only for someone to come along a few weeks later and create a new topic asking for much of the information which has already been supplied. By merging those topics, members can take advantage of existing recent feedback while they wait for further input. In my personal opinion, it is better to have one 10 page topic about a hotel which contains lots of useful information, than to have ten 1 page topics which contain lots of unanswered posts because members understandably can't be bothered giving the same answers all of the time. Bear in mind too that the existing or original topic may also contain vital information about serious health or safety issues at specific hotels. I have come across cases where we have had new topics running in which members are discussing hairdryers or kettles in hotel bedrooms, totally oblivious to the main topic running about that hotel in which high instances of bugs and illnesses are being reported.

One of the things which might understandably bug members is if they feel their new topic has been merged with a very old or dormant topic from several years ago. But while the first post in that topic may be from a few years ago, the latest posts might be from recent days, weeks or months. Perhaps some members are using different display formats than others, hence they are not seeing the latest posts in a thread. No one needs to read several years of posts in a topic, they can just read the more recent stuff if they prefer. But the option is there if they want.

Just as a matter of interest, some members mention using the View New Posts function, others just keep refreshing the page to see if there are any new messages. But do many see or use the View Unanswered Posts function, which sometimes shows an alarming number of posts which have failed to attract any feedback ? Some of them may be statements rather than questions, and so no reply is required. Others might be questions already answered in previous topics and so members don't bother replying again. But there may be opportunities for members to provide their knowledge and expertise there too, so that those asking the questions don't need to go off to other sites.

David :wave

So David after all that , What are your thoughts on the topic the thread is actualy about???

I like the merged posts on HT, over on TA there are several threads on the same query - which i find really frustrating!!
A post over on TA, that you may have made only a day ago, gets hidden amongst the many other posts made, we don't have this problem on here.
Well done team!!

I didn't even want to discuss kindles, just wanted to post that you can get 30 quid off for a very limited time and felt people wouldn't always look in the Kindle thread that was running. Many people would have just seen my post and acted upon it! It would have attracted viewers that were not even thinking about kindles and therefore wouldn't have been in the kindle thread. The fact that this same offer I was showing became one of the hottest deals of the year on a certain hot deals site says it all really! Sometimes the deals have to hit you in the face to take notice!

I'm now waiting for the flightradar post I've put in General discussion to be moved to the flights area where not as many people will see it and I think it's a very useful website /app to have! It seems I'll have to post about luggage to get it to stay! There must be at least 5 threads to do with luggage on the first page of general!!!

So David after all that , What are your thoughts on the topic the thread is actualy about???

I have read several reports in our forums recently from returning holidaymakers who say how quiet their hotel or resort was this time compared to last year or previous years. They mention empty or closed down bars and restaurants, etc. If that is how resorts are being affected, then it is perhaps understandable that HTs might also have fewer pre-holiday enquiries or post-holiday reviews.

David

MilleMiglia, found it:

Hi we are staying at the first Choice ,Luabay Costa Los Gigantes in October and would like to visit the Loro Parque during our stay.

Is this trip offered through the tour companies at the reps welcome meeting or will we have to make our own way ?

If we have to do it ourselfs is there transport from the Los Gigantes area or would we be better of hiring a car.

Thanks ...

And David's reply:

Hi MilleMiglia .. I have added your post on to this existing Loro Parque topic, in the hope that it might attract the attention of any members who are subscribed. Whilst it is likely that your tour operator will offer Loro Parque as an excursion, opinion is usually that you might get a better deal from a local agent. I see that just a few posts above, Crockett does mention a coach for Los Gigantes passengers.

David

And I can see why other's might have taken the view that David had answered your question, in that he comments that your queries are answered in a couple of posts almost immediately before yours and you thank him for his post above.

For example, Crocket points out that it will be cheaper to book with a local company even if FC do offer an excursion there and quotes sample prices for one that did offer the trip from Los Gigantes and another poster suggests that it is better to hire a car if you can as you'll get more out of the visit. If you wanted further clarification or extra detail, I would have hoped that either of them would have replied with more detail.

Tenerife for me is always just a staging post en-route to La Gomera so even though I do browse the Tenerife forum for anything that might be of relevance to me I wouldn't have been in a position to answer your question. But even if I had, I suspect that I mightn't have done so because I think that I would have assumed that you'd have looked at the posts that David referred you to and then further assumed that you'd got your answer because you didn't post any follow-up questions. Perhaps others made the same assumptions?

I think that this brings us back to an earlier point, ie that posters who've replied to similar queries in the past are tending not to answer fresh questions on the same topic if they think that the earlier answers are relatively easy to find.

SM

I always use the "View active topics" as a starting point. This way I don't think much gets passed me After that I browse forums which I think will have some interest for me, for any holidays that I have booked.

Just another thought generally speaking, It might depend how you search the forum as to whether a post gets answered don't you think.

Re Miss Pink's comments, aside from any questions of my own that I might have in the lead up to a particular trip, I search HT on the basis of the following priorities:

1) I regularly look at all the forums that I think I might be able to help on and review all the new posts that are on them just in case I can provide some answers (eg General Holiday Enquiries, Complaints, Cuba, Inland Spain, Other Canary Islands, UK). I usually do this at least once a day but if I've got into a dialogue in relation to a specific query then I'll probably look more than once a day.

2) On a less frequent basis (perhaps a coule of days a week) I drop in and out of those forums that relate to destinations that I have visited in the past and might return to - it helps keep me up to date and on top of changes that might have occurred since my last visit to that country (eg Portugal and the Algarve, Tunisia, Crete) but I rarely post in these unless the information asked for won't be time sensitive.

3) I keep an infrequent 'watching brief' on those forums that relate to countries that I think I might want to visit in the future but have made no specific plans for as yet (eg Goa, Caribbean, Other Greek Islands). I very, very rarely post in these - but just once in a while do when the question in of a general nature (one about Malaria in the Goa Forum).

It is possible that a question I could help with passes below the radar but on the whole I think that the above works for me.

SM

I always use the view new posts too and look at any post that interests me whatever the destination. I very rarely go into the main index page of any forum .

I always use the view new posts too and look at any post that interests me whatever the destination. I very rarely go into the main index page of any forum .

Exactly the same here Lyn.