Do we need a new category?

Posted by Carol now retired (Lynnwood, Washington) on 01/19/15 02:55 AM

My understanding of the purpose of the travel forum is to allow people to ask questions from others and get input for travel plans. Recently it seems as if some of the questions or forums get side-tracked by people holding conversations that may not even address the question from the original poster. I would hate to see someone be afraid to ask a question because he/she were afraid they would get "pounced" on by the responders.

Do we need a new category for "political discussions" so that the real travel questions of individuals can be addressed in a respectful manner that refers back to the original question rather than diverging off the path?

Posted by Kent

US Pacific Northwest

01/19/15 03:15 AM

10344 posts

Yours is an interesting suggestion, which I think will be considered (or has been considered by) the Rick Steves' Europe staff. They seem to be constantly mindful of the issues you bring up.

Posted by Ms. Jo

Frankfurt, Germany

01/19/15 06:42 AM

9220 posts

It is one of the reasons I enjoy the Fodors forum, as they have the Lounge, where all the discussions that aren't about travel can take place. Unfortunately, last year they cut off any new members joining. I don't know what purpose that had.

Could easily see something similar on this forum. It could take all the run-off questions and the off-topic discussions.

Posted by Philip

London, United Kingdom

01/19/15 11:06 AM

4684 posts

If it's the threads I'm thinking of, the original posters appear to be getting their information from politically-biased sources that are misrepresenting the situation in Europe for US-focussed ideological reasons. So it's hard not to drift into political territory.

Posted by steven

white plains, ny, usa

01/19/15 02:48 PM

4161 posts

Certainly looks that way , Philip . Right you are !

Posted by Dave

Eugene, Oregon...Formerly Ventura, CA

01/19/15 04:59 PM

2262 posts

Do we need a new category for "political discussions"...

I think not, or, at least not for the reason suggested. When major world events are taking place, political considerations are as interwoven into travel abroad as luggage weight and sightseeing priorities. To fragment the discussion further only takes focus away from the big picture.
Sometimes a question or comment necessarily exposes a political viewpoint, and the occasional "pounce" is inevitable on topics that elicit strong feelings. Hopefully the Forum can continue to navigate these waters-I think it can.

If a whole new category were created for political discussions, it would surely be interesting, but I think we would find that political discussions lead to travel questions and talk...

Posted by Laura

Rick Steves' Europe

01/20/15 01:35 AM

16895 posts

If you find that a discussion has diverged far from the original travel question or become disrespectful, please use the "Report" link to report it to the web master. I do the same when I have those concerns, so that team has an overview of issues. Of course, Rick's Holy Land show has its own forum, which is expected to be somewhat political, but also polite.