Tips for Perusing the Traveler's Helpline

Back in the good old days before the big recent changes to the Helpline editor there was a really easy way to see all recent posts in reverse chronological order, called the Classic View. I used to just keep scrolling up from where I was and would see all posts in the order they were made, regardless of HL section, and reply myself as I saw fit.

Now that we have the improved editor that feature has been removed. So what I do now is regularly (when I get up, before I go to bed, on breaks at work, I go to the main helpline page and just work through each of the sections which appeal to me. I'm no expert on the East so I completely skip that, and I only look at Travel Partners infrequently to see if any spam has landed.

The dates and times on the right side of the screen help with keeping track, and the colour of the link stays blue for unviewed. It helps to have a good memory of current issues, and if you are like me you remember most threads going back years. Many of the questions are similar so some of us keep files of common answers ready help with answers.

All sections of the HL are covered by RSS feeds and I tried briefly to use a couple of the popular RSS readers but they use too much of my netbook cycles so I've given up on RSS and just scroll through the sections sequentially. I miss the Classic view but my current method works.

Happy contributing!!

@ Kay,

Im @ work now and if i get a chance or am on my break i will try to browse and see whatsup.

since ive only started to do any traveling, my scope is limited...for now.

happy trails.

For me, travel is a passion and helping others with their travel is a hobby. Sometimes I can't sign on for a week or so as I'm working on a project. Other times, I check a couple of times a day. I really enjoy studying the train system websites and their schedules. It's relaxing for me to research questions for travelers who are trying to resolve travel issues and questions. Additionally, I am a member of the Sacramento RS travel group. We have a wonderful group of experienced travelers who meet once monthly to discuss travel plans. In several meetings this year, we have had local people wanting to travel to Europe drop by looking for assistance. I enjoy this as well.

Kay,

I try to check the HelpLine once or twice a day (depending on what else I'm doing at the time), usually in the morning and again in the evening. I usually have a Laptop close at hand when I'm watching TV, which is a useful distraction during long, boring commercials. There's so much junk and re-runs on TV these days, it's getting more difficult to find interesting programs (but I digress....).

I first look for new posts in each section, which will be indicated by date, position and colour. On my Mac, posts that I haven't previously accessed will be blue, and others will be red. I also review older posts that have moved closer to the top (that indicates they received some new replies). If there are any questions that I can answer, I'll post a reply.

Many of the posters (myself included) have "specialties" and therefore tend to focus more on specific topics. As my education and background is in technology, I tend to answer more posts relating to electrical, camera, mobile phones and that sort of thing. I also tend to answer more questions in the To The Boot section than others, as I've travelled more in Italy than any of the other countries (and can speak a bit of Italian).

I don't know of any "automated" methods for checking the HelpLine. It only takes a few minutes to scan each of the sections for new posts, so automating the process doesn't seem worth the effort. Doing a quick scan isn't time consuming at all. I'm retired so time is not a big concern. I'm fairly well versed in technology, but can't be bothered to figure out how RSS feeds work (or why I need that), so not sure if that would help?

One aspect that's somewhat "automated" is that if you start a Thread, you can set preferences in your Profile so that you'll receive an E-mail when anyone posts a comment in your Thread. You'll also receive an E-mail if anyone sends you a Private Message. The newly improved HelpLine is somewhat better on the latter point, as it's now possible to see the content of the PM in the E-mail.

Be sure to read the Community Guidelines so that you have an idea of the "rules". The Webmaster ensures that this is a polite and respectful message board.

Just dive in and I'm sure you'll quickly find a system that works for you.

Cheers!

"One aspect that's somewhat "automated" is that if you start a Thread, you can set preferences in your Profile so that you'll receive an E-mail when anyone posts a comment in your Thread. You'll also receive an E-mail if anyone sends you a Private Message. The newly improved HelpLine is somewhat better on the latter point, as it's now possible to see the content of the PM in the E-mail."

The bad thing about the "improved " Helpline is you no longer receive an email when someone responds to a thread you have started. That means checking back regularly to see if anyone has responded. The good thing is now when someone sends a Private Message you not only get an email to alert you, but you can also see who sent it and what the message says.

I never used the Classic View, but it was easy to keep track of new posts by the time/date stamp. Now it appears that if anyone edits their answer it brings it back up to the top. I find that annoying. I check out the sections that are of interest to me, so I never check To The East or Travel Partners because I have nothing to add to them. I check the Helpline pretty regularly.

After you have read enough questions and answers you get to know who has a particular area of expertise, such as Larry being a train Guru. I'm lucky that he is at my disposal to ask questions in person!! :-)

I'm one of those who have been here for years. Like Ken, I tend to ignore certain sections (haven't been to Italy, so I never look at the Boot section). I generally look at the sections I do follow in odd moments during the day, and like him I have a NetBook nearby when I am watching TV. If a particular thread has my attention, I might check more often to see who is saying what. Any new threads will get my attention first, particularly if it's a topic I am interested in. Right now it's a bit slow here, so not much has been happening.

I try to read the Helpline at least on e a day. I enjoy reading about upcoming trips; I travel vicariously through others! I also stick to sections I'm familiar with. I haven't been back to Italy since 2001 so I can't offer advice about hotels but I can tell people about my favorite cities and things to do there.

I want to help people avoid making the same dumb mistakes I made so they'll have a great time.

I usually check four or five times a week, check topics that I haven't seen before, and weigh in if I have something helpful to add.

Normally I skip itinerary questions because they are based mostly on personal preference.

I'll also read posts that I might contribute to, but pass because everyone has already said exactly what I'd say.

I check every few days, unless I'm busy. I've both offered advice and received it, and have also learned a lot just by reading the responses to questions asked by others. I like being in the company of people who share my love of travel.

You folks are all the big-time posters and I'm certainly familiar with your names. I think that everyone of you has responded to other questions I've asked over the years. I have been so grateful as they definitely made my travels smoother. Your answers to my latest post were thoughtful and excellent. I've wondered how in the world you are all so reliable. It turns out that you're doing it the same way that I am; you're just a lot more regular at going to the THL.I have my preferences set to be notified whenever someone else posts to my queries. I just love seeing those pop in my email. It's almost better than getting a snail mail letter. In fact, it's better! Thank you!

I glance at each general category and look at the times to see if it is new or not. I only open threads that are of interest.

Long, long time ago, I turned off that email notice thing. My email was chock full of posts and it was time consuming to read them all and delete them. It is too easy just to look and see if there are updates on questions I have posted on. When I sign in, it lets me know I have a message, and because I check the Helpline several times a day if I am at home, any message that is there will be seen automatically.

Never used the Classic view, as found it bulky and time consuming the few times I tried it.

No special black magic here either, I just check it once or twice a day. Usually before I go to work, then later in the evening when people on the other side of the Atlantic wake up. Even with all the information that gets repeated ad infinitum, there's still usually enough of a trickle of new stuff that I continue to learn. I