Uh oh, Rick is now picking a "Helpline Topic of the Month"

I think it is a grand idea and will help people remember to watch their language and hopefully keep them from making snarky replies to peoples questions. Face it, we have always wondered if anyone was paying attention there in the "office" to what we were saying, our complaints and our suggestions. Now we know that they are.
Hi Rick!

Doug,

I noticed that when I was browsing through the website earlier. It's nice to see that more prominence is being given to the HelpLine on the website.

It's nice to see that Lee got an "honourable mention" as the information he provides is always spot on.

Cheers!

Doug - Thank you for giving us the heads up on Helpline Topic of the Month.

Well, well. How wonderful. There indeed is a wealth of specific information on here, and it certainly helped us plan, too.

Hi Doug,

You did a good job of summing up the history of the Helpline! It's nice to have some recognition and I like the idea of hearing the outcome! It would be fun if more people posted their experience based on the advice they received.

Actually, I think they have featured topics or questions from the helpline previously, just not monthly, just based on whether it made good print. Certainly though, there are many things on the board that warrant highlighting, so hopefully this spreads the word.

The helpline is now more active than that Graffiti Wall so it pays to draw attention to it.

Hi Doug

This is interesting information. I'm wondering if this in any way ties into Kent's recent posting regarding the decline in the number of postings on the Helpline? Maybe a way to drive more traffic to the Helpline?

Gary - I don't know.

A year or two ago, the Helpline had little support from the Webmaster. ETBD seemed to have created it as an afterthought; focusing instead on the Graffiti Wall as the primary channel for responses to the Guidebook.

Meanwhile, Rick Steves himself was quoted as saying that the Helpline was one of the most interesting parts of the ETBD website.

So I'm interpreting these developments as the ETBD folks appreciating that the Helpline is drawing more Google searches to their website. As a result, I think (because I've been contacted) the Webmaster is asking the regulars to be civil and supportive of new posters.

What remains to be seen is if the new engagement by the Webmaster means that ETBD will assume responsibility for policing the use of this website for relentless commercial postings on behalf of hotels and travel services in Europe. We had a guy a year or so ago who came on to answer every question about hotels in Paris with a link to a cheap budget place in the suburbs - even if the question was "where is a romantic place in the Marais?". We have one or two current posters seeming to be conducting similar business.

I think it is a great idea to give the Helpline more publicity and presence on the front page. It helps foster community with all the people that visit the site and it is an excellent way to tap into all the experiences we all have had traveling around Europe and the world.

Now if only Rick posted on Twitter more... :)