Just a suggestion

[Guest]

Please don't get offended.....I am only putting my two cents in as an avid Amtrak traveler and reader of this site. I have posted on several occassions and of course have read other posts and I find that there are so many duplicate answers to someone's inquiry. Do people read the prior postings before they make their statement? If it is a personal opinion or observation, that is an excellent addition, however, I find many are just repeating the same information that has already been stated. I appreciate the enthusiasm of the responders but if you don't really have anything to add, skip to the next post.

 

[MrFSS]

Please don't get offended.....I am only putting my two cents in as an avid Amtrak traveler and reader of this site. I have posted on several occasions and of course have read other posts and I find that there are so many duplicate answers to someone's inquiry. Do people read the prior postings before they make their statement? If it is a personal opinion or observation, that is an excellent addition, however, I find many are just repeating the same information that has already been stated. I appreciate the enthusiasm of the responders but if you don't really have anything to add, skip to the next post.

Sometimes, not all the time, two or more posters will see a question and answer almost at the same time. I've had that happen to me. By the time I get my answer typed and links put in, etc, several other people have answered, too. We all just want to make sure the answer gets out there!

 

[Larry H.]

Its a little like everyone wants to share his or her experiences or thoughts and often they do repeat but they satisfy the posters need to be a part of what is going on. If only one person answered everyone else would be left out.. So its just kind of a way things go with fans of things like train travel, or nearly any other subject. It doesn't take me long to scan a note and see if anything different is in it, but finding that many agree or disagree with a question can be of interest its self. I guess to the "lay person", or someone who is not a involved rail fan, then it may be tedious.. But that is how I feel about any subject I am not really into in a serious way.

 

[Guest]

I have been riding the rails so to speak before Amtrak was Amtrak. My first trip was in 1968 between Los Angeles and Chicago with a family sleeper. Since, I have traveled on every long distance Amtrak route, the Northeast system, and not just sporadically but on a regular basis. So my love for the rails is as strong as anyone because I continue to do it even though I could fly to my destinations in hours. I understand the passion, but I am still perplexed by many of the duplicate responses. This is not unique to this site. If you have something new to add great. Otherwise, contribute where it needs your input.

 

[Larry H.]

Your right it is not unique to this site.. If I were that upset by others voicing their feelings, repeat or not, I would just not read past the answer I wanted. Or better yet I wouldn't bother to read it at all. I belong to several other groups and I find that I ignore 99% of the post, I get what I want and leave the rest. You can hardly act as sensor to others in a format so open as the internet..

 

[TVRM610]

Your right it is not unique to this site.. If I were that upset by others voicing their feelings, repeat or not, I would just not read past the answer I wanted. Or better yet I wouldn't bother to read it at all. I belong to several other groups and I find that I ignore 99% of the post, I get what I want and leave the rest. You can hardly act as sensor to others in a format so open as the internet..

oh wait.. has that been said before???

 

[the_traveler]

As stated before (see I read the whole thread ), sometimes 2 or 3 others have posted their own reply by the time I hit "Submit". And sometimes, especially on other forums, some posters do not feel like reading all 468 posts prior to their post, where the same question was asked and answered.

 

[Amtrak OBS Employee gone f]

I have been riding the rails so to speak before Amtrak was Amtrak. My first trip was in 1968 between Los Angeles and Chicago with a family sleeper. Since, I have traveled on every long distance Amtrak route, the Northeast system, and not just sporadically but on a regular basis. So my love for the rails is as strong as anyone because I continue to do it even though I could fly to my destinations in hours. I understand the passion, but I am still perplexed by many of the duplicate responses. This is not unique to this site. If you have something new to add great. Otherwise, contribute where it needs your input.

First off, I am a freight conductor for a major Class I railroad, and a former Amtrak on board waiter/attendant. So I definitely have railroading in my passion as it is my livelyhood! I loved it before, but even more now despite its downsides.

But anyway, it seems to me Anthony had a lot of these ideas in mind when he created this site/forum. Unfortunately it is impossible to please everyone all the time, so maybe we can compromise here. If you don't feel the message you are reading has anything to offer or you believe it has been repeated too much for you, then simply don't read it or skim through it. I actually like to see many of the repeated reponses as it allows me to see the many different angles in a certain subject. Everyone here has something to offer, even if I or anyone else disagrees with them. As long as we each show respect for each other, we should all be able to co-exist here in the forums just fine.

One thing to note, Anthony, Alan, and the other moderators are "very liberal" with the content that is posted on this board which I really like! I know they have their areas and instances when it necessary to moderate, it is nice to come to a "real" message board where we can all share our opinions openly. There are not many boards like this one! Overall, I have seen very few instances where it was need to moderate this board like I have in other message boards. And I personally believe that the members of this board (as well as many of its guest) tend to treat each other with much more respect than most other boards. And I hope it stays this way! There is one message board with a newspaper that I "used" post in frequently, and it was very common to be called some name such as "moron," "idiot," etc, almost immediately by someone who doesn't see my view. I do not have time for those types out on the street or here online! I see very little of that here as it is moderated well combined with the overall makeup of this board's members.

So in closing, I hope you see my point. If not, then that's fine. To each their own opinion.

OBS gone freight...

 

[the_traveler]

There is one message board with a newspaper that I "used" post in frequently, and it was very common to be called some name such as "moron," "idiot," etc, almost immediately by someone who doesn't see my view.

I don't think you're a moron or idiot - the "etc" I'm not sure of! :lol:

Honestly, I fully agree with what you said. Everyone has different knowledge and points of views. It's good to see them all. As long as everyone remains civil, we can all get along just fine and learn from each other!

 

[opaque]

You also have the situation where the answer to something is in a thread dedicated to say the Capitol Limited but if you're not going to ride that you're not looking at threads about it so you'd start a thread dedicated to what you are riding even if the answer would be the same.

 

[Green Maned Lion]

To call someone an idiot for a differing perspective is usually an indication of childishness (occasionally it is the sign of someone really frustrated by someone who seems to try to tear apart their perspective with limited knowledge and information, while acting like they know everything about the subject. These people are usually the ones who also tend to think that a misspelled word is somehow a flaw in an argument *rolls eyes*) I'm occasionally guilty of the parenthetical, I'll admit.

But really, I personally think this board works really well. Also, Amtrak is a company in constant flex. An answer that was accurate 3 months ago might be inaccurate now.

 

[meatpuff]

Your right it is not unique to this site.. If I were that upset by others voicing their feelings, repeat or not, I would just not read past the answer I wanted. Or better yet I wouldn't bother to read it at all. I belong to several other groups and I find that I ignore 99% of the post, I get what I want and leave the rest. You can hardly act as sensor to others in a format so open as the internet..
oh wait.. has that been said before???

GOOD ONE!! [high five]

Well, my understanding is that this forum is here partly to answer the questions new Amtrak riders have that Amtrak's website doesn't answer (apart from the entertainment of the forum's regular posters). If this is a primary goal, then when a newbie asks a question that can be answered in one post, better two posts than zero in response.

 

[MrFSS]

Your right it is not unique to this site.. If I were that upset by others voicing their feelings, repeat or not, I would just not read past the answer I wanted. Or better yet I wouldn't bother to read it at all. I belong to several other groups and I find that I ignore 99% of the post, I get what I want and leave the rest. You can hardly act as sensor to others in a format so open as the internet..
oh wait.. has that been said before???

GOOD ONE!! [high five]

Well, my understanding is that this forum is here partly to answer the questions new Amtrak riders have that Amtrak's website doesn't answer (apart from the entertainment of the forum's regular posters). If this is a primary goal, then when a newbie asks a question that can be answered in one post, better two posts than zero in response.

Exactly - I found this forum many years ago when I was getting ready to make my first LD trip. Now 4 years later and almost 2400 posts I'm a regular. And, I have seem a lot of others start the same way and become a very important part of the community because of their expertise in different areas.

WOW - I just noticed - this is my 2400th post. That many and I don't really have much to say!

 

[the_traveler]

xactly - I found this forum many years ago when I was getting ready to make my first LD trip. Now 4 years later and almost 2400 posts I'm a regular. And, I have seem a lot of others start the same way and become a very important part of the community because of their expertise in different areas.
WOW - I just noticed - this is my 2400th post. That many and I don't really have much to say!

Congratulations, MrFSS!

I agree with you. I too found this site, and while I traveled much, I've learned many new things that helped me increase my experiences and my AGR point earning! An example is that I first learned about the AGR multi-city booking loophole (now closed ) to earn more points. (I hate to think how many points I could have had! :angry: )

I forget if the knowledge came from this forum or another. Either way, I did not ask the question, but it probably was asked before at some point. Without someone asking "a stupid question for the ___ time", I would not have learned the answer either!

Now 365+ posts later, I am sharing some of my knowledge with the community!

 

[Green Maned Lion]

I joined in December and have over 800 posts? . Doesn't seem like that many.

Anyway, Congrats, Mr. FSS