quote:

These different travel sites are not like some professional sports team where you have to root for one and thumb your nose at the others. This is not about competition

Have you not been reading the last seven pages?

I agree, Static, and sorry if I came off as competitive. I have been flying since 6am and am pooped, and the word "superior" rubbed me the wrong way.

I head over to flyerTalk every once and a while just to hear about the kid haters, seat recliners, and armrest hogs. It's a good laugh.

24 hours on ... the results of my super-scientific variable controlled experiment are in!

I posted questions on Egypt's Western Desert on a number of Forums. The oases are in all the books, but appear to be rarely traveled independently. I did an additional search for el dakhla and el kharga to round out the results. Ready?

Frommers- Most users on Frommers seem to be package tourists. They also seem to be highly educated - these were the only ones to tell me about the books they read to orund out the experience, or the cultural value of what I can see. That was a pleasant surprise. I didn't get any good info on independent travel. I got a few cringe-worthy responses (the you only need three days to see everything in Cairo type)

Fodors - Again, most people here traveled with guides. People posted long travel reports, and those were interesting. There were a fair number who did wildlife or archeology tours, and so I got good info from them. Fodors people seemed more appreciative of cities, they liked Cairo, and a few thought the desert was just a lot of sand with nothing to see and the oases boring because there was nothing to do.

Trip Advisor - OK, it's not a contest, but if it were then Trip Advisor loses. After a few hours my post was buried on page eight. The forums are all questions, no answers. I found some useful hotel reviews, buried in a lot of dumb posts along the lines of ooh we went to the desert and it was so fun and our guide was so cool and you should go it's just so fun!. There did seem to be more Egyptian nationals online here, and got some good advice from them. A big drawback is that it doesn't feel like a "community," so it's hard to evaluate the posts.

Thorn Tree - Easily the most useful for specific information on out of the way places. We all know the drawbacks, of course. I actually like the format of their boards; I just don't like that posts get buried and that you have to wade through the same questions over and over. I got a lot of responses from clown-pant dreads telling me to go to Siwa or Dahab instead, or that Cairo just sucks and you should go in and get out - there's a strong anti-urban bias on a lot of the posters. A few regulars were invaluable sources of information. Sometimes TT is a great source of where not to go - when too many TT'ers rave about how authentic a place is I start to suspect that it's all banana pancakes and meusli and that I might be best off heading int he opposite direction.

Boots 'n All - Unlike TT, people actually read the question before responding! There wasn't as much information, but there was easily the highest level in the quality of responses. The only problem I had was I kept getting distracted by other topics and I'd lost focus. I'm biased, of course, because I suspect that I'd actually really like crossing paths with most of you! I'm not kissing ass ... really I'm not. It's just that I can't imagine ever attending a Lonely Planet party (though I'd like to meet some of the more stable regulars there), I couldn't afford to attend a Frommers or Fodors sponsored event, and I'd throw myself off the boat if it was full of Trip Advisor party kids.

I originally found the TT when I was thinking about travelling-but frankly, some of the responses i had to my queries were,well,scary. Alot of creepy guys and sexist jargon....by that time, I had discovered bootsnall, whom I love very much.For these reasons:
-all the people who answer have done atual travelling, or have done their homework/info is current and in real time
-no one gives me sleazy answers
-I have felt safe giving /exchanging PM's with people I have never met
-it seems like the people on the forums are warm,sweet,compasionate as well as independent and adventurous
and- bootsnall gave me an award(which I have no idea what it is) and I haven't even left for my trip yet!
gigirtw
http://blogs.bootsnall.com/gigirtw

quote:

Originally posted by gigirtw:
-no one gives me sleazy answers

That's what your mother said last night.

Sorry--jeez that was out of line. I just had to. It seemed too easy. And you gotta be initiated someway (other then an award)

I think you tend to have much more interaction with t he people here on a regular basis and that results in 'knowing' people on a certain level. You know Static is goinng to make a pun, or some snazzy one liner. You know Jester will say something egotistical, Stoo will defend the planet, El Adi will defend dirty hippies.
Yes after a while it does become like a community.

Which makes you more likely to take someones advice seriously...or at least have an idea as to why they would suggest something. I think that's a huge part of why BnA is better for me. Yu get a sense of how someone travels, what they like, dislike, adore, hate. If you hate the same things then their hotel reccomendations will tend to be more on the mark. And vis versa.

quote:

Originally posted by Prisa:
I think you tend to have much more interaction with t he people here on a regular basis and that results in 'knowing' people on a certain level. You know Static is goinng to make a pun, or some snazzy one liner. You know Jester will say something egotistical, Stoo will defend the planet, El Adi will defend dirty hippies.

..while Prisa tends to spit a little when she talks. Also, she's been known to put things in people's drinks when they get up to go to the bathroom. Just remember that and you'll be fine.

quote:

and- bootsnall gave me an award

Bootsnall has never given me an award. I had to make up an award just to feel included.

quote:

Originally posted by gigirtw:
I originally found the TT when I was thinking about travelling-but frankly, some of the responses i had to my queries were,well,scary. Alot of creepy guys and sexist jargon....

Right there with you. *blech* A pox on all brutally uninformed sexist mofos. May their pubic hairs be infested with bedbugs from their next Motel-by-the-Minute.

quote:

-it seems like the people on the forums are warm,sweet,compasionate

It's true Jester hasn't been on the boards much these days.

The Thorntree forum has just been modified and it looks as though they no longer allow you to have a signature with a URL, unlike this excellent forum!

After deservedly getting beaten up on this thread - it was fun to read a positive comparison about the BnA Community here. Thanks folks. Looking forward to talking travel and enjoying a few drinks with many of you this weekend.

Yup, BNA is def. the way to go. I've travelled to TT on occasion because i think there must be something useful over there since it is part of LP but it sucks! Everytime it sucks! I don't even know why people post there...

The new Thorn Tree is practically unusable. I've never seen a worse revamp of anything - ever. You won't believe the abortion of a website they have now - it's almost all advertising, and slower than the original 1997 Thorn Tree with a 28k dialup connection.