Innspiring - specifically for innkeepers?

[Copperhead]

First and foremost, it is not the intent of this poster to be critical - to the contrary - only provide ideas to enhance this site while it is still in its infancy. I do understand that creating a site is a huge undertaking and I thank you for doing your part for this industry. Unlike many other innkeeper sites, I think this site is for the industry, not for the pockets of its creators!
I have been an innkeeper for 10 years. I am a new member of this site and have been only a casual poster to many other innkeeper forums that are on the internet. I do however surf through the forums quite often for marketing tips, new trends etc. and do get caught up in discussions from time to time.

In some of the other forums, vendors have been able to join and give their slant to disrupt the discussion on subjects directed to their part of the industry or about their business. I was hoping that INNspiring.com would be different by assuring that members be innkeepers! As stated under ‘Why join? – “While there are several forums for innkeepers available on the internet, there are several features that set this one apart. These features are the result of this website being created by innkeepers, specifically for innkeepers and aspiring innkeepers.”

The active thread regarding B&B.com Gift Certificate program triggered this post. At sometime during the thread, a B&B.com employee (John) joined this forum. Now I am not knocking his rebuttal to the subject, in fact, he provided some very thought provoking facts for innkeepers to consider. Yet I do feel it has now stifled the thread for the innkeepers to continue this thread and to state their results and comments about their program or about Gift Certificates in general. John has also added comments on the review postcard program thread.

While I do agree that comments need to be made professionally regarding vendors, some will not post at all if the vendor is able to read (and reply) to the post, thus will reduce the efforts made for this site to work effectively for those for which this site was intended -innkeepers. I do not endorse bashing businesses but stating how something has worked or not for them is an important part of the decision process. When I look at a vendor’s site that is offering a service I am interested in, many times I see testimonials of happy clients, what I do not see (of course) are those that the service failed for and why. That is one of the reasons I see having this forum ‘secure for innkeepers’ would help. Now, we all know what ‘works’ for one may not ‘work’ for another but this forum can open the discussion to help narrow down the decision for OUR own business. Thus giving us more food for thought before jumping into a – possible – expensive endeavor.

Now in a way to be fair to the vendor is to setup a Vendor page and allow vendors to provide feedback to questions left for them. This would also allow innkeepers to state their experiences openly (professionally speaking) under the secure innkeeper forum yet providing the vendor a method to have a presence and to respond to questions. This forum could invite vendors to join that section of the site, and receive email notices when a question has been addressed. Now I know that the Vendors may not be happy with what I am proposing but this is definitely less controversial than providing a means where the public can post reviews on a site, which the client paid for a listing then possibility receives a negative review - thus paying for negative advertising.

As for Aspiring innkeepers, this site could provide vital information – outside the secure innkeeper forum section, as with the links and resource pages currently out there and offer a place for questions to be asked and innkeepers to respond, noting that they have left the secure section of the site to do so.

I also noticed the posts by the B&B traveler, which I even responded to one of her questions. She has addressed several interesting things, allowing the readers to ‘see things through the traveler’s eyes’. I am fascinated by this concept but again would prefer to have this type of post in a seperate section, outside of the secure forum. Maybe have this type of post be in a “Question to the innkeeper” type open forum where travelers can post questions to innkeepers like ‘the question she addressed.

Other ways B&B traveler posts would be helpful is to provide information regarding what they like, expect and do not like about their B&B stays – BUT NOT as a review! I personally dislike the reference to an individual B&B in a post. This serves no purpose, and does not provide the innkeeper (unless they are a member) to rebuttal statements made! I feel most questions / comments can be directed without stating the B&B. I would like, though, to be enlightened by a guest giving honest feedback on their B&B stays. This could help me as well as other innkeepers to start looking at our B&B through a guest’s prospective.

Note - I do not know why the font got larger at the end - it was not intentional!

 

[JunieBJones (JBJ)]

If it weren't for the two giant paragraphs, you would be accused of being me. Or, how should I put that, I would be accused of having written that.
Every time I ADDRESS BandB.com the employees of BandB.com tell us if there is an issue then to contact them. Well, guess what, this is a forum for US, in this industry to discuss and rehash information. This is a very valuable aspect to this forum. Gift cards and gift certificates and reviews and links to websites, all of this is what WE PAY FOR and WE CAN DISCUSS IT. HERE. Online. Since we can't come to your place or my place for a cup of tea or coffee.
Thank you CH for adding your two cents, for which I applaud you! It is a place where innkeepers belong, not vendors. Maybe Swirt can open up a section for them to tell us how great they are and everything they do is all about is.

 

[gillumhouse]

Copperhead, we met John on another Forum when his company took a shellacking from us. We held nothing back and told it like it was. I almost felt sorry for him, but not quite. I had a few bones of my own to pick.
In fact, I truly believe it was partly due to comments from many who are now on THIS Forum that led to the ads being removed from the listing pages WE were paying for. I have been out-of -town and busy so I am catching up - have not gotten to John's latest post that everyone is talking about, but I will bet you one thing - no one held back in answering him. I truly believe it takes a brave vendor to come commenting in here. This Forum is equipped with inkeepers who tell it like it is and as they "seez it".
Welcome to the Forum. I hope you stick around and keep posting.

 

[swirt]

I'm on the road at the moment and pecking this out on a cell phone so please forgive both my typos and my brevity.
We need vendors. We need them to provide things for us to make use of AND we need them to have our ears. I am of the personal belief that when we whisper, they listen better than when we shout. John spent time on the other forum and conducted himself honorably amidst a lot of flack. I may not agree with him on all points but I do see a benefit to having him participate here. He knows not to get carried away with self promotion and I am certain he comes away from here with feedback that may make things better.
The policing of who is an innkeeper and who is a vendor is not something I want to do because in our small niche there is a lot of overlap. If I kicked out vendors, i'd have to kick myself out too. Not to mention that trying to restrict vendors would simply drive them underground masquerading as innkeepers..it would turn into a witch-hunt and many an innkeeper or aspiring would get caught in the crossfire.
This place is for innkeepers and it is a place where innkeepers can share their thoughts and occaisionally bend the ear of a vendor. If self promotion gets out of hand, we will intervene but will not be banishing people to certain regions of the site. sorry..thumbs hurt now

 

[YellowSocks]

Hello Copperhead,
Welcome to the forum! We’re glad you’re here! As a newbie innkeeper I am sure there is a lot I can learn from you. And as a new site, we appreciate your input to help us to make it as good as it can possibly be.
I can assure you that the owner and all of the moderators of this site are innkeepers. Over 2900 posts in only a couple of months have been made solely by innkeepers or aspiring innkeepers. This site was started in part because the forum where we used to hang out was more generally focused. We had kind of taken it over, but it wasn’t truly innkeeper focused and we were unhappy about a few other aspects. So when they went to the blinky ads it was like the straw that broke the camel’s back.
When I joined over there I was an aspiring and I learned an incredible amount from the daily give and take of innkeepers discussing PITA’s (see Glossary), cancellations, and mystery stains. I learned far more than I could ever have learned anywhere else. When this site was started we specifically made it open to all so that other aspirings can lurk and learn. If we closed the site, the site would lose the free-wheeling, jump-in-and-add-your-two-cents feel that it has (or at least, that we hope it does). Someone would have to review all applicants, and the pool of available members would be severely diminished, which would be detrimental to the site’s growth. Finally, as there are already several innkeeper-only sites in existence (PAII, B&B.com, and one in Canada I don’t know the name of), it would be redundant to create another one.
Just as on the other forum, some of our posters are anonymous and some not. The ones who are anonymous generally like to be able to vent about their guests and discuss policies without the general public knowing who they are. The regulars here all know who each other are, but we strive to keep the anonymous ones anonymous. Those of us who choose to reveal who we are know that we need to be more careful in choosing our words when discussing our guests. I think this aspect helps to promote “innkeeper security.” If you want to blast a vendor, or vent, choose an anonymous userid and go at it! (As long as you avoid personal attacks and nasty swear words, of course.)
As far as vendors posting, I say let them! If they are legitimate and have a product I can use, then I am interested in learning about them. If they are ripping us off, then we’ll tear ‘em to shreds! As it says in the FAQ’s, you’d better be brave to post if you’re not legit. I am not a member of B&B.com, I’m irked by their pricing structure, and I suspect that they view me as small potatoes and don’t really care if they get my business or not. When they come on the forum, I’ll dissect their post, poke at the claims they make, and reveal anything illogical (it’s just what I do). I figure everyone else can read the discussion and decide for themselves. I owe nothing to B&B.com, am “secure” that this forum is for innkeepers and I’m not going to get booted off for speaking my mind (as long as I’m respectful, of course).
If you have negative experiences with B&B.com, don’t feel stifled! Post them! If you feel that you are not anonymous enough, create another account and then post your complaint. Frankly, you’ll find a lot of sympathizers here, as well as others who think B&B.com is the best directory on the planet. But that’s what makes a forum valuable… input from many different perspectives. I can assure you of this, even if you’re critical of a vendor your post will not be removed unless it is truly vulgar, or an unwarranted personal attack.
If on the other hand, you happen to bump the wrong key, you’ll lose your post… I had typed most of this long-winded response and had to start all over again! Arghhh!!! Swirt is working on the problem, but until it gets fixed I’ve started composing my responses in Word and copying them over to the forum so I don’t lose my work. Had I not lost what I had drafted, you could have read this before you went offline. Sorry…
I do agree that we need a “Ask an Innkeeper” section of the forum, and I think Swirt will be adding it eventually. But I don’t think having the innkeeping portion of the forum “behind doors” will be as effective for the site, as educational for aspiring innkeepers, or as eye-opening for travelers. We absolutely love having travelers share their perspectives, but we are not a review site and have no intentions of becoming one (that I’m aware of). By having our discussions “out in the open” then travelers can see the kind of forum it is and “who they’re dealing with” so to speak (even if who they’re dealing with are anonymous innkeepers). I would think this would actually make them more likely to post questions and join discussions to give us their guest perspectives.
I think many here also dislike references to particular B&B’s, especially negative ones. Before we moved here a traveler wandered on to our forum and blasted a B&B he’d visited. Poor guy! We all immediately came to the innkeeper’s defense, to the point of contacting her and letting her know about the discussion. Sure enough, it turned out there were all kinds of horrible circumstances in her life, and ways that she had gone above and beyond for this nitpicky guest (whose complaints included that the butter was too hard). Anyone coming on later and reading the thread would certainly get both sides of the story!
Anyway, I hope that answers a few questions and alleviates some concerns about this new site. I love it here and am grateful for all the work that has gone into building it. I know I can learn a lot from you and hope you’ll stick around. One small favor, though… please, please, please… could you use the “Enter” key a little more often?
=)
Kk.

 

[YellowSocks]

I've just edited my post about four times... after complaining about not having enough paragraphs, copying my text over from Word somehow destroyed all my paragraph breaks. Arghhh!!!!
=)
Kk.

 

[Copperhead]

Quick note: 1st sorry for the format problem, I copied it from Word and it did not keep the paragraph spaces. (I should have previewed)
2nd - To clarify - the post was not to personally attack John or B&B.com and I do not feel that I did. I only reference his posts as he is the only vendor I have seen post (in my short time) on this site. And I used his posts to make my point.

 

[YellowSocks]

Yeah, I just discovered the same problem. Considering how many times I've lost my work, it's a good plan. Switch to plain text editor before you paste and it works a little better.
I don't think you're attacking John or B&B.com, but I hope you don't feel stifled, either!
=)
Kk.

 

[swirt]

In the name of full disclosure, I am a vendor. I hung out at the other forum for several years and I would like to think that both the longtime members, the newbies, and even the passersby benefitted from me participating.

 

[YellowSocks]

In the name of full disclosure, I am a vendor. I hung out at the other forum for several years and I would like to think that both the longtime members, the newbies, and even the passersby benefitted from me participating..

We did!!! (And still do....)
But you're also an innkeeper, which is a huge distinction. And you're never "in your face" with self-promotion. It's more like your profession merely adds credibility to your posts.
=)
Kk.

 

[Copperhead]

YS stated in post #2926 “…as there are already several innkeeper-only sites in existence (PAII, B&B.com, and one in Canada I don’t know the name of), it would be redundant to create another one.” (forgive me again for not formating this qoute in a box, haven’t figured that out yet!
Yes, there are those other sites but only for their for members…one of the first things I said in my original post was “Unlike many other innkeeper sites, I think this site is for the industry, not for the pockets of its creators!” This site gives all innkeepers a place to join and share – seting it apart from the others listed.
Squrt - thanks for full disclosure but I have not seen any posts from you which you are plugging or defending your business. I have only seen posts regarding being an innkeeper or as monitor. – Yes, I had noticed your business name somewhere on a post but I just placed it in the back of my mind as I figured you must have been the or/one of the creators of this site.
I will continue to wish for that type of site to appear. I do believe vendors need to be able to answer the tough questions but think it gets more defensive in nature in the forum format. It also changes the way the innkeepers post. I just would prefer being able to discuss subjects with the innkeepers using (or used) the product or service getting their views of the pros and cons, how it worked or why they thought it didn’t! Discussing details, getting comparisons This would help innkeepers have a better understanding of a service or product before making the costly leap. This is the valuable information I seek. Once the vendor starts posting, the discussion becomes more of an attack / defense mode.

(Note - I copied from Word using plain text clipboard. Used preview and it was in seperate paragraphs. Now I hope it sticks!)

 

[Morticia]

PLEASE, use paragraphs. I gave up at the top, skipped to the bottom, had to go back and read the middle.
If you want a 'secure' forum where only (paid) members can post and the 'outside' world, ie- tourists, guests, etc can post, you can join PAII.
Yes, John does go on about his company and it does get annoying, but it doesn't silence discourse any. And it certanly gives us the opportunity to bring to his attention what's going on from the little guy's perspective. It doesn't change much, he says the same thing over and over again and we post around him.
We did specifically ask GeorgiaGirl where she was staying. She's a guest. This wasn't built as a review site and won't turn into one. But it's good to hear from guests and compare what they were 'told' on the websites to what they experienced on arrival.
Sorry, I wasn't meaning this as a rebuttal to your post.
Please, use paragraphs or you'll lose your audience.

 

[briarrosebb]

YS stated in post #2926 “…as there are already several innkeeper-only sites in existence (PAII, B&B.com, and one in Canada I don’t know the name of), it would be redundant to create another one.” (forgive me again for not formating this qoute in a box, haven’t figured that out yet!
Yes, there are those other sites but only for their for members…one of the first things I said in my original post was “Unlike many other innkeeper sites, I think this site is for the industry, not for the pockets of its creators!” This site gives all innkeepers a place to join and share – seting it apart from the others listed.
Squrt - thanks for full disclosure but I have not seen any posts from you which you are plugging or defending your business. I have only seen posts regarding being an innkeeper or as monitor. – Yes, I had noticed your business name somewhere on a post but I just placed it in the back of my mind as I figured you must have been the or/one of the creators of this site.
I will continue to wish for that type of site to appear. I do believe vendors need to be able to answer the tough questions but think it gets more defensive in nature in the forum format. It also changes the way the innkeepers post. I just would prefer being able to discuss subjects with the innkeepers using (or used) the product or service getting their views of the pros and cons, how it worked or why they thought it didn’t! Discussing details, getting comparisons This would help innkeepers have a better understanding of a service or product before making the costly leap. This is the valuable information I seek. Once the vendor starts posting, the discussion becomes more of an attack / defense mode.

(Note - I copied from Word using plain text clipboard. Used preview and it was in seperate paragraphs. Now I hope it sticks!).

FWIW, I would not join a closed innkeeper-only website. The openness makes it vital and interesting. You learn a lot from the content and tone how a vendor defends himself. I encourage all the innkeepers to criticize vendors as long as it is supported by facts and characterized by a civil tone. It's important for the vendors to hear how their offerings are actually received. Look how much effort John put into his posts explaining bedandbreakfast.com's "side". He's a highly placed person within a company prominent in the B&B industry. Kudos to this site for engaging him.

 

[user 26]

PLEASE, use paragraphs. I gave up at the top, skipped to the bottom, had to go back and read the middle.
If you want a 'secure' forum where only (paid) members can post and the 'outside' world, ie- tourists, guests, etc can post, you can join PAII.
Yes, John does go on about his company and it does get annoying, but it doesn't silence discourse any. And it certanly gives us the opportunity to bring to his attention what's going on from the little guy's perspective. It doesn't change much, he says the same thing over and over again and we post around him.
We did specifically ask GeorgiaGirl where she was staying. She's a guest. This wasn't built as a review site and won't turn into one. But it's good to hear from guests and compare what they were 'told' on the websites to what they experienced on arrival.
Sorry, I wasn't meaning this as a rebuttal to your post.
Please, use paragraphs or you'll lose your audience..

copperhead, you could try developing a forum for innkeepers only ....
these forums are a huge amount of work, and take on lives of their own.
i used to run a forum (not for innkeepers) on msn and it started to take over my life. policiing it is extremely difficult and you really can't be sure that someone who says they are an innkeeper (especially of a startup) or an aspriing, is really just that ... and not a shill for some service to be sold to innkeepers.
i understand your point.
let's just see how this unfolds .......

 

[egoodell]

YS stated in post #2926 “…as there are already several innkeeper-only sites in existence (PAII, B&B.com, and one in Canada I don’t know the name of), it would be redundant to create another one.” (forgive me again for not formating this qoute in a box, haven’t figured that out yet!
Yes, there are those other sites but only for their for members…one of the first things I said in my original post was “Unlike many other innkeeper sites, I think this site is for the industry, not for the pockets of its creators!” This site gives all innkeepers a place to join and share – seting it apart from the others listed.
Squrt - thanks for full disclosure but I have not seen any posts from you which you are plugging or defending your business. I have only seen posts regarding being an innkeeper or as monitor. – Yes, I had noticed your business name somewhere on a post but I just placed it in the back of my mind as I figured you must have been the or/one of the creators of this site.
I will continue to wish for that type of site to appear. I do believe vendors need to be able to answer the tough questions but think it gets more defensive in nature in the forum format. It also changes the way the innkeepers post. I just would prefer being able to discuss subjects with the innkeepers using (or used) the product or service getting their views of the pros and cons, how it worked or why they thought it didn’t! Discussing details, getting comparisons This would help innkeepers have a better understanding of a service or product before making the costly leap. This is the valuable information I seek. Once the vendor starts posting, the discussion becomes more of an attack / defense mode.

(Note - I copied from Word using plain text clipboard. Used preview and it was in seperate paragraphs. Now I hope it sticks!).

Hi there,
There is already a forum for innkeepers only. It is CAIK on Yahoo! Groups
Riki

 

[muirford]

YS stated in post #2926 “…as there are already several innkeeper-only sites in existence (PAII, B&B.com, and one in Canada I don’t know the name of), it would be redundant to create another one.” (forgive me again for not formating this qoute in a box, haven’t figured that out yet!
Yes, there are those other sites but only for their for members…one of the first things I said in my original post was “Unlike many other innkeeper sites, I think this site is for the industry, not for the pockets of its creators!” This site gives all innkeepers a place to join and share – seting it apart from the others listed.
Squrt - thanks for full disclosure but I have not seen any posts from you which you are plugging or defending your business. I have only seen posts regarding being an innkeeper or as monitor. – Yes, I had noticed your business name somewhere on a post but I just placed it in the back of my mind as I figured you must have been the or/one of the creators of this site.
I will continue to wish for that type of site to appear. I do believe vendors need to be able to answer the tough questions but think it gets more defensive in nature in the forum format. It also changes the way the innkeepers post. I just would prefer being able to discuss subjects with the innkeepers using (or used) the product or service getting their views of the pros and cons, how it worked or why they thought it didn’t! Discussing details, getting comparisons This would help innkeepers have a better understanding of a service or product before making the costly leap. This is the valuable information I seek. Once the vendor starts posting, the discussion becomes more of an attack / defense mode.

(Note - I copied from Word using plain text clipboard. Used preview and it was in seperate paragraphs. Now I hope it sticks!).

The PAII forums and bandb.com forums have been mentioned - it should be noted they are members-only, not innkeepers-only. Many vendors are members of PAII and post often if not frequently, including bedandbreakfast.com, Jeff Logan of InsideOut.com, and Barton Brass of Turkish Towels. It does not impede that membership from bashing the gift card program or the recent increase in listing prices - on PAII, anyway. I do not frequent the bandb.com forums much. They are all much quieter than this forum.
One that is for innkeepers only is CAIK, run by Sandee of a NC inn near Maggie Valley. Your status as an innkeeper is verified before you are allowed to join. There may be some folks on here who belong - I'm not sure. I was a member for a very short time but left - it was not a good fit for me for many, many reasons. They are also a tight-knit bunch, though, so if your mindset is like theirs you might be very happy on it.
You may have thought that vendor postings dampened the conversation - the only dampener for me is that most of us moderators have been down that road with bandb.com before and I, for one, was not interested in rehashing it. I was sure that someone would carry the flag - yay, KK! I believe you will still hear all the pros and all the cons - there is no one answer on any product that I know of, and we all have vastly different opinions on what works and what doesn't.
Having an open forum adds diversity and depth which closed forums have to struggle to maintain, in my very personal opinion. We can handle closed topics through personal emails, as many of us do.
Jeanne

 

[EmptyNest]

YS stated in post #2926 “…as there are already several innkeeper-only sites in existence (PAII, B&B.com, and one in Canada I don’t know the name of), it would be redundant to create another one.” (forgive me again for not formating this qoute in a box, haven’t figured that out yet!
Yes, there are those other sites but only for their for members…one of the first things I said in my original post was “Unlike many other innkeeper sites, I think this site is for the industry, not for the pockets of its creators!” This site gives all innkeepers a place to join and share – seting it apart from the others listed.
Squrt - thanks for full disclosure but I have not seen any posts from you which you are plugging or defending your business. I have only seen posts regarding being an innkeeper or as monitor. – Yes, I had noticed your business name somewhere on a post but I just placed it in the back of my mind as I figured you must have been the or/one of the creators of this site.
I will continue to wish for that type of site to appear. I do believe vendors need to be able to answer the tough questions but think it gets more defensive in nature in the forum format. It also changes the way the innkeepers post. I just would prefer being able to discuss subjects with the innkeepers using (or used) the product or service getting their views of the pros and cons, how it worked or why they thought it didn’t! Discussing details, getting comparisons This would help innkeepers have a better understanding of a service or product before making the costly leap. This is the valuable information I seek. Once the vendor starts posting, the discussion becomes more of an attack / defense mode.

(Note - I copied from Word using plain text clipboard. Used preview and it was in seperate paragraphs. Now I hope it sticks!).

Hi there,
There is already a forum for innkeepers only. It is CAIK on Yahoo! Groups
Riki
.

Sorry but that is not much of a forum. More like a bunch of friends just "shooting the breeze" Not what most folks want...and you have to be an innkeeper to join them.

 

[egoodell]

YS stated in post #2926 “…as there are already several innkeeper-only sites in existence (PAII, B&B.com, and one in Canada I don’t know the name of), it would be redundant to create another one.” (forgive me again for not formating this qoute in a box, haven’t figured that out yet!
Yes, there are those other sites but only for their for members…one of the first things I said in my original post was “Unlike many other innkeeper sites, I think this site is for the industry, not for the pockets of its creators!” This site gives all innkeepers a place to join and share – seting it apart from the others listed.
Squrt - thanks for full disclosure but I have not seen any posts from you which you are plugging or defending your business. I have only seen posts regarding being an innkeeper or as monitor. – Yes, I had noticed your business name somewhere on a post but I just placed it in the back of my mind as I figured you must have been the or/one of the creators of this site.
I will continue to wish for that type of site to appear. I do believe vendors need to be able to answer the tough questions but think it gets more defensive in nature in the forum format. It also changes the way the innkeepers post. I just would prefer being able to discuss subjects with the innkeepers using (or used) the product or service getting their views of the pros and cons, how it worked or why they thought it didn’t! Discussing details, getting comparisons This would help innkeepers have a better understanding of a service or product before making the costly leap. This is the valuable information I seek. Once the vendor starts posting, the discussion becomes more of an attack / defense mode.

(Note - I copied from Word using plain text clipboard. Used preview and it was in seperate paragraphs. Now I hope it sticks!).

Hi there,
There is already a forum for innkeepers only. It is CAIK on Yahoo! Groups
Riki
.

Sorry but that is not much of a forum. More like a bunch of friends just "shooting the breeze" Not what most folks want...and you have to be an innkeeper to join them.
.

I thought that was what was being asked for - an "innkeepers only" forum where the public and vendors could not go.
They are not as active, but it's an excellent place to go for help. If you ask they respond pretty fast.
Plus if you want the PAII forum you have to join PAII, don't you? That's pretty pricey just to get on a forum.
Riki

 

[JunieBJones (JBJ)]

As cranky as any of us can be on a given day - for a number of reasons - that other forum (which was mentioned below) was indeed the one I was on briefly before finding the "about "forum. It was riddled with personal attacks and political propaganda (for lack of a better word) their viewpoint only, end discussion, type dialogue.
We all have plenty of irritations in our lives with whom we can argue politics. THANK YOU ALL for leaving them outside this forum. I think if that WERE an open forum people would run away in droves. Unlike this wonderful bunch here who share their heart and soul.

I am one who reads the incessant promotion of certain directories and gags. But it IS an opportunity for others to ask questions of them. As mentioned, we went round and round and are going round again with John from BandB.com - so most are not even getting "into it" again. Been there done that. Heard the same ol 'stuff' before. But anyone else ready to ask question, go for it.
I do agree, that a vendor section WOULD BE nice for vendors and those who want to address issues with vendors. I think that is a super idea.
So read what you like to read, stain removal, strange sounds in the night, reservation confirmations, etc etc. and glean off of that. I think we can all glean off each other here. I am sorry I asked GG for the inn sizes and she gave the names. She can go back and edit those if she wants to.

 

[Copperhead]

PLEASE, use paragraphs. I gave up at the top, skipped to the bottom, had to go back and read the middle.
If you want a 'secure' forum where only (paid) members can post and the 'outside' world, ie- tourists, guests, etc can post, you can join PAII.
Yes, John does go on about his company and it does get annoying, but it doesn't silence discourse any. And it certanly gives us the opportunity to bring to his attention what's going on from the little guy's perspective. It doesn't change much, he says the same thing over and over again and we post around him.
We did specifically ask GeorgiaGirl where she was staying. She's a guest. This wasn't built as a review site and won't turn into one. But it's good to hear from guests and compare what they were 'told' on the websites to what they experienced on arrival.
Sorry, I wasn't meaning this as a rebuttal to your post.
Please, use paragraphs or you'll lose your audience..

PLEASE, use paragraphs. I gave up at the top, skipped to the bottom, had to go back and read the middle.

Sorry - you failed to see my "sorry" post. I had used Word and pasted here, it did not save my paragraph breaks when I saved it, then I didn't go back and look.

We did specifically ask GeorgiaGirl where she was staying. She's a guest. This wasn't built as a review site and won't turn into one. But it's good to hear from guests and compare what they were 'told' on the websites to what they experienced on arrival.

I just do not think that B&B Names need to be mentioned to be able to help a guest. And if it does, then offer to help offline. - What if you found out that your B&B had been talked about by other innkeepers on a forum in this way? How would you feel? Remember there are 2 sides to every story and only one is providing theirs. - Now of course GG can say anything she wants on her Blog -
Oh - and no problem about the 'rebuttel' We all have our own opinions and it is good to share those with others. Just think if we all thought alike, what a boring world and forum it would be.