We're merging some sections into the Travel advice area

[MichaelMumsnet]

Hi all,
We’re doing some work on making the Talk boards more useful and user-friendly for both regular and new users. After looking at some stats for the site, we think we could boost activity on the whole by merging some of the lesser used sections.

We’re proposing to fold the topics in this section into the general Travel advice area.

This should increase the number of topics in the section - and hopefully lead to more posts and responses to members.

[Yotam]

It will be much less user friendly for current users. It means they can’t just look at the travel areas they are interested in. A quick look at that board shows a wide range of travel questions which I wouldn’t be interested in. I see you are proposing merging camping as well - another area where people have specific questions.

Also just increasing the number of posts / responses won’t actually improve the site if they aren’t relevant to skiing, it will just be more noise. If it was solely about having lots of posts and responses why not just have a single large chat area with no subdivisions? Presumably because for most people the noise to relevant content issue would mean it would become unusable.

Can I ask why you are doing this? Is there a large overhead in time or money associated with separate boards? Easier to get sponsorship if you can say that travel has xhundred visitors per day?

I use mumsnet by looking at active conversations- which is a bit like skimming a tabloid newspaper or watching a soap opera - occasionally I might read something that is of use (as in it expands knowledge) but mainly it’s just noise and an amusing waste of time. If I want actual information I go and look at the relevant sections. It’s easy to spot if a small topic area has had new messages posted recently (and let’s face it May is not a peak time to be planning ski trips so it quite quiet at the moment). Still it is much quicker than scrolling through the active conversations.

[IrenetheQuaint]

Seems like a shame, I found this topic really useful when planning my first ski holiday recently.

[stringbean]

Please re-consider this. I don't want to have to trawl through pages of general holiday stuff to find something about skiing. Skiing (and camping, I've noticed you plan to do the same for this page) may be holiday options that are not pursued by the many, but they generally require specific questions/advice, and the threads for these will just get lost in the general travel advice traffic.

[stringbean]

Given that skiing is generally associated with cold weather, and camping with warmer weather, these threads will inevitably be quieter 'out of season' - but that isn't sufficient justification for merging them into a general travel advice section imo.

[citykat]

I must be a very niche user as 3 of the 5 boards I use are being subjected to this unnecessary and unwanted change. Please leave us alone!

[Muchtoomuchtodo]

I can’t see that this will improve things for users of the site so can you explain the rationale please?

Some topics, this being one of them, are so specific that it is really useful to know exactly where to go for advice or where to look for interesting threads.

Diluting them all within one big topic will mean that threads will get lost off the bottom of the list more quickly.

Please reconsider.

[massistar]

Noooo! This is the main topic that I post on!

Skiing will get lost among all the other Travel Advice general stuff.

[MichaelMumsnet]

Merging topics is just a suggestion for now - and all feedback is more than welcome.

What if there were one or two skiing mega threads within the travel section? Which could be bookmarked to make it easy to see updates.

[rookiemere]

Sorry no I hate mega threads. The whole point of skiing is that many of the queries are very specific so if they were buried in a huge thread no one would find them.

[Yotam]

Another no to mega threads. No would find queries and answers.

Can you answer what the rational is behind the merging please?

[Landfilly]

I agree with others keep camping and skiing separate

Fine IMO to merge long haul, short haul, weekend breaks and cruises into a general travel section though

[IrenetheQuaint]

Merging short haul and weekend breaks seems sensible. I think it's helpful to keep long haul separate, though, and please no to an unnavigable skiing megathread.

[emotionalaffair]

This is a terrible idea. Please reconsider!

[Etino]

Please keep skiing separate. As a skier and camper with teenagers, I feel rather picked on.

[AuntieStella]

'What if there were one or two skiing mega threads within the travel section? Which could be bookmarked to make it easy to see updates.'

Yuck, no thanks. I don't want to have to scroll through pages and pages of a long thread to see if there has been any mention of the stuff that I'm looking for.

So I'd probably just start a thread anyhow. Mega threads will only work if they start spontaneously because people want them, and tend to be in areas where it's hpjust charpt. Not something like ski-ing where people actually want info advice and recommendations.

[Muchtoomuchtodo]

Not sure how you’d easily find a question about a families first time skiing with young children compared to a question about skiing with teenagers during half term in a mega thread.

Is the site supposed to be user friendly or just look neat and tidy?

[Yeahyeahyeahyeeeeah]

Skiing is niche by general participation, but it’s also very specialist. Please keep this separate. Not quite sure what you would be achieving.

[CaurnieBred]

Please keep separate

[Polyjuice]

Mega threads are for cliquey groups to chat; the skiing board is great for specific questions on the topic not general Chitchat. Please leave alone!

[Onatreebyariver]

Oh my goodness please don’t lose the ski topic! It’s very specific question and I’m not going to trawl through the whole travel section. I’d just use the snowHeads forum instead (recommend by the way)

[thislido]

What if there were one or two skiing mega threads within the travel section? Which could be bookmarked to make it easy to see updates.

Updates? The threads in skiing aren’t chat threads. They are specific questions with specific answers. This suggestion is so bizarre I’m finding it hard to believe you’ve ever visited the skiing board, yet you’ve somehow managed to post this thread there! Here’s a screen shot of the most recent threads to illustrate my point.

Also, any thread can be bookmarked if you want to track updates.

Camping is similar because there are lots of questions about equipment. It’s not just a general chat about how lovely camping is.

Numerous boards don’t make the site harder to navigate, they make it easier. The rather bizarre categorisation of boards does make it harder, although once explored you can generally find things again.

[mocha70]

Please keep the ski topic separate!

[rookiemere]

Well when this goes ahead, I'm off to the snow heads forum, although I'd rather stay here as most posters have DCs so it's a great source of information for school holiday dates.

[juneau]

Please don't do this! I realise if you look at skiing across the whole year you'll think that usage is low, but during the winter those of us who love to ski come on here for advice and to help those needing advice. If all the ski threads get jumbled into the general Travel Advice it will be much harder for people to search for what is relevant to them. Just because something is niche, doesn't mean it's unimportant to those that use the topic.

[thislido]

@MichaelMumsnet can you let us know where you are with this?