We are not just a BBG board! Votes Please!

[Steve]

Please remember that although you need to be a registered user you dont need to post a message to vote.

I was wondering about the views of users regarding the large number of Blue Bay Getaway posts on the forum. The board was never intended to be so dominated by BBG posts and I know it has put a few people off coming here as they think that we are primarily a BBG site and nothing else. Since Michelle, Klaw, Suzie, I and many other posters are BBG fans we kind of have more posts regarding the BBG than any other hotel.

While I think it's great that we have so many BBG repeat offenders - I believe that makes us the No1 source for info about that hotel on the net without exception, but I also appreciate that there are many users who may not be BBG inclined and get a little fed up of seeing so many posts about that single subject. We dont want to put people off posting their non BBG questions, comments and reports.

Michelle and I discussed a while ago about making a new category of forum 'BBG Lounge' where BBG regs could get together and discuss their favourite hotel, without intruding on the general Cancun info that is the bread and butter of the forum and what it was originally designed for. Those that didn't want to read the BBG info could skip that sub forum altogether.

So the poll is do you think that a BBG Lounge subforum would contribute to the overall aim of the board, which as I see it, is to promote chat about Cancun and the many wonderful hotels, activities, and fun times to be had in general? or do you think that the BBG posts dont detract from the overall aim?

Once again, please remember that although you need to be a registered user you dont need to post a message to vote. Lets have some input guys!

And while you're in the voting mood don't forget the AI or EP question thread below.

[Michael F.]

Good idea.

I posed that suggestion to Chip in the first month of her participation in this forum, but was told it was unneccesary. However, I still think it would be good to sort out a large "catagory" of posts. For myself, I know several straight threads or posts of the same resort...gets to be old...especially if I know this will never be the "right" resort for me whenever T and I return to 'cun.

:michaelf:

Eventhough I have never been to the BBG, it would be a good idea, not because of bandwidth or anything its just that the info that could gained and saved would be great, plus if enough info is gathered there I could make an info sheet for there.

[NormsKid]

I have always thought that a separate forum was the best way to go because people who visit BBG tend to be looking for slightly different information than those who prefer the other resorts.

Also, due to the "R" rated nature of some of the activities I think MANY people who read BBG trip reports find some of the content to be more than they thought they were going to be reading about. Some actually found a few postings/reports to be offensive in nature and I don't think the average person should be blindly subjected to that on a message board.

If you have a separate lounge, then people can simply read the description of the lounge and they can be warned ahead of time that some postings might contain some things like bathroom ratings, descriptions of nude activity that someone saw, or whatever.

The other benefit is that if the lounge was separate, folks who come back can post their report and those who want to ask questions about a particular employee or any new construction, etc. can do so without boring the heck out of the rest of the board members who could care less if the video bar was finished. I would love to bombard those who just got back with questions, but I don't feel it's right to overload the board like that in it's present form.

There's no doubt in my mind that this board has the most accurate information about BBG, the most Premier Club members, and the most re-peat offenders. I think the best approach is to cater as much as possible to ALL the board members and satisfy those who don't want to read about BBG all the time and still allow a place for those BBG Junkies to chat.

The bottom line though is that it's your message board and you have to do what you think is in your best interest. Other board owners have done things in the past and lost traffic as a result of decisions they did or didn't make. This is just one of those same things in my opinion.

Michelle

[Cdn Cat]

I have not been to the BBG but enjoy reading everyone's trip reports just the same. I agree that it might be a good idea to have a separate area in case there are people that don't bother with this board thinking that it is pretty much BBG repeat offenders board. I was starting to think that at first, but the maturitiy level of this board is one of the reasons that keeps me coming back, and as a couple of my friends keep telling me "My Cancun addiction..." they just don't understand.... :wink:

[Jim and Kathy in Ohio]

When I was researching potential resorts to visit in Cancun, I found many boards, and opinions, usefull that helped me make my final decision. I never relied on any one persons opinion of a resort, but weeded through the good and the bad to decide where/what i wanted.

As a soon to be repeater, I enjoyed the many different views of resorts and activities, but i agree that many of the posts are BBG related. Maybe that's because we have been there, done that, loved it, and want others to enjoy what we have experienced.

Other forums have had resort "bashers" that have nothing positive to say,even though he/she has never visited BBG, or other resorts. At least here I believe all of the members present an honest opinion, good and bad, of what to expect.

Steve, you and Michelle own this forum, i visit it daily to read about everyone's experiences, positive and negative, when visiting Cancun. i read it to learn, share, and day dream. If a separate lounge is necessary, save me a seat.

Jim

[Dave & Mo]

Well I guess I'm the only "No - Leave it like it is" vote.

My fear in changing it is that I think it WILL become the BBG ONLY board that everyone says they don't want it to become. BBG Lounge will BE the board.

As it stands now there is a lot of BBG stuff but it's mixed with other input. The majority of the posters are BBG'ers and that's fine. I enjoy the "exploits" of the BBG'ers even though we will not likely go there other than maybe a day trip. We're way too attached to having an ocean view with crashing waves.

Obviously, Steve it's your decision. Just wanted to throw my 2cents in and let you know that I fear for the continuance of the board as other than a BBG Baord.

:dave:
Dave

[Klaw]

I agree with the majority that a separate BBG lounge forum ould be a good idea.

So many of us love BBG but not everyone is going to be interested in the things we are.

It would give us a chance to ttalk about BBG without having to worry that someone might be offended by the descriptions of the activites etc.

And, the lounge obviously wouldn't be locked to only BBG fans. Anyone who wanted to view the forum could, and those who wanted to skip over the BBG posts could just skip the forum altogether.


Karan

[Jodi MN]

I think a BBG lounge is a great idea for BBG chit-chat, however, I hope people will still post their BBG trip reports on the main board. I enjoy reading the BBG reports, many of them are quite humorous. I think if the main message board didn't appear to be dominated by BBG posts, more people would feel comfortable posting here.

[Sexy Suzie]

This was pretty straight forward for us, and we cast our vote for splitting off BBG onto it's own. It agrees with the "organizational" side of my brain, and we could foresee the BBG repeat offenders community getting stronger by having their own forum. Anybody else could come in and lurk or participate, but it would become their option, rather than having to sift through all the threads for meaningful information.

Then we read Dave and Mos's post above, and suddenly things were not so simple. I think they are correct in believing that there is a high risk that the general board will take second seat to the "BBG Board".

But maybe that's not a bad thing either. It all comes down to what you are trying to accomplish with this board. Whether you intended to or not, you have made a major contribution to building and maintaining the BBG "myth", and have helped cement together a community that is strong, commited, a tad off centre, and (most importantly of all) rapidly growing.

While it is your board, and your decision, it's a tough one.

[luvthesun]

Great Idea, as I just left a post regarding BBG, but also Cancun in general during Cinco De Mayo. Hope you can do this since I just booked & chatting/posting on the message boards gets me pysched for my trip!
Love this site & thanks!

[NormsKid]

Just as a point of clerification, I'm a moderator of the board only. I don't have access/approval to do anything but moderate, which is essentially deleteing inappropriate posts, keeping things civil, and the like.

Steve owns 100% of the board and makes ALL decisions as to what happens with the board. At times we have discussed issues related to the board, however, ALL decisions are up to Steve.

I just wanted to state that so that everyone was clear as to what my role really is.

Michelle


BTW....thanks to each and every one of you for making my job so easy! You guys are extremely civil to one another and present your opinions in a very adult manner.

[Kaye from Chicagoland]

I tend to agree with Dave - enough said!

Whatever the decision, I'll still be around. I would just hope that the BBG posters would post on the other board as well to keep the flow of conversation. I would hate to see the general Cancun information take a second place (which may discourage newcomers). I think generally - by observing the other boards as well as this one - most people like reading the reports and comments of BBG repeat offenders.

IMHO,
Kaye

[Steve]

Thanks for all the input it's certainly a tough one, looks like the vote started off very much in favour of a separate BBG lounge and is now starting to even out a little. I think we'll leave it running a while and hopefully get more input.

The reasons Dave cited are pretty much what I was fearful of when the issue was discussed a month or two back. I'd hate to see all the BBGers stick to one forum, the non BBGers stick to another and never the twain shall meet. I feel the non BBG posts might start to dry up which self perpetuates itself as there's less to read and less opportunities to contribute leading to less and less new info and reports. The opposite is also true as the more BBG posts there are the more people come here to do their BBG researchand the more posts are produced but I certainly dont want the board to develop into a BBG only board.

I'm also wondering if those voting for a BBG board are those that are BBGers who feel they dont want to offend non BBGers by seemingly dominating the board, rather than non BBGers who want to see fewer BBG posts.

Hmm, maybe I should have put a few more options in the polls, but we'll let it run a little longer before deciding.

[Klaw]

Well, Steve, now that you asked...I will admit to voting for a BBG lounge for the main reason of not wanting to offend the other board members by dominating the board with posts that relate mostly to BBG.

Whatever which way you decide is fine by me. I personally read and sometimes post on all the threads, not just the ones relating to BBG and will continue to do so--even if they are on two different forums.

Karan

[Dave & Mo]

I've never seen any negative posts about BBG posts. I don't think they offend anyone and I don't think anyone looks at them strictly as BBG posts but as Cancun hotel experiences... regardless of hotel. I know I do.

There are a lot of Cancun experiences (regardless of what hotel you are staying at) that are similar..... tipping stuff, taxi stuff, bus stuff, restraunt and club experiences.... etc, etc. Anyone interested in Cancun can gleen a lot of info from posts about any hotel that will have some relevence to their own stay..... the information they gleen may direct them toward or away from a particular hotel... that's what people are looking for... information.

If their is a seperate "lounge" for one particular hotel then only people interested in That hotel will visit. As I said in my previous post I don't think that we will ever stay at the BBG (because of the beach primarily) but I wouldn't have known about the beach had I not seen a lot of BBG posts.... I also know that there are a lot of activities, restraunts, etc that I would enjoy there.... from reading posts about BBG...

I know a lot of information about a lot of Cancun hotels... some I think I would like and others I think I would not... I've gotten this information from reading a "consolidated" Cancun board.

Just my 2 cents .... again..... sorry for the rant.

:dave:
Dave

[Steve]

Dave, I dont regard it as a rant at all, on the contrary- constructive opinion from someone who whilst not a BBG fan doesn't find a problem with the BBG posts. You're right they do often contain a lot of supplementary, generic info about Cancun that is as appropriate to all who visit here and you're right again when you say it helps people decide where they dont want to stay as well as do. That is a primary aim of the board - for users to make informed decisions based on their own perosnal priorities from the information available.

I have had some honest feedback though from people who have referred friends here that some are put off by the large number of BBG posts, I guess they're not around to express an opinion :lol:

I suppose the ideal situation would be to get more non BBGers to post on the main 'Cancun Info' board, that would help thin the BBG posts and create a wider view, however, I dont have any strategies for that!

Any ideas?

[NormsKid]

One solution to the problem would be for me or anyone else for that matter, to start an unofficial BBG website with a message board. There clearly is a need for one.

I think most people understand that topless optional and clothing optional resorts cater to a niche market. Perhaps I should capture that market online with a separate site. I'm sure there's some re-peat offenders out there who'd be willing to help out with something like that.

Michelle

[Sexy Suzie]

Normskid,

You might be on to something. Maybe a good palce to start is a poll to find out just how many repeat offenders there are who visit this site. If numbers warrent, the next step might be to then design a board that caters to these people. The long term aim might be to strengthen the community through access to the board. You also gotta believe that the resort itself, as a large beneficiary, would be willing to support the project in some arms length fashion.

Steve, we visit other boards whose overrall scope is quite wide (like yours), within which there are "sub-boards" run and/or moderated by semi-independant groups or individuals. Yours is such a well run and professionally maintained board I think most people would agree that remining part "Cancun Care" would have definate value added. Maybe a stand alone Web Site, but with a prominant link on the "Cancun Care" main page ?

[Dave & Mo]

I retract any objections that I have previously posted. I, for one, would much prefer a "BBG Lounge" area to seeing an "exodis" of the BBG'rs to a new board.

Dave

[Steve]

I've just re-read the thread and have decided that I will create a BBG Lounge subforum.

I had a quick look through all the current threads and I reckon about 25% are BBG related - that was surprising to me as I thought it was higher. It's quite simple to set up a new sub category so by the time you read this it most probably will be up and running.

In doing so I hope that the BBG regs wont desert the general forum, there's a great deal of Cancun experience amongst them that would be sadly missed. Also, I hope many of the non BBGers will spend time on the BBG forum too. We'll see how things go for a couple of weeks and maybe change back if things aren't working out.

Re the later responses from Normskid and Suzie - The last thing I want is to lose the BBG regs to a new board, of course, if anyone wants to start one up that is enitrely their right to do so. Suzie, thanks for the compliments ops: I could do a stand alone site with a new .com name but I have so much more I want to do to this site (that I never get round to doing!) that I'd rather concentrate on an overall site for now. Also, with minimum investment it takes a long time to get established in search engines through the free submission process and become 'known'. I could install a totally new board just dedicated to BBG with a different http address but I feel that would only serve to increase a division of users.

Thanks for all your input, having travelled the many message boards out there myself for some time one of my main aims in starting this site and board was to listen to users and provide what they want.

[Sexy Suzie]

BRAVO !!!

I think having a forum part for BBG was a great idea, I have already checked it out. I might even stay there next time I go, you know try a different place.

Since I have never stayed at BBG, can I or anyone else that has never stayed there ask questions about BBG. I know that is a silly question but one that others might be wondering.

[Klaw]

Mikey,

I'm sure that you were asking this question of Steve, and I am equally sure I am not Steve, BUT, I am postitive I know what his answer would be.

So here goes---YES, anyone can ask questions about BBG.

The more the merier--who knows, we may even convert you to a BBG lover if we get you to try it out sometime!

So, ask away!

Karan

[NormsKid]

Mikey,

You can ask me anything but my bra size....LOL!!! Chinos had a good time holding mine up at anything goes and making a few "interesting" comments about it.

But on a more serious note.....don't hesitate to ask anything that interests you that comes to mind. Everybody here has been VERY civil in their replies and helpful in providing useful information.

As you have seen, getting answers from several different perspectives is MUCH better than simply emailing one person for advise....so ask away!!

Michelle

[Steve]

Mikey, as Klaw says, the BBG forum is for everyone whether they've been there or not - there are no qualification criteria!

The BBG Lounge was set up so that if some people are a little tired of seeing all the BBG posts they can avoid them if they want by missing out that forum altogether. For those that dont mind them then I hope they'll visit that forum as much as the main one.