VIP Contributor Status Rules to be Revisited by LL

[lhbrown]

Hi,



Well, so far, we might assume what we may, but we still have no official reply or clarification of the original question raised. I know LL Moderators are busy... but it would be nice to know where we stand when we cannot keep up our prior effort to maintain VIP status, since VIP status seems to entail more than just the $500 Gift Certificate.

Furthermore, as you said, it would also be nice to have more transparency on how the $1500 prize is awarded, it would eliminate the guess work on the members' part. Nothing wrong with just pulling a name out of a hat, just say...

[travel2fun]

LL_Moderator_ks, I think it is a great idea to keep the exact terms of achieving VIP status confidential and known only to the luxury link team. It seems obvious one of the key factors is contributing quality information. Since quality is very subjective, there really isn't a way to post the specific terms. I enjoy the community and sharing information and certainly plan to continue to participate regardless of future status, awards, or prizes.

[kyshel]

T-2-F
I can't agree with you more. Each contributor has different interests and writing skills that add to the community/postings. Whether we mention an airport's new functionality, how to keep deer flies or mozzies at bay in Belize, or how fabulous a safari/spa/hotel/resort/gps/camera, etc was, all of these contributions add up to:
Our enthusiasm for travel, giving tips, asking for info, and MOST OF ALL--encouraging others to buy from LuxuryLink.com. (as long as no one bids against me!!)
If it didn't profit LL to reward us, they wouldn't be doing it. I for one, do not care how I am judged--just that I am considered a valuable asset to the community (and, in this case, receive a nice reward for my efforts! This is not the only travel forum I participate in frequently, but it is the only one that really gives back!) It encourages me to purchase more often and/or buy a more expensive package. My excitement shows when I tell others about LL and hoepfully they will shop here.
That's my opinion, y'all.

[travel2fun]

kyshel, I share the same enthusiasm for letting others know about the opportunities available here on luxury link. I certainly don't feel like the organization has any obligation to provide any transparency regarding how they wish to operate this community or the awarding of their rankings. After all, we participate of our own free will, we are allowed to come and go as we please, we enjoy freedom of expressionand we pay no membership fees for these opportunities. If we receive anything in return, such as a $500 credit toward future travel, justfor sharing information with others, then how can we complain?

[Syrene-1]

If I may add my thought on this subject, because I have noticed the lack of response and thought about why that may be. I have come up with a possible reason - the moderators want exactly what is happening right now. If they don't jump to answer a question or if that question is answered quite vaguely that sparks discussion. We as contributors throw out our ideas and opinions on what the answer or explanation might beand come to our own conclusions individually.



If this is so, I have to say it is quite ingenious.

[kyshel]

What a thought!!
Then again, maybe they rarely monitor these threads?
I'm certainly not going to write something inflammatory just to find out! haha

[Syrene-1]

The only reason that I think that the boards are monitored frequently is because when there is an inappropriate post (such as an obvious solicitation disguised as a post) it is removed within a day or two.

[two2go]

Hi Syrene,
The inappropriate posts are also noticed when one of us alerts a Moderator to this effect. I know I have sent out messages directly to the Moderators when this has happened. Shortly after noticed that the post was removed.
I do agree that we are left to comment as we wish, that they pick up what they want, and leave the rest. Most of the time with no reaction on there part, because if they do comment we will get our answers and stop writing. Syrene I never thought of it this way, your right, this is ingenious!
two2go

[romualda]

Dear Community Members & VIP Contributors:




First off, I want to thank all of you for your thoughtful posts and continued support of this exciting Community.




You touch on a lot if issues in these threads, and I will do my best to address them all.




We very much want the Community to be a self sustaining part of our website.
Our goal is to provide a forum for LL users to communicate with each other and share travel experiences and exchange valuable information.
To that end, we try to let the Community resolve issues on its own, without the interference of a Moderator.
We read every post and are aware of most concerns.
We will be expanding some of the forums in the upcoming months, and I can assure that we will be including a forum for Community members to interact directly with the LL staff.
You are right when you say that we wear a lot of hats around here.
We are a small company and the majority of our time is spent trying to make sure our users have access to the best luxury travel deals available.
But we hear you loud and clear - and will make
communicating with us easier in the future.




As for the $1500 contest
prize.
All of the eligible names were entered into a computer program that randomly selects a winner.

We had our President, Diane McDavitt,
run this program and come back to us with the winner's name.
It was very important to us here internally that no one involved with the Community be involved in the selection process.
We run this contest every 6 months - and to be eligible to win, you must be an active VIP contributor at the time of the contest.
I apologize if this was not properly communicated to the community.

But as you can see, the perks of VIP status are only extended to those with an active status - which we announce in the Community and to each VIP Contibutor
personally at the end of each quarter.




If you do not attain VIP status at the end of the quarter, then you are not awarded the $500 gift certificate.
Thus far, I have allowed the VIP icon to stay in place as that was earned by hard work and thoughful posts, and I still consider that person a valuable resource to travelers looking for advice.
The Community is so young at just 10 months old now, and we have not been presented with a scenario where a VIP contibutor completely flakes out on us.
When that time comes, we will remove the LL VIP logo and they will go back to a regular user status.




As for the VIP event and the VIP blog -- at this point in time I do not want to restrict access to the VIP blog as I am quite impressed by those posts and I do not want to limit them at this point.
As you all know, we are trying to expand the blog posts and are willing to
create a blog
in any category that you would like us to.

The VIP event has been tricky for us.
We have been working
on a number of venues and locations, but we have not found a viable
solution to date.
We are still working on this
- and are very excited by your enthusiasm, but there are many details for us to still work out and we appreciate you patience.




I can assure you that we are listening to your concerns and suggestions.
I think you will see a lot of your ideas in play on our website and Community.

A new forum for you to communicate directly with LL will hopefully help here.




Please let me know if you have any further questions or concerns.
However, once we sort out all of these administrative concerns, I hope that we can focus more energy on creating great travel content to benefit the Community as a whole.
With that said, I do have a treat for you...




Shortly, we will be providing a tool for you to be able to easily upload images and video to create slideshows and mini-movies of your travel experiences.
More to come...




Regards,

Jono Hart

Managing Editor

[kyshel]

Thank you so much for your time and attention to us and the community forum. So many mysteries have been solved, yet you dangle a few carrots in front of us...
How tanatlizing!!