How to Kill a Roll Call

[MR_T]

For a great example go and have a look at the later pages of this years equinox transatlantic cruise in October.... 5/6 pages in a row all about one blokes obsession on himself doing unofficial talks and tours.... Asking everyone to email celebrity on his behalf to request they allocate him space to run his personal lectures!! Which of course the many sheep obliged but also boring a lot of people and turning them off the roll call... It now seems his personal page!!

 

 

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[BlueRiband]

Add hijacking of the roll call by a self appointed organizer who then demands a sign up with real names and cabin numbers. Same organizer then switches the traditional CC M&G time for that ship for her (and it's almost always a her) convenience. These "superorganizers" rarely contribute to these boards outside of roll calls. They seem to think of this is "their party". And what party poopers are those who don't sign on for her private tours.

Edited July 8, 2014 by BlueRiband

[Gracie115]

Here's a thought to getting the "guilty" to notice this thread.....how about copying the link to this one into whatever roll call is having these issues now....no comments needed...just the link....might get the message sent without actual accusations.....just a thought.....:)

[eby]

KILL The same person with over 200 post most with long quote,since June 3

[AmberTeka]

This is a great thread. My personal irritation is people who post long descriptions of their physical state and limitations. At my age, the age of my DH and my friends, We all have physical limitations. And I doubt that anyone else wants the details about any of it. If you are well enough to cruise............you are not at death's door. And no one wants the details. I have been in a wheelchair. I have been limited to a scooter. thankfully new medications and a large weight loss changed that. And NO one wants the details. I sympathize with all of those afflicted but Roll Call is not the place to discuss it. I know I sound like a grump. My bad.

Edited July 8, 2014 by AmberTeka

[CruisingChick]

One of the irritating things on roll calls is the repeated use of the "Quote" option and not the "Quick Reply" that I have used here for example. I understand that it might be necessary to quote something that occurred a day or two ago but when each person who comments quotes, and quotes and quotes a comment in repeated posts................you end up with a bloated roll call that has little appeal.....................and now CC gives me the option AGAIN to "Quote message in reply"

 

I agree with the "quote" thing and it's not just on roll calls. It happens many times on these boards, especially when people do reviews of their cruises or live blogs. Someone will quote their entire post and then asks a one sentence question or just says "thanks for posting".

[wpgcycler]

Add hijacking of the roll call by a self appointed organizer who then demands a sign up with real names and cabin numbers.

 

Names makes sense to me (we wouldn't want to be addressed as Mr. and Mrs. Wpgcycler) but why do people need your cabin number? Is this a common practice?

[perico1206]

For me, definitely the sports recaps...I don't even look on Mondays because I don't care about that particular subject on the roll calls.

[ClaudiaB]

Our last two cruises have had extremely long roll calls and there WAS that one clique of people who had cruised together who had all the inside jokes and who constantly posted little one-sentence ditties which were totally irrelevant to the rest of us. Scrolling through to find 'real' cruise information was a bit of a chore. Add to that the long quotes. I eventually quit going to the roll call after a few months as it was useless. We signed up for but skipped the connections party.

 

I've also never "gotten" the signatures here. Why put on every post the cruises you've been on and the ones you've got scheduled? Guess to me it's just more junk I have to scroll through. We all know the ones who have 35 lines of signature!!

 

I know that the few times I've "quoted" I go back and edit out most of it with my delete key and just leave in the relevant part.

 

On the other hand, on a few of our roll calls we've had great discussions about everything cruise-related and some of our best vacation days ever have been with CC people we've met through the roll call. We're on one of those now and I can't wait to meet these people!

[Pushka]

I'm with the long quote issue and then a one liner after it in response. Especially those quotes with photos. It kills viewing threads in tapatalk and adds nothing.

 

Definitely agree with the private chat thing too and others being ignored.

[Orator]

The function of a Roll Call to me is to help people to enhance their cruising experience by introducing fellow cruisers and providing useful information. A roll call is good to the extent that it does that, bad to the extent it doesn't. Some personal information is probably valuable since it might serve to connect people with some common interests, but one should be careful to save the details for private conversation. I too don't know why people want cabin numbers. The numbers may change several times as the cruise gets closer and anyone who needs to contact you can simply pick up a phone on the ship and ask for you by name. As said by others, cliques can be a killer both on the roll call and at any Cruise Critic functions. I've often noticed people using the Connections Party to connect with their traveling companions and no one else. I usually attend the gatherings by myself and often feel that I'm interrupting private conversation if I approach to introduce myself. I am not a shy person, so can just imagine how others feel. The same can be said about many of the "private" conversations on some roll calls. Announcement after announcement, post after post about private tours can be a real turnoff to those not involved. I started this post in the hope of having some who may be turning off their fellow cruisers recognize what they may be doing. My guess is that they post with all good intensions not realizing the impact on others.

[njgrlloves2trvl]

Kill: groups of people that have cruised together in the past that totally dominate the roll call and ignore those outside the "clique"

 

AMEN! That's what I have no desire to attend those meet and greets once on the ship.

[maxsales]

Interesting thread, but ultimately useless. Remember for every idea you have some one else has an opposite point of view.

 

Don't like sports? Others do.

Don't like long signatures? Others do.

Don't like quotes? Others do.

 

IMHO the bottom line is read what you want and scroll past the rest. It really doesn't take much time. That is to me the true freedom of the roll call. :):)

[jkgourmet]

I'll add one more cause of death to a roll call: Takeover by those on a b2b, either prior or, more frequently, after the roll call cruise.

 

The quote everything posts aren't limited to roll calls; it's a problem in all forums. However, I believe it's MUCH worse here on cruise critic. Photos should never be quoted unless (maybe) there is a specifuc question related to that photo.

[Italy52]

What I do not like about roll calls is when a member joins, asks a lot of questions and never contributes or even say "thank you" for the information being provided to the individual. To me, one-sided members are a turnoff.

[phoenix_dream]

I agree with almost all the posts, albeit not all entirely. If you end up with hundreds of posts (it can happen) then scrolling through it can become so tedious as to make the effort frustrating and useless.

 

I love the idea of linking this thread to your current roll call, especially if it has some of the issues noted.

 

Some of the issues noted apply to ALL postings, not just roll calls. Specifically, the signatures, the lengthy quotes, and most especially the lengthy quotes that contain pictures (particularly large ones).

 

My top pet peeve is groups who have cruised together and dominate the roll call. Please, guys, share emails or something for all your reminiscing and private gathering planning so the rest of us can share. This is not high school. I was on a roll call like that once and just gave up - I don't need to feel like an outsider on my own cruise - there are plenty of people to meet onboard. You sounded like nice people, but you need to step back and realize you are inadvertently being very exclusionary to others on your roll call.

 

Personally I thank heaven for those brave and giving enough to volunteer to coordinate names, activities, etc. for those who choose to participate. As long as this is an optional effort, and no pressure is applied to those who do not participate, it can be very valuable. I think that applies to room number. If you are not comfortable giving yours, then don't. If others want to, it doesn't hurt you in any way unless you are being pressured. I also think the reason people create offline and attach links is because that enables them to use software which makes the job a whole lot easier, and it avoids the dreaded full page posts which overwhelm the thread. Virtually everyone has access to Excel these days, and certainly almost everyone who is posting on these boards.

[CathyCruises]

The quote everything posts aren't limited to roll calls; it's a problem in all forums. However, I believe it's MUCH worse here on cruise critic. Photos should never be quoted unless (maybe) there is a specifuc question related to that photo.

 

The ones that get me are the HUGE photos that take forever to scroll through, then someone quotes the whole post to say "thank you for the photos'!!!! Ugh.

 

I was on a great roll call once that was full of life, lots of joking around and one you looked forward to reading each day. A bunch of us on that roll call got together onboard and have stayed friends. We booked another cruise this year and started joking around again, having fun, but it was definitely not appreciated by people who were extremely critical and only wanted to get information about their cruise. C'mon, peeps--it's about more than just sharing port info! The whole idea is getting to know people ahead of time in order to enhance your onboard experience. Lighten up! Have some fun, and come join us!!

[phoenix_dream]

What I do not like about roll calls is when a member joins, asks a lot of questions and never contributes or even say "thank you" for the information being provided to the individual. To me, one-sided members are a turnoff.

 

I agree that when one asks questions and gets answers, a thank you is in order. At least one thank you after a reasonable amount of time is called for.

 

At the same time, people should be welcome to join a post, and then participate or not as they choose. I remember one thread on CC not so long ago, where someone started a thread because they were enraged that someone started a thread but then chose not to continue posting. It was their contention that if you start a thread you are responsible for taking over the management of it as it were - coordinating, posting status, etc.. What?!?! Other than thanking others for responding to questions, and obviously showing up for shore events to which you have committed, then as far as I am concerned your 'obligations' are met. It is good form and a friendly gesture to welcome new posters (on big threads, one or two welcomes should suffice I think), to say good-bye if you cancel the cruise or want to quit posting (presuming you have been an active participant) and the like. But we should also be careful to not put too many obligations of people. We have no idea what is going on in their personal life, and their ability to devote time to posting on CC. As long as they use good manners, actual 'obligations' are few IMHO.

Edited July 8, 2014 by phoenix_dream

[cinnamon]

Annoying signatures?

I long ago adjusted my settings here and don't get the list of cruises, countdown clocks and annoying little cartoons. Much quicker for scrolling through.

 

 

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[cle-guy]

Reading through this thread, it sounds like the OP started it based on one i've been lurking in considering taking the Sillouhette TA next October/November....it has been up and down.....and full of drama, yet some really amazing people in it too.

[Orator]

Reading through this thread, it sounds like the OP started it based on one i've been lurking in considering taking the Sillouhette TA next October/November....it has been up and down.....and full of drama, yet some really amazing people in it too.

 

Correct that I started it because of what I've been viewing on a Roll Call, but not Silhouette October/November. I've never participated in a Roll Call where I haven't encountered some amazing people. Many were even more amazing when I met them on the ship. I have been around long enough to meet many of the contributors to these boards and it has been a pleasure to be able to put faces with names. I've actually booked cruises, December 8th Connie, for example because of the people I 've met who told me that they'll be on that cruise. Many of us met on Century last year and it became one of my favorite cruises. The people were exceptional.

[Turtles06]

I agree that when one asks questions and gets answers, a thank you is in order. At least one thank you after a reasonable amount of time is called for.

 

 

I agree, and I think this is simply good manners that applies to all threads, not just Roll Calls. I find most folks here on CC to be polite and grateful when they get information in response to an inquiry, but there are still plenty of times when someone will ask a question, get helpful, detailed replies from a number of people, and never, ever come back, even to just post one word of "thanks."

[smtcan]

Annoying signatures?

I long ago adjusted my settings here and don't get the list of cruises, countdown clocks and annoying little cartoons. Much quicker for scrolling through.

 

 

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You just beat me to that one. I was going to say the same thing.

 

Sheila

[patty1955]

Annoying signatures?

I long ago adjusted my settings here and don't get the list of cruises, countdown clocks and annoying little cartoons. Much quicker for scrolling through.

I like reading other people's past and future cruise, but I may have to do this as well. Some are just ridiculous. I saw one last night, a one line message and a list of about 40 cruises, past and future.

[C-Dragons]

People who feel compelled to answer every single post on a Roll Call, regardless of whether it concerns them or not.