USVI-On-Line

I do not see any need to go and change the “Virgin Island” forum. There are discussions and have been discussion about St. Thomas, St. Croix, and the BVI’s. It just so happens that the majority of the users on the forum favor St. John as their place to kick back and relax while escaping reality. The majority of newbies also seem to ask questions about St. John. It is what it is.

Why fix it if it isn’t broke?

I am not a seasoned poster here. I have been reading this forum for several years, and lost my old profile when I changed internet carriers, but have created a new one now. However, I have to chime in and say that I come here for the great resources that the regulars here share so graciously. I beleive that the integration of seperate forums would be fine for people looking specifically for St.Thomas vacation info. I think it is impossible to plan a trip to St. John without some discussion about St Thomas for navigational purposes( ferry, taxi, groceries)
I have to weigh in on the crime discussion with my experience 3 yrs ago. My nephew was a new graduate pharmacist and took a job in St Thomas. We visited for a week at his aparment over looking the bay. We spent a couple nights in town at night and I have to admit I was very confomfortable as the night progressed and they started to pat down people for guns as they entered the place!
The next day we were at Coral Bay lounding on the beach when 20 feeet from us there was a scuffle amoungst the locals hanging out at a snack shack and someone got shot. The beach emptied very quickly. With all this to condsider.. I just loved the atmosphere of St John. it is almost like a slice of Maine but with much nicer weather!

It would be interesting if you could sub group the islands under trees.

VI

VSVI BVI

STT STJ STX Tortola Jost VG ETC.

The the user could filter down or view all. Do not know how hard this would be, but it would seem to offer the best of both worlds.

Phil

Anthony,
I'm fine with the way it is but if people don't feel comfortable leaving STX or STT posts on this forum than you should definitely make separate forums for them.
On another note...Can you give us a "LIKE" button?

P-600 wrote:Can you give us a "LIKE" button?

Do you mean just a general "like" this button, like a thumbs up or down, or "Like" it on Facebook?

I'd "like" either one, Anthony! I believe your intent is to bring more folks into the VIOL fold, but making a place for them to wax prophetically about their love for their beautiful island. I have lots to learn about the other islands, and will read there lots.

I would love to see a seperate place for each island. I am a HUGE STT lover, but read this forum daily for my island "fix." This is one of the most active forums for the islands out there, it just centers around STJ. We always stay on STT and have for many years so I feel I am quite knowledgable about that island. When we were on STT last December we took the sea plane over to STX because we have never been. There was little to no info I could scrounge up on this forum to give me guidence and/or suggestions for my time on STX. We all know the other forum......and it just isn't as active as this one. I use it as a back up, but if we could get 3 seperate ones on here and have it be as active individually as it is now, this will be THE place to go for any and all info in regards to the islands we all love to much So my vote is....yes...split it up but make it so we can still check in on whats happening on the other forums easily!

A "like" button similiar to Facebook. I see alot of posts I want to "like" because I agree with the comments the poster wrote. Thumbs up/down could be trouble. LOL!

I think splitting them up is probably a good idea. It may be an excellent business idea. As it stands now, if I want STJ info, I would come here. If I want STT info, I'd go to either TA or Vinow. For STX info, I'd look on TA. For BVI info, I use TTOL. It seems people drift to the forums where there's most activity about what interests them. I'll go to a forum with a lot of info about a particular place rather than combing through one with only sporadic posts about the topic that interests me. I don't have a loyalty to a particular forum and go with what serves me best for a particular place.

STJ can certainly support a whole site. I'm not sure if I'd have separate sites for the other islands or start off just lumping them onto one site.

But this is just looking at forums as sources of travel info. There's another aspect--online community--that attracts people. That seems to be something that gets established over time and that new forums would lack. It's a bit of a puzzle why a forum develops a community.

When we were first planning to go to Virgin Gorda, I surveyed the various BVI forums. TTOL was the most active, had the most info and had a community of longtime posters whose paths had crossed on the islands, not just on their computers. Why that occurred on TTOL rather than here or on TA is a mystery to me. Just cause somebody builds a forum doesn't mean that posters will come.

One more bump for this thread and chance to vote. Never has the number of people thinking this was a good idea (separate forums per island) been in positive territory, so seeing how the voting is running, I am probably going to try something that is more specific for St. Croix and St. Thomas while not ruining the vibe here. Thanks for all the thoughtful feedback - as always.
Anthony

Guess, I'll say "so long", see you on the morrow.

I *love* trip reports from all 3 islands, even though I have only spent time on STJ (except for passing through STT on the way). Actually, no...I am **addicted** to trip reports. I enjoy reading about all the islands and wishing I was there. Its my little mental vacation from everyday life. STT and STX are on my very long "islands to-visit" list.

If the forums split, I will still read them and post when I have time. If it would help Anthony's business, then I'm for it.

I voted for separation. I will visit STX for the second time in March and I think it would be easier to get travel information on STT and STX if they were separated. I've used the search feature, but it still is cumbersome.

akersten wrote:I voted for separation. I will visit STX for the second time in March and I think it would be easier to get travel information on STT and STX if they were separated. I've used the search feature, but it still is cumbersome.

I hope you'll post a trip report, whether the forums split or not.

CA girl...please stop by or PM me .......