Message Board

**kevin&sylvie** · January 13th, 2018, 05:52 AM

I wonder if the time of the message board has passed?

With the official and unofficial Facebook pages and other social media outlets is there still a need for the message board?

I used to be a regular contributor and it was a great source of information and help for new guests. It was also brave of Couples to create such a board and allow guests to comment on the resort.

Other than the meet ups and the odd post from management / Michelle it doesn’t seem to serve a purpose anymore.

Personally I liked the photo contest and would like to see that return as it would attract people to the board and then may spark additional discussion.

I wonder what others think, as I’m posting this on the board itself I assume most people reading it find it useful?

Do Couples have any plans for a revamp of the message board to bring it into the modern world? Could the Couples app have a section for posting?

**Jim & Darcy** · January 15th, 2018, 08:55 AM

I personally love the idea of bringing back the photo contest! It was a reason to visit the message board every day!

I also think that placing a message board/posting section on the Couples app might be a useful tool.

**Mad Jack** · January 15th, 2018, 12:16 PM

Never been a fan of Facebook.

I much prefer the this moderated message board over the free for all of Facebook.

Michelle does a lot more than you realize in this message board. This is a moderated board. Meaning she reviews each post. This does a few things for us. It keeps things friendly. It keeps out trolls. No political rants. No advertisements for snake oil that claim performance enhancements, weight loss. A lot less garbage than what you would find on Facebook.

Yes, the board may go silent for a day or two. But if you need a more immediate response there is always the Contact Us link on the upper right hand corner of this page. Otherwise I am perfectly content to use this message board instead of Facebook which is loaded with advertisements and other garbage I don't want to see.

**kevin&sylvie** · January 15th, 2018, 05:05 PM

Well one response in 2 days probably shows how few people use the message board these days compared with Facebook.

I wanted to “like” your response but that’s not a feature of the board.

you can do smilies though!

My comments not intended to criticise but wonder if Couples have any plans for a revamp or integration with other social media.

**Bert** · January 16th, 2018, 01:12 PM

I like the message board.

**foreverbarefootSXM** · January 16th, 2018, 02:52 PM

I don’t use Facebook nor other social media, therefore I like the message board. I’m hoping more guests to Couples Sans Soucci will post pics and a trip report soon. I go to CSS for first time in June 2018.

**JEANNEW** · January 16th, 2018, 05:57 PM

I also like the message board.

**dan54669** · January 16th, 2018, 06:40 PM

Originally Posted by Mad Jack

Never been a fan of Facebook.

I much prefer the this moderated message board over the free for all of Facebook.

Michelle does a lot more than you realize in this message board. This is a moderated board. Meaning she reviews each post. This does a few things for us. It keeps things friendly. It keeps out trolls. No political rants. No advertisements for snake oil that claim performance enhancements, weight loss. A lot less garbage than what you would find on Facebook.

Yes, the board may go silent for a day or two. But if you need a more immediate response there is always the Contact Us link on the upper right hand corner of this page. Otherwise I am perfectly content to use this message board instead of Facebook which is loaded with advertisements and other garbage I don't want to see.

Never, ever been a fan of Facebook and I enjoy this massage board. I do fully agree that an upgrade is due including easier access. I can’t count the times I’ve had to go on an Easter egg hunt to even find it. What worked one day to access it won’t work the next. I wonder if some haven’t given up on using this board due to an access problem.

I agree that bringing back the photo contest would be a giant step in the right direction. Before our first trip to Couples we used this message board and the photos to help us decide to come here and which location was right for us. While photos may be available on other sites the pictures here really sold us.

**Coloradojuli** · January 16th, 2018, 07:01 PM

I've been on this boards for over 13 years. Sad to see how little responses there are nowadays. At one time an entire page would be filled with new comments and sometimes bleed into another page. (Ah...those were the day!) LOL
I would love to see a revamp that would bring more posters. I too hate Facebook and banned it from my life over a year ago and have found I don't miss it one bit. But I do miss the good ol days of the active message board. I do try to hop on a couple days a week to see if I can help anyone out with questions though.

**softail19** · January 16th, 2018, 08:21 PM

I hope couples keeps the board as I like it too. Sure it's not as active anymore but doesn't mean it should go away.

**Beach-bum** · January 17th, 2018, 08:35 AM

Do you remember "Randymon"? Oh the good old days

Life is good

**Dawn** · January 17th, 2018, 09:26 AM

Originally Posted by softail19

I hope couples keeps the board as I like it too. Sure it's not as active anymore but doesn't mean it should go away.

I totally agree.

**Mad Jack** · January 17th, 2018, 12:42 PM

Originally Posted by kevin&sylvie

Well one response in 2 days probably shows how few people use the message board these days compared with Facebook.

I wanted to “like” your response but that’s not a feature of the board.

you can do smilies though!

My comments not intended to criticise but wonder if Couples have any plans for a revamp or integration with other social media.

Apparently you don't understand the concept of the moderated message board. Each post must be read by a human being ad approved before making it on to this message board. A moderated message board is not as immediate as social media, but I prefer the message board anyway.

Just because there was no immediate response does not mean people are not on the board. I am on frequently. I read a lot but only post when I feel I can make a meaningful response. At the time of this post your comment has 377 views. So I would hardly consider this message board not used.

**doncindy** · January 17th, 2018, 01:34 PM

When the message board changed a few years ago, the link to it was moved from the top and mixed in with facebook, twitter etc... Having it on top made it an easy option for those new to Couples. When they first moved it, I had a hard time finding it... and I was looking for it. I don't know how someone new could. Now I think they see the facebook icon and just click on it and accept it as the best option.

I too miss the activity on the MB. There is so much useful information about the resorts here that you can surf for days on end. Facebook questions and comments have such a short exposure time before they get pushed down and out of sight.
At least the MB has the information categorized and saved to make it easy to click on a particular topic you find interesting.

Lastly, using the au natural section here allows those who are a bit shy to ask questions and still remain somewhat anonymous. They may be afraid to ask an embarrassing question on FB knowing their full name will appear when they post a question. They can ask it here without worrying if their family or next door neighbor is reading it as well.

**ggo85** · January 17th, 2018, 02:18 PM

Count me in as someone who likes the board and doesn't do FB. I don't come here as often as I used to . . . not sure why. I too liked the photo contest -- even if they don't give "prizes," just seeing the photos and voting on them would be fun. Some were really terrific.

**katfred** · January 17th, 2018, 02:42 PM

We like the message board since we do not have Facebook. Don't let the message board go away.

**JackTOC** · January 17th, 2018, 05:46 PM

I use both Facebook pages and the forum.

I have learnt from each and would hate to see either disappear.

Jack

**Jimnmariann** · January 17th, 2018, 07:47 PM

I use to be the biggest fan of Couples message board. I ran home from work every day to get on this site to check out the new postings. It was awesome. I guess Facebook took over. Sad.

**BarDar** · January 18th, 2018, 10:57 AM

Gotta vote yes to the board!

**Jenni** · January 18th, 2018, 01:42 PM

I agree - I like the message board

**faraway** · January 20th, 2018, 08:26 AM

This is an interesting thread. The Message Board and it's use has had me thinking recently.

We found Couples in 2005, then found the Message Board which I loved instantly. It was well used, with lots of tips and ideas, and quite a few random topics discussed - it was fun to sign in and see what was new. Of course there was no social media then so I suppose it was a good way to connect with other guests. Over the following few years there continued to be lots of use, lots of discussions with some hilarious 'hot topics'. Veterans of the board may remember many threads that kept popping up such as 'Which is the Best Resort?', 'Tipping' and who can forget the 'Palapa' thread!

Our last trip to Couples was in 2009, and then life stuff got in the way so we weren't able to visit. We are now booked for May 5th-19th, so I signed in, posted, then waited. Sadly no response. Through this board over the years we met up with many wonderful couples. Some we kept in touch with, others became happy memories.

I think the Message Board is still used a great deal. You can see by the numbers at the end of each thread that people are still interested, but unfortunately there is not so much response these days, not sure why that is.

I think the board is great and I wouldn't like to see it go. The moderators do an excellent job, and I don't think the posts take too long to appear, we all know Michelle and her team have a lot of other stuff to do, apart from this board. I do agree a photo section would be great.
Well, that's my take on it and I will keep looking at it.

**Chris** · January 20th, 2018, 08:41 AM

I tried one of the "unofficial" Couples FB pages... it was pretty much dedicated to SweptAway. Unfortunately, the page was quite biased towards Couples' infallibility, which is easy to have happen in such a forum. I bailed after about a week of its nonsense.

I much prefer this MB... it's a lot easier for me to weed out the BS here. If you want or need the instant gratification, by all means, go to the FB pages.

**caribbeanlovers** · January 21st, 2018, 11:05 AM

I agree also it is not the same as it use to be

**Chris** · January 28th, 2018, 11:07 AM

Originally Posted by Beach-bum

Do you remember "Randymon"? Oh the good old days

Life is good

Not a fan. Randy was a bright guy, and very, VERY good at his job. He recognized the marketing value of this MB. Perhaps he was TOO good at it. Just my take.

**StarrandBrianinWI** · January 29th, 2018, 11:58 AM

Originally Posted by Jim & Darcy

I personally love the idea of bringing back the photo contest! It was a reason to visit the message board every day!

I also think that placing a message board/posting section on the Couples app might be a useful tool.

I think this is a great idea!!! I always looked forward to looking at all the photo contest pictures