****please read...guidelines*****

[Andrea J.]

hi all current and new members of the aruba.com family

we have implemented new guidelines for at least the time being for this category

1. No signature lines will be published. No need to delete your signature line, it will delete automatically when the post is approved.

2. Please put your real name in the post, even if it is not your username example: if you user name is Beach bum and your real name is Andrea J, please post your first name and last initial.

3. Please be aware once you make a post, it will come to me for approval/moderation. Once i approve it, it will show up on the Wedding category.

Please remember, I am not on the forum 24/7. If you make a post and it does not appear for a few hours, do not freak.........it means i just have not gotten to it yet.


Reasons.............we have had some considerable problems of late.
There have been many questionable posts, reviews and recommendations. Not going into any detail, but suffice it to say it has caused much frustration and confusion.

These new moderating tools for this category are here to create a better transparency and a more accurate way of weeding out phony reviews, phony aliases, and slander.

Until a better method can be created, this is how we will work this section for now.

What I also hope to work on is a BIO area so the aruba wedding vendors where they can create a new user id using their given name or company's name.
I will post your bio and then lock it.

I hope that we can create a bio category within the category.

As i said, this is my hope.
I wait for approval for this part of the wedding category.

[cindyo]

bravo....hats off to you

[danadog56]

shame you even have to go to these lengths......

[Andrea J.]

it is a long time coming.

MUCH more work for the moderators, but in the end everyone's mental health will be better for it.

More importantly, this forum is a MARKETING tool for Aruba....it is owned and operated by the ATA .....and ATA wants Aruba to be viewed at a high level of perfection. I guess we can say that Aruba wants to be known as a 5 star destination. We all know Aruba is a perfect paradise destination. But others who come on here for the first time, making their planning, could get a very bad taste in their mouths if the forum projects a bad image. Our goal is to make Aruba the #1 vacation destination for all, including brides and grooms.
Unlike Vegas........What goes on in Aruba, Tell Us!!

[Glenn]

Hi Andrea,

I am rarely in this category, but once in a while I check it out.

This category interests me for two reasons; first, I love Aruba and, like you and the ATA, I hope it continues to be a first-class desination for weddings. Second; in addition to my full-time job as an accountant I am also a Marriage Commissioner for the Province of Manitoba. I help people on their big day, it gets me out meeting people and I make a couple of dollars at it; so I have more than just a passing interest in weddings.

Andrea, you are to be both commended and thanked for the work you do on this forum. Setting these rules will help ensure the integrity of the site and keep Aruba first and foremost in peoples' minds when they are thinking of Aruba as a destination for their wedding. You are being proactive for the good of everyone who comes on here.

A thankful member,


Glenn

[Day79]

Does this mean this site is censored? I read that they want Aruba to be shown in a positive light but the folks who have had horrible experience with a hotel, vendor..etc will have their experience deleted?

[Andrea J.]

not sure the word is censored.......moderated is a better word.

we have had situations where certain aruba vendors allegedly created false reviews and ghost postings.

if folks have a horrible experience or a magnificent experience, we read it and then we hit POST button.
if there is something we suspect as being a phony, we delete.

we DO have contacts with the wedding vendors and
we have made contact with the vendors on occasion.

so, in answer to your last sentence, the answer is NO.

we are just being more thorough and careful in the wedding category.

all of this moderating in this section is relatively new( august)

andrea j.

Does this mean this site is censored? I read that they want Aruba to be shown in a positive light but the folks who have had horrible experience with a hotel, vendor..etc will have their experience deleted?

[Angela Munzenhofer]

I am glad I came across this post as it puzzles me. A forum is to provide information to people not to use as a marketing tool but instead make people aware of what others have already gone through and give the best advice about a business, place or thing that can give guidance to others.
A forum should not be used as a marketing tool, Aruba sells itself because it is “One Happy Island” and if you have one bad apple than I guess others should be aware so that the apples don’t spoil the good ones who are loyal and have a passion that goes beyond anything else. It shows through without words but from the heart of each and every person who has expressed themselves in a grand manner. 
ATA is ARUBA TOURISM AUTHORITY so why not let the people's voices be heard.
If there is a situation then ATA needs to fix the situation especially if it is a minor problem that has not developed into a bigger situation. We say here in the USA nip it in the butt...With this said than Aruba will always stand for what everyone has grown to love. 
Aruba is already viewed by many as a gorgeous tropical island, if ATA really wants high level than let the voices of the people be heard. 
To be a 5 star destination you have to earn it by the tourists who make the island grow with repeat guests who tell others of our magnificent island.
I believe there should be set rules with heart and soul about their true feelings of how they felt their experience went. I believe a mixed (bad or good or just in-between) review opens the eye of the beholders mind and they either do something to fix the problem and make sure it never happens again. It Keeps them on their toes so this way business, vendors ect. know that the world is watching & reading ....The only bad taste a newbie will get is a sense of the truth and everyone knows that not all forums or advisory boards can be trusted as there are many people who abuse the system to make themselves look great and people in general know to believe only half of what you read and make your own determination. 
Andrea this message is not intended to you but to others who need to see the full picture. I take my hats off to you and if a job opportunity comes up that needs a forum moderator I would be blessed to have you on my team. Great job !!!


[Andrea J.]

re: #2. Please put your real name in the post, even if it is not your username example: if you user name is Beach bum and your real name is Andrea J, please post your first name and last initial.


we were unable to get that implemented, but we are still trying.
we'd still love to be able to the a "bio thing" for the wedding/event vendors.

[paulmorin]

I owe you ANOTHER drink!!