[align=left]It's great that the forum exists, but it is stunted by the slow moderation process. From the outside, it appears that there is only one moderator, they work 9-5 Monday to Friday. Outside those times, new posts are stuck in limbo. And judging by the delay I have witnessed on some posts, no one provides cover when the mod us on holiday. I have had posts that have taken well over a week to appear. 

[align=left]I know why you need mods, but you need more, so that you can give 24x7, 365 coverage. 

[align=left]Why not promote some of your long time, helpful members to share some of load?

Hi leahk,

Currently there are two members of staff working on the community: Julia (the editor) and myself (the moderator). There is one additional member of staff trained to use the system should we both be absent.

We both look at threads and posts on a daily basis and try to answer as many questions as we can throughout each day. There are occasions when we need to refer posts to additional members of the Just You team and this can unfortunately take more time than we would like.

The Community is part of our daily life here in the office but sadly it is incorporated into our wider roles here at JYHQ rather than a individuals sole responsibility.

The community is a great forum for you all to exchange tips, experiences, ask questions and engage with fellow solo travellers. When customers book with us, they do have access to our 24/7 helpline for any emergency and our service centre is also available to answer questions should you need a more immediate response.

Many thanks,

Elisa

I think we are very lucky to have this facility, it has answered many questions I have had, and I know I have helped people, so although we would like more, I think we have to be grateful for what we have.

Having been part of the Royal Navy family in the past and been very involved with a navy community board I do know what goes on behind the scenes the time and effort replies takes. It not easy to keep every one happy.

I think JY are doing a good job under the circumstances. It's a fact of life we all want more in this 24/7 age we all live in.

CIndy

Hi

Sorry, this may not be very popular, but in reality is any post that urgent that it has to be replied to immediately? If it is then surely you would ring the office and speak to someone directly.  Not knocking all the helpful replies to posts, I'm already amazed at how much free time some people seem to have on their hands, judging by the amount of posts some have made, I wish I had that much time!

I think we should all be grateful that JY have a forum at all and I thank both Julia and the moderators for their sterling work. 

Avocet

Hi Leah and Elisa,

Whilst I understand and appreciate the points that Elisa has made, I have to say that I agree with Leah - the Community forum is a tremendous resource for us and the senior staff at JY need to understand this more fully and free up a member of staff so that more time can be given to moderating the Community.  I do appreciate that both Julia and Elisa give as much time to the Community as they can, but it is clear that they have too many other responsibilities and it often takes posts a long time to appear, even straightforward ones that do not require any research.  This stifles the atmosphere on the forum and deadens the impact of posts, as any sense of having a conversation is lost.  Sometimes a full day goes by with no new posts and this is frustrating for those of us who consult it and post on it regularly.  Please will the powers that be make the Community more of a priority and free up a member of staff so that posts can appear more speedily.

Best wishes,

Bob

I agree totally Bob.  🙂

Personally, I can't knock the forum. It works for me. I can see what others are thinking and what advice they can offer and my queries are always promptly answered. I feel lucky to have found the forum as I don't think I would have had the confidence to try out solo travel without it and it has totally changed what I feel I can do.

At the end of the day JY is a business and I know in my place of work there are things you would like to do but usually economics dictate it will likely not happen.

Keep up the good work JY ?

Angie

Overall I am happy with the forum. It would be good if editors'questions needing time to obtain information before the moderator can reply could be acknowledged.  The impartial  reviews are always a great help in deciding where to go next.  Personal experience gives so much information that isn't  covered in the brochure, and it's so helpful to have the chance to question earlier travellers.

I echo what Avocet, Cindy & Angie say. This is a holiday forum not customer service! Nothing is that urgent and if it is you should be calling JY directly.

For me the forum is a fantastic place to visit and I don't see the need for it to be 24/7 or for there to be more dedicated people. My posts are always displayed in reasonable time (thank you moderators) and I have the patience to understand that if they are delayed by a day or two - its because my question is being investigated.

I am equally impressed with the patience they show...I don't think I have enough of it to make a good moderator 😞

Kezzer

The Forum is a great asset and I wish more travellers would use it.  It does annoy me when I hear the words 'oh, I can't be bothered with that'.  It is a source of great information and usually camaraderie.  Yes it has been frustrating recently when some days there is very little posting activity but as has been said JY is a business and I would rather have the phone answered promptly when I need to phone than have to wait for ages because the Forum is taking preference.  The Forum is not for queries that need an immediate answer.

As to using senior members as moderators that is fraught with danger as they are remote from JY's control and there is also the issue of proper data protection training.

Keep up the good work Julia & Elisa.

Hi

I personally am happy with the Forum. I usually manage to go on it once a week apart from some occasions when I have managed twice a week. I doubt if Just You can justify having one full-time dedicated person for the Forum. Costs of employing a full time person can be high - it is not just the salary, but holidays, pension, perks etc which all adds up!

Jaya

Jaya

Kezzer, I disagree entirely, of course this forum is part of JY's customer care policy - it is part of their business model!  JY and TS employ several hundred people and surely it is not too much to ask that one person be given responsibility for the governance of the forum over and above their other duties.  Some posts have taken weeks to be answered and at times inaccurate and contradictory answers are given.  This is understandable given the obvious limited time the Moderators are able to give to the forum but it is far from ideal.  One member of staff focusing on the keeping the forum up to date would be able to answer many more questions than one person answering a phone.  Five or six years ago when Olly was the Editor, virtually all posts were answered within a day.  I say this as a very loyal forum member (as anyone who looks at the forum regularly will know) and who has become increasingly more frustrated as time has gone on.  When many of us had questions prior to the Mexico tour earlier this year, and as things turned out these concerns proved more than justified, the response from JY was wholly inadequate before and after the tour.

Bob

I agree with what everyone's said so far - don't think there's a clear "right" answer for this. 

Would to great  to see more interaction and posts, which - under the current set-up - would need more active moderation (or something else).  But do understand there are issues if changes were implemented.  On the other hand, we do get answers to our specific questions pretty quickly - or, of course,  we can ring up if we have a query regarding a holiday we have booked.  In particular, I like to see reviews of holidays and really wish more people would post a review,  even of holidays that have been going for some time. 

Often when I have mentioned joining the forum to others on JY tours, if they're not already on the forum, they really don't seem to be interested.  I suspect there may be quite a few "lurkers"  - just wish they would join in.  Having said all this, I do know I'm not a very regular poster, so perhaps I should try harder myself to up my postings.

Katy

Well done moderators, keep up the good work, I don't have any complaints,

Best wishes