Meta: split Sightings into subcategories - especially II and RCI

[Nowaker]

https://tugbbs.com/forums/forums/sightings-distressed.3/

Because this forum consists mostly of II, it's hard to browse RCI listings only.

This will also enable folks to set up an email notification for every new RCI sighting, without being bombarded by II sightings.

 

[dioxide45]

I don't think a lot, if any, RCI sightings get posted anymore. Everyone should be starting their thread titles with II or RCI, which seems to be the case. RCI sightings dropped a lot once they instituted the TPU method for trades. I do see where it would be helpful for those with email notifications, but I am not sure enough RCI sightings are even posted to justify it.

 

[klpca]

I hear what you are saying but I also agree with @dioxide45 , there just aren't enough RCI sightings to warrant separating them, and I am not sure why. When thinking about it further I think that in II a lot of the sightings are for Marriott/Westin/Hyatt plus Hawaii. In RCI, besides DVC, beauty is in the eye of the beholder since there aren't a lot of other "name brand" deposits. You will see sightings when HGVC does it's bulk deposits. I don't search as much as I used to so I don't post that many sightings but I will post a sighting (RCI or II) if it has value, i.e. hot property or great area. I believe that many portals like Wyndham, RCI points, HGVC, plus the regular weeks TPU inventory for RCI further muddy the waters. If I see an RCI sighting posted, it's a crap shoot if I will be able to see it through the HGVC portal. Personally, I like just scrolling through the posts in the sightings forum to see everything in one place but I understand the issue with notifications. Maybe there could be a way to add filters to the TUG notifications, like "RCI" so that those are the only notifications that you will receive.

I also get peeved that the terms "RCI" or "SFX" are too short for a search. They are such unique letters, especially in the TUG universe, that I don't understand why they aren't searchable.

 

[bnoble]

OP: most of the II sightings are posted by a handful of people. (And they are awesome! Thanks to @marmite @GrayFal and others!) If you want to filter them out, you can place those posters on your ignore list. They won't show up on the boards, and I *think* they won't generate email notifications, though I don't know that for sure. The last thing I need is more email, so I don't have TUG sending it to me...

here just aren't enough RCI sightings to warrant separating them, and I am not sure why. When thinking about it further I think that in II a lot of the sightings are for Marriott/Westin/Hyatt plus Hawaii.

I think part of the reason is that in the TPU/mini-system era, everyone sees everything* so you don't need someone else to search with a "better" trader to know if you should put in an ongoing request and hope it matches, use a stronger deposit, etc.

*: Modulo the fact that Weeks/Points/Mini-systems are often not quite in synch with one another.

I used to post the Wyndham monthly deposits, and still do once in a while, but they've changed their deposit pattern to make it less regular, and also have stopped depositing some of the more in-demand places. (I haven't seen a new Bonnet Creek deposit since the summer.)

 

[marmite]

I don't have access to RCI so don't post any. Is there a chance that if RCI (or Wyndham, Hyatt) did have it's own space (even a sticky?) that someone would be more likely to take leadership of that area and generate more posts? I think Interval posts are taking up about 2 pages per day, and I end up 'pushing' a lot of posts down the screen so quickly the RCI, Hyatt and Distressed posts don't get a lot of time to have some good visibility.

Now, anyone can post sightings to add more variety, but I am searching for myself (and about 20 others who have asked) for Hawaii, so I make an effort to post those. I also like for myself (and others have asked for), Hyatt, Marriott, Four Seasons. It's not that there aren't plenty of other good resorts, but if I'm not familiar with them, I don't bother posting it. If someone is asking for a specific resort as a Sighting, then I put it on my code list that I search, no one has actually asked me to find anything outside those brands (other than a generic ask once of coastal Florida). I actually wish more people would post, I love knowing what they see as being a good find and take more notice of resorts that weren't necessarily on my radar before. I also won't be posting much in the new year but still will want to know what is coming in, especially the bulk deposits!

I realize that with the mini systems you don't need to worry about trade power, however aren't there also weeks that don't pop up very much or are very desirable that folks would want to know about? There are a lot of people who just don't search all that often, or realize that the inventory moves so quickly that good stuff does appear.

I understand the problems with searching this section, because I am continually searching to find bulk posts to update and have often used search terms that are too common or too short. So even if you search Hyatt, you're going to see a huge list of II and have to dig to find the ones from the internal Hyatt system. I realize that some like to see everything in one place, whereas I guess I lean towards things having their own dedicated spot. Even 'the good stuff AC' thread is floating around and needs a better home. It gets forgotten about unless someone tracks it down and adds to it. On the other hand, I don't love having so many stickies at the top of the current Sightings section, because I have to scroll down quite a bit to get to the latest entry. First world problems and a constant challenge to keep the navigation easy to use.

Even if there was one new section in the membership area for "Resources" where you could move the current stickies that are in the Sightings section out, or even add more threads for RCI, Code Lists, Distressed etc. I could follow those more closely or set notifications (and reduce the space taken up at the top of the Sightings section). Just a thought.

 

[bnoble]

I realize that with the mini systems you don't need to worry about trade power,

That's true in RCI Weeks now, as well. You can combine two or more low-trade-power weeks into one high-trade-power one, and the trade power assigned to each unit and required for an exchange is fully transparent. It can change, but you can see what the current valuations are at any point in time.

IMO, that tends to reduce the importance of the Sightings board for RCI.

 

[marmite]

Maybe there could be a way to add filters to the TUG notifications, like "RCI" so that those are the only notifications that you will receive.

I also get peeved that the terms "RCI" or "SFX" are too short for a search. They are such unique letters, especially in the TUG universe, that I don't understand why they aren't searchable.

I am not familiar with this software platform specifically, but some of those things may not be technically possible. I'm sure @dioxide45 knows all the technical limitations or features available. No software is perfect.

 

[dioxide45]

I am not familiar with this software platform specifically, but some of those things may not be technically possible. I'm sure @dioxide45 knows all the technical limitations or features available. No software is perfect.

Unfortunately I run into the same problem when trying to search those terms. I don't know of a way in Xenforo to setup alerts just for those terms either.

 

[CPNY]

What about a split by brand MVW (Marriott, Westin, Hyatt), HGVC, Independant? Or Maybe by region, Caribbean/Mexico, Hawaii, West Coast, Southwest, Mountain West, etc? It may be too much work but it could be helpful.

 

[bnoble]

...or just leave it because everyone seems to like the current setup except someone who joined two months ago.

 

[marmite]

What about a split by brand MVW (Marriott, Westin, Hyatt), HGVC, Independant? Or Maybe by region, Caribbean/Mexico, Hawaii, West Coast, Southwest, Mountain West, etc? It may be too much work but it could be helpful.

Do you mean split by brand for the internal systems? I could understand that. But if it were broken down by region, you would still get a mix of all brands, RCI, and Interval in one spot. I am open to travelling anywhere, but when I search I only have certain ownerships or exchange companies I can access.

 

[marmite]

...or just leave it because everyone seems to like the current setup except someone who joined two months ago.

Oh, that's not fair ... This is a minute sampling of people on here, certainly not everyone. Sometimes it takes someone new to the forums to see it with a fresh perspective. I would actually like a different setup, but appreciate that people get used to things being a certain way and might not want it changed. It's not my site so (thank goodness) these decisions aren't mine to make. You can never please everybody.

 

[dioxide45]

...or just leave it because everyone seems to like the current setup except someone who joined two months ago.

Some of the biggest innovators are the ones from the outside looking in. Musk, Bazos. They were not GMC or Walmart.

 

[CPNY]

Do you mean split by brand for the internal systems? I could understand that. But if it were broken down by region, you would still get a mix of all brands, RCI, and Interval in one spot. I am open to travelling anywhere, but when I search I only have certain ownerships or exchange companies I can access.

If everyone began their post with II or RCI followed by the resort and date that would be helpful. 17 posts about Hawaii are not useful for me since I’d only be looking at Caribbean listings. It streamlines the search. Again, having a larger brand sticky May also help. All of the Marriott vacation worldwide resorts under one sticky, all of the Hilton resorts in one, etc. DVC has its own, why not other large brands?

 

[marmite]

It takes quite a bit of work to actually post properly even in the one spot (copy & paste on different browser types never quite works the way you wish it did), so you have to edit quite a bit to even add "II", the dates and relevant information into the title. If I had to also navigate into the right region in the forum first, I probably just wouldn't post (call me lazy!). It might be okay if I am only searching and posting for Hawaii (I could spend the day just posting to that part of the forum), but geographically dividing the US and the world like II does when you're posting would be made harder (at least when you are doing a lot of posts it would be). I have actually lost track of where I was in the forum and posted a sighting in a different section -- when that happens you have to get a mod to move it (really embarrassing). And those who are geographically challenged might mistake what region a city belongs in (Canadians like me may be especially bad at this).

If you search in II geographically using their map, I can see that you could post all of your findings at once... I tend to use large code lists so have a mix of regions and countries all at once come up, so would be hard to sort my findings. What is consistent though, is I am searching in II, so having a place to report those is very helpful to me. But again, I am only one user and there are many different ways people want to see the listings.

 

[klpca]

If everyone began their post with II or RCI followed by the resort and date that would be helpful. 17 posts about Hawaii are not useful for me since I’d only be looking at Caribbean listings. It streamlines the search. Again, having a larger brand sticky May also help. All of the Marriott vacation worldwide resorts under one sticky, all of the Hilton resorts in one, etc. DVC has its own, why not other large brands?

You can search "Marriott" or "hyatt" etc so it's easy enough to narrow it down. Searching "RCI" unfortunately doesn't work.

With respect to format I agree with you. I think that the sticky at the top of the sightings forum mentions a specific format, very similar to what you suggested. (It's been awhile since I looked at it). If the title contains enough information - exchange company, resort, date, and perhaps unit size - you should be able to skim the posts without having to open them up.

 

[CPNY]

You can search "Marriott" or "hyatt" etc so it's easy enough to narrow it down. Searching "RCI" unfortunately doesn't work.

With respect to format I agree with you. I think that the sticky at the top of the sightings forum mentions a specific format, very similar to what you suggested. (It's been awhile since I looked at it). If the title contains enough information - exchange company, resort, date, and perhaps unit size - you should be able to skim the posts without having to open them up.

I’ve never really had a problem navigating the listings, I guess for me, most of the listings just don’t appeal to me. I spent most of my time in the DVC sticky or doing exactly what you suggested, skim the general listings for anything that popped out.

I’m just throwing out suggestions just in case something sticks.

 

[bnoble]

Some of the biggest innovators are the ones from the outside looking in. Musk, Bazos. They were not GMC or Walmart.

I'm not sure restructuring the Sightings board is on the same level as founding Tesla or Amazon, but you never know.

 

[klpca]

It takes quite a bit of work to actually post properly even in the one spot (copy & paste on different browser types never quite works the way you wish it did), so you have to edit quite a bit to even add "II", the dates and relevant information into the title. If I had to also navigate into the right region in the forum first, I probably just wouldn't post (call me lazy!). It might be okay if I am only searching and posting for Hawaii (I could spend the day just posting to that part of the forum), but geographically dividing the US and the world like II does when you're posting would be made harder (at least when you are doing a lot of posts it would be). I have actually lost track of where I was in the forum and posted a sighting in a different section -- when that happens you have to get a mod to move it (really embarrassing). And those who are geographically challenged might mistake what region a city belongs in (Canadians like me may be especially bad at this).

If you search in II geographically using their map, I can see that you could post all of your findings at once... I tend to use large code lists so have a mix of regions and countries all at once come up, so would be hard to sort my findings. What is consistent though, is I am searching in II, so having a place to report those is very helpful to me. But again, I am only one user and there are many different ways people want to see the listings.

Exactly. Posting sightings is time consuming and it is a benefit that we all appreciate and benefit from. I'm not a person who is looking for a particular place most of the time, so I appreciate seeing different inventory. Right now, thanks to @marmite and @GrayFal the sightings forum is really active, but we have definitely gone through some lulls in the past. I am very appreciative of the time that others spend searching and posting. My work schedule does not allow me the time to be able to search much, and definitely doesn't allow time for posting.

Another thing to keep in mind is that setting up an ongoing search is another way to get what you are looking for without the hassle of searching all of the time or constantly watching the sightings forum. It is not perfect - my OGS missed something last week and I found out about it from seeing a sightings post - but it is another tool in the toolbox.

It is always good to throw ideas around, but it's also good to consider the other side of the discussion. The sightings forum may not be perfect, but it works pretty darned good.

 

[marmite]

I think OGS can be valuable (especially if you are lucky enough to get matched early and know exactly where you want to go), however I think I am getting access to weeks that OGS wouldn't have given me as I only need the minimum trade power to see the week, I am not competing with anyone else (if I see it and can click on it in time it is mine!). Also, if you are looking for a free room size upgrade, all those Flexchange listings are really great for you to use your E-Plus for. So yes, another tool in the toolbox.

I actually really like seeing the listings that I don't currently have access to, and would probably frequently skim RCI, Hyatt and HGVC postings if there was more volume. Seeing some good weeks from other brands would probably tempt me to buy another timeshare, not sure if that is a good thing!

 

[Nowaker]

...or just leave it because everyone seems to like the current setup except someone who joined two months ago.

HGVC, the only timeshare I own, is affiliated with RCI. If there's a separate RCI category, I'd set up a watch+email on it. Just like I have it on HGVC and giveaways forums. I only subscribe to what I'm interested in - and totally ignore the rest. I find my current watches useful, would love to have one for RCI sightings, and thought others would too. No more and no less. No need to antagonize. Do what you want with this proposal. If it's implemented, cool - let's see how it works out. If not, no biggie - I'll live without it. Peace.

 

[rboesl]

I have a couple of questions regarding "sightings".

What qualifies as something worth posting as a sighting? Is it specific systems? Or is it that it's only available within a certain timeframe?

With RCI there is the issue of weeks vs. points separation. Someone could see something because they have a points account that a person with a weeks account wouldn't be able to see.

Now, I consider myself knowledgeable in the use of RCI. But, I don't recall seeing any options that allow you to search for resorts that are members of a specific system. I can search by region and/or timeframe. And even by 10,000 points or less. But, those searches don't differentiate by system.

In fact, using RCI, I only remember seeing the ability to search for a specific resort code using an ongoing search. And for most users of RCI an ongoing search requires a fee be paid.

 

[marmite]

What qualifies as something worth posting as a sighting? Is it specific systems? Or is it that it's only available within a certain timeframe?

The sightings section is just a place for members to report weeks they saw available in an exchange system. Usually the postings are either from Interval International, RCI or SFX. When we write the title we are supposed to add to the beginning which exchange system we saw it in.

I only have access to Interval International so you will see my postings usually start with "II" for Interval International. I don't know what qualifies as something worth posting, as beauty is in the eye of the beholder. My idea of a good week, might not be your cup of tea. I also post places that I know other people like, but I wouldn't necessarily go to. Inventory moves so quickly (sometimes weeks are gone in a matter of seconds or minutes), so the posts sometimes help people catch a week they might not have otherwise seen.

The timeframe doesn't matter, some people like travelling last minute during Flexchange, or using E-Plus to increase the size of the unit they booked, so some postings may only be a day or so out from check-in. When the bulk deposits come in from Marriott or Vistana, those dates are farther out, but everyone wants to know about it so they get an early opportunity to select their favourite weeks.

Maybe someone could answer about RCI, I can't comment on that.

 

[GrayFal]

I’ve never really had a problem navigating the listings, I guess for me, most of the listings just don’t appeal to me. I spent most of my time in the DVC sticky or doing exactly what you suggested, skim the general listings for anything that popped out.

I’m just throwing out suggestions just in case something sticks.

Why don't you post some sightings that interest you? The more people who post, the more diverse the section will be.

I try to keep what I post "under control" by lumping the same resort/month together rather than date specific.
if you are looking forNewport Coast in June, click on the May to Sept post. Ko'olina in March, take a look at March to May.

and thanks to all who post sightings. I find them very useful.

 

[alwysonvac]

I like the idea of a subcategory for II and RCI.

The RCI sightings are getting lost in the overwhelming number of II Sightings.
And you can‘t search the Sightings forum using RCI because it’s too short.

Here’s some examples of RCI posts on the Sightings forum