43 replies to this topic

[TraneMan]

Are the crew/staff out east really that bad?

I see at least a post or two a week on Amtrak's Facebook page of upset people venting about something out there.

[PaulM]

And that goes double for facebook

[jebr]

Plus there's the simple fact that there's a lot of people traveling out there, and even if 99.9% of them were happy, there's still that .1% that has a complaint (and would be at least 1-2 a week, just by the sheer number of people that travel the NEC), which Facebook makes easy to see.

[Swadian Hardcore]

It is understandable that people get angry about Amtrak and then rage on social networking, but that does not mean I trust Facebook or any social network.

[benjibear]

Because Amtrak has internet on the NEC and it caters to the technology advanced person, I bet more people complain, because they can complain right after it happens and what else do they have to do while on the train. Out west more people have to get off and rememeber to complain. By that time, they may have forgotten, have other stuff do do, or just cooled down which isn't a big deal anymore.

[roomette]

More importantly is, what does Amtrak do about it? Do they reply at all to upset users? Social media is a great way to communicate with customers. Do they use it both ways or just post silly news updates? I don't follow them, so I don't know.

[OlympianHiawatha]

Social Media is one of the worst things to have happened to society.

[roomette]

Social Media is one of the worst things to have happened to society.

That whole "Cancer" thing is almost as bad.

[Ryan]

Social Media is one of the worst things to have happened to society.

That whole "Cancer" thing is almost as bad.

Yeah, I can think of dozens of things worse than social media.

[jis]

Social Media is one of the worst things to have happened to society.

That whole "Cancer" thing is almost as bad.

Yeah, I can think of dozens of things worse than social media.

Frankly, I cannot understand why people hate social media, and then get on a social media vehicle and complain about it. Afterall no one is forcing them to partake. And for those that social media works, it is one of the better things that has come about. Afterall Amtrak Unlimited is as much a part of the social media revolution as anything else. No it is not Facebook, but then the purpose it serves is similar for a niche population. Instead of posting "I had a baby", people post instead "I fleeced Amtrak by using this loophole or that"

[roomette]

Social Media is one of the worst things to have happened to society.

That whole "Cancer" thing is almost as bad.

Yeah, I can think of dozens of things worse than social media.

Frankly, I cannot understand why people hate social media, and then get on a social media vehicle and complain about it. Afterall no one is forcing them to partake. And for those that social media works, it is one of the better things that has come about. Afterall Amtrak Unlimited is as much a part of the social media revolution as anything else. No it is not Facebook, but then the purpose it serves is similar for a niche population. Instead of posting "I had a baby", people post instead "I fleeced Amtrak by using this loophole or that"

HA! Indeed.

[OlympianHiawatha]

I do not consider this forum to be social media but rather an information site as folks are coming on here to share information about a specific topic. To me social media are those sites where people share idle gossip, chit chat about what they are eating for lunch or whatever, troll for dates and generally waste time.

[E Runs]

More importantly is, what does Amtrak do about it? Do they reply at all to upset users? Social media is a great way to communicate with customers. Do they use it both ways or just post silly news updates? I don't follow them, so I don't know.

I have had Amtrak reply to me on Twitter before for things both negative and positive.

[Donctor]

I do not consider this forum to be social media but rather an information site as folks are coming on here to share information about a specific topic. To me social media are those sites where people share idle gossip, chit chat about what they are eating for lunch or whatever, troll for dates and generally waste time.

While the above does happen quite a bit, Facebook can be an incredibly useful tool for those looking to relay important information to a larger group of people than could realistically be called (or telegraphed, or whatever).

[Maine Rider]

Off topic (but following what has been started): I gave up facebook several months ago. Now I read this article from the New York Times and see a lot of my reasons, articulated better than I could have:

http://www.nytimes.c...ebook&st=Search

[jis]

Off topic (but following what has been started): I gave up facebook several months ago. Now I read this article from the New York Times and see a lot of my reasons, articulated better than I could have:

http://www.nytimes.c...ebook&st=Search

You did not know all this before you joined Facebook? Oh well....

[Hotblack Desiato]

Social Media is one of the worst things to have happened to society.

The comments section below online news articles is a million times worse.

But really, whether it's the comments section of an article, or a social media site, it's not the existence of it, but how people use it.

People are no longer insulated from the stupidity of others (or themselves), and we have just removed the filters that used to be in place.

The price of being able to freely communicate with almost anyone in the world, virtually instantly, is that you have to think more carefully about what you're going to say. That is simply not something humanity is used to, because it's not something we've had to deal with before.

[Maine Rider]

Off topic (but following what has been started): I gave up facebook several months ago. Now I read this article from the New York Times and see a lot of my reasons, articulated better than I could have:

http://www.nytimes.c...ebook&st=Search

You did not know all this before you joined Facebook? Oh well....

OK so you knew it all before you joined, and then didn't. Good on ya. Good to know it all.

Edit: And yes, to the other poster who said this forum is not social media - I say you're entirely wrong about that. Of course this is social media, including all the annoying things we say to one another. The fact that now and then some actual useful information is provided is quite similar to other social mediums.

Edited by Maine Rider, 12 June 2012 - 06:29 PM.

[jb64]

More importantly is, what does Amtrak do about it? Do they reply at all to upset users? Social media is a great way to communicate with customers. Do they use it both ways or just post silly news updates? I don't follow them, so I don't know.

Their official replies are not really very helpful. Basically, every response directs the person to call the 1 800 number to give them more information. While this is good information, they need to add a little to it so that it is not such a canned response. And, some things could very well be answered there rather than having the person call.

I think I read somewhere that they have interns doing the social media responses. Not sure if that is true or not.