Speedway forums

[schumi]

I picked up a copy of the Speedway Star this morning to read Mick Bratley's piece on internet forums. Have to say, his comments do seem to refer more to the BSF, but I guess the same can be said of any forum. He said something along the lines of posters seem to write anything to get noticed, and picked up on a couple of posts about Joe Haines.

Now, I suppose it depends on which side of the fence you're standing as to what your opinion is. Coventry are famous for not liking internet forums, and, having read the anonymous quotes in the SS I can see where they're coming from.

However, I do think these people represent a minority, and that comments such as those mentioned are going to be ignored by the majority of sensible people. Also, it's not just on forums you get a few idiots - walk around the terraces at any given meeting and there will be a whole range of comments, from people cheering when a rider falls, to those who express appreciation for a great ride, even if it comes from the opposition.

I still think that forums (and the BSF in particular) are a great source of information - it's all in one place and usually pretty up to date. Where else can you find if a meeting is off, what the line-ups for each meeting are, new signings, averages, rules, etc, that are posted so quickly?

On to club websites, as I think there's a correlation. Some of them are brilliant - the line-ups are on there days before the meeting, along with any changes, guests, and cancellations. However, if you're unlucky enough to follow a team with a website which is rarely updated and doesn't contain much useful information, it's inevitable people will look elsewhere, and join in with the chat that follows. Perhaps some clubs should be mindful of this, although it should be said that those who are more vocal about the forums do run a good website.

What I'm trying to say, in a very roundabout way, is that there will always be, in any situation, a lot of sensible people and a few morons. Those who would like to have a decent discussion shouldn't be tarred with the same brush as those who are clearly out to cause trouble - and anyone with an ounce of common sense can see who they are.

But then it's easy for me to say when it's not my business on the line, I suppose.

[Deleted]

schumi said:

I picked up a copy of the Speedway Star this morning to read Mick Bratley's piece on internet forums.

Might have to buy it for the second week running, that is when I've negotiated the statues in WH Smiths who read the mags for half an hour with no intention of purchasing the paper they're soiling.

"What I'm trying to say, in a very roundabout way, is that there will always be, in any situation, a lot of sensible people and a few morons. Those who would like to have a decent discussion shouldn't be tarred with the same brush as those who are clearly out to cause trouble - and anyone with an ounce of common sense can see who they are.

But then it's easy for me to say when it's not my business on the line, I suppose."

A reasonable summing up Schumi.

[Deleted]

I must say in fairness, although I take the piss out of the Panzers forum, I'm not sure I'd want an official forum as a speedway promoter. I wouldn't be opposed to unofficial ones, but as an proprietor you want to have certain control over your corporate image.

This however, does not excuse the generally laughable attitude to PR demonstrated by a certain individual at Peterborough.

[Deleted]

wibblemuis said:

I must say in fairness, although I take the piss out of the Panzers forum, I'm not sure I'd want an official forum as a speedway promoter. I wouldn't be opposed to unofficial ones, but as an proprietor you want to have certain control over your corporate image.

This however, does not excuse the generally laughable attitude to PR demonstrated by a certain individual at Peterborough.

I hope you're not talking about me....

[Deleted]

Mar 27, 2008 11:22:31 GMT @mr2awards said:

I hope you're not talking about me....

Clearly, I was referring to His Lordship.

[Deleted]

Mar 27, 2008 12:40:25 GMT @wibblemuis said:

Mar 27, 2008 11:22:31 GMT @mr2awards said:

I hope you're not talking about me....

Clearly, I was referring to His Lordship.

Well you will notice he hardly ever posts anything these days, it would be hard for him to do so with the handcuffs on and only I have the key ;D

[Deleted]

Mar 27, 2008 15:13:25 GMT @mr2awards said:

Mar 27, 2008 12:40:25 GMT @wibblemuis said:

Clearly, I was referring to His Lordship.

Well you will notice he hardly ever posts anything these days, it would be hard for him to do so with the handcuffs on and only I have the key ;D

And you reckon Riggers is the weirdo! ;D

Seriously, I think it's a step in the right direction keeping his lordship away from forums, he does himself or his businees no favours at all when he's been winding up his own supporters then something goes tits up.

Now all you need to do is gag him whenever there's a fans forum or the press are around and you'll be sorted.

[Deleted]

Mar 27, 2008 15:16:52 GMT @wacks said:

Mar 27, 2008 15:13:25 GMT @mr2awards said:

Well you will notice he hardly ever posts anything these days, it would be hard for him to do so with the handcuffs on and only I have the key ;D

And you reckon Riggers is the weirdo! ;D

Seriously, I think it's a step in the right direction keeping his lordship away from forums, he does himself or his businees no favours at all when he's been winding up his own supporters then something goes tits up.

Now all you need to do is gag him whenever there's a fans forum or the press are around and you'll be sorted.

Blimey, a first, we are in violent agreement

[Deleted]

Interesting subject and I'd agree forums and clubs do co-exist a bit uneasily at times. We've had a forum since 2000 and yes, there've been a couple of times when the plug was nearly pulled in that time. After some intense negotiations by the webbo, we've lived to fight another day, the last time on the proviso it was members only (this a couple of years back). The current incarnation goes from strength to strength, unbelievably busy most days and a great bunch of people mostly...

There are a few trouble makers but most people realise it's a priviledge not a right to have a forum linked to the club site and with plenty of people who are part of the club volunteering etc involved, it tends to potter along without much interference and we've had some great debates on there. Not to say that everything on there is pleasant or complimentary - some of the stuff is lucky to remain, but for the most part it does, even if some of the posters themselves don't fare so lightly now and then!!

I think the argument that has won the day for us is that to have a club forum does to a certain extent keep things under control and the club do have the final say on removing anything damaging to the business (which is the main concern mentioned and I know from doing the interview with Matt for WWoS it was the answer to one of his questions). With an unofficial forum pretty much anything goes and that in wider terms can be even worse. The promotion do read what is put and in many cases respond via the webbo or others, rest of the time they just need thick skin!

[Deleted]

You have to wonder tho squirlie, if the forum would be quite so "tame" if the club were not so successful? Whilst it may work for Poole, I doubt very much if the fans of say Newport or Berwick would be as obliging ;D However if it works and everyone is happy with the situation fine.
Personally I've never thought forums attached to official sites to be a good idea. Fans forums should be exactly that IMHO, for the fans by the fans. The Lynn forum apart from the very occassional outbreak is pretty good, there is the odd dissenting post but nothing too damaging and to my knowledge, as a mod, no post has ever been deleted or modified because it is uncomplimentary to the promotion.

[Deleted]

Why thank you SL, yes we had problems at Lynn, JC did contact me wanting to make ours the Official outlet, but after discussions with other users and seeking advice ML would back me up on this, I decided to leave it as it was. Since then we've seen our membership grow to over 700. a lot of people don't post, but tend to just read. A lot of the Lynn fans post on the BSF but not on the un-official one but reading some of their cringeworthy posts i'm glad they have gone

Forums are what I feel promoters love to read - Waggy and Brian Griffin were great fans of them, but sadly the minority always make the headlines and the promoters take more notice of them rather than the more positive posters. I feel they are a great addition to speedway and where you get the true picture rather than the fabrication from the speedway star!

[Deleted]

Glad to back you up here Jive and it was a wise decision to leave it unofficial just like I did with the Chatzone.

I feel the Chatzone has a good relationship with our promotion and they do post fairly regularly on the board.

[Deleted]

Tell me I'm wrong by all means but I feel that forum discussions are like a pub conversation, or discussion on the terraces, only with many more likely participants and very public.

I have been a forum participant on several motor sport forums since the very early days and quickly found out to my cost just how public they are and just how much a savvy site administrator can deduce about the identity of the membership.

Learning from this, when I co-founded my own rather specialised motor sport forum with the most savvy partner possible we have managed to keep a number of total arseholes off our forum by banning IP addresses. Even after they changed addresses we still managed to deduce who they were.

We use a fully paid for current version of VBulletin, my partner deals with the hosting which has been rock solid and aside from a couple of glitches in the first week we have been up without a single break aside from maintenance and upgrades for over two years and have 502 members.

[Deleted]

Forums are great for an amusing read, but in all honesty fans have little idea how a club is really run so will always post outrageous off the planet comments.

Some of the individual clubs sites are terrific, e.g. Edinburgh, Reading and Newcastle, but others have complete stinkers, e.g. King's Lynn.

The Lynn site has just one page of news up - whatever happened to a news archive or even the previous week's news?

Also Chipmunk has some fascination in putting the latest news up as a giant JPG file produced in Photoshop. It must take him an age to produce and edit that every time there is news changed.

Just what is the bloody point of that?

The Stars site is shocking and not what I would expect from the self-proclaimed best promoter in the country and the leader of the Super 7 series.

[Deleted]

Bit off topic but may well be of interest to Jive and SL is that the local paper in Lynn (Lynn News) has started printing individual posts on the Lynn Football forum (which I think is unoffical but has certainly got some 'close to the board' members) in a 'letters' type section in the paper

As others have said forums tend to find their own level with different 'standards' but when printed out of context in a newspaper posts can come across in a completely different light