A bit of a gripe !!
It's great to see so many people thanking Charlie for his efforts on organising the night run. Without people like Charlie and others, who organise such events, the clubs runs and activities would be less interesting and we would be in danger of becoming a road or altletics club! Ooops did I say that!
However, am I mistaken that the FORUM on the WEBSITE is supposed to be the clubs official point of communication? Where it not for Charlie posting all of the above comments myself and others, who do not use face book, would be totally unaware of the communication that as taken place.
I wonder how much other info is bounding around face book, regarding club matters, that is being missed on the website by those who dont use it?
Come on, if it's club stuff post it on the website, otherwise we may as well drop it and not bother investing time etc in trying to improve it.
Chris M
But Chris and Liz!
People don't have tv's anymore - so some good has come out of it all, or at least there is an increasing number who don't. Carrying out income and expenditure questionnaires with people is interesting (as a job, not a past time!). There is a shift in what people spend their money and time doing, so I guess times are a changing. I've not had a tv for 2 years now and its only the debate here that has made me realise that that is quite a significant shift in behaviour.
We can't dismiss it if we don't even know what it is we are dismissing. We need the junior group to explain it all to us. I'd like to understand twitter and bebo (never heard of the latter).
Hear! Hear! I'm with you
Hear! Hear! I'm with you Chris.....
facebook v web
Why don't we attach a facebook link to the web page so those who feel that the different sites are a barrier to communication overcome that perception. Maybe its as simple as that. I wonder if you can add a link on the SRC facebook page to the web too so you can flip between the two. Its just that facebook facilitates easier dialogue.
News feed?
You could be onto something there Susan. I've seen sites which have a "feed" from FB on them so that those viewing the site can see the latest posts on FB as well. How you go about setting one up though I really couldn't say!
It's a tough one to resolve this as FB is just so user friendly and easy to use that it's not going to go away. It's always going to be easier to post pics, random thoughts and have a bit of banter on there, that's just the way it's designed and I think the way that it encourages interaction is a good thing and it helps us all to get to know each other.
However I think that the website should rightly be the official source of info for all things related to the club. Especially for those outside of the club who won't be viewing the FB page, i.e. prospective members, people wanting to find out about our races etc then we need to be sure that any info relating to events, socials, training and so on is first and foremost put on the website, it can then be put on FB as an additional method of communication.
Probably my fault as I
Probably my fault as I jokingly put a request out on facebook how the run could be improved, so replies were bound to greater than the web site...however with facebook you are notified when a new message goes up, with the web site members have to go on and see if there is a new message in some cases a message may have been posted months ago with no replies...this then puts off any new messages, i think people may be also in two minds if to post a message ( Just like I am feeling now ) as the next day you may feel different, with the web site it is not easy to delete but facebook the message can easily be removed. I run a fairly sucessful business and rely on my website to generate orders but i have linked it to facebook and this has generated 5,000 followers (friends) in 12 months alone. Whilst i do agree with members who dislike facebook in many ways i do feel that we should somehow combine the two together, maybe facebook for the funnier side of the club, photos etc and the website for the more serious side like results, races and positons etc.
Nice article Charlie
By the way Charlie, nice article on Barmy flags in the Saddleworth Independent. For further details on club members' interests (beer and bikes) see the letters page... :-)
Dan
Points for discussion
All good points for discussion.
Anybody else have any thoughts?
United we stand
I agree with Chris. I have now joined the Facebook page but only because I felt I could not represent the club when I was prevented from following the discussions that were taking place there.
Thank you for your comments Charlie but I don't see how your business benefitting from the link to facebook is relevant. Your business page must be a public one judging from the numbers whereas the sadd runners page is restricted even to people within our club.
I think using the facebook page for the lighter, more humorous items would be detrimental. This would mean the club website would become very dry and dull which is already happening to a certain extent.
If all the chat that takes place on Facebook was on the website, it would be much more interesting and representative of the membership as a whole.
It is not so long since we had a big problem with people drinking in different pubs on a
Tuesday night which eventually had a detrimental effect on tuesday night social gathering
from which it has never really recovered. Now, as then, there is nothing that can be done to force people to change so it remains to be seen how it will develop.
What are we all doing in on Friday night...?
Hi Chris, Charlie,
I think you've got the main points there perfectly already:
1) Of course Chris is right that the website has to be the primary site for communication, any club events, outings organised, feedback or interesting discussion must go on there. Otherwise people don't know where to look and end up excluded.
2) But facebook can add to the website positively as Charlie says by generating material and discussion which might otherwise not happen. Just by it's nature facebook generates a lot more discussion then a single website ever will, e.g. I do most of my facebooking on my phone on the train because the app works so well, whereas the website is much easier to access on less frequent occasions from my home PC (like now when I really ought to be in bed or at the Railway!).
3) The important thing is for anyone who generates club stuff of interest to make sure it gets onto the website, exactly as Charlie did on this occasion with his night run feedback. If every club facebook user would make it their responsibility to do that, then we have the best of both worlds.
Cheers,
Dan
I agree Dan!
I think that sums it up.
Twitter?
Can I ask about other social media such as Twitter and bebo?
These networks are part of the social fabric now and I feel should enhance the experience of being in the club. Just as the SRC website replaced the printed newsletter so new media could be embraced in a similar way.
social media
I haven't the foggiest idea how they do it but I receive (welcome) posts from a canoe club on my Facebook page, which offer updates on club activities and a direct link to the website to read the complete article. As a result I am more in touch with the club's website than if I I had to prompt myself to visit it.
What ever next?
All this social media takes up too much time. It's bad enough having email, text and mobile phones. I think people are actually becoming LESS social as a result of all these different 'social' sites. I'd rather have a few good friends than thousands of 'virtual friends' who I have never met and quite honestly would have no interest in meeting!
Twitter, facebook etc are great if being used for a specific reason such as by Alastair Humpreys as he rows across the Atlantic Ocean, as we speak, (to raise money for Hope & Homes for Children) so that he can keep followers updated by satalite phone on his progress and in a bid to raise further awarness and funds for charity. However, I find it very unsettling that people want to divulge, to the world, intimate details of their lives to others who they don't actually even know. Who gives a dam if people are just getting up from their sofa to go and make a brew during the break of Eastenders or Corronation Street (sad sods for watching those programmes in the first place let alone tweeting or facebooking about the fact), who gives a dam about these people who want to tell the world what a crappy day they've had at work (if they dont like their job or the people they work with then they should get a new job!!), who gives a dam how p.ss.d someone got out on the town on friday night and then plastered their pathetic sorry images all over the
web for everyone to see (often by a third party without their knowledge and prior consent)!
Maybe facebook, Twitter and all other manner of 'social' ( I use the word cautiously) media sites will be a useful tool for allowing club members to communicate but if we are to be using all of these sites when are members going to find the time to get out on the hills and run. Before we know it the club could become a virtual fellrunning club where its members spend hours tweeting and facebooking about runs that could be done, but actually never get out and experience running on the hills and moors. I can picture it now -a virtual Snoops Loop handicap, a virtual round of the 5 Trigs, a virtual tanky's Trog ......
Well I've wasted enough of my valluable time, and got no work done yet, writting this short piece so I invite you to waste some time too to continue the debate. I'm off to make a brew, have a wee, scratch my bum and do all those other personal things that facebookers tell the world about. Oh and then I'm going to develop a virtual social running site. This time next year Rodders we'll be BILLIONAIRS!!!!
Chris M
Facebook
I must be a sad old Get 'cos I'm not interested in Facebook or Twitter.However I do find our web site(or indeed I did) informative and amusing!
Although I have posted dates for a month or so for the Club Curry Night I find when I mention it to folk they seem unaware of it.
Would some kindly soul with access to other sites please let people know of the event on 3rd Feb. I will post details on this site a week before the evening.
I would echo Jills thoughts that club business,races and social events etc. should always appear here and implore users of FB to keep an eye on the club site too!
Tony Greene
07710902020
Guilty as charged
I'm afraid I'm guilty as charged having neglected the club website for a few weeks now.(Just had a catch-up session) Fundamentally, I agree that the gripe is justified.
Some good points have been made during the debate that don't really need repeating by me, though I don't really subscribe to Chris's vision of a post-apocalyptic, curtains-shut, facewittersphere.
The obvious solution is to hire a geek (term intentionally used to confer respect to the more IT literate)... to link the two into a seamless operation. Facebook (TM) however ridiculous, insubstantial and ethereal it may be, just seems to work and uses a communication model which is pretty much replacing social email. The club website, though excellent in its field and with a greater permanence for uploading results files etc. is just a more clumsy and laborious way to communicate, it alway will be especially as facebook is now so embedded.
By the way, for anyone not on facebook:
I've got an itchy foot, last night I had a shave. Work grrrrr !
Where's the "like" button?
Facebook
Facebook is an integral part of many peoples lives. It's a far better medium for informal chat & photos than the website forum.
When I looked after the website years ago i wanted all photos posted on the website but it was hard work & the natural drift of members was to create accounts on Picasa, Flickr etc. I recognised I was onto a loser - the channels we use to communicate have to reflect the way people live their lives and be easy to update.
So why not look at better ways to integrate the Facebook page feed into the website - maybe when you're on the website you can also see the latest Facebook conversations?
For me thats the direction we need to be taking rather than trying to stop what fits into the daily routine for a growing number of people.
Just as an aside, Holmfirth Harriers have an excellent website but much of the informal chat goes through their Facebook page.
The website has an important role as a more formal place where new members find out about us, members can see info on club champs, handicap, calendar etc and competitors in our races can see race details and results.
Comment alerts
Picking up on Chris' point
"Come on, if it's club stuff post it on the website, otherwise we may as well drop it and not bother investing time etc in trying to improve it."
Every forum i use, including Fb, sends me an alert when someone responds to my comment... apart from this one. Sort that problem out and you'll stimulate a lot more conversation.