Bowling News
Last week we posted an article based on a document produced by the BCGBA about how clubs and leagues needed to improve communications if they wanted to be successful. This article listed a number of ways that clubs could improve communications with their members and the first area they identified was by having a website.
Website - A fantastic option for your Club/Association if you want to be able to share lots of information with your community. There are costs involved, both financial and time commitments in setting up and updating, but the results can be amazing.....and you can generate income from sponsors.
As I have written and managed league and club websites for over 10 years now I fully concur with these words produced by Steve Clamp who is working hard to improve communications between the BCGBA and its members.
However the BCGBA website is a disaster. The Yorkshire CGBA website is even worse.
The BCGBA website offers on its front page a Latest News section. The latest item on that page is an invitation to complete a survey they are undertaking to gauge the opinions of members about the future of bowling. The closing date for members to complete the survey was 31 August 2024!
There is a More News link which if you click on takes you to a page headed
This is about 16 months out of date and cannot be called NEWS in any language.
This from an organisation telling us how to improve communications!
Can it get any worse?
Well the BCGBA website has set the benchmark and Yorkshire CCGBA has followed their lead by surpassing them with ease. Their Latest News page breaks the news of the passing of Derrick Radley on the previous day in June 2023!
However one glimmer of light down this dark tunnel is notification of the Yorkshire County Presentation Night to be held on Saturday 25 January. It doesn't mention the year which should really be added as their track record of adding anything newsworthy is not good. But I can confirm that 25 January is a Saturday so the notification is valid and up to date. Yet as no-one ever looks at the site any longer the value of putting anything meaningful on it has to be questioned.
Both these organisations have been paying hosting fees to their website providers for 16 - 18 months whilst ignoring utilising them at all. Each organisation has decided that they need new websites but continue to fund the existence of these redundant ones.
Now I know a little about building and promoting websites and I know that it doesn't take 18 months to write one. The last five websites I have developed have each taken less than a week to write and go live.
I also believe that there is little wrong with their existing websites that a bit of effort putting some content on would cure. The websites are fine, it is the lack of adding some worthwhile content which is the key to improving communications. A new website would just rely on the same people to update it that are not doing that now.
I just find it highly amusing and frustrating that the BCGBA is lecturing clubs to build a website to improve communications when it, and its subordinates, set such terrible examples on how not to improve communications whilst wasting money on preserving technical antiques.
I feel better for saying that. Happy New Year!!
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