It is with regret that I have decided to downsize the HuddWeb model of providing a web presence for the Huddersfield bowling community.
Despite early support there has been little appetite from the leagues for such a facility and as such it cannot fulfil the ambitions I had for it. It will therefore be scaled back to serve as a website for the Winter League. The one league to commit to the model and back that up with contributions to the content over the past 3 months has been the Ladies Works League and an offer has been made to them to share HuddWeb as an ongoing website with the Winter League.
Taking everything into account I have therefore decided that as my objectives of providing a vibrant active site is not matched by the Huddersfield bowling community that I am going to scale back my ambitions. I am no longer offering a platform for all local leagues to sign up to. In addition I will be reducing the range and frequency of news added to the site. It will no longer have daily updates including all matters bowling related. Content will be restricted to matters relevant to the remaining league(s).
The one thing that has been promising has been the number of visitors to the site which has continued to increase month on month. The daily average number of visitors in February is up to 272 which is a 23% increase on the January figure. Having run a bowling league's website for over 7 years I know that these numbers would double once the bowling season starts.
I'm not usually deterred by such setbacks but sometimes you have to recognise that now is not the time to make a success of the idea of a single community platform. Maybe it never will be. Perhaps it is just indicative of where bowling now is, in demise. I have spent a lot of my time getting this idea up and running so I take no satisfaction at all from stepping back from that target. I will continue my involvement as Secretary of the Winter League and a website remains an important tool in promoting that league.
It was good whilst it lasted but we move on.
So sorry to hear this Jeff. Many leagues could have benefitted from your site in many ways, for example the Junior League re. fundraising. My club would not otherwise have known about that. Your general information was invaluable, grants, COVID updates etc. Communication for leagues and clubs, as we have found at my own club, is the way forward for our wonderful sport. My club has a Winter League Team so I look forward to following that.
Thank you Jeff
Little surprised that Geoff Martin added all the leagues he is involved with and not used it. Lets remember that there has been no bowling for 12 months. Things will change. Has he been contacted ? It will be a shame to lose the site as it is. Surely it is worth continuing until we return to some normality.
That's sad to hear
Such a pity. Perhaps if your ideas and plans had been announced in normal times it might have taken off .
Might as we’ll be realistic- if something is not going to work then call it a day.
Philip of Lindley.
Sorry to hear that Jeff, thanks for your efforts. Maybe when we reach the new normality it could be resurrected?