MDOC Entry System - Closing

[IanW]

Just thought I'd let people know that the MDOC on-line entry system is closing down. We have fallen behind in the facilities we provide and many people have moved to other systems. Due to the standing charges that we have to pay to keep the system going, it has now become uneconomic with the current level of usage.

The system was developed for BOC99, before even the advent of electronic punching, and much has changed since then. At that time, there were no real tools for building web based interactive systems and, in order to catch up, a complete rewrite would be necessary.

We hope that we have, at least, contributed to the development of on-line entry in the UK and, in the early days, provided facilties which would otherwise not have existed. Thanks for all your support over the years.

Ian

[RS]

Sorry to hear that and thank you. From a competitor's point of view, it was my favourite entry system. I had noticed it not being used so much and I'm afraid others I like such as Oentries, Fabian and JOK entry may be disappearing as well.

[King Penguin]

I have always found Fabian and MDOC the easiest two to use, and reliable - unlike one other which has crashed on me every single time I have tried it.
Well done to MDOC for being in at the start.

[djc]

Speaking for the JOK entries system: I passed on doing entries for the WOC selection races and Oxford City Race this year as, even without charging anything for doing it, I could still only be very marginally cheaper than the big boys due to the high costs of credit card procesing fees when you don't have a merchant account. That, and the always impending threat of a British Orienteering system doesn't make it conducive to want to put more work in to developing the system...

[IanW]

It's all down to turnover

MDOC did have a merchant account but the percentage fee per transaction depends on turnover. We also used an intermediary card clearance company to avoid handling card details directly (with all the resulting security implications) and they charged both a fixed fee and a further percentage.

So, the major reason why a rewrite of the system is not worthwhile is that we would need to build up our custom again to bring the charges down to a level significantly below the 'commercial' systems.

I suspect that the market is sufficiently small that there is really room only for one UK system. It would be nice if that were a service provided by BO, particularly if it were part of an integrated on-line entry/membership/fixtures/results/rankings/archive system. A few years ago, I worked with a group from the IOF to define XML based formats with a view to enabling such a system but only parts of it ever saw the light of day. I'm available for consultancy.

[andy]

I suspect that the market is sufficiently small that there is really room only for one UK system.

You're probably right, but we are nowhere near having that. There is still a fair amount of displeasure aimed at all the systems out there and I suspect (given their website anyway) that BO(F) would have the same problem.

Would love to see a bit of dev on oentries (hint hint ) to make it more accessible from an organiser point of view as it has the potential to be the best system by a mile. It still surprises me that fabian has so many events and oentries not... :/

[Mrs H]

I'm surprised that you're surprised. Fabian is a dream to use from an organiser's point of view being extremely versatile and with great support. It is also very popular with the public.

[andy]

Fabian is a dream to use from an organiser's point of view being extremely versatile and with great support.

I can't fault the great support (it's pretty much why 6 days went with fabian) but the user interface is horrible.
I find oentries infinitely more accessible from a 'runner' point of view.

[mike g]

Fabian is a dream to use from an organiser's point of view being extremely versatile and with great support.

I can't fault the great support (it's pretty much why 6 days went with fabian) but the user interface is horrible.
I find oentries infinitely more accessible from a 'runner' point of view.

I am the opposite: I find Fabian great as a competitor but have a few niggles with it as an organiser. Whatever, it's healthy for it to have some competition and will be unfortunate if all the other systems close. If Dave is right that the prospect of a future BOF entries system is deterring investment in other systems then clearly that is bad for the sport. BOF should make a firm decision either to introduce an entries system by a specified date or to abandon the idea.

[Paul Frost]

I have always preferred Fabian as both a runner & organiser.
The support and flexibility offered was good right from the early days.

I am slightly uncomfortable with the prospect of a BOF online entry system coming along very late in the game and putting out of business the competition. It seems a bit unfair to have left it to individuals to spend time and money developing something, that perhaps should have been done by the national body in the first place, then just as the return on investment starts to materialise, jump in.

It would be hard to compete against what would appear to be the "Official" entry system.

Having one entry system makes things simple but may reduce future development if there is no competition.

[EddieH]

I agree with you Paul, but is not what BOF have done with CompassSport VERY similar?

Hopefully Ncks product is so good that he will remain in business.

[King Penguin]

Let BOF concentrate on facilities that are really needed - like a working Ranking List, timely feeds of membership details to clubs and reinstalling SI/EMIT/membership number downloads to established entries systems - and not building yet another entries system from scratch to compete with those which already work.

[andy]

really needed - like a working Ranking List

umm

(rest holds true though!)

[geomorph]

Commercial EFT rates for small volume are atrocious. When I've negotiated these for moderate-sized retail companies we were able to get rates at 12-15% of those of the sport event systems.

[RS]

See no-one's mentioned SI Entries. Personally not keen on it but seems to be breaking through for major events.