JK repeat problems

[EddieH]

Maybe I am not normal in trying to link to the JK from the fixture list. However it does not work. The website it refers to takes you back to the BOF page, but in "Newcomer" mode

It was Margaret who asked me why i did not go via the JK section under Events which works just fine.

If we are to have multiple ways of accessing fixtures info then we need them all to work. I suspect that the problem here is that the initial information uploaded to the bof site used a wrong URL by whomsoever did it. However as well over 50% of the links uploaded to BOF are either wrong or missing it suggests that having the link as an automatic function does not work well.

I wonder how many inexperienced orienteers have found an event they would like to know more about, clicked on it, failed to find any 'event website' link and abandoned the idea.

I have had problems finding BOC, the JK and compassport Cup this year, all before January is out.

[john.o]

It appears that the domain http://thejk.org is set up to point to the homepage of the British Orienteering website.
The link to info about the JK should be http://thejk.org.uk

I find the following annoying:
A club has a dedicated page on their website about a race, but then on the BOF fixtures list they link to the club homepage rather than the page about the race.

Website editors/updaters need to make it easy for website users to find the information they seek

For most races, the field called "event website" really means "event webpage"

[cbg]

Begs the question "why isn't there a 'report issues' link?" on the website.

However I suspect that a report through the Contact Us link would be more effective at achieving a fix than preaching to the converted.

[canol]

Possibly the reason there is no report an issue link is that even if a problem is reported there might not be anyone who can sort it. If there is an issue that can be sorted then there might not be any money budgeted to actually sort the issue out, hence no report an issue link. And so we go round and round...

[Scott]

If it's an issue with the data in the fixtures list it'll need to be fixed by the relevant fixtures secretary. A system that allowed the organiser to keep it up to date might result in the details being more consistently accurate.

[King Penguin]

When I reported a lack of scrolling problem on the UKOL league table page by email, it did get fixed - but only after a couple of reminders and about 9 months.

[Paul Frost]

Part of the problem is that quite a bit of the event info needs to be entered into:

1. The club or event website
2. The BO fixture registration
3. The online entry system

And it's often 3 different people that are responsible for each one.
So when the person that registers events does their bit there may not yet be a website page, so they just add a link to the homepage.
Same for whoever sets up the online entry.

Depending on the club, the online entry site may get lots of updated info as that person can do that and is informed and keen, but they don't have access to publish stuff on the club website. So sometimes the online entry site has loads of info not found anywhere else. Other times the club website manager is very pro-active but can't edit the stuff on the online entry site. Meanwhile the BO fixture person doesn't ever re-visit the original registration and update it as more details become available, their job is just to register events.

There are a couple of quick solutions:

1. Have one person responsible for all three so that they can do them all at the same time, it's also quicker, have each one open in separate tabs in the browser and you can just copy/paste from one to the other. This should reduce synchronization issues.
2. Make the BO registration just that, a registration of the event, with just the barest of details that will probably never change. Same with the online entry system, just the minimum required and a link to the club website for full details. Then the club site is the master source of the info and the only one that needs updating.

As soon as you start duplicating content in more than one location you will have synchronisation problems.

Another alternative would be for the BO registration system to be the master copy and then the club and online entry websites just pull in the data from an API (application programming interface) published by BO. In lots of ways this would be the ideal, except that it means we would all be reliant on BO to look after our data and make it available to us whenever and however we want it. I ( and others) have been asking for this type of access to event details for more than 6 years to no avail. There is an RSS and JSON feed with some of the info but not enough to use for event details.

[Slowtochide]

Maybe I am not normal in trying to link to the JK from the fixture list. However it does not work. The website it refers to takes you back to the BOF page, but in "Newcomer" mode

Good spot Eddie. You are quite right, we need all possible links to work. I have asked BO to correct this

[EddieH]

You are spot on Paul.

By trying to control and centralise fixtures BOF has unfortunately helped create this mess. Generally we that know just go to club websites (I assume). However for the major BOF events all the problems you refer to exist. Thus I failed to find closing dates when I looked because I did not manage to find the correct pages for either BOC or the JK this year.

[DJM]

All would be well if there were a way of linking to the event website from the BOF fixtures list ... but there isn't! The problem is that the list has been set up in such a way that you can only link to the event website from the Club field and only registered clubs can be listed here.

Multidays where different clubs "own" different days suffer from this horribly. Having set up the Croeso website in 2012 and 2016, I dearly wanted a link to them from the BOF fixtures pages but came unstuck each time when faced with the inflexibility of the BO website structure.

I see that the 6 Day have the same problem and have tried to solve it by registering "MAROC" as the organising club for each day. "Tried" because clicking the link takes you to the MAROC site where this is no mention of the 6 Day.

Can we get this changed (by BO) please?

[Paul Frost]

I see that the 6 Day have the same problem and have tried to solve it by registering "MAROC" as the organising club for each day. "Tried" because clicking the link takes you to the MAROC site where this is no mention of the 6 Day.

I think MAROC could put in the 6 Day website as the event website link, it's only because they haven't that it defaults to the club website.
But I think they should leave everything else blank, that way people have to look at the event website for details and then they will know where to find it all in the future and not waste their time looking on the BO site again.

PS. You do need to put in the location though, postcode or grid reference, as without it your event will not show up on the interactive map or any other event listing site using a map.

[smf]

All would be well if there were a way of linking to the event website from the BOF fixtures list ... but there isn't! The problem is that the list has been set up in such a way that you can only link to the event website from the Club field and only registered clubs can be listed here.

Can we get this changed (by BO) please?

You mean like the Event Website field that has been there for at least 7 years.

[DJM]

You mean like the Event Website field that has been there for at least 7 years.

If you use the "Event Fixtures" pages and then drill down through the "Full Details" tab, yes, you can find the event website field.

But I don't think many experienced orienteers use these pages (I never do for example), preferring the compactness of the Event Diary pages instead, where there is no event website field .

[mikey]

But I don't think many experienced orienteers use these pages (I never do for example), preferring the compactness of the Event Diary pages instead, where there is no event website field .

This is even better for clear information

https://www.britishorienteering.org.uk/ ... ry_pda.php

[Paul Frost]

If you use the "Event Fixtures" pages and then drill down through the "Full Details" tab, yes, you can find the event website field.

Well, there is no point in clicking any of the other tabs, I'm not sure what the point of them being there is, as you see it all on the Full Details tab with one click, why would you want to click each tab in turn? But it's not hard to see the event website link, it's not exactly buried.

But I don't think many experienced orienteers use these pages (I never do for example), preferring the compactness of the Event Diary pages instead, where there is no event website field .

I'm not sure why experienced orienteers use it either. But the Event Diary isn't well designed either. What's the next thing you will want after finding an event you fancy, the details perhaps? So there doesn't seem much point in using the Event Diary either.
The Grid Ref. and the Venue column both link to the same StreetMap, so the Grid Ref. column could be replaced by the website link. Or the Event Name could be the link to the event website.

This is even better for clear information
https://www.britishorienteering.org.uk/ ... ry_pda.php

Still no event website link. Interesting that they still provide a page for viewing on a PDA, when I don't think you have been able to buy one for many years.