BOF Bashing Again

[Gross]

Having been away from internet at Easter I looked first at the BOF website for the results or report on the elite winners (or any winners) of the JK which is supposidly our premier international event. Any results??? No f**king chance!! Why not... do BOF not employ marketing & such like people to promote oursport???

Old news is no news

[gowrie]

most of us use the JK 2006 website for the results

[mharky]

What a well structured argument.

I pressume by 'most of us' you mean orienteers who know what the JK is. But the BOF website is not just for orienteers, it's for people who are coming into the sport, and a news article showcasing the UKs main event would be good publicity, don't you think?

[Rockaldo]

To be fair its not as bad as your making out. The results are on the bof website. If you click on results then they are there.

[Gross]

Results is not the point. The JK is our premier event & as such BOF owes it to it's membership as well as it's sponsors etc to at least promote the fact that it has happened on it's front page. At present 'unclaimed medals' from BOC gets more exposure than the JK. It's a joke.... people are paid salaries to do these things... it's not as if it's down to volunteers.

[mharky]

results are just data, Gross wants a Story...

And back to my point again, results will mean nothing to a newcomer will they, it's just all names and numbers...

Have a loot at the Swedish Federation's Homepage: www.orientering.se

Now you may not understand a word of that, but even if you don't I'm sure you can tell is is a very good website. Well presented, lots of stories with photos. The website navigation is excellent, I've used the website a lot and it has a great structure.

[Darley]

The JK sprint was the best showcase for the sport I've seen in the brief time I've been o'ing. Seems a shame to not have at least some piccies on the BOF site.

[DesignatedDriver]

I whole-heartedly agree - the Sprint was superb.

and BOF have no excuse, photos do exist

i wonder if they just weren't aware it was happening?

[Kitch]

If BOF can't be bothered to write a story/article about the JK then what hope is there of persuading the wider media to take an interest in the sport ?

[Simple Soul]

I do find it strange: BOF have hosted a World Ranking Event in which our top Internationals have performed well. There is no mention of it in BOF News despite the fact that the International element represents an extraordinary proportion of the BOF budget. A bit like England playing a Home International at Wembley (apologies Gross)& the FA pretending it did not happen!! Perhaps there is another element such as a Press Release to advertise this success?? Does anyone know?

[Man of Kent]

Not one for 'BOF bashing' generally, but agree with the tenor of this thread. Publicity is such a powerful tool.
I've just sent the local press the results from our small scale Saturday event this weekend (and details of the next one), which I know they will reproduce in this week's editions. Also gives a contact name and club website details. People do read and follow up - not in droves but it has produced some new club members recently. The sport is too 'hidden' for us not to take every opportunity to publicise it.

[Mrs H.]

I've just done exactly the same MOK - we are a permanent fixture on the sports page these days.

I've been saying this for years - as a former journalist I even offered to do the job for free to Robin Field and his response was - and I quote verbatim:" If we thought it was a good idea we'd get someone in". someone paid I presume.

Focus of course will be full of it - but as that will be month's late and preaching to the converted it accomplishes very little.

Well times move on and I'm too busy now pursuing my own projects - but those round here will tell you barely a week goes by without orienteering being in the local paper and we hit the radio several times a year.

As I've said many times - if we don't look like we're enjoying ourselves - and celebrating our sport - who else will think it's worth having a go at

[mharky]

I agreed, the JK Sprint race was absolutely brilliant, especially being in a public park. I hope we get to see this every year.

Mrs H, interesting quote from Robin Field. I seem to get the impression from BOF that what they do for the sport is what they think is a good idea. I was always under the impression that they don't own orienteering, BOF should be accountable to its members demands and requitements, we should don't have settle for their ideas.

Simple Soul>>> What do you mean by "...the International element represents an extraordinary proportion of the BOF budget" ???

[Mrs H.]

we should don't have settle for their ideas.

Yes - that's exactly what I said in the last issue of CompassSport re Club Development - "There is another way". This applies to many aspects of the sport - publicity being another one.

BOF has not been a bastion of free and lateral thinking in the past - being too anxious to please it's political masters rather than it's membership.

I am however hopeful that things may be changing - but we should be seeing evidence of that rather than guessing at it by now.

[mharky]

that's exactly what I said...

I'm sure you used better grammar though...