BOF communications survey

[Mrs H.]

The results of the BOF communications survey conducted last year by Keith Impossiblescottishname are up on the website.

It's a lengthy document but quite funny when you get to part 7 (people's comments - go on whose SI Card is 32813? I like the cut of your jib )

Can't say there are too many surprises there. the web site is rubbish, people don't want glossies about the elites, paper rankings or other bumf but they do want better, more frequent and up to the minute electronic communication about things they are specifically interested in.

I suppose what does surprise me is how "neutral' most people feel about the way BOF Central has been run.

Nopesport gets quite a lot of mentions - including it's own bar charts Quite appropriate when you think about it

[Ed]

personally I liked the last quote in the document:

I was interested in your idea re use of forums: presumably you mean occasional or regular relatively informal meetings (probably held round the country) to allow members to hear what BOF is planning, and more importantly to give feedback on those plans or on any other "hot" items.

well and truly in the internet age - I'm only surprised they're not quibbling on whether the plural of forum shouldn't be fora.

[stodge]

Finally BOF should take notice that the current website is awful.
Its such a shame that it has taken an official report to tell BOF this.

I can remember contacting BOF office in the first few weeks of the new sites existence asking about how it was developed, the tendering process for the contract etc, because it was so poor, both graphically and technically.

Perhaps now something will now happen. However, this website must have cost quite a bit, and from memory is less than 2 years old.
To redevelop it again is going to be another significant cost.

Not really acceptable, something could have been done during its long development, and BOF wouldn’t be facing this now…….

A new website should also include in my opinion –

Permanent homes for the JK and British sites,
Central results posting via XML, so there is a standard format and official results archives will live forever.
Online Entry and Membership services.

[stodge]

When I enquired about the tendering process I got the distict impression that it was done by someone already known to BOF, as the official tenders came back way over budget.

Just the quality of the orienteering logo top left says it all, one of the most important graphics on the whole site with no anti aliasing at all

edit : and it doesnt even fit in an 800 x 600 screen

[mat-d]

if we are being picky...

i see that http://www.stodgell.co.uk isn't the best either, e.g. menu's that aren't aligned exactly right on each page (try visualisation and home - 2 different positions) and a poor amount of new content avaliable for the end user (last updated Jan 04!!).

To be honest, the BOF website doesn't seem to be that bad, or be that perfect - and I still can't see what the fuss is about.

I do like these ideas though:

Permanent homes for the JK and British sites,
Central results posting via XML, so there is a standard format and official results archives will live forever.
Online Entry and Membership services.

[stodge]

Im not rising to that, its not the place.
I have pm'd you

[distracted]

Why does it have to cost BOF a significant amount of money to re-develop the website? After all, most of the sport is volunteer based and with the technical background of many orienteers the expertise must be out there. And I would presume once a format has been agreed it is the sort of thing that a group of people could work on - things like a central results and fixtures/entry service could almost exist as independent parts from the main body of the website.

It took a while for the last website re-design to come live, IIRC then there was a delay between the 'official' and actual launch dates. I would think that it's possible to do a gradual launch - get the main part of the site sorted first and then add on the 'extras' as and when they become available.

One of the few arguments against might be that you can't really set a timescale of deadlines if someone is volunteering - or could you? Suppose it happens at every event...

[Toni]

I recon they should pay nopesport to do it - people use this site, like it in general and they are doing some much for the sport in the UK that they should get something back - they should be paid lots for it!!! (if it's good )

[HOCOLITE]

Why does it have to cost BOF a significant amount of money to re-develop the website? After all, most of the sport is volunteer based and with the technical background of many orienteers the expertise must be out there. And I would presume once a format has been agreed it is the sort of thing that a group of people could work on - things like a central results and fixtures/entry service could almost exist as independent parts from the main body of the website.

It took a while for the last website re-design to come live, IIRC then there was a delay between the 'official' and actual launch dates. I would think that it's possible to do a gradual launch - get the main part of the site sorted first and then add on the 'extras' as and when they become available.

One of the few arguments against might be that you can't really set a timescale of deadlines if someone is volunteering - or could you? Suppose it happens at every event...

Re volunteers, in principle it is great but when you use volunteers, they are using their time unpaid so you have less leverage to set deadlines and submit criticism, where you pay you have every right to set deadlines and withhold payment if not met,and also if quality is not up to spec.

[ratleikur]

I know it's bringing this thread back from the dead, but what was the point in this survey apart from a paper-pushing exercise to prove to the powers-that-be that BOF "communicates" with it's members? The main point raised was the poor design of the website, yet 9 months later nothing except the logo has changed eg there's still no direct single link to the fixture list. Surely communication implies a 2-way process....

[Oldman]

I know it's bringing this thread back from the dead, but what was the point in this survey apart from a paper-pushing exercise to prove to the powers-that-be that BOF "communicates" with it's members? The main point raised was the poor design of the website, yet 9 months later nothing except the logo has changed eg there's still no direct single link to the fixture list. Surely communication implies a 2-way process....

Oh, do keep up!! For example, see http://www.britishorienteering.org.uk/D ... _01_21.pdf pages 6/7

http://www.britishorienteering.org.uk/D ... _05_06.pdf pages 7/8

http://www.britishorienteering.org.uk/D ... inutes.pdf pages 4/5 (including about web site)

[ratleikur]

Precisely.
a. I wouldn't have found or even known that lot was on the website
b. I gave up using the BOF site ages ago except for the fixtures list because of its poor layout
c. lots of discussion about the "high priority" of sorting out the website but nothing happens

[Becks]

I'm pretty sure something is happening about the website but not 100% - I'm out of the loop these days. Eddie?

[Lizi Beee]

i agree with mat-d it's not that bad! it's not perfect, but as far as i have used it i can get to all the stuff i want. the question is can someone new to the sport use it?