I've decided to take the link to the Falcon's Forum off this blog.
It
comes after a lengthy and, as always amicable chat with Chris, the Forum's
founder, who has announced on it today that he is no longer moderating
the site. He's a top lad and I have a lot of time for him. He's a good mate and we go back to the dubious days of BBC 606, when we both decided, without knowing each other at that stage, to do something ourselves.
His vision for the site when it was created was a place for Derbyshire fans to get together and share in a love of the team, yet it has been ambushed by a handful of
faceless individuals, whose comments at times are beyond the pale, on
occasion have absolutely no relevance to cricket and quite often do a grave
disservice to those at the club that they claim to support.
Let's
be quite clear here. I run a blog where people know who I am. I have my
face on it and a contact e-mail. If anyone took exception to a piece
that I put on here, I would be accountable and expect to be. By the same
token, in over five years of running it, no one has ever got in touch
with me to tell me I have crossed a line. I have criticised events,
performances and individuals, but there are ways in which that can be
done without causing offence. Constructive criticism is valid;
destructive comment - or worse, character assassination - is not.
Over on the Forum, no one uses a real name. No one is prepared to say "This
is who I am, this is what I think and yes, I am accountable if you don't like it". Too many
hide behind an electronic persona and make ill-thought and sometimes
borderline defamatory comment about people who play for and work very
hard for the club. At some point one will cross the line and I won't be damned by association.
"It shows we care passionately
about the club" said one poster yesterday. Hmmm...if people REALLY cared
about the club and the people who represent it, I would hope
that they might think twice before posting some of the hokum.They wouldn't be suggesting that we sack the board, the coach or players with scant regard for people's feelings and livelihoods.
That's what annoys me most. The Forum could have been something that was valued by those within the club and worth a read. Instead, it is perceived as a no-go area, where poisonous comments have become de rigeur and the vast majority try to outdo one another.
It would be wrong to tar all correspondents with the same brush, of course, but they are in danger of being subsumed by the nonsense. It is a salutory lesson for this site and I must again reinforce my occasional message to everyone when you are making your comments.
Remember that players, officials and their families WILL come across this site. For all I know, some may look at it on a regular basis and I hope that they will look at our differing opinions and at least see people who genuinely care about the club and can express their thoughts articulately and without being rude or unfair; critical without being personal.
That I now monitor comments prior to publication has changed little. Since doing so I have deleted none, but please remember that these are our players. Their families have the same feelings for them as we all have for our own. If you're writing something about a player ask yourself how YOU would feel if you read that about your Dad, brother, son or other relative. Saying 'it goes with the territory' doesn't wash with me. No it doesn't and no it shouldn't - at least not on here. By all means be critical if it is appropriate, but not cruel.
I'm sure that there will be comments about this on the Forum. Some will suggest I'm over-reacting; others will make a silly, inane comment. To be honest, I really couldn't care less as I'll no longer be involved, nor referring to it - certainly not reading it.
The club deserves better and until the individuals concerned appreciate their responsibilities, it will become increasingly marginalised, which is a shame.
Chris, it deserved much better than this, mate. But you did your best and no one can ask for more.
I wouldn't worry about it.
ReplyDeleteAlot of true Derbyshire fans love this blog as family we regular read it keep the good work up.
ReplyDeleteMany thanks Gary - that is very much appreciated!
ReplyDeleteI think this is a bit unfair on Falcons Forum. I choose not to comment there because of the vitriol that a few of the users choose to pour over anyone who disagrees with them, and comment here because I can express my views without aggressive responses.
ReplyDeleteHowever, I value a lot of FF because it often breaks small pieces of news or information that the club would prefer not to be public, or confirms my suspicions about some of the things I've not seen myself, but others have.
I value this blog (apart from the fact that it's a bit more civilised and reflective) because it appears to provide an insight into some of the thinking of those leading the club. If my assumption is correct, and you benefit from insights and private information that the rest of us don't have, it's bound to mean that the leadership trusts you to broadly reflect its view about the best way forward for the club.
This doesn't mean, Peakfan, that I think you are a mouthpiece for the club, but neither do I think that Falcon’s Forum is wholly populated by mouth-breathing halfwits hiding behind a mask of anonymity who don’t give a jot about future of our team. There isn’t a single contributor here who doesn't use a pseudonym, and it’s a bit unfair to use this as a stick to beat the Forum with, when it actually requires a valid email address before anyone can post comments. In these terms, Chris knew more about FF contributors than you do about yours.
Any of the contributors here could be the DCCC marketing officer using a variety of names – for example, I don’t recall “Gary” who posted the very supportive comment above before – but I hope that Chris wouldn’t use this as a justification for dismissing everything else that is written by contributors here. FF serves a different but equally valid purpose, and if it now descends into anarchy in the absence of Chris’ moderation, that will be as much a loss to the life and vigour of Derbyshire CCC as the disappearance of your blog.
There's a few points here notoveryet:
ReplyDeleteActually there's a lot of people on here DO use their real names and I've got to know a few from e mails to me.
An issue with the FF is that no one does and sometimes the information 'broken' is private because it should be or has to be. There are certain things that have to be behind closed doors and on occasion player interest or club news being broken could have major implications.
There's also those who like to appear 'in the know'. An example? Conversations at the Durham game I overheard said that Groenewald and Madsen had signed for Notts, Chanderpaul had resigned and Footitt had already signed for Surrey. All nonsense, of course.
I am a long way from a club mouthpiece and given that the club doesn't pay me, I won't ever be either. I agree with much of what they do, but will say if I think things are wrong. I hear things occasionally, but am not always privy to the goings on in the corridors of power, nor do I have a right to be.
I think you're a little naive in your assertion that Chris knew more because people logged e mail addresses. Setting up one of those is easy and you can be whoever you want. By the same token, the software I have for this site gives me IP addresses, so if I had any issues at any time...
As for your last paragraph I have long held the suspicion that an FF correspondent is a former employee with an axe to grind. Who people are in some cases is their own business, but only as long as they behave themselves.
As I said in my piece, there's some decent contributors on there, but they increasingly get hidden so don't bother. Several have come across here for that reason.
With a moderator, the site was worthwhile. Not without it mate.
PS Drop me an e mail sometime so I know who you are!
ReplyDelete