Communication

[HertfordBee]

Comment by abee from another thread: "...it's been decided that this sort of information is to be released in future from 'Communications Central' (or whatever it's called) at the Club. Putting it bluntly it was felt that I and others (but mostly me) were conveying too much information through the GPG and which should come from the official website in order to generate more 'hits' and therefore revenue. I was more often than not trying to respond to the sort of questions that I used to want to know the answer to myself when I was outside the tent pissing in.

The new policy makes perfect sense to me as long as we start communicating ... "

Reading the above makes me even more despondent than today's result. I've never made any secret of the fact in my posts on here that I think official communication from the club has been dire for many years and dare I say has gone downhill even more in recent times.

Having a 'club policy' as outlined above is great - but unless there is a major change to the current mindset, personnel and approach to communication, nothing will be any different. I've spent half my life working in organisations where policies are introduced that do sod-all to improve/change anything but everyone's deemed to be happy because the way to do it is all documented in a policy/procedure.

I'll await the new approach with interest but in the meantime, continue to look for unofficial channels such as these forums to be told what's going on at my club.

 

[JTofBFC]

Official communication won't change and even if it does we will just get soundbites and not the type of detail that many of us find interesting

If the likes of abee (in particular) stop contributing to the GPG then the level of information getting to the fans will drop . FACT. (as someone else who used to post here once said) .

Shame on the club for agreeing to this new policy. If it is down to the owners of the website then less shame on you but fight against it.

 

[Les Beeavinu]

If the likes of abee (in particular) stop contributing to the GPG then the level of information getting to the fans will drop . FACT. (as someone else who used to post here once said) .

This is what I don't get. This "hit" thing is a load of old b***ocks imo - the numbers are probably miniscule. Far better to encourage debate and discussion somewhere (like this) - more interest by Brentford folk will leads to far more revenue through the gate than any extra clicks on a poorly run website.

It's always been the same - the club do not like this site because they can't control it. Perhaps they need to change their mindset and embrace the good that can come out of here. Sadly, I don't think the people who run the BFC website are enlightened enough to understand that.

 

[condorman]

You would not want the club to respond publically to each and every quibble by every fan, which some supporters believe is an ideal and correct situation. It isn't.

I did, however, find abees posts on here very informative

 

[WisBee]

It's always been the same - the club do not like this site because they can't control it. Perhaps they need to change their mindset and embrace the good that can come out of here. Sadly, I don't think the people who run the BFC website are enlightened enough to understand that.

...............funnily enough LesB, I have to disagree with you re the control aspect, as earlier this year I was given a month's holiday from the GPG by a moderator of this site (or whatever they're called, I forget the actual line of hierarchy) who has since become a member of the club board..............he cited, in his version of my holiday 'application', that I 'had an agenda'...................I seem to recall (although I could be wrong, that has been known to happen on rare occasions) that when he was a member of the BU board his remit/specialism then was supposedly communication - perhaps he now has 'an agenda' alternative to what it used to be..............or else maybe he doesn't have an agenda at all?...................




............................see you all in a month or so's time?........................

 

[abee]

Reading the above makes me even more despondent than today's result. I've never made any secret of the fact in my posts on here that I think official communication from the club has been dire for many years and dare I say has gone downhill even more in recent times.

Having a 'club policy' as outlined above is great - but unless there is a major change to the current mindset, personnel and approach to communication, nothing will be any different. I've spent half my life working in organisations where policies are introduced that do sod-all to improve/change anything but everyone's deemed to be happy because the way to do it is all documented in a policy/procedure.

I happen to believe that the GPG is an important medium of communication and that the Club executive either harnesses it and works with it or dies by it. That there is a Communications Policy currently in the final stages of preparation/approval suggests that others agree with you regarding the Club's communication over the years. I will give the new 'Policy' when adopted every opportunity to work.

I don't believe that the GPG is 'competition' for the official website and they both serve different parts of the same function. The Club website like all others is a medium for conveying factual information regarding the Club and its activities; the GPG is a forum for discussion which I always thought worked at its best when Bee H and Mark were on here regularly and Larry and I were rolling around on the floor punching seven bells out of each other. Neither sites are going away and if the official site can be improved then all power to those responsible for its content.

 

[Les Beeavinu]

One thing to ask about this policy - is it likely that anyone who signs up to it will be banned from posting on the GPG? If so, I wonder if whoever came up with it understands the meaning of the word "Communication".

 

[abee]

One thing to ask about this policy - is it likely that anyone who signs up to it will be banned from posting on the GPG? If so, I wonder if whoever came up with it understands the meaning of the word "Communication".

It's still a 'work-in-progress' and no decisions have been taken yet. I stepped back from the GPG for a while to see how it would work in practice.......a sort of dry run if you like.

My approach to 'Communication' is 'When I want your opinion I'll either tell you what it is or beat it out of you'. copyright abee (CEO 62BC -27BC)...........

...........those were the days before the words 'Communication' and 'Marketing' and 'Human Rights' were invented. .......as I was saying to that Julius Caesar who was in the back of my chariot once...........

 

[emolitor]

The Club website like all others is a medium for conveying factual information regarding the Club and its activities; the GPG is a forum for discussion...

In my short time here I've noticed a lack of value between the official website and the GPG regarding information about the club. Information presented here is often followed by discourse which highlights far more detail than a simple club announcement would achieve. The current club website does not allow for this conversation to occur.

I'm hopeful the club will recognize the value of a conversation and continue to allow club officials to discuss announcements on the GPG. Alternatively the club could add feedback/comments on the clubs main website. Such a mechanism however would only be valuable if club officials responded as they do here. I fear, however, that being on the official website might cause a formal tone to the conversation and lead to self censoring.

This is really just a simple matter of customer service. GPG provides more value in this particular instance. If the club can add that same value to the main website more customers (fans) will be drawn to it. The mistake that often can occur in these instances is the club fearing the conversation. Doing so will certainly be bad for both the club and the customers (fans) and result in zero change in traffic to the main site.

 

[Nurse Betty]

The GPG and the OS have two completely different objectives, surely? The GPG is for all of us to pile on to, give our opinion and then see how the chips fall. The OS is for disseminating nailed on information about the Club. Unfortunately, the Grapevine aspect of the GPG is usually a damn sight faster than the response from the Club to issues, even if a lot of the info is speculative in nature.

Of course, there's dozens of us and only a few backroom staff all of whom have other things to do than read the GPG all day so I think it would be helpful if we started to email the Club direct comments and issues rather than expecting them to trawl through page after page of threads. Copying in BIAS to your email would be helpful as it will give us a chance to see whether there is a widespread problem of which we are unaware.

That's the shortest distance between two points. If you don't get a response or don't feel your complaint has been dealt with to your satisfaction, contact BIAS and ask us to take up the case for you.

My impression is that in the past the Club has been pretty lousy in responding in a professional manner (if at all - I'm still waiting for a response from an email sent on 30th June) and once you have that reputation, it takes a long while and some radical action to shake it off so I understand why people come straight to the GPG.

 

[larrysigny]

.....the GPG is a forum for discussion which I always thought worked at its best when Bee H and Mark were on here regularly and Larry and I were rolling around on the floor punching seven bells out of each other....

:kiss:

 

[Keighley Bee]

This is what I don't get. This "hit" thing is a load of old b***ocks imo - the numbers are probably miniscule. Far better to encourage debate and discussion somewhere (like this) - more interest by Brentford folk will leads to far more revenue through the gate than any extra clicks on a poorly run website.

It's always been the same - the club do not like this site because they can't control it. Perhaps they need to change their mindset and embrace the good that can come out of here. Sadly, I don't think the people who run the BFC website are enlightened enough to understand that.

Spot on. Brentford always were and always will be my club, but after moving north my contacts with the club became few and far between. It is a fact that discovering GPG, with all it's views, opinions and banter was directly responsible for me feeling attached again, and as a result attending more matches last season than for the last 20 years. No dry, 'club opinion', marketing handouts written by spindoctors on the OS would have had the same effect. All club officials should be encouraged not discouraged from contributing to GPG. Handouts from the OS just smacks of the 'them and us' of so much in the modern world; the GPG feels like a family and friends discussion - even if there are a few oddballs!

 

[NorthamptonBee]

Communication with the club is at a high IMO, the child entry costs, teh way the club have helped me and promoted the book etc.
This morning I mentioned that a mate of mine has a 17 year old recently released by Villa after 5 years in their academy and two emails later they are asking for contact details to fix something up.
The new Brentford off the pitch is extremely good if you don't mind me saying.

 

[rhprice]

Spot on. Brentford always were and always will be my club, but after moving north my contacts with the club became few and far between. It is a fact that discovering GPG, with all it's views, opinions and banter was directly responsible for me feeling attached again, and as a result attending more matches last season than for the last 20 years. No dry, 'club opinion', marketing handouts written by spindoctors on the OS would have had the same effect. All club officials should be encouraged not discouraged from contributing to GPG. Handouts from the OS just smacks of the 'them and us' of so much in the modern world; the GPG feels like a family and friends discussion - even if there are a few oddballs!

oi steady on :nutty:

 

[Voice from the Braemar]

Communication with the club is at a high IMO, the child entry costs, teh way the club have helped me and promoted the book etc.
This morning I mentioned that a mate of mine has a 17 year old recently released by Villa after 5 years in their academy and two emails later they are asking for contact details to fix something up.
The new Brentford off the pitch is extremely good if you don't mind me saying.

"are you Abee in disguise........are you Abee in disguise" etc

youre not wrong about the kids prices though.......a big thumbs up to the club for that one

 

[NorthamptonBee]

youre not wrong about the kids prices though.......a big thumbs up to the club for that one

You've got me to thank for that one, rebus hates me more after my crusade.

 

[Hullbee]

You've got me to thank for that one, rebus hates me more after my crusade.

I heard he changed his GPG sign in as a result of the shame you brought upon hium