DAFC Official web site
Author: Brian Duncan Date: Friday, 16th Apr 2004It really is a joke that the official website is criticised this particular week.
I see this week that someone has posted a comment on the message forum about the official web site being a joke. I take exception to this as there is a lot of effort that goes into it the site. We know, on DAFC.net, from bitter experience how much effort it takes to run a web site.
Unfortunately the odd one or two take exception and think they could do better. The same people are likely the same ones that boo the players occassionally. Personally I think we should get behind the club in all levels, Board, management, staff and the staff on the web site.
Currently we have on DAFC.net six regular contributors, compared to the two or three on the official site, and these guys also give up a lot of their own free time to do the work.
My standard comment is that if you don`t like it -- ask for your money back!
Now lets see, how much does it actually cost you ? As I`ve stated at the bottom of this message, perhaps offering some help would improve the quality of the web site. Another group of fans decided to take action to help the club and did something about it, they set up the Pars Supporters Trust. Now lets see YOU do something positive to help DAFC.
A check on the official web site reveals in the last seven days no fewer than 21 news stories, 4 Match Previews, 3 match reports and one Under 21 match report. Is there little surprise that certain other aspects of the site
have omissions or the odd the mistake?
Except for the commercial and community side, the rest of the input comes entirely from the one guy. The same guy who you were all happy with when he put up the content and helped establish DAFC.net.
Edinburgh firm Channel Six put up the framework, admin and look after the technical side of the website but content is nothing to do with them at all. DAFC.net has probably better gizmos to handle uploading stories and pictures but thats because we have had the resources (i.e volunteers to do the work).
The fan responsible for the DAFC web content is `employed` on a part time basis and has with a busy daytime job to pay his mortgage. He will be lucky if his hourly rate scrapes above the legal minimum after this week`s schedule. The club cannot afford to employ anyone full time for this purpose.
Two volunteers assist but if you look at the time stories are posted you will note that match reports and comments are up after each game.
Thursday nights report on the Auld Enemy game was posted after midnight, the Motherwell match report was posted after one and then there appeared comments from Terry Butcher and Jason Dair.
The Hibs match report was there by midnight on Tuesday along with manager`s comments and Gary Dempseys. The day before (because of the Monday holiday) the site had news from JCs lunchtime meeting with the press then the U21 match and report consumed the rest of his holiday.
Pictures from Hampden appear in the match report and he obviously wasn`t in the pub like everyone else when he took the picture of the team bus arriving. Placing pictures into stories is another time consuming task.
So instead of going off to the pub after the match and complaining that someone is a joke for wasting in front of a keyboard all his Saturday nights and hours when most are asleep and still getting grief for not updating U21 fixtures it would be more constructive to offer assistance.
It may also have escaped your notice that I posted the original message on the forum on Fri 16 Apr 02:16am (by the time I got back from Motherwell, had my tea, chance to speak to my family, added story and pictures on DAFC.net). I should also be glad that I did not get any interviews that evening as I would have been even later.
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