Dear Mr Peters,
It has been suggested that I contact you in order to sort out any issues related to Manly's Online Forum.
As you are no doubt aware, I have been banned from the message boards due to my strong views regarding the new guideline policy for the members only forum. I have not engaged in any name calling (of players, coaching staff, or other members) this season, and will continue (if permitted) to be respectful to the people who are the backbone of our great club. My comments have been directed at those who have imposed unfair guidelines on members, and believe that we, as paying supporters, have the right to express our feelings. I have expressed my concerns to Sarah Grady, who has been a wonderful correspondent.
I now urge you too, to please rethink the current guidelines and rules related to the online forum. The message boards have been around for a long time now, and as a member and fan of the Manly Sea Eagles, I feel that the policies are a detriment to the economic success of the club due to lower demand for memberships if the situation continues. As you must be aware, several posters (including myself) have expressed concerns about the new guidelines, and some members are considering not renewing their memberships for next season if we are censored too much or banned without adequate reason. There have also been rumours surrounding the club's intention to remove the forum all together, and I would like to take this opportunity to let you know that I will be one of many who will not renew my membership should this scenario come to pass.
I understand the club's logic behind these new rules - they have obviously been set out to stop vilification of other members, players and club officials. As I expressed to Ms Grady, the club should be taking the members' points of view on board for this issue, especially considering that it is the most interactive product Manly currently have to offer its paying fans. Furthermore, it appears that the club has seen an increase in memberships over the past few weeks due to the forums now being closed to the public. Surely this must suggest that it is a useful tool for membership recruitment despite any negative undertones that may exist within some posts.
I fully support the \"no slander\" motives, and can understand why the club has decided to ban those who do not comply. However, as the majority of us are passionate fans (albeit, inexperience as some of us 'have never pulled on a football boot'), we are also couch coaches. This, and the debate surrounding it, has been one of the many draws of the message boards in previous years, and in the past it has seemed that the coaching staff have been tough enough to let instructions of \"how to do their job\" slide off their respective backs.
I implore you to reconsider the guidelines so that the \"no slander\" and name calling removal objectives can be achieved without immediate mass bannings - especially for those who have merely commented on their disappointment regarding the new rules.
On a more personal level, I feel that my banning for criticizing the new guidelines should be reconsidered. As Manly members, we obviously only want the best for the club, as I'm sure you will appreciate. Posts made by myself and several others expressing our disappointment should be embraced by the club, not ignored and removed. The message boards can also be used as a valuable tool for the club administration as it has the potential to keep the administration in touch with the concerns or other feedback from its current members. I understand that my tone may have come across as harsh, and I apologise if I have offended in any way, but I really don't think we, as members, have very much two-way communication with the website administration (compared, at least, to previous years' admin), and as a result I have been very upset due to the fact that the message boards have been censored in such a way without much explanation.
Thank you for taking the time to read this, and I look forward to your response.
Sincerely,
Cody Aaron.