The hard edge returns!!!!!

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Matabele

Journey Man
Remember this? It’s time for a comeback. I’ve pulled my head in for a while in the interests of non-antagonism – to no avail. So bugger it, if access to players is not forthcoming, if I’m continually banned for doing bugger all on ME whilst others slander me with no consequence, I’m not going to hold back. It’s time AE went back to its roots, which is to be a radical web-site which doesn’t take any prisoners.

I’m sick of it being a ladies tea party. If people don’t like it, they don’t have to come here. They can toddle off back to ME and pat themselves endlessly on the back and talk about Mullan'es impending selection in the Australian side. We were never about populism anyway.

So let’s not be fooled by the fact we’ve won 3 games. Yes the players are putting in an effort, and there are good things happening on the field. But there’s still much that stinks like raw sewage (remember the faeces sandwich?)

Let’s start with ME itself. I defy anyone to prove that it’s not the poorest official web-site in the NRL. This is 2005 and the internet is a valuable tool of marketing and communication. So what do we have? A clunking dinosaur that updates every week and is run by a bunch of ageing behemoths who have about as much professionalism as Iraq has weapons of mass destruction.

The front page is a running joke amongst other clubs. Big clunky buttons, graphics that came out the ark with Noah, takes an age to download and basically has remained static for the past 4 years at least. The on-line shop has no categories – just one huge long page that has seen me develop grey hairs whilst waiting for it to download.

And where is the exposure given to our sponsors? If I were one I’d be demanding my money back if I ever logged onto the web-site. Front Page rating – 2/10.

We all know the forums are pretty much the domain of a tight knit group of red necks who treat it as more of a social club than a place for informative talk about football. If you were an uninitiated visitor you’d be forgiven for thinking you'd stumbled across the New Idea site or the site for the mentally deranged who think Manly = the Australian Test team. Heaven help the corporate types that visit the place – it’s hardly going to hold them is it?

Of course this situation isn’t helped by myopic moderating by people who can barely turn on a computer, let alone understand commercial realities or impartiality. The moderating creates the climate, and the climate is an embarrassment.

So I’m being critical without being constructive? Here’s a plan:

1. Give the marketing manager either the authority or the balls (whichever it is that’s lacking) to put a broom through the place and sweep out all the cobwebs and cobweb ridden moderators.
2. If it costs too much to moderate the place, then shut it down and let people go to LU and other places.
3. Spend $5000 on getting a professional web-site that has at least the media releases and other news updated somewhat regularly. Far better to have a front end that reflects a professional image than to try and save a few thousand here or there and have the eyesore that it currently is.
4. Do it SOON. “Later this year� is not good enough. It could be done in two weeks. It’s not rocket science.

So go ahead, shake your head at my methods by all means. But when you go to bed at night, admit to yourself that despite the venom, there is a clarion bell of truth in what I’m saying.

If it was any more obvious it would be doing a dump on your head.

Welcome back HARD EDGE!!!!

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finally a thread that drags me back to read and love,why does everyone want to talk **** about cliffy and so on when there is this type of banter,remember what we were people.

all hail the eagles and the rest can carry on their merry way of backslapping.
 
I'd rather read one intelligent musing from vegas, sue and Co each day than a 1000 from some of the unwashed herd.

Welcome back vegas.
 
As I agree with the fact Mata has been harshly treated on ME. I dont agree with all these views.
 
It would be an interesting exercise to surf and check out all of the official websites of each of the clubs and rate them using a variety of criteria. People could be asked to review each of the sites in order to judge if what Mata is saying is accurate.

There are some Manly supporters who will be loyal no matter what - and others who have been critical of the Mighty Eagles site for a long time.

I was encouraged that the club Marketing manager said that ME was going to be developed in time but the priority at the moment was membership and footy performance (as they should be!)

I don't want to be harsh on the posters who have developed friendships on ME though I always felt a sense of being an outsider as I didn't have 25000 posts - I also copped a hard time from a few for being outspoken in my views. When I got up to 1000 posts on my old nic the way I was treated seemed different. Mind you I never got banned like some. :clap: :lol:
 
Here's some categories:

Amount of relevant and interesting content
Amount of intelligent football discussion on forums
"Look" of site
Ease of use
Prominence to sponsors
 
as if they would listen to you mata - there more chance of Brown getting coach of the year
 
If the ME forums are locked maybe they took my advice seriously?
Not a chance Mata. Totally independent action I think.

Forums on club websites are an interesting phenomena and I note that some clubs have them and some don't.

Great to participate in banter and discussion, promote friendship amongst supporters - flipside is that it also gives a voice to the extremists, the lonely or the mischievious , some who can be very mild-mannered but become vindictive etc behind a keyboard.
 

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