Ackey Posted May 3, 2011 Share Posted May 3, 2011 OWTB today officially served notice to Oldham Athletic to cease operating as the club's official fans' forum. The decision follows an upgrade to OWTB, which, following diligent efforts by OWTB, the Club, and PTV, has affected OWTB's ability to host the advertising banners which raise money for the club. This has been a frustrating issue for all concerned. OWTB shall continue to operate as an independent site and, in regaining its independence, OWTB shall endeavour to raise funds through sponsorship, with these to be channeled wholly into community projects associated with the club. An issue which has been of particular concern to OWTB is increased pressure from the club with regard to site moderation, including objections to some questions raised by fans in what we believe should be a public arena, subject only to minimal moderation. Whilst we understand the club’s interest in moderation, this was something we resisted as it was not a direction that OWTB, as the fans’ forum, felt comfortable with and it does not reflect our agreement with the club. OWTB looks forward to independence of moderation and a new impetus to restore the site to the quality enjoyed by its members in the past. We are all too aware that the site has become somewhat stagnant in recent times and the site staff are excited by the prospect of addressing that and making OWTB a far more enjoyable experience for Oldham Athletic fans. Terminating the agreement has been a decision which was not taken lightly and we are hopeful that it will be to the benefit of all parties, particularly OWTB members and the community projects we look to support. Thank you for your continued support of OWTB. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
opinions4u Posted May 3, 2011 Share Posted May 3, 2011 Fine with me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oafcprozac Posted May 3, 2011 Share Posted May 3, 2011 Fine with me. Agree 100% Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SholverBlue Posted May 3, 2011 Share Posted May 3, 2011 I thought we was all going to Glastonbury Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LaticsLee Posted May 3, 2011 Share Posted May 3, 2011 so what does this mean in a nutshell ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
beag_teeets Posted May 3, 2011 Share Posted May 3, 2011 so what does this mean in a nutshell ? We wear blue on the outside as blue is how we feel on the insiiiiiiiide. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
longtimeblue Posted May 3, 2011 Share Posted May 3, 2011 Fans asking questions.... Well out of order. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lookers_Carl Posted May 3, 2011 Share Posted May 3, 2011 so what does this mean in a nutshell ? For one it means the club wont make any more money out of owtb Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LaticsLee Posted May 3, 2011 Share Posted May 3, 2011 For one it means the club wont make any more money out of owtb ooooo. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ackey Posted May 3, 2011 Author Share Posted May 3, 2011 so what does this mean in a nutshell ? Simply; OWTB "clicks" no longer count towards the Official site's hit count, which in turn is used to judge which payment band the club are in with PTV. Equally; OWTB's costs (servers used for hosting OWTB etc.) are no longer covered by the Club, but by us once again. We're looking at ways to cover those costs at the moment. Any income we generate above and beyond our costs will be used in conjunction with Colin Moore and the Community Trust to fund community projects. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Yard Dog Posted May 3, 2011 Share Posted May 3, 2011 So, free from the shackles of OAFC, are you able to tell us how much money OAFC earned from OWTB whilst it was the official forum ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
opinions4u Posted May 3, 2011 Share Posted May 3, 2011 (edited) I suppose one obvious question comes to mind. Will this reduce income for Latics? (I believe money earned by the site goes in to Latics' coffers which will presumably cease - am I right to assume that the money going in to "community projects associated with the club" means that this change might mean money going in to the club in a different way, but not in a detrimental way?) EDIT: You've probably answered the question while I typed it. Edited May 3, 2011 by opinions4u Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ackey Posted May 3, 2011 Author Share Posted May 3, 2011 So, free from the shackles of OAFC, are you able to tell us how much money OAFC earned from OWTB whilst it was the official forum ? Simply, no. We were never given finite details of what OWTB earned for the Club, much to our frustration at times when trying to ensure OWTB was maximising it's income. That said it still wouldn't be appropriate to discuss details like that even if we actually had them. I suppose one obvious question comes to mind. Will this reduce income for Latics? (I believe money earned by the site goes in to Latics' coffers which will presumably cease - am I right to assume that the money going in to "community projects associated with the club" means that this change might mean money going in to the club in a different way, but not in a detrimental way?) EDIT: You've probably answered the question while I typed it. Yes, the Club directly will no longer make money from OWTB as it had in the past. There was a debate as to if it was still doing following the change to OWTB and the problems with the banners. The frustrations we've had in dealing with OAFC and PTV in trying to work this out have been contributing factors in OWTB becoming independent again. As above, anything we are able to make above costs will go the Community Trust (at this stage we don't expect to be able to contribute anything, as we will be 'losing' money. However we're looking at ways to change that). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Macca Posted May 3, 2011 Share Posted May 3, 2011 Makes you feel the club are even further away than before. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PlayItLivo Posted May 3, 2011 Share Posted May 3, 2011 It was much better before it went official. It's not like the club made much effort to communicate with fans through here anyway. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oafc-latics Posted May 3, 2011 Share Posted May 3, 2011 could some of the money go to playershare? so that the by coming on here, we still help the club? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frankly Mr Shankly Posted May 3, 2011 Share Posted May 3, 2011 Does this mean we can swear again? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
slystallone Posted May 3, 2011 Share Posted May 3, 2011 :censored: no it doesn't!!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rudemedic Posted May 3, 2011 Share Posted May 3, 2011 It was much better before it went official. It's not like the club made much effort to communicate with fans through here anyway. Depends how you saw Mr Owen's comments? I preferred it when it was unofficial but maybe it was the general attitude as opposed to anything specific. I have one quetion, is it still trust linked though? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Forte_Baby Posted May 4, 2011 Share Posted May 4, 2011 Good move i think for all parties. I am amazed at quite how many fans i speak to non longer use OWTB, at the sametime its easier for some fans to simply use Facebook and Twitter. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ackey Posted May 4, 2011 Author Share Posted May 4, 2011 Depends how you saw Mr Owen's comments? I preferred it when it was unofficial but maybe it was the general attitude as opposed to anything specific. I have one quetion, is it still trust linked though? Our links to the Trust have only ever been in a cooperation form. We're not officially or contractually linked to them as we were to OAFC. If something comes up which is mutually beneficial to both the Trust and OWTB's members then we will review it on a case-by-case basis. As for the Moderation policy (swearing included).... everything is under review at the moment. Nothing has changed in that we're all still doing this as volunteers, meaning that we're not 100% ready, we're adapting as things change. And we've said it a lot over the years - suggestions on ways to improve the site are always welcome. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
garcon Posted May 4, 2011 Share Posted May 4, 2011 I'm disappointed but not remotely surprised that the club felt the need to interfere in moderation, or that they've once again let an opportunity slip by in not resolving the banner issues. Well done to those running the site for taking the initiative - if, ultimately, OWTB can operate as an independent forum that still manages to generate some cash for club related community projects, then we have the best of both worlds. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
leeslover Posted May 4, 2011 Share Posted May 4, 2011 If the club wouldnt let it be an open forum then nothing for it but to pull the plug. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BlueInAus Posted May 4, 2011 Share Posted May 4, 2011 Well done OWTB. It would have been a tough decision to become unofficial again, but it clearly is going to benefit the members here by doing so. I am pretty disappointed that the club wanted to stop free speech on here. Moderation should only be used for offensive, antagonistic, or illegal posts. Not because the club don't like what some members think of the club. Thankfully the mods at OWTB have shown their dedication to the well being of the forum, and not taken the easy toe-the-line path. Thanks guys. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Monty Burns Posted May 4, 2011 Share Posted May 4, 2011 great move well done, FREEDOMMMMMM. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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