SBA Facebook page?

[Bumble]

A lot of organisations have facebook pages, some use it as a place for conversation because they don't have any other online presence.

Emails don't always arrive, so I find it useful to check dates of meetings and so on, for a couple of organisations I belong to. I don't see why SBA couldn't use FB for announcements, I'm not sure if there's a need for anything else because this forum is more than adequate. But it would need somebody to maintain it, which could be asking quite a lot. The bonus is that it's free, and if it doesn't work out it's easy enough to delete an account.

This is what Facebook was like last year. Mostly US-based stats, unfortunately, but there were more than 200,000,000 UK users http://www.kenburbary.com/2011/03/fa...-statistics-2/ They can't all be wrong

[Neils]

Bumble, I've been pretty scathing of other organisations', within beekeeping and without, web presence so please don't think I'm trying give the SBA a free pass just because I'm involved with the forum.

I earn a living in IT consultancy, not directly related to this area, but the patterns are similar: this isn't working quite right, so lets pile a huge amount of effort adding something new which will fix everything rather than address the underlying problems.

I agree that we're missing something by not having any integration or presence on Facebook but, right now, what is already in place, both paper and web based is not working as well as it should. So do we add another layer, quick fix if you will, or try to resolve the underlying issues first?

[Mellifera Crofter]

... right now, what is already in place, both paper and web based is not working as well as it should. So do we add another layer, quick fix if you will, or try to resolve the underlying issues first?

I agree. A properly-run website should be updated immediately and contain all the relevant information - that means there should be no need for Facebook apart from the conversation issue, and that happens here on this forum. The SBA is still unable to run a website properly - so will they do any better trying to run a Facebook page as well?
Kitta

[drumgerry]

I'm not sure I'd be as harsh in my judgement of the SBA website as you Kitta. I think Alasdair does a good job. Plus we need to remind ourselves that everyone doing these jobs is an unpaid volunteer. With the Facebook thing all you need is one person being fed the relevant information -whether text, news, photos or whatever - and them spending a few minutes uploading it. It's not hard. I'm not sure how the SBA website software works but perhaps it's more involved changing the pages. If they'd have asked me (like they would have!) I'd have advised they build the SBA website using something like the paid version of Wordpress which is generally speaking reasonably intuitive and pretty easy to make updates through.

[Mellifera Crofter]

...If they'd have asked me (like they would have!) I'd have advised they build the SBA website using something like the paid version of Wordpress which is generally speaking reasonably intuitive and pretty easy to make updates through.

That's precisely what I did advise them to do, and I have created a really good functioning website for them. It fell apart - and it was not my fault.
Kitta

[drumgerry]

I'm not sure I understand Kitta. Are you saying you created a website for the SBA using Wordpress, it didn't work and they chose to put in place the website they have currently? Not sure why a Wordpress site would fall apart tbh. My experience of it is that it's reliable, functional and well supported.

[Poly Hive]

Luddite? Hmm well been on line since 1996. Quoted 2nd life as it is the nearest hpyed site to fb in recent times. Oh and for portals AOL was the first, and arguably worst. Anyway moving one. FB might be at the moment the greatest thing since sliced bread but... give it time. It's woes are merely beginning now that it has to face real financial scrutiny. As for being easy to use, I found it impenetrable and I mean that, as I could never get by the first page. Ok so I am thick and 58. *shrug* Yet I am building a pretty decent web site. Oddly enough using Wordpress. LOL

Whilst it is in some ways great to share with the world, sometimes for a small community it's better to keep things more in-house.

PH

[Mellifera Crofter]

I'm not sure I understand Kitta. Are you saying you created a website for the SBA using Wordpress, it didn't work and they chose to put in place the website they have currently? Not sure why a Wordpress site would fall apart tbh. My experience of it is that it's reliable, functional and well supported.

Sorry Drumgerry - I wasn't clear. No, the website was fine. I tried to help, and it did not work out - it's a people thing.
Kitta