Conspiracy of silence

[Only one Trevor Morley]

Why have previous fans forum notes been taken off the STAR website and why are they no longer published following Andy West recent request (which was referred to in the minutes of the meeting with club representatives on the STAR website).

Unfortunately I live too far away to be able to get to fans forums - but that doesnt make me any less of a fan. I dont understand why there seems to be a move to make these informative meetings only accessible to those who attend. i particularly dont understand why notes from previous fans forums have disappeared - these were available so why suddenly take them off - it is becuase Coppell made some comments about Kitson when he left but now he is back they need to scrub that from history?

The argument that is usually heard is that players/managers are less open if everything is put in the notes - I can understand the need for a bit of judicious editing but why this sudden move to a wall of silence - players and managers have been open previously when notes have been published. Are those who attend the forum sworn to secrecy or something?

I'd just like to here some first hand views of people close to the club that dont go through the usual 'the lads are really up for the next game' dullness that comes from interviews on the main site.

Surely a supporters trust is about sharing information rather than removing information?

[STAR Voice]

Taking the last point first, yes of course a Supporters' Trust is about sharing information - which is why we've recently started putting notes of our meetings with the RFC Senior Management team up on the STAR website, after a few years of not being able to.

But with regard to Fans' Forums, there's certainly no conspiracy, I can assure you. With these, we're aware that there's a thin line between writing too much and writing too little. We used to publish these almost verbatim, and there were a couple of problems with this approach. Firstly, we found that people weren't bothering to attend since they could read everything in full shortly afterwards. And secondly we advertise these events as "no press", in order to allow guests to speak freely. If we then publish in full it defeats the object, and what we get from geusts who are guarded is the same sort of platitudes you get in the press.

Yes, we were asked by the club to reduce what we reported following something we published last season that might have been damaging to Wally/Kev, but we agree with that approach anyway for the reason stated above, and so have switched to summaries rather than full notes.

But to be honest the main reason the most recent notes aren't yet published is nothing sinister - it's the fact that there's so few of us in STAR and we're trying to do so much, that some things don't happen as quickly as we'd like. In this case, the person who was due to take notes last month was sick, and the person who stepped in at the last minute hasn't yet typed them up! So no conspiracy - call it inefficiency if you like, but I'd prefer to call it limited time and multiple competing demands! (That''s why we're always looking for volunteers, if you're interested.....)

Finally, and hopefully to fully debunk the "conspiracy" theory the notes from the start of season Forum you refer to haven't been removed. They're at http://www.star-reading.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=185&Itemid=26, where they've always been, and completely unchanged.

Hope this helps.

STAR Campaigns
On a grassy knoll, holding a smoking gun, sitting on Shergar and photo shopping pictures of the moon-landings

[Only one Trevor Morley]

Taking the last point first, yes of course a Supporters' Trust is about sharing information - which is why we've recently started putting notes of our meetings with the RFC Senior Management team up on the STAR website, after a few years of not being able to.

But with regard to Fans' Forums, there's certainly no conspiracy, I can assure you. With these, we're aware that there's a thin line between writing too much and writing too little. We used to publish these almost verbatim, and there were a couple of problems with this approach. Firstly, we found that people weren't bothering to attend since they could read everything in full shortly afterwards. And secondly we advertise these events as "no press", in order to allow guests to speak freely. If we then publish in full it defeats the object, and what we get from geusts who are guarded is the same sort of platitudes you get in the press.

Yes, we were asked by the club to reduce what we reported following something we published last season that might have been damaging to Wally/Kev, but we agree with that approach anyway for the reason stated above, and so have switched to summaries rather than full notes.

But to be honest the main reason the most recent notes aren't yet published is nothing sinister - it's the fact that there's so few of us in STAR and we're trying to do so much, that some things don't happen as quickly as we'd like. In this case, the person who was due to take notes last month was sick, and the person who stepped in at the last minute hasn't yet typed them up! So no conspiracy - call it inefficiency if you like, but I'd prefer to call it limited time and multiple competing demands! (That''s why we're always looking for volunteers, if you're interested.....)

Finally, and hopefully to fully debunk the "conspiracy" theory the notes from the start of season Forum you refer to haven't been removed. They're at http://www.star-reading.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=185&Itemid=26, where they've always been, and completely unchanged.

Hope this helps.

STAR Campaigns
On a grassy knoll, holding a smoking gun, sitting on Shergar and photo shopping pictures of the moon-landings

Thanks I appreciate the length of the reply - the forum notes only appear up 10 2007 when you click on fans forum - can they be kept in one place.

I take the point about length of times to write them up - but is this also the case for the February forum- its just that the minutes say

Fans Forum – very successful and not widely reported afterwards (as requested by Andy West).

which is why I was led to believe nothing was appearing -

[STAR Liaison]

Thanks I appreciate the length of the reply - the forum notes only appear up 10 2007 when you click on fans forum - can they be kept in one place.

I take the point about length of times to write them up - but is this also the case for the February forum- its just that the minutes say

Fans Forum – very successful and not widely reported afterwards (as requested by Andy West).

which is why I was led to believe nothing was appearing -

There is another factor that has been raised with us by members and that is that non-members get as much of the information as members and so we decided to publish both the spring notes in the next Reading Matter before putting them on the internet.

As ever there are not only competing jobs for our time but competing ideas of who should be most served by STAR and as we only have internet addresses for about 2/3rds of our members (many of whom do not open our emails apparently so check your spam filter) there is a serious arguement that we should sometimes put our snail mail members first.

I am happy to argue this but anyone on here may not appreciate how excluded those without internet connections can feel - and frequent paper newsletters are well beyond what we can do with current level of volunteers and subscription rate.

[CMRoyal]

As a member of STAR who usually can't make the fans' forums, I very much appreciated the publication of the May 08 (and the previous forum notes I think) in the last Reading Matters magazine - the last one we recieved anyway! At the very least, I think we should have them all published there - I'm quite happy to get the gist of the responses verbally from people who attended at the time, but feel that membership of STAR should enable us to see full notes, even if they have to wait till the season's ended.

[Southbank Old Boy]

I thought STAR was there to represent and inform the fans, not just those that are members?

I gave up my STAR/Supports Club membership because I felt the organisation was getting too far up the clubs arse, this just further justifies my decision

[The 17 Bus]

With regards to the spam filters, many will filter out messages that are sent to many, mine removes all my messages from Wondows live, which is odd as it is a windows filter!!

[Turns8]

I thought STAR was there to represent and inform the fans, not just those that are members?

I gave up my STAR/Supports Club membership because I felt the organisation was getting too far up the clubs arse, this just further justifies my decision

what an idiot...

[Southbank Old Boy]

I thought STAR was there to represent and inform the fans, not just those that are members?

I gave up my STAR/Supports Club membership because I felt the organisation was getting too far up the clubs arse, this just further justifies my decision

what an idiot...

Makes me feel better about my post that a total numpty like you sees that as an idiots post

Having and expressing an opinion >>>>>> being an unfunny geek with no idea

[T.R.O.L.I.]

Having and expressing an opinion >>>>>> being an unfunny geek with no idea

Couldn't agree more SOB.

As a wise person once said "It's better to be thought a fool than to open your mouth and remove al doubt".

[Only one Trevor Morley]

so is my smoking gun theory correct?