Forum open for business

Been in Milton Keynes all day but just checked through the forum and all seems fine. Come and join-in before the crowd finds out.
http://www.mybufc.com/ibb
Must work on that newsletter now...

Off the field catch up

Just spent 3 days with no Internet (in sunny Lancashire) which goes some way to explain the apparent lack of activity with myBUFC. However, lack of activity there isn't - we have the "Official Launch" of the project on Saturday and local MP Alistair Burt (a keen footballer himself) will be there to cut the most fantastic football cake I have ever seen.
We have a completed the certificate that everyone can print off and FINALLY, we are able to login to our own Forum again which WILL be open in the next 24 hours.
Sign-ups have slowed down so we really need a good push to get things re-catalysed.
A newsletter will be going out tonight (slightly delayed - how suprising) and another with the launch photos on Sunday. YorkFox reported an issue with Hotmail which we hope is sorted out for the next run.
Aside from that, we managed to gather a couple of highlights from the last match and have put the thumbnail up on the site.
The team lost at the weekend (including a red card) so we desperately need a win this saturday. Biggleswade Town are top of the league which is great to be honest but it really could/should be us.
More as it happens...

Video killed the footy-ball star

Perhaps it was a curse to video the match on Saturday but I have to say it was a bore of the highest order. This is hardly a fantastic advert for myBUFC I know, for which I can only apologise, but it does go some way to advancing my theory that the club really could do with some new input.
The worse thing is I have to find some highlights to put on the web so I've had to watch the match twice now. Still, at least I didn't choose the mid-week match, we lost 4-0!
We were about to put the forum live today when someone (who shall remain mostly nameless - Chri*) lost his admin password and has now locked us all out of the system. His keys and all other sharp implements are being removed from his possession as we speak.
Media list arrived today so press release is being sent out in the morning (another later than planned action to add to the list) as we now have 1000 sign-ups with over 500 fully paid up members. Traffic has gone down slightly though and we need a new boost to keep the numbers going.
A certificate has been designed so that all members can prove to friends and family that they are "pucker" football directors/managers.
Google payments are now active which means it is more money in the pot for the club from now on.
Had a very nice email from Will (myFC) outlining some changes in the way the forum had been changed which I am completely happy with and I have said (unrequested) that I won't post further updates there. Hopefully the 2 projects can work loosely together as there is probably more to gain all round in doing so.

Finally, we are organising an "official" myBUFC launch with BBQ, activities, the most amazing cake I have ever seen proposed and, if we can confirm, a special guest Football star. All should take place at the match on the 27th to get some further local interest.

Apologies for the delays but we are doing our best in our spare time to get everything together.

Still looking forum

Slight delay in switching the forum on - is 500 "odd" members enough? Who posts first? all to be revealed tomorrow.
We sent the BooktheAct.com (another unrelated idea that has started to go really well) release out yesterday which has meant fielding calls today and following up so mybufc got bumped slightly.
I will be sending the newsletter out to members and asking for promo ideas, forum admins and feedback. Also putting a questionnaire together to get some feedback on how they would like things to be decided and presented.
Had some ideas for TShirts "OK, OK - I DO own a football club", "Suck up - You're talking to a football club owner" "Because I own a football club - that's why". All ideas welcome!
Apparently it's late and I have an early start so that's it for now.
Thanks for reading!
4000 odd people to go, 4000 odd people to go, eeeh iiii tiddly .......

Biggleswade Frown FC

It's an interesting swing of emotions this - on one hand, everything is really taking off quickly, feedback is great and I can't wait for it to steam ahead, on the other, the enormity of the tasks ahead make me wonder how the heck I'm going to fit it all in and fizzling out might allow me enough time to do all the other things in life that I need to. But no, the path is chosen and onward we go.
I read a forum where a Biggleswade Town player/supporter was clearly getting upset (there is a history of playground politics that certainly pre-dates me but I am not above giving the merry-go-round a quick shove of my own) that BUFC were planning such a project.
Further, they were outraged that the ambition might be to climb the leagues - Lord help us for wishing to push out of the current league (see Gretna, Histon et al)
Finally, that 5000 people would be making on the field decisions.
In truth, I wish BTFC well and I am pleased they are doing really well in the league but seriously, what is there to lose? How can you get upset at people for simply trying something? The alternatives are to bobble around in the same league for the next 5 years on a slim fan base; find a rich benefactor (who will no doubt want someting in return); or hope that the next Giggs and Rooney land at the club and provide a couple of years of glory.
Phew.
I will be video-ing the match on Saturday (providing we can find a cherry picker!) as I happen to have a TV grade camera so we'll see how my directing skills go.
New press release out tomorrow - "Official Launch" and 500 paid members (1200 signed up).
I noticed one of the signed up members is named the same as the brains behind myFC - surely chance?
Till next time...

Spilling mistakes

Well firstly, to everyone who has pointed out the *very* few spelling and grammatical errors that have crept into this blog due to substantial time pressures, I thank you from the heart of my bottom :).
Work has been hectic and so the last few days has been "non-bufc". That despite the fact we have started to get our first bits of wider media exposure such as The Mirror, BBC Radio 2 etc. Hopefully, I'll have an hour or two spare tomorrow to follow up a couple of other possibilities.
Google has offered to do the transactions for free so we are swapping the payment method over next week having tested it on Friday
Among the many sign-ups is a very well known international manager (now living abroad) who I am going to try and get a quote from.
I am presenting (in the most informal way) an update to everyone at the club on Monday night and I have to say there is a real buzz there at the moment.
We won 1-0 in the Vase first round which was great (I was at Cambridge United with some friends, 2-2 but they are lot better than a couple of years ago when I last saw them).
Until next tome...

Plotting developments

OK, so this is why I struggled with a diary when I was younger - too many blank days!
I will try and re-cap (especially since I thought that I had posted on Monday but it seems to have disappeared) to get things up to date.
Weekend went well apart from a technical problem which prevented some people from signing up - a developer will be shot at dawn.
Despite that, interest has been really good and things are very much back on track with sign ups closing in on the 500 mark (not bad for less than a week). We have further coverage in more local papers and press releases going out left, right and centre.
The club are organising some team photos but, bearing in mind that there are 12 youth and adult teams and some 25 non-playing personnel, organisation such an event is quite something. Some good PR shots will really help though and I am trying to find a prop (such as a really large computer mouse) to make them more interesting.
We have decided to put some of the working files online so people can see an early preview of the system which I hope goes down well.
The site (and we can only progress with plans as sign-ups rise) will be split into sections that reflect the club workings:
Members Bar (Forum)
Coaches Office (Reports on matches, opposition, players)
Ballot Box (Voting)
Dressing Room (Team/Tactics selection)
Press Office (News/PR)

If we get to 2500 members, we will start building tha main voting system (the complex bit) but we'll have to wait and see when that is.

Aside from all of that, we lost 2-1 to Welwyn which wasn't great but that, as they say, is football.