@malcolm 

@malcolm 

I’ve requested that you follow me on Twitter @davison_robin and then I can add you to the Diasborians 

Paul in Boro has just joined.

Please note that this is not in competition to Diasboro it is only as a safeguard that we do not lose our membership or contact with each other if the blog ceases suddenly 

OFB

@andy-r 

I agree totally with your post Andy and to reiterate I would not be concerned so much about the future of the blog if there wasn’t uncertainty about the input from Werder.

It may be that we are worrying unnecessarily and things may be resolved in the near future.

I must admit in the formative years of the blog there was more interaction between us all and of course we did have a lot to moan about !

I do enjoy writing the previews and hopefully you and I Andy will be able to finish the season off with either a post on automatic promotion or previews of the playoff games!

With regard to the mechanics of taking the blog forward I have suggested that bloggers either email me at robin.davison@tiscali.co.uk 

or tweet me on twitter 

@davison_robin

This is purely as an administrative backup so that we do not lose contact if the site goes down.

I certainly do not have the skills to set up a Diasboro 2 site on word press perhaps other bloggers on the site do?

OFB

Just one point about marketing for new members 

I currently have over 1,200 followers on Twitter and I suppose some of them may like to join a Diasboro blog if everyone currently on our site thinks we need new blood.

OFB

Apologies, I'm away at the moment and don't have time to participate fully.  Just wanted to say how brilliant most of the contributions have been on this topic.

I posted some time ago about the importance of recruiting new blood, after hearing from a young man, a digital native, letting me know how difficult he had found it to join us and had given up. I'll make further enquiries and try to find out more details of what the problems were.

I'll post my e mail details to Bob asap

I've always loved the brains trust element of the blog.There's a wealth of knowledge and experience here that I have found stimulating whatever the topic and whether I agree with a specific view or not.

I miss the political debate which was always part of the Untypical blog from its inception. AV's tub thumping politics was always part of the attraction for me.

I don't think Bob and Andy's fine openers should become a burden to them. We are lucky to have them, but they must put themselves first. They are great for stimulating discussion, but we should be able to do that for ourselves, albeit perhaps less effectively.

The main thing is that they both continue to contribute whenever they are able to.

But yes, a great blog, an important port of call for me several times daily, and it should continue for as long as we are able to keep it going

@lenmasterman I miss the political discourse too but I’m well aware that this can be a dangerous and divisive topic. I tend to live in a bit of a left leaning echo chamber so I always enjoy the views of those who have a different leaning. I believe that this can be done in a respectful way but know it’s not to everyone’s taste on a Boro forum.

OK - let's see if this works. My replies to the questions posed by @clive-hurren are as follows:

1) Do you want the blog to continue next year and beyond?
Yes I do want the Blog to continue.

2) if so, why do you like it? What are the essential features?
The essential feature of the Blog is the general discourse on all matters relating to Middlesbrough FC. What I l like includes the following:
(a) The previews to forthcoming games which are informative & frequently very humourous. They include the fruits of research which reveal information about the form of our upcoming opponents, information about the players involved & other statisitics which would otherwise have passed me by. I MIGHT know something about Boro's players & recent performances, but few of us keep so up-to-date about other teams. The previews must place a burden on AndyR and Bob
(b) The posts made by other contributors in which before the game they give their predictions and after the game they give THEIR views and feelings about the game and the performances by players, the team & Boro's opponents. It's always good to have others' perspectives and opinions.
(c) The historical pieces posted by Ken Smith from his recollections and from the records. It is good to be reminded that football did NOT begin when the Premiership (as it was first known) opened its turnstiles and matches were shown by SkyTV.
(d) I am happy to read articles & comments about things OTHER than football or about the Boro. When I go to games at the Riverside, or when I go the Battered Badger (even if that is to watch a football game), I don't ONLY talk about football or the game being televised. We are likely IN THE MAIN to talk about the match but also, as in most conversations, we sometimes branch out or divert into other areas. Readers and contributors to this Blog have the advantage of (i) the ability to bypass or NOT to read a post that appears to be covering an area the reader/contributor did not wish to consider and (ii) there are separate threads where lengthy posts on non-Boro issues can be found. I'm not upset if posts include diversions from the straight & true Boro path but do understand that others may prefer it differently.
(e). I particularly like the fact that the Blog contains views and opinions expressed in a reasonable, respectful, way. We do not always agree on everything but we can disagree like respectful adults. I think it has been expressed thus: "We play the ball, not the man". Insults which abound on social media generally are rare here.

3) What don’t you like?
I can't think of any aspect of the Blog that I don't like. If, apart from any brief mention of other non-Boro topics, we wanted now to write something longer & obviously separated from our main Boro interest, there are other threads to which such longer articles can be posted. Obviously there are times when non-Boro issues become live issues-of-the-moment, like when there was discussion about the World Cup in Qatar shortly before the tournament kicked-off, which it would seem odd NOT to have discussed on here.

4) Does it bother you that we often spill over into non-Boro-related topics?
Not at all, as will be gathered from my responses to 2(a), 2(b) and 3 above. I enjoyed Ken Smith's forays into Classical Music and some of the great composers, for example. There are now threads available for them and people are not forced to read them. The Blog remains a football Blog, primarily, and a Middlesbrough FC followers Blog in particular.

5) How do you think we can attract a few more members?
The million-dollar question. Only publicity to the Blog can attract new members so the question is "how to give it more publicity?" People can't read, join and contribute to the Blog unless they know of its existence. I don't do FaceBook or Instagram and although I am on Twitter (@FDormo) I do not seek lots of followers there. Instead I have used Twitter simply to keep in touch with some areas of news where I have an interest, or College, or some sports and other topics. I suppose I could Tweet something if I spend some time working out WHAT to say in the 280 (?) characters currently allowed, but I'd have to tag in someone with a lot of followers related to MFC to make that worthwhile. I will think aboiut it.

6) How can we reduce the burden on friends such as Andy and Bob so that they don’t feel obliged to write an opener every time?
The only way to consider this is to know whether Andy & Bob consider it a burden and whether they want help. I would find it very difficult to prepare the sort of well-researched, funny and interesting Opening Posts that they submit. I really enjoy reading them. I suppose if a new page were to be opened for each new game as it came up, that new page COULD simply give details of the date & time of the match, the clubs and the venue, and then leave it to other contributors to send their thoughts & predictions when convenient to the relevant page/thread. Should OFB, AndyR or anyone else feel they have the time or inclination to put together something more substantial as an Opener, then that would be fine but there would not then be an obligation on any particular person to have to prepare such a major piece of work as is now being contributed so regularly by OFB & AndyR.
I'm not sure whether the above helps in any way. I must now go to prepare some food before stepping out into the cold & rainy/sleety weather predicted for the home game at the Riverside against Stoke City.

   The alternative to my suggestion in 5 above is that OFB who probably has many more contacts than me, should send the mnecessary tweets.....

3-1 tonight   ...?

As Len said, this has been an amazing discussion. I’m starting now to collate / summarise responses. That looks to be a challenging task, but one I’m looking forward to, as many of you have offered different inspirational suggestions. I’ll do my best. One thing is certain, there is universal agreement that we want the blog to continue! 

Len also made the point that someone he knows has tried to enrol but failed. Last night, I bumped into my friend, Peter, at the game. He told me he would now like to join us, so he too can contribute. Unfortunately, when he tried to register as a new user, the blog  wouldn’t let him: the registration page had been disabled. Does anyone know of a way round this technical issue? I wouldn’t have a clue. 

@clive-hurren  - I guess the person who deals with applications to join this Blog is the Administrator for the site.  That is probably Werder.  The contacts page invites people with issues to contact (by email) aministrator@outlook.com.  That, I guess, is also Werder.  Therefore it MIGHT be that for however long Werder has been unable to actively participate in the Blog, for whatever reason, anyone wanting to join the Blog has been unable to do so.  So no new members.

I hope Werder finds himself in a position to rejoin us on here.  His presence is missed. Quite apart from issue of new members joining, the reality may be that he, alone, may be responsible not only for renewing whatever registrations may be required for this site to continue in operation, but it may be that he is the only one in possession of the "key" needed in case any work is required under the bonnet of the Blog. So if anything goes wrong, without Werder it may be impossible to sort it out.

I thought I should just let you all know that I have been in contact with Werdermouth. The most important news is that everything is OK with him and there is nothing we need to be concerned about in respect of his and his family’s wellbeing. He is just in a very busy period.

I don’t want to be seen to be speaking for him, but he needs to revisit the platform that Diasboro sits on for various technical reasons. There is also some more immediate work he will have to do, and more sooner than later. He says he will pop in and post an update before he makes any decisions about what he will do, but very happily for us he is certainly talking about how best to maintain Diasboro going forward. Once he has decided what is the best platform for Diasboro I will still follow up with him to see if any of the administrative workload maintaining Diasboro can be shared.

@clive-hurren I didn't read your last post in this thread until after I had posted my note about Werdermouth above. There is an issue with managing/admitting members at the moment. That is one of the technical issues he is considering. He has an idea how to address it, but as is often the case with technical problems, fixing one can very often have a knock on consequence. Like I said above, I don't want to speak for him, but he will come on and post what he proposes for platforming Diasboro going forward, and that may include something that streamlines the onboarding process for new people wanting to join. 

Sadly, I don't have an immediate workaround to tell you about.

@powmillnaemore 

Many thanks, Powmill. That’s really helpful. 

That is really good news.  I'm very pleased to heart Werdermouth is OK and I suspected it must be work issues that had taken his attention.  I look forward to the updates when they become available.

Just a point about increasing the membership and number of posters on Diasboro, it’s worth noting that we do have a lot of lurkers and watchers who like to read the posts and not comment.

Here’s one I’ve received this week amd obtained permission to post so that you can all read.

OFB

MR PARKERS DOG

Mr Parker's Dog,

Wilder and Assombalonga coming back to haunt us? You are definitely a true born supporter with that level of uneasiness, good to hear and I certainly think that! I agree about those knee slides too.

All the best.

UTB,

John

I'm sure I've heard of Mr Parker's Dog before, from somewhere.  Anyway it is good to hear someone else give a point of view.  It MUST mean there are Lurkers out there who read but do not post, so we are not talking/typing in a vacuum. (And I also agree about the knee slides - a cruciate tear just waiting to happen!).

Summary of key points

I remember Mr Parker’s Dog as a contributor to the blog, whether it was in the days of Untypical Boro or later, I can’t remember, as was Boro Betty etc. As far as Clive’s questions are concerned, these are my opinions, apologies if they upset anyone:

1. Yes I want the blog to continue.

2. I like it to read about MFC and everything connected to the club in the present time.

3. I don’t like other subjects included in the current item, such as cricket, politics, unsubstantiated transfer rumours from twitter and the like (if it is from a published site like SSN, NewsNow MFC, or daily papers even if they don’t materialise that is acceptable), general subjects, MFC history. We have General Subjects section, so why not use them or anyone can start a topic, at the clich of a button. If I was a young (or older) newcomer wanting a site about the Boro, after a quick look I would come to the conclusion this is not the place, for example if I wanted to read about a certain fixture or Transfer I would expect Boro v Stoke to be all about pre match, during the game and post match.

4. See 3 above.

5. OFB twitter and any other form of media, word of mouth but also pay attention to 3 above.

6. Do OFB and Andy find it a burden and do they want others involved, there is a difference between the odd inclusion than only getting to do one every 6/10 matches.

I repeat these are my own personal opinions based on over the years getting people to look at the sites ( untypical and diasboro) to join and their responses, admittedly there is very little of “playing the man” these days.

Come on BORO.

@exmil 

Thanks exmil. As your post comes immediately after mine, I’m not going to incorporate your views into my summary, unless you specifically ask me to. Let’s treat yours as an addendum - not that I mean to disparage it. Your views are as welcome and as important as anyone’s. But fellow bloggers can read it for themselves and make the links as necessary. Are you ok with that? 

@clive-hurren 

Brilliant summary, Clive, and an exemplar of all of the qualities of the blog that you describe.  Many thanks 

@clive-hurren - Thanks for your summary. On the issue of posts shrinking in number, I remind myself that as I listen to BBCTees on my way back after a home game, they have a phone-in (often not much time for calls what with a summary of the game, views of Neil Maddison and now Dana Malt, post-match interviews with the manager and a player etc). Experience of listening to that phone-in suggests that after a lacklustre or even poor performance and a defeat, calls come in thick and fast, but after a good performance and a win there seem to be fewer calls. For a few months now things have been going generally swimmingly well, so perhaps people are less inclined to phone in to BBCTees, or even to send posts to a Boro football Blog.

Wait until, Heaven Forbid, there should be a downturn in form and a general unease spreads and then outright rebellion breaks out amongst Boro followers.  At that time we'll get to see how many REALLY grumpy people there are out there (whether old men, young women, bald, hairy, white, black or in between....).

@forever-dormo I think you are on to something there FD.

Thought I'd pop in to keep everyone up to date on what I'm thinking on the future of Diasboro - while I'm not actively posting at the moment, I remain committed in keeping the Diasboro platform running as I know it's important for many people.

As Powmill mentioned he kindly emailed me to check if I was in good health - thankfully, other than the usual creaks of a man approaching 60 I'm still in relative good nick 😀 Though as was a bit footballed-out after watching nearly all the game in the World Cup so took a break and then my traditional busy time with work is the start of the year plus I was back on to some major house renovation projects ahead of hosting three parties for Mrs Werder's 50th - which all thankfully went well!

Anyway, back to Diasboro and there are a number of pressing issues on the current self-hosted site that need addressing before the end of March - including the host company informing me they will no longer support the current version of Software I'm running from April and unless I upgrade will start charging a significant support fee. Some early exploration indicate it should be possible to upgrade to a later version but not the latest, which will then be no longer supported in six months.

My inclination is leaning towards migrating Diasboro back to Wordpress.com as maintaining self-hosted websites requires a lot more work and can prove difficult to prevent fake accounts and attempts to hack the site - which is the reason I had to disable new registrations as I was getting over 100 fake accounts each day that are specifically created to try and hijack the site for malicious purposes. New people could then easily register and start making comments again as it just needs one comment to be approved and Wordpress.com handle the security of the site.

While a self-hosted site is more flexible in terms of adding features and design - such as the Forum software it does require someone who knows what they are doing to keep it up and running - plus also as I discovered when my monthly direct debit didn't go through at the beginning of January (after I forgot my card registered for the site had expired) the host company took Diasboro down within an hour until I'd registered a new card and made the payment. They are after all a business but it made me think about the risk of having a self-hosted site and it is totally dependent on making a payment - albeit just a small one.

The good thing about a free Wordpress.com site is that they never expire and remain active unless you physically choose to delete it. The downside is that you have limited features unless you pay for their Business contract at 300 quid a year and then it's more or less the same as self-hosting and all the problems again.

So I've concluded that it may be better to move back to Wordpress.com and go back to the old blog format as it wouldn't be possible to run the Forum software. In reality it's probably more or less the same as what Andy and OFB have been doing for the last six months - they post an article and the other members leave comments on the game and usually other subjects too. The Forum no longer is actually being used as a multi-topic forum so it kind of makes all the work of running a self-hosted site a little obsolete - especially give the issue of having new members register

Anyway, I've started setting up a new site on their platform in preparation and as insurance against not resolving the issues on the self-hosting site in the next week.

My plan would be 

1. Set up a new Wordpress.com site and go live with posting

2. Convert all the threads and posts made on the self-hosted diasboro.club Forum into standard Wordpress articles and comments and then migrate these onto a Wordpress.com site as a resource. Note: this will require some fancy footwork in Wordpress with databases and programming as it's not something that there is a available process to achieve - though it should be within my capabilities but it's hard to put a time-frame on the task as I would do it as a background activity. Plus it can only be done if the self-hosted diasboro.club forum is not being actively used.

3. Make the original Wordpress.com site that Diasboro started on into an archive so that all the articles, post and comments can be easily revisited and browsed.

In my view this would resolve many of the issues and give Diasboro a secure long-term future that wasn't dependent on me or someone else with technical know-how needing to manage the day-to-day running. By giving those who want to write articles 'author' status they can then post their articles themselves and even manage the comments made on their own articles.

OK, I welcome any feedback or suggestions and hopefully we can all continue to enjoy what has been a fantastic season for Boro since Super Michael Carrick arrived and has done an outstanding job with his coaches and players - with excellent football to boot!

Not having your superior technical expertise, I am happy to go along with whatever you decide is best for the benefit of all. I do think however if there is cost involved then it should not be only your burden, I am willing to transfer funds to help in this matter and I am sure many (if not all) would be willing to contribute what they can, to continue what we have all enjoyed for free, for the past few years. Finally, can I just say, it is great to hear that you and your family are in good health, even if “the boss’s” list of home improvements is still as long as ever, best wishes and take care UTB.

Come on BORO.

Thanks Exmil, though that list never seems to have an ending 😀 

While I appreciate the offer, the normal running costs are negligible as I set up the site to be as cheap as possible but it's more the problem of ensuring a payment is made to ensure a site remains active and I now think a free-hosted site that never expires is probably the safest option - plus it requires less technical input and resolves the security issues.

@exmil Good work and thanks again for all your efforts. My own Blog is Wordpress based and seems to work ok, so I’m happy with whatever decision you take. It’s pleasing to know that Diasboro has a long term future.

@werdermouth 

My blog is a Wordpress platform and has been trouble free for about six years. At the moment I can't get into it to post and I need to have them to sort it out but the other medical demands on my time have pushed it way down the list!

I don't mind how diasBoro is set up as long as it's there and I trust your technical expertise. Thank you for doing what you have done and are doing so well.

All the best,

UTB,

John

@werdermouth.  Lovely to hear from you and that all is well with you and yours.

Just to echo Exmil’s comments that we will be guided by your technical knowledge and whilst I would also be prepared to contribute to keep us going it sounds from what you say you can do so without the need to have to make a payment.

As far as a new site is concerned, would it be best to leave it until the end of the football season, when postings should be lighter over the summer months, assuming that fits in with your already hectic schedule?

Best wishes from a sunny and getting warmer Costa Blanca.  😎

Thanks John and hope you're progressing to better health - I think much depends on what plugins you add to Wordpress as some of them have security flaws and loopholes that get exploited.

In theory nobody should have been able to bypass the registration process on the self-hosted Forum at diasboro.club but alas many fake accounts were created - even when I turned registration off. In the end I had to force all registrations to fail with a piece off code but couldn't find anything that explained how they could bypass. I sometimes wonder if some of the extra security plugins are themselves the cause - a bit like when installing some antivirus software you ended up with more viruses. I think keeping it simple is often the safest policy - so hopefully Wordpress.com will do the trick.

Thanks KP and hope you're well too! While waiting until the summer has some advantages, I've got this end of March deadline on upgrading the software and I'll also be away on holiday when next season resumes, which may impact on people returning to post after the break. The other advantage of switching before the season ends is that members are active and easier to redirect and get up and running on a new site. Though the switch shouldn't be any more than just making a comment and having it approved.