I really don’t think it’s harsh at all. I express disappointment, surprise and frustration, but I don’t think I am being harsh.
Its not harsh as it is accurate. Its not harsh as you say that it’s a fan site not rather than a conduit to the club [and if that’s the case then it is accurate and HAS been a complete waste of time
].
It’s not harsh as any official making the announcement should know the reasons behind it.
Its not harsh as Shaun states when creating this thread that its purpose is
“The purpose of this thread apart from introducing myself is to simply ask this question :
How can the club engage with this forum more to better listen to our members?
I look forward to meeting you all and hearing your ideas”
Its not harsh as his initial post describes this as an "Official Forum". “I am a huge believer in official forums and am very passionate for this forum to remain and grow as one of the core voices for our members.” And “But I can promise you that I will continue to read every post in my own time and hope that the administrators will flag with me directly on any major post that needs addressing so important questions don't go unanswered.”
Surely a forum administrator has flagged this topic for him. It is current, divisive and this is due to no reasoning for this decision being supplied by the club. Everyone is guessing what the reasons are and concluding different things.
While he points out that he can’t always be trawling through it, he says “The purpose of this thread was to purely highlight my passion that I believe this forum should thrive and grow and not take days for new posts to appear. Everyday should be engaging and an insightful part of being a Mariners supporter”. I don’t feel that the club has engaged on this question and I certainly don’t have any insight into why it is happening.
Is calling the lack of response ‘disappointing’ harsh? I don’t think so. Instead I have had to rely on a local regional newspaper to provide some limited insight.
Members are consumers as well as stakeholders that invest in the club. Membership fees are not donations. By paying them we
are supporting the club, and as consumers we expect that all of the service/product being paid for is delivered. Fees are not donations.
If your butcher had his thumb on the scales and you were both aware of it, would you tug your forelock and say, “Gee, thanks, I’m grateful for getting most of what I paid for” or would you say “You seem to have your thumb on the scale, why is that?” Or perhaps “Reweigh it please”.
There is no question that a club needs fans, and that fans need a club. Its symbiotic.
This all started because I was curious about the rationale for this decision, and assumed that I had missed something relating to that. Instead there have been many conflicting opinions on motives. A response from the club could have resolved that. Its not harsh to ask what are the motives and be disappointed when the thread on an ‘Official’ forum, supposedly dedicated to engaging and listening to members, doesn't provide a response.